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The British Judo Association
is set to launch a new fitness class which will see participants
become as fit as a judo player but without the physical contact.
Judo Fit is being launched
as part of British Judo’s Widening the Market initiative which
is funded by Sport England and aims to encourage a wider audience
into the sport as well as retain existing members.
A pilot will take place
on Saturday 17 July at Our Lady and St Chad’s Catholic Sports
College in Wolverhampton with 15 to 20 club coaches from across
the country undergoing a course to be able to deliver judo’s fledgling
fitness workout.
The new class, which
caters for all ages and fitness levels, will see the Olympic sport’s
free-flowing patterns and movements will be performed to music
as part of a high-energy cardiovascular workout.
Judo is often hailed
and practiced purely for its well-documented fitness benefits
and now the sport can be performed without the physical contact
and with an emphasis on conditioning.
The project is being
overseen by the British Judo Association’s Widening The Market
Manager, Joyce Heron, a distinguished 6th Dan who fought at the
1996 Olympics.
“We held a taster session
in March at the Women’s Action Group Conference and that was really
well received,” said Joyce.
Former British international
judo player Claire McDonald, a qualified strength and conditioning
coach, has helped develop the class’ syllabus.
“As a player Claire
was a Commonwealth silver medallist, she was always up there and
now she’s become a big part of our Judo Fit programme,” said Joyce.
The class will be rolled
out across some of the British Judo Association’s 830 clubs as
judo players from entry level to black belt practice the sport’s
all-action fitness drive.
“After working with
club coaches to take the sessions back at their clubs we’ll take
the programme to gym’s and sports centres,” added Joyce.
“The class is flexible
and we’ll offer different levels and circuit training.”
The British Judo Association’s
Chief Executive Officer, Scott McCarthy, believes the sport is
tailor-made for a fitness class.
“We are extremely excited
about the Judo Fit initiative,” he said.
“Judo is a tremendous
sport to develop core stability, stamina, strength, balance, and
footwork and the Judo Fit programme incorporates the basic movements
of the sport to deliver these outputs in a non-combat format. “
He added: “Every person,
from 8-80 years old, can participate in and benefit from this
great new programme and we are excited about the potential of
this work to grow our sport.”
Stay tuned to the British
Judo website for the latest information on Judo Fit.
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