Why you should start Judo | Buying a licence | Becoming a referee | Becoming a Technical Official
Interested in giving back to the judo community? Whether you’re thinking of coaching, technical officials or refereeing, these pages can help give you a nudge in the right direction…
Why you should start Judo
Many people will have seen judo at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, where Sally Conway won bronze or media attention of Natalie Powell of Wales who recently became the first British female to become World Ranked no 1.
Judo was created as a form of physical, moral and psychological development. Whilst it’s enjoyable and engaging as upwards of twenty people can be practising at the same time, it is an excellent workout. It was developed to improve co-ordination, balance, aerobic fitness, strength and agility whilst promoting values through a strong moral code that is promoted even at the Olympics.
Like to get started? Find a club through our club search and make contact directly. All clubs found via our search are fully insured members of the British Judo Association.
Find a club
You can search for a club near you by entering your postcode in our search engine on the home page.
Buying a licence
As the National Governing body for Judo in Wales, we welcome participants from the age 5. Judo is fantastic for making new friends, building confidence, developing fitness and having fun!
If you’ve just started, or you’re thinking about starting judo you should buy a Welsh Judo Association individual licence to ensured both you and the person you’re practicing with are insured. It also means any grades you complete are recognised anywhere in the world and you’re eligible to compete throughout the competition pathway from beginner all the way to the Olympic Games!
Types of Membership
Buy a new licence renew your licence
Becoming a referee
Referees are volunteers who give up their time to support competitions and gradings. They are found centre stage and ensure that the game is played fairly and safely. There are various levels of referee and depending on their award they are able to referee at different levels of event. For full details please see the Tournament Handbook.
Refereeing roles suit anyone, with existing or prior judo experience, who is willing to give up their time to support events particularly those who enjoy taking control of contests, making decisions and wish to develop a better understanding of the precise technicalities of the sport.
If you want to get involved in refereeing you will need to be either a current judoka or have some prior judo experience. You will need to attend a course to develop your understanding of the rules and scoring criteria and complete a theory exam. You will then be invited to complete a practical assessment to gain your award. In the meantime you will be able to practice your refereeing under the supervision of a fully fledged referee. If you’d like more details, you can find us via the contact us page. We’re happy to help.
Becoming a Technical Official
Technical officials are the volunteers who give up their time to support our competitions and events. Sat behind the tables at matside, the Technical officials keep track of contest results, feed backing back to competition control, whilst ensuring the running of the competition on their contest area runs smoothly. There are progressive levels of officiating, which oversee different roles at an event.
Timekeepers
The first role when becoming a Technical official is becoming a Timekeeper. They keep track of the contests scores and penalties as well as operating the clock.
Contest Recorders
Contest Recorders ensure each contest area runs smoothly, calling the players to the mat and leasing with the Tournament Director.
Tournament Director
A Tournament Director has overall responsibility for the running of the competition, requesting the tournament licence, creating the draw and overseeing the delivery on the day.
If you’d like to become a Technical Official there are two ways to get involved. You can offer to help at local competitions, assisting a qualified Timekeeper. Once you’ve recorded at three events, your attendance will be logged and you’ll be awarded official Timekeeper status. Alternatively, you can attend a course and sit an exam. This is particularly useful for anyone new to Judo. Technical events are listed on our events page but if you’d like more details, you can find us via the contact us page. We’re happy to help.