I had the pleasure of attending the referee meeting during the USJA-USJF Junior National Championships in Irvine, California. Although I couldn’t stay for its entirety- I needed to head over to the USJA Board meeting, which unfortunately was held at the same time as the referee meeting- I gathered a wealth of information, which reinforced my opinion that Judo is committing suicide by rules. Needless to say, I didn’t leave the meeting with warm fuzzy feelings.
Posts Tagged ‘IJF’
Olympics or Survival?
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010Wielding Economic Power
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010To the best of my recollection, nothing has awakened or maddened the Judo community like the new IJF rules, which make their debut in 2010. My greatest fear is that in spite of all the grumbling and anger, Judo people once again will get in line like meek sheep and do nothing to take our sport back from the lords of the rules. Case in point: an official from the USJA told me that although she didn’t like the rules, and considered them stupid, they were still going to run a January tournament with the new rules. Mind you, this tournament is not some national or state tournament. In fact, it’s marketed as a unique tournament devoted to a small segment of our athletes- female athletes. You would think they would ignore the rule changes to make this event even more unique. So far, that’s not the case.
Hansoku Make, IJF!
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009If you thought refereeing was too complicated, or that we have too many incompetent referees on the mat, or that there are too many controversies in Judo competition, wait until you see what we have been served up by the IJF. May God have mercy on our sport!
Oversight of Judo Referees
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009Back in May, I came across an article in the San Diego Union entitled U.S. Soccer not hesitant to red-card its Officials. Since I’m a soccer player, I immediately knew the meaning of red-card, and was intrigued. A red card is what a player receives during a match for a serious infraction or for the accumulation of two less-serious yellow card infractions. When a player receives a red card, he is ejected from the game and his team plays a man short for the rest of the game. (more…)
World Championships for Small Countries
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009It isn’t often that I agree with the direction the International Judo Federation (IJF) is taking Judo, especially with the rule changes recently announced. However, I must give kudos to IJF president Marius Vizer for his next project, which is being called the World Championships for Small Countries, whose populations are less than 1.5 million. I think this is a fantastic idea that will help Judo grow in the 48 countries that are current IJF members with fewer than 1.5 million inhabitants. It may also encourage other small countries to begin implementing Judo programs. (more…)
