Young Gladiators

Characteristics for the judoka, after establishing our future champions, Young Gladiators, we will then have to install all the characteristics into them. These are essential if they hope to achieve their aim. Basic judo skills will not be enough. Progressive and inovative training on and of the mat will be vital if we want to accomplish something. The trainer or coach along with the student will have to be totally committed if they hope to realise any success. They must build on a wide and varied training agenda, together with a development plan, which has to be both sensible and reachable. On many occasions i have heard said that the coaches are the backbone of judo, I would rather like to think that judo is the backbone of many coaches. It is time for the coaches to realise they are doing a job and, therefore, have to be accountable for performance levels within that job. We need to install a professional attitude and the will to obtain exellence, in Britain our judoka are not evolving as quickly as some other countries seem to be. I do think we need to identify the young talent earlier, and quickly learn some of the fundamental methods in other sports to achieve this systematic winning approach, so noticeably in place. If judo is to move forward in our country, we need to see marginal gains quickly. Foundations have to be laid, as well as the right people placed with the task of doing the job successfully. Judo is going through a psychological loss; we must deal with it and correct it now. The recovery plan will need to be in place soon if we hope to achieve any success at the 2012 London Olympic Games. We must ask the questions of both player and coach, put the work in , and get it sorted. It is important to stop looking physically and psychologically exhausted when the big day arrives. This is the time to dedicate yourself. Focus clearly, and think bigger than you have ever done before. The coach will need both personality, as well as attitude, if he or she hopes to produce the goods at this elite level. The judoka must have high expectations of himself to aspire to this elite stage. However I will say once more, expectations will not be enough without the willpower to train at many different levels. In that I mean both physically and mentally. Ttaining the body can often be easier than training the mind. I recognise the current performance levels with readily available structures incorporating psychologists; however, we should remember the person should be strong in his own mind for this to work.