Duties and Importance of the Coach

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Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Phone: (719) 866-4730

The Duties and Importance of the Coach in the USA Judo Junior Judo Rank System:

What is Judo? Judo is a sport taught in clubs. Judo begins when new clubs are formed. Judo begins when Coaches decide they want to teach young people the sport of Judo. When coaches stop teaching, Judo stops. Everything we do must encourage coaches to open new clubs and help them conduct their instruction effectively, so the students will remain for a lifetime of Judo.

The most important person in the functioning of the USA Judo Junior Judo Rank System is the Coach. The entire system is dependent upon the Coach. Many of the present problems in American Judo development can be traced to overlooking the coach as the key person in Judo development. All of the leaders in Judo, such as, the national board and committee members, competition officials, coach and referee certification officials, and many other sport politicians and employees are less important than the club Coach. The dedicated Coaches who start clubs, recruit students, and bring their athletes to tournaments are the resource we must support and assist. The Coaches are the body of Judo.

It is the aim of the USA Judo Junior Judo Rank System to make sure that American Judo club Coaches know they are the most important factor in Judo growth and development. The system is designed to recognize the tremendous contribution made by coaches to the development of Judo, and to assist them in every way possible to be successful coaches.

Honor Results in Responsibility:

It is not ethically sound for a coach to recognize that they represent the most important and honored position in American Judo if they are not willing to make the effort to be worthy of that honor. Coaches must understand that without proper effort, Judo will not grow and prosper. Coaches must understand what it takes to make a successful Judo club. The USA Judo Junior Rank System addresses these critical requirements.

General Duties of Every Judo Club Coach:

A successful Coach needs to know and and demonstrate certain qualities and character. Coaches must be of good character and have high technical expertise to successful.

Coaches know that any technique must be practiced. It is that simple. It is also the Coach’s duty to ensure that good character is practiced. Some young people will be more interested in competition than others. It is not necessary to be a champion, but it is necessary to face and accustom them to competition, and is recommended that young people participate in competition to ready them for the competition of life.

A study of the methods used by great American Coaches, reveals one thing above all: they possessed an intense desire to improve the Judo techniques of their students. This desire produced winning teams. Great coaches have done this by various means, but the core character trait, a deep interest in their students, and an intense desire to see them become competent, was always present. The USA Judo Junior Judo Rank System fosters this attitude of intense desire. This goal of coaches is the first requirement for character development and technical progress of their students. The desire to help others should be the primary virtue of any character.

The USA Judo Junior Judo Rank System provides the Coach with the technical means to produce technicians of high quality and good character.

Work Ethics:

The work ethic is deeply ingrained in our American society. We believe that hard work is honorable and should not be avoided. The coach must work hard, demand hard work, and the very best effort from each student. Coaches must constantly keep pushing for more effort, and hence, better results.

Persistence:

Coaches must keep trying. Coaches must be persistent. A great NFL football player was quoted as saying, “Everybody gets knocked down. The difference between a winner and a loser is that the winner gets up one more time.” Students are going to spend a few hours practicing on the mat every session. If they practice hard, and persistently attempt to learn the techniques, they cannot fail. If they practice in a sloppy, lazy manner, both the coach and the athletes will be wasting their time. It is not only the “what” that is practiced, but also the "way" of practicing that the coach must exemplify and encourage.

Goal Setting:

Goals must be set by both the Coach and the athlete. The Coach must set goals for every practice. They must also encourage every student to have a goal for each practice. The Coach should have an ongoing development plan in place for each athlete as well as helping the athlete set his or her own long-term goals.

The USA Judo Judo Coaches Lesson Plan:

Different lesson plans should be used for younger, older, less skilled, and more skilled athletes. Coaches are encouraged to create lesson plans of their own for specific situations and to accomplish specific goals.

The Coach must foster regular competition. In addition to free practice (randori) in the club, the Coach must also encourage students to participate in as many tournaments and possible.

The coach must constantly look for ways to provide their students with talented competitors. Visiting students can help teach their students different information during randori. Dual meets and visits from, and to other clubs are a vital part of learning Judo.

Rewards for Coaches:

Making prompt and regular promotions is the most effective way to increase retention of Judo students. Any Coach who makes more than 50 junior rank promotions in any calendar year will be honored on the USA Judo Coaches Honor Roll. Their names will be prominently featured on the USA Judo website and a certificate of appreciation will be presented to theses coaches during the USA Judo Junior Olympics the following summer.

Coaches that use the Junior Judo Rank System will retain more students and ultimately have more medallist in competition. Therefore providing the Coach with additional coaching points for their own promotions. This will also allow the Coach to be promoted more timely manner.