Saturday saw the British Judo Olympic and Paralympic National Training Centre host the first National Inclusion Training Day of 2024.

The session played host to judoka of all ages and levels of disability (physical, sensory, intellectual impairment and learning) with a packed timetable. The tatami was packed with some attendees doing judo for the first time in what was a record attendance for the session.

With the British Schools Championships for Adaptive and VI judoka now less than a month away, this session was great preparation.

The session played host to judoka of all ages and levels of disability (physical, sensory, intellectual impairment and learning) with a packed timetable.

The day started with newaza drills before moving to a skills-based workshop. After a break for lunch judoka completed an adaptive kata session before a strength and conditioning session and randori to finish.

The session was led by Kerry Tansey and Matt Rush, who have worked tirelessly over the years to promote Adaptive Judo in the UK.

Tansey said: “These National Inclusion days are hugely important to provide opportunities for judoka to thrive in their own environment. These sessions break down the anxieties to attending events and taking on new challenges, so they will have already met lots of people and trained alongside them prior to stepping up and competing at the British Schools Championships. It also ensures they always have a friendly face that they know and can talk to.”

Rush Judo’s Ciara McKenna was attending the event and commented: “I have been doing judo for 10 years and the adaptive and inclusive days are really important for me to train with similar judoka. Judo means a lot to me and gives me a focus. My goals in judo are to go on and achieve my black belt and hopefully win the British Championships that are coming up.”

We have recently launched a new channel to ensure we can find appropriate training/competition opportunities and support your judo journey accordingly, for more information please complete the form below to provide additional information about your disability.

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