Ippons are perfectly scorable when Uke is on the floor. There’s this blurry line between the tachiwaza and newaza phase and you want to exploit it, and avoid being exploited.

Here’s Choi throwing Paischer for Gold in the 2008 Olympics:

This illustrates an important factor that referees must remember when scoring techniques: “It ain’t over ’till it’s over”. The whole, continuous motion must be kept in mind when deciding what score to give. In the above example, the referee team clearly felt that the attack continued from Uke dropping to the floor, resulting in the Ippon.

Before I continue, it is very important to point out now that the throw Choi used here is not going to be allowed come 2010! This thread on Judoforum.com has the information. Unfortunately, it isn’t 100% clear. For example, some of the techniques are not permitted when both players are clearly standing either. Also, fine line here: Will Ura-nage eventually be disallowed as well, due to it also involving picking a player up?

(Forgetting to consider the entirety of the throw can catch referees out for a different reason: A HUGE Kata guruma which has the “oooooooh” factor and the referee instinctively awards Ippon but… right at the end Tori loses control and Uke drops onto their side. Oops.)

Anyway, we have covered that throws in this phase are scorable. I saw a couple of great examples of this at the weekend, including one for the Gold medal.

Firstly, a player comes in for a failed Kata Guruma or leg grab of some description. They are down on one knee. Their opponent can take advantage of this (Uchi-mata especially!) for a good, sweeping, clean Ippon.

Secondly, this could be combined with a more tactical approach. Uke may feel they are ‘safe’ and will start to stand. This can also happen if both players have stumbled to the ground and stand up again. This is fine and the referee will not call Matte if both players are doing so of their own volition. Tori can take advantage of this lull and throw! Perfectly scorable and beautifully tactical.

So always be wary of these opportunities. If you are Uke in the above, you may want to turtle up and not move until Matte is called… just in case. ALWAYS be away of the tactical situation. Your opponent is unlikely to be letting you stand up because they like you and want to give you a nice slice of cake, are they?

Golden Score was changed at the beginning of the year to three minutes for seniors. However, it can be shorter than this depending on the circumstances at domestic events: Juniors may only get two minutes, or if time is really pressured just one!

Golden Score ends if a player gets a score (either directly or as a result of their opponent being penalised). The way you don’t really want it to end is if time runs out and the referee team have to make a decision (hantei).

Let’s go back a step further. Don’t let a contest go to Golden Score! Yes, this is a repeat of the usual ‘Go for the Ippon’ mantra but more contests than I would have liked went all the way to flags at the weekend. The removal of Koka has perhaps contributed to this but hopefully over time the technical base will develop and make it less likely. That said, a stalemate is a stalemate.

I do appreciate that a player may possibly let a contest go into Golden Score for strategic reasons: Their fitness may be superior to their opponents and they know that they can look a lot more ‘busy’ in order to appear superior, and thus gain the decision. This is rare to see though: Generally both players are equally tired.

So, you’re in Golden Score (After trying REALLY hard to get an Ippon but not quite getting it, of course). You’re going to keep going for that outright win, but want to have all bases covered should it go to decision. What now?

1. Remember the scoreboard is wiped. This includes penalties. More importantly, this includes the minds of the referees: Only the Golden Score time is counted if it goes to flags! You could have made five hundred more attacks in the preceding time period but it counts for nothing.

2. Valid attacks only. Just tapping your opponents legs every so often or ‘flopping’ will not count for anything. What is a ‘valid attack’ ? Definitions vary but two examples: Actual attempt at kuzushi and Tori must be putting themselves at risk to a counter.

3. Going for strangles, trying to pass the guard etc on the ground will generally NOT be counted. Securing Osaekomi will though, but it is MUCH easier to gain kinsas in the tachiwaza phase. NOTE: I’m taking this up with some senior referees – it has not been an issue for me so far (has not changed a decision…) but I want to be sure.

4. Some valid attacks count more than others. Both you and your opponent make strong Osoto Gari attacks. You are the one who gets knocked down, managing to land on your front. Your opponent’s attack counts for more.

5. ATTACK FIRST. Straight from the grip. If your opponent is going for drop throws then that ‘wastes’ time on the ground before you can try something yourself. Do it first!

6. Combinations. Put in flurries of attacks. Don’t just look busy.. actually be busy!

Just remember, if you can get a nice swift Ippon in the first 15 seconds of a judo contest, you don’t have to worry about any of this…

It happens. A referee makes a decision that you as a player or coach really are not happy about. To be precise, you will not be happy about the decision that the team of three referees has made. We’re not going to play the numbers game now of ‘three versus one’ as getting the right result is the most important thing. The players are the most important people on the mat, and a good referee team should essentially be invisible.

What should you do?

Well, what NOT to do is to do what the minority of players and coaches do: Abuse, attempt to intimidate, showboat (e.g. every throw is one which almost broke their neck, every decision is wrong…). This won’t help you at all. It has no place in any part of judo or even sport for that matter and has to go. In addition, if you’re not prepared to lose you are not totally in tune with what shiai is designed for as part of the judo pedagogy.

However, I never want a player to lose because of a bad decision.

Typically, most errors are picked up by the referee team. Score the wrong side? That’s a typical one. It will be noticed and corrected. If it isn’t then I’ve never been averse to a coach pointing out the possibility (other referees may feel differently about this). Note this is entirely different to trying to pre-empt things: Calling out scores mid-throw, calling for penalties, complaining about grips… don’t do that!

Let’s assume that something really is not right. Call the Referee In Charge to the mat (typically done via the Competition Controller). You want to do this as soon as possible and certainly before the next contest if possible. Explain your grievance in detail. Bonus points for not being abusive, of course.

A common complaint is “What’s the point, nothing gets changed anyway”. This is false as I have witnessed decisions being changed of a correct challenge by a coach. There is no referee conspiracy that I have yet seen to try and protect a decision. The whole point of having a team of three in the first place is to accept the fact that we are all human (honestly, we are) and that we are just trying to minimise errors and consolidate opinion. After all, scoring is subjective – Was that mostly on the back or not?

The RIC will then speak to the team in question to assess what to do, and certainly to advise for in the future. Now, the RIC can’t try and influence the referees to change their mind (say, who scored what?). But what if the team has made an error regarding the rules? If the rule is correctly pointed out, NOW do they change their minds?

The RIC is also called by the team themselves when a controversial decision is perhaps about to be made and they want back-up ready! A direct hansoku-make is typical. Although all three referees must agree before this is ‘awarded’, it can be controversial if the reason is not totally clear. Head dives are pretty obvious, endangering the spine with headlocks not always so obvious when in newaza.

When I have had abuse it is due to this last one, and in fact for not awarding hansoku-make. As just described, all three referees MUST agree. So not only must have they have observed the incident from their angle on the mat, they must ALSO agree that intent was there. Not one I’ve dealt with, but one incident talked about concerned a player alleged to have kicked their opponent when getting up off the ground… the angle meant there was no way all of the referees could have seen it.

So, a coach may demand a hansoku-make for Kani Basami, but what if the referee feels it was more of a result of two simultaneous techniques? (One player going for a rear sacrifice throw at the same time as the other turning sideways for, say, ouchi gari?). Players collapse in a bit of a heap and the legs are in a ‘sort of’ Kani Basami position, but is the intent there?

The coaches I most have respect for are those that are balanced. One minute I can see them calling for a score which was not given, but the next they are also telling their player to get a move on! (In a nice way, of course). They recognise that referee decisions that are bad will come and go, but ultimately the player can make it all very easy: Win decisively by Ippon with a crisp technique. Job done.

Certainly you never want it to go to the referees’ decision: Golden Score has been reduced to two minutes for seniors now, less for juniors. As the decision is based purely on the Golden Score contest time, that is NOT much time for either player to look far superior to the other unless they get a score. (Currently, this superiority is judged purely on ‘number of attacks’ which in my humble opinion could be improved, but that’s one for another post).

While working with a novice this week, I noticed that he kept coming in for (seemingly) Tani Otoshi, but each time I ended up straight on top of him. Although initially I was countering, this kept happening even when I went into ‘limp uke’ mode.

Finally worked it out. He was just dropping straight onto his back with his leg out, as opposed to the backwards direction that Tani Otoshi relies on! So obvious in hindsight but it was puzzling at the time.

I’ve mentioned before that I try to encourage upright judo. Sutemi-waza can be exceptionally effective but they can slow development, as I found out to my own cost. However, with seniors I feel to a certain extent you have to coach with what works for them, and it is more of an advising role. So I was happy to point out what needed to be done to fix the problem, as opposed to stating “THOU SHALT NOT DO SACRIFICE THROWS”.

I later worked with a junior squad player. I took a dominant grip, to the response of, “There’s nothing I can do, you are too strong, I can’t break your grip”. Advice here is the classic MOVE AND ATTACK. You should be able to do this from any grip as if you just stand still helplessly then in shiai it is not going to end well for you. Once she started moving, using speed and change of direction, I lost the so-called ‘unbreakable’ grip that I had.

You must always assume that your opponent in shiai is stronger. And that you may not be able to get your perfect grip. Movement is so very much the key, and I am looking forward to my toe being fully healed so I can exploit this!

I was refereeing at another junior event at the weekend and a few things struck me regarding the difference between the sexes. This is in regard to Junior shiai.

First of all, this is a generalisation. There are notable exceptions to all generalisations and this was also the case at the competition.

The best attitude and technique regarding shiai tended to come from the girls. This is how I lay it out:

1. It was taken as a learning experience more. Win or lose. Yes, there were some tears, but it was far more common to see happy smiles even after a loss.
2. There was much more reliance on standing technique rather than ‘roughing up’ the opponent. With the boys you did see a lot of wrestling grappling going on. A bit more on that later. There was a lack of kuzushi evident, but expected at the level of the competition (Classic never-ending Osoto Gari attempts from both competitors, for example).
3. Related to the previous point, I saw a LOT of Tani Otoshi attacks from the boys from the wrestling approach. I’m definitely not criticising here as I have always used this a lot! But ideally we are looking for more stand-up judo at this level. Sometimes Tori would be pretty much creeping right round Uke before throwing them to the ground with this technique.

I would go so far to say that Tani Otoshi is now the new drop Seoinage, as it gets round the U12 restrictions due to sutemi-waza being permitted.

There is a lot to learn from the attitude and typically more stand-up technique from the girls. But there were some stunning throws from the boys as well, I will add. This post is all about the generalisation!

Is it time that we also disallowed sutemi-waza in the U12 category, and not just U10s?

What are the best way of encouraging students (first phases of competitiveness and testosterone getting through!) to use more technique to win and not RARRRRGH grappling?

I was getting a bit more practice tonight in terms of assistant coaching. This is quite a good introduction as the main coach handles the lesson plan and…well… to be honest they handle pretty much everything, leaving me to wander giving advice when the students put it into practice.

When it came to Randori, some of the physical differences between some of the players came to light. Now, these are juniors, and although some may be roughly the same size, there can be a great difference in age and therefore strength.

Thus sometimes a player would be pretty much pulling their partner all over the place, forcing them down, and it was not uncommon for a throw to occur by means of sutemiwaza.

Sacrifice throws are an important part of any judoka’s toolkit, but executing one on a player who is clearly weaker and smaller than you does not prove much.

Some of the advice I felt appropriate tonight was as follows:

• To a player who had thrown their partners several times with sutemiwaza (as above): No more sutemiwaza for you tonight. Use other throws. Encourages broadening horizons. Seconds after this, the player executes a beautiful O goshi. It had the “Ooooh” factor.
• To players dragging smaller ones around: Reiterate the point of Randori. Emphasise technique and subtle breaking of balance over RARRRRGH. And, just as importantly, to their partner, give a few tips as to how to handle someone who is stronger (Stay upright, keep moving, attack!).
• To hip-blockers. Hip-blocking is a totally valid way of blocking a throw, but to attempt Tani Otoshi afterwards when their partner is clearly stronger is not good. Try stepping round instead and attack. A player tried this after having their Tani Otoshi countered each time, and managed to throw their partner repeatedly with Tai Otoshi. Beautiful.
• To the wrestling stance! Two players end up bent right over wrestling. Normally the only throw attempts that result are sutemi waza. Emphasise standing up more, brings out more opportunities (back to movement here!).

All of this is Judo 101 and common sense. But I feel it does have to be pointed out quickly when spotted before bad habits set in. I speak from experience. I know very, very well how reliance on sutemi waza and counters stunted my Judo growth. Now I try and be more upright I am always thinking to myself, “I wish someone had made me do this earlier!”.

The majority who are involved in Judo are children. You can apply this to sport as a whole. As a result, child protection is a big deal. While it seems child abuse is more prevalent nowadays, that aspect is due more to the media and greater public awareness.

It’s a requirement for coaches in Judo to go on the sports coach UK Safeguarding and Protecting Children workshop. I went on one of these courses, hosted by a combination of the British Judo Association and the British Army.

It was a good course, and essentially goes through everything from the definitions of abuse, the signs, through to the actions to take. The key is to do something if there is suspicion. It is not down to us as coaches (or others involved in the sport) to decide whether abuse has occured, but ignoring the signs is wrong.

The other side of the coin is to protect ourselves! For example, not being in the position where you would be alone with a child: Avoiding one-to-one coaching, or giving a child a lift home. THankfully, Judo is very open as a sport: Clubs are typically run by quite a few people, and parents always made welcome to view sessions in their entirety.

A lot of this stuff is naturally common sense. Good practice would be having at least two coaches on the mat. Dubious practice might be inviting Gary Glitter to coach a session on his own. But it was good to go through it all and get the materials, so if a situation ever arises, I know who to talk to next. Note that clubs should have a dedicated Welfare Officer who have more advanced training (“A Time To Listen”, via the NSPCC).

There is some crossover here with Long Term Player Development (LTPD). As athletes are at different ages different types and levels of training are more appropriate than others. It is important to avoid pushing too hard, as this in itself could be abuse (Think ‘pushy parent syndrome’, berating their child for crying, or losing at a competition). Not to mention ‘helping’ a child meet their weight category with the likes of saunas and wearing bin liners when training!

Very early days for me on the learning about coaching front. I am already thirsty for more.

I had my first steps in coaching last night, albeit in the role of an assistant coach during the session. This is obviously the sensible way to start – There is no way that I can possibly claim to have the experience yet to take a session on my own.

In fact, the UKCC Level 1 Coaching Course that I am going on soon is classed as “Assistant Coach” level, so it will be perfect. Slow steps!

My steps are particularly slow at the moment as I broke one of my toes at the weekend. Unfortunately, despite attending two judo sessions over that weekend I can’t give some story here about some amazing thing I did. Instead, I broke it when falling down the stairs. Sigh.

So, how did the coaching go?

It was the junior class and I would say the average age was about eight or so. The numbers were lower than normal but this made it easier, as we had just the right number for each coach on the mat to work with a pair.

Children are a marvel to work with. So distinct in their personalities, and even in the warm-up I became very aware that I really did have to be setting as an example, as they were watching!

I think one of the main challenges for me was explaining the Judo exercises we were doing in the right language. Getting the points across by way of demonstration and talking it through. Part of me was wanting to start talking about the fundamentals of a throw (kuzushi etc) but I realised that these are very young children and everything has to be done at the right level.

So I can’t wait for the coaching course and, of course, much more experience to start learning all the tricks.

I stayed on for the senior session, where I was training myself. Chris Doherty, Regional Technical Officer, was there to show some exercises, which were great. He is also a big fan of the fundamentals, which I suppose you would expect from someone in his position!

Plus it turns out he is a tutor on the Bath course I have applied for. Excellent.

Toe very painful. It stunted a lot of my Judo and I was forced to find workarounds. Forward throws were pretty much out. Especially ones involving bending the knees. Newaza was not so bad as I could try and keep the toe out of harms way, and it was nice to try and find an advantage when a “foot down”!

Worked on Ko Soto Gake in tachiwaza randori, as once my foot was hooked behind, the toe was out of danger! In a way, it made me work harder to complete the throw as I didn’t want to back out as it could injure the toe. Hmmm. I should be careful…