Technical Rule Revision Webinars Announced for Coaches and Referees
June 09, 2026
British Judo’s National Coaching Commission (NCC) are pleased to announce a series of upcoming webinars designed to support coaches and referees in understanding and implementing the latest technical rule revisions.
The sessions will provide valuable insight into the rationale behind the changes, how they will be applied in practice, and what they mean for judoka across the development pathway. These webinars form an important part of ensuring a consistent and positive experience for all participants as the updated rules are introduced.
Officially approved revisions to the Technical Restrictions for Less Experienced Judoka will come into effect on 06/07/2026. Developed by the National Coaching Commission (NCC) and approved alongside the National Refereeing Commission (NRC), these updates incorporate 12 months of development and pilot event feedback.
To prepare the community, upcoming webinars will target coaches and referees, detailing the logic and application behind the changes.
Key Objectives of the Revisions
- Age & Stage Appropriateness: Promoting fundamental, development-focused techniques.
- Long-Term Development: Encouraging active, positive attacking judo over passive tactics.
- Safety Enhancement: Reducing instances where young or novice judoka are placed in dangerous positions (e.g., preventing head-spiking or uncontrollable throws).
- Ambiguity Removal: Providing clear-cut guidelines standising the application of rules.
- Positive First Experiences: Ensuring competitive environments build confidence for entry-level fighters.
Webinar Focus Points
The sessions will break down how the rules affect these six core areas:
- Gripping Rules (Kumi-kata): Expectations around establishing standard sleeve-and-lapel grips and how non-standard or preparatory grips will be handled.
- Drop-knee and Sutemi-waza Rules: Restrictions surrounding dropping techniques (e.g., drop seoi-nage) and sacrifice throws, aimed at preventing judoka from dragging opponents down or sacrificing stance prematurely.
- Ne-waza Rules (Groundwork): Safe progression, boundaries for dynamic groundwork, and specific technical parameters for younger age bands.
- Penalties (Shido / Hansoku-make): Changes in how infractions are penalised, with an emphasis on shifting away from winning matches purely on opponent penalties.
- Contest Decisions: Clearer criteria for determining the winner when no decisive scores are made, potentially looking at positive attacking intent and balance disruption.
- Coaches Appeals: The code of conduct for coaches when querying a refereeing decision during a match.
To provide flexibility for coaches and referees across the judo community, three webinar sessions will be available (click on each date to book your place):
Friday 12th June – 5:30pm–6:30pm
Friday 19th June – 2:00pm–3:00pm
Thursday 25th June – 8:00pm–9:00pm
Participants only need to attend one session, as each webinar will cover the same key topics and provide an opportunity to ask questions regarding the rule revisions and their implementation.
