Have you or your child ever competed in a judo tournament? There are many great benefits to competing in a judo tournament. Here are our top 5 favorite reasons to try it out:
1. Practice is over and it’s time to compete!
Each class you learn new techniques and you are able to sharpen your skills through drilling, rondori and newaza. This is done so that you can perform well during competition.
2. To further improve your skills by going against new competitors
Chances are, you’ve spent so much time with your fellow judoka that you already know all their strengths and weaknesses: this person has a powerful grip but a tendency to go half-way in, another person has a great timing but are superior with counters.
You can only improve as much as the best person you compete against and by the knowledge of your instructor and for that in which they expose you to. That is why competing in a judo tournament is such a powerful experience. It exposes you to other judoka you’ve never worked with before, which forces you to put into action the techniques and combinations that you’ve been practicing.
3. Watch & Learn
One of the most exciting aspects about going to a judo tournament is getting to watch performances from the best judoka from your local area — or in the case of national tournaments, from around the country.
You might also have the opportunity to attend a coaching clinic or a referee clinic or learn techniques from an Olympian or a National Champion.
4. Individual and Team Sport
Even though judo is an individual sport, there is such a strong sense team. The entire team encourages their fellow judoka while competing. The feeling of unity and comrade is very evident by the passion and excitement of the crowd. The sense of accomplishment and victory brings the team together like one big family.
5. Whether you win or lose, it’ll make you a stronger judoka
While you should always go into a tournament with the goal of winning, you should understand that no matter what the eventual outcome, you will learn a great deal from the experience.
We’ve seen talented students lose matches and were so humbled by the experience that they intensified their training and took their skill level even higher. We’ve also seen students full of self-doubt give it 100% and walk away with trophies, which gave them the confidence boost they needed to keep improving.
