Category Archives: Judo Coaching

Broken Windows

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In a 1982 article, social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling introduced their “broken windows” theory.  The “broken windows” theory of police work goes something like this: Criminals see untended broken windows in a neighborhood, assume neglect, and further assume that they can get away with more in a run-down locale than in one in which they see no signs of neglect.  Blight breeds crime.  A corollary to that theory is that by enforcing petty crimes, you prevent people from making a career of crime and progressing up the ladder to more serious and harmful crimes.

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Experiment!

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A few weeks ago, Steve Scott emailed me wanting to get my opinion on whether the AAU should have a third set of competition rules to attract more grapplers who may not dig our stand-up game and the fact that in Judo it’s one good throw and you lose the match.  After much discussion, we came to the conclusion that Freestyle Judo rules were all that we needed for mainstream competition.  The only thing left to do is tell more people about Freestyle Judo.

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Background Checks

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With great fanfare, the Amateur Athletic Union recently announced that it was implementing “historic child protection measures to ensure the safety of youth athletes.”  Among the measures; background checks.  Our national Judo organizations have had mandatory background checks for coaches for years.  Sadly, routine background checks every four years have not stopped inappropriate, sexual behavior between underaged children and their coaches.

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Fighting Complacency

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I know.  It’s been over a month since my last post.  It hasn’t been because I didn’t have anything to write about.  On the contrary.  Reality is that other club projects have kept me away from my keyboard.  I finally have some breathing room, so here we go again.

A long talk with my daughter yesterday is prompting me to talk about a situation all coaches encounter:  how to handle complacency, poor work ethic and sloppy Judo that our kids exhibit from time to time.   Continue reading →