Strategic Plan Bigger Clubs, Better Coaches, Best Practice 2015-2020
Our Vision for Judo Judo is a modern martial art and Olympic sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is the competitive element where the aim is to throw, hold or force submission through armlocks or strangles. As a philosophy and subsequent pedagogy, Kano believed that JuJutsu did not adequately reflect the form that he had developed. Jutsu meaning art implies a method of collecting techniques, whilst do meaning way, road or path clearly implies the journey he hoped to create. Kano s vision for judo was to provide a journey for individuals that improves their physical and mental abilities whilst strengthening their character and moral values. The purpose of judo is to perfect yourself so that you can contribute to society. Through diligent practice of judo, a judoka will improve mentally, physically and morally. The judoka will become both able and motivated to contribute to their community. Communities make up society and a better society will improve humanity. Jigoro Kano Ultimately, the mission for Welsh Judo is to deliver this The Moral Code of Judo Courtesy - To be polite to others Courage - To face difficulties with bravery Honesty - To be sincere with your thoughts and actions Honour - To do what is right and stand by your principles Modesty - To be without ego in your actions and thoughts Respect - To appreciate others Self Control - To be in control of your emotions
Mission Statement: Bigger Clubs, Better Coaches, Best Practice To provide lifelong physical activity through Judo, offering psychological, physical and social benefits, building character for Welsh children and adults, and helping all to achieve their personal potential from participation in Judo at all levels of ability, from local level to Olympic and Commonwealth success. Our aim is provide these opportunities in a safely controlled environment, which provides equal opportunity to all our members in a way which is free and from discrimination on the grounds of age, race, gender, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation, and to treat all its members with respect and dignity.
Governance Where are we now? Over the past year, the Welsh Judo Association has seen a fast turn over of both staff and members of the Board, providing the opportunity to build towards more balanced NGB. The recent appointments of a female Vice Chair, new Finance Director and CEO are clear examples of this. Where do we want to be? Work is on going to ensure that we have a balanced, inclusive and skilled board and whilst individual skill sets are more balanced, effectiveness as a board, not just a sum of parts needs to be achieved. As an organisation, a concerted effort to be open and accountable to our members needs to be achieved. Education & Training Where are we now? Coach education currently operates within the parameters of the British Judo Associations (BJA)UKCC framework. The administration is owned and managed by the BJA. UKCC level 1: Assistant Coach UKCC level 2: Club Coach UKCC level 3: Head Coach UKCC Level 4: Performance Coach (Post Graduate Diploma) UKCC Level 5: Performance Coach (Masters) At present Welsh Judo has a coaching database of 280 coaches & voluntary Technical Officials that are believed to have been through some form of education process within the last year, with some delivery. Where do we want to be? The need for growth is clearly identified. Welsh judo aim to introduce 85 new coaches & volunteers by 2017. An increase of 30%, with a further 30%, 110 coaches by 2019. Under 16s will be targeted for refereeing at beginner/intermediate events with over 16 s identified for officiating roles.
Development Where are we now? As both a sport and martial art, judo in Wales continues to be delivered in hired facilities, such as community centres, school halls and sport centres. At present, there is no precise figure on the number of permanent dojo s where judo is being practiced, but it is estimated to be less than ten. The distribution of membership is highlighted below, illustrating groups as: Senior male (over 16), Senior female (Over 16), Junior male (under 16), Junior female (under 16). Although recognised as key areas of focus, there is currently no way of measuring key areas of focus such ethnic minorities, NEETs, disabled or poverty stricken. There is also a high number of young people practicing judo within schools around the country that are not members of the Welsh Judo Association, so the actual number of people practicing the sport is not know and is difficult to estimate. Total Membership Numbers
Where do we want to be? Sport Wales priority area of Thriving Clubs is the key strand within our strategy for Development. Welsh Judo aims to increase individual membership by 2019 to 2500. Club membership needs to remain consistent, with a focus on creating a quality experience paramount to success in this area,the biggest indicator of this is retention. As highlighted within the education section (2.2), a greater focus will be on the development of our current coaches, both in terms of moving them through the coaching pathway and individual development. This will improve retention by helping create a more positive experience. For clubs to really thrive, the importance of advice on funding, writing action plans or even the importance of roles & responsibilities within the club is seen as essential. Although budget limitations clearly restrict how much help and support we can offer clubs, online resources within the social media strategy are expected to have a big impact, providing the clubs with the advice and guidance they need. To increase membership, projects will be delivered in partnership with the Fighting Chance Project to deliver demonstrations and taster sessions paying coaches at an hourly rate. Our research shows that both taster sessions (1 hour trial) and demonstrations (15 minutes visual) are very successful at creating demand. On average, a demonstration to 300 children will yield a return of 10 new participants at a club. 10 taster sessions to 30 children (300 children) will yield 50 new participants.
Performance Where are we now? Welsh Judo has experienced the most successful period in it s history with GB representation at U21, U23 and senior World and European Championships. Culminating with our first Commonwealth Games Champion, Welsh Judo now has its first athlete ranked inside the World top 10, with a realistic chance of winning an Olympic medal. As judo will not form part of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, 7 of the 11 athletes have retired from international competition, providing the perfect opportunity to develop a smaller, more bespoke programme around athletes aspiring for World and Olympic success. The British Judo landscape is changing dramatically with the introduction of the British Judo Centre of Excellence in Walsall. Post 2016, all podium and podium potential athletes will have to be based there to be selected for GB representation. This changes the focus of the Welsh pathway to being a development centre for British Judo with the aim of athletes relocating at some stage between the Talent Identification and Confirmation stage, whilst continuing to provide an aspirational pathway for athletes that miss out at the confirmation stage. Where do we want to be? The main aim for Welsh Judo in this cycle is to win its first Olympic and U21 World medals by 2020. Realigning the Welsh Judo Performance Academy to become a Performance Pathway Centre for centre for British Judo s has to be a key part of this. The need for the integration of a VI Pathway is also recognised through our 2020 Vision project, with the aim of delivering Welsh Judos first Paralympic medal by 2024. The realignment of the Performance Centre, will enabled us to provide a greater focus on athletes further down the system. The change in date of the Welsh Closed Championships to the end of the year will make it much easier to select a Welsh Squad based on Performance. At cadet (U17) and pre-cadet (U15), a robust Talent Identification system of technical, tactical, physical and psychological bench marks will be introduced with a strong focus on technical development and elite behaviours. This will be delivered through our Talent Cymru Development programme established to inspire, educate & nurture our aspiring potential athletes. To ensure further success, we will create an elite coaching Framework, fitting with Sport Wales and UK Sport, creating 3 stages: Athlete to Coach, Elite Coach Apprenticeship Programme & Elite Coach.
Events Where are we now? In 2014 Welsh Judo hosted four national events, which were spread throughout the year. The Welsh Open is a well established event for Cadets (U17), Junior (U21), Senior and Veterans and forms part of the GB ranking system at Senior level. Most of the national events make a slight loss or break even. Reflecting on this calendar, amendments are necessary. The Welsh Championships were in June. Whilst operating successfully, this needs to be placed at the end of the year to allow the identification of Welsh national squad for the coming year. As an organisation we are an integral part of the five tiered GB Competition Pathway. Level 1: Beginners - Red belt rumble Level 2: Intermediate - Mini-Mon - Red, Yellow, Orange belts Level 3: Experienced - Pre Cadet, Senior Kyu grade, Veterans Level 4: Aspiring - National Ranking Events Level 5: Performance - European Cups for Cadets, Juniors, Seniors Where do we want to be? The events programme has to meet the demands of the Performance Pathway. Whilst the aim of the association is not to provide all the tournaments needed throughout the pathway, it is our responsibility ensure that an adequate number are provided and available. A clear need has been identified by coaches to Increase the number of smaller competitions held at level 1,2 & 3. As an organisation we already deliver well established level 4 national ranking events for Cadets, Juniors, Seniors & Veterans. Our aspiration is to deliver a level 5 tournament at Cadet (U17) level for Great Britain. Level 1,2 &3: We aim to ensure that there is the possibility to compete regionally at this level four times per year. We d like to add two new events that will be delivered by Welsh Judo, Gamae Cymru as a selection event for the UK School Games and an annual British Schools Regional qualification event. Level 4: We will continue to provide the Welsh Open as a national ranking events of the highest quality as well as bid to host GB national events such as GB minors and Masters event and national teams. Level 5: As a longer term objective, we would like to host a European Cadet Cup on behalf of Great Britain.
Approved by the Board 16th November 2014 Reviewed November 2015 Date of next review November 2016 Darren Warner CEO
Sport Wales National Centre Sofia Gardens Cardiff CF11 9SW Company Number: 03074211