Kazoku-Kan Judo Academy's Adaptive Judo Tuesday class is suitable for juniors aged 8 – 16 years old. This class is dedicated to teaching judo to children & adults with learning difficulties/disabilities. At Kazoku-Kan Judo Academy our goal is to accommodate any ability in any of our classes, however we also know that many children will give up easily if they struggle to get settled in.
Our senior session on a Thursday evening is suitable for ages 14 and above
Our Instructing team have years of experience and are more than happy to talk to any parents who may be feeling apprehensive about their child taking part. The class is all about having fun, exercise, Judo, gaining more confidence as well as providing a greater social network for children and their families.
People with extra support needs like to participate in physical activities as much as those without extra support needs. No matter what the disability, physical, intellectual, social or sensorial, the right kind of exercise can improve balance, coordination, self esteem, communication and much more.
A person with special needs might find it difficult to socialise as they feel “different” and this could easily result in them feeling isolated and excluded. Sharing a passion, like Judo, will help people with extra support needs to break down the barrier that may exist and will help them to have a better adaptation to life.
Judo is a sport consisting of putting your opponent out of balance and on to their backs either from a standing or kneeing position, and grappling and hold downs from a sitting or lying position.
There is no punching, kicking and the face is totally out of bounds. Movement & exercise through Judo offers numerous benefits, not only physical but emotional as well. Feeling “different” from your peers is difficult and often a person with Special Needs struggles with self-esteem and confidence issues. So focusing on their abilities rather than their disabilities can help them to feel more secure and independent. They will create a sense of achievement, which can only bring self esteem and a motivation that just brings a smile to their face.
Judo is a sport where interaction with others is essential. Judo, like most martial arts, has a “code of conduct”. This will help a person with Special Needs to learn how to respect rules, how to respect others and him/herself. Without even knowing it their interactions skills and shyness would improve dramatically and all while learning a great sport.
Judo has a fun approached to exercise. The whole focus is to have fun whilst learning, we include games as part of the warm up, cool down and as a tool to teaching new techniques. There is nothing better than a good game to keep everyone focused and challenged at the same time. A great way to learn without repetitive exercises.
Judo is beneficial in :
Improving muscle tone
Orientation in Space
Cardiovascular fitness
Coordination
Social interaction
Self esteem
Communication
Developing judo skill and technique
But most of all it's a fun and incorporates a safe approach to sport. Some children/adults might have a physical disability, an intellectual or social disability; they might have a problem with balance or coordination or might find it hard to remember or learn new things … this doesn't mean they can't practise Judo. It just means they need extra support to achieve their goals. Most of the above benefits can be gained if given the opportunity.
Adaptive players are categorised by skill levels on the basis of comparison of each athlete to a mainstream athlete of non-competitive orientation, of recreational or educational one, and they are as follows:
Skill Levels
Skill level 1
A judoka of level 1 can compete in shiai form almost as an equal to a recreational judoka, has a perfect judo feeling, he/she is fast and powerful in his/her movements, quickly reacting and able to develop a strategy during the game. he/she fulfils the above criteria to the maximum extent. An athlete of level 1 would need only slight assistance and guidance from his/her coach or the referee in order to compete.
Skill level 2
A judoka of level 2 can compete in randori form as an equal to a recreational judoka, has a good judo feeling, is somehow slower and not so powerful in his/her movements, reacting quickly and fairly understanding the concept of strategy. He/she fulfils the above criteria also to a fair extent. An athlete of level 2 would need moderate assistance and guidance by his/her coach or the referee to conduct the game.
Skill level 3
A judoka of level 3 can only share a playful randori with a recreational judoka, has a good feeling of judo, he/she is somehow fast and powerful in his/her movements, reacting quickly, but with no sense of strategy. He/she fulfills the above criteria all to a moderate extent. An athlete of level 3 would need serious assistance and guidance by his coach or the referee to carry out the game.
Skill level 4
A judoka of level 4 can only share a playful randori with a recreational judoka but needs to somehow be helped from the latter. He/she has a little feeling of judo and he/she is not fast in his/her movements and reactions. No sense of strategy. He/she fulfills the above criteria to a low extent. An athlete of level 4 would need a high assistance and guidance by his/her coach or the referee to carry out the game.
Skill level 5
A judoka of level 5 can only share a playful randori with a recreational judoka but he/she needs to be seriously helped by him/her. He/she has no judo feeling, he/she is very passive, and he/she would need the assistance of his/her coach and the referee to a maximum extent to carry out the game
We hope you have found this information helpful in making a decision to enrol your child or yourself to begin Judo.
If you have any questions, we would love to hear from you.
