Today’s Blog is based on a chain of thought I have been developing over the past week given a few facts I came across whilst researching a job application. Some of the points I have made on the BJA Forum
It is based on Judo in the UK but will resonate in many countries
Interesting that in a recent survey by I think it was Sport England or Sport UK they assessed that there were over 100,000 people did judo in the UK but the BJA as the National Governing Body only represented 20-25% of them. A fact acknowledge by the BJA CEO- Scott McCarthy and the board of directors.
So the NGB represent directly the minority of participant – but are the largest single body. To which several of eth other larger groups, BJC, AJA and army forces associations are affiliated.
Recent funding funding from Sport England has been secured to develop the participation in Judo which should mean the BJA working with ALL Judo providers whether they like it or not. But the only figures they can track effectively are their own membership.
I believe there is nothing stopping other bodies being commissioned by Sport England to do participation development in Judo.
Then add the Government introduction of National Standards in Coaching - the UKCC level 1 and 2. Those in Judo have been developed by the BJA and currently these are only delivered by the BJA.
Many sports use Level 1 as a way to get parents into coaching, and level 2 as eth basic level for a club based coach. The BJA have set high levels of grade as a prerequisite for eth courses and introduced a competency test or assessment for non BJA judoka. The cost of this test – at LEAST £ 200.
The UKCC qualification is universal for ALL judoka to create a national standard regardless of organisation. You could argue the BJA are preventing that by making the competency test too expensive.
I have heard that the BJA have been questioned by the UKCC over the £200 min they charge to asses non BJA Grades re their standard in Judo (competency test). I believe the phrase they used is excessively high. Anyone got any input on this?
If this were to be true isn’t this the sort of thing that just alienates people or feeds their fears.
Bear in mind it is £ 20 for a technical Dan grade and most good coaches/examiners could assess you level of Judo even if you didn't have a BJA grade in 20 - 30 minutes. After all you do that with every visiting Judoka at your dojo.
Imagine what would happen if others started to deliver the UKCC level 1 or 2 in Judo, which in theory they could do with the right assessors and verifiers etc.
So on one hand the BJA is being funded to develop Judo in the UK. On the other they have a coaching system – designed to bring in National Standards that is not going to do so as it is cost prohibitive to non BJA members.
How to engage with other non NGB organisation in a productive manner?
The question is you need to acknowledge them, but how do you engage with those on the middle ground whilst avoiding the extremists and the loopy loonies who will react against anything?
If we are to trying to engage with other groups shouldn't we be consistent across the board?
As a BJA member I do Judo, I do Sport Judo, I do traditional Judo, I do Kata based Judo ( badly) I love Judo as do many others – I am happy to help develop judo and if anyone needs marketing help and advice for a club or group I would be happy to help.
Help Judo grow do you bit.
Mussings for the day.
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Being the president of a non-NGB organization in the U.S. and, I hope, definitely not in the loopy category, I would say the way to engage other groups is to
ReplyDelete1. Not try to eliminate them.
2. Identify what they do well and stay out of the way of that, e.g., programs for young children.
3. Identify what you can do better and OFFER it to them as a service, not a mandate. In judo in most countries it is a volunteer and/or leisure activity and thus efforts at making any part of it mandatory, e.g., you MUST compete in this tournament,attend this camp, etc. are probably not going to be well-received.