Beginners courses are a tried and tested and popular way to get new people in to sport, and judo is no different. Many of those who sign up to a beginners course have little to no knowledge of judo and it can be a very daunting experience trying something completely new. But there is safety in numbers, with a group of fellow beginners people can learn together forming new friendships whilst getting fit. Beginner’s courses are run regularly across the country with mixed success, so we caught up Blackpool based Ronin Ryu Judo Club to find out what makes a successful beginners course?

Learning from previous courses

“Our instructor was running them for a while, but he works away from time to time so some the sessions would be a bit infrequent” recalls, Scot Tudhope, chairman of the club. On the back of this Scot organised the dates of a recent nine week course well in advance with a more detailed structure focusing on the fundamentals of judo.

Marketing

“Facebook for me is the biggest tool I use” said Scot without any hesitation.“I have paid for sponsored adverts and I’ve paid to boost posts”.

Whilst a lot of clubs might not have the budget to do this kind of campaigning there are other cost effective methods on Facebook that can be used.

“I set up an events page and invited everyone I knew to join it. I tag people in posts and said ‘if you don’t fancy it pass it onto someone you think might be interested’ and I got quite a good response” Scot explained.

But to market a beginners course successfully there needs to be a wider offering than just the course to attract people to come weather they are taking part or not.

“Myself and my wife have been very proactive with the parents. We have a sitting area where we offer free tea and coffee and free Wi-Fi for them”.

This helps to create a positive and friendly atmosphere, a key feature in encouraging people to stay on after a beginners course has finished.

“We’ve got a really good family feel to the dojo as well, we have Christmas parties together and the kids invite each other to their own birthday parties”, Scot added.

Listen to your audience

It is a fine balance teaching the beginners the fundamentals of the sport whilst ensuring there is enough time to accommodate the different rates at which people learn. So it is crucial to be attentive to the needs of the beginners in each session by leaving enough flexibility to modify classes based on their feedback.

“I have the pure judo lesson and then specialist sessions afterwards on certain areas.

“I do 8pm till 9pm for the class and then from 9pm till 9.30pm we have an open session where some of them will ask me ‘how do I do this’ and ‘how can I make this work’. This really draws their interest a lot more” says Scot.

Going forward Scot added that the sessions are being moved from Tuesdays to Wednesdays following feedback given by this latest group of beginners.

Have an exit route ready

Many clubs struggle to retain players once they have finished a beginners course. It can be difficult for experienced beginners to make the transition to the regular club nights after the course has finished, as well as juggling all their other commitments to find the time to continue.

“Moving the judo class to a Wednesday evening means we will have our coach here more often” said Scot, giving the participants a higher standard of session which can aide their development.

Scot continues: “We will also look to progress those we’ve retained to so they can achieve their yellow belts”, which gives the participants a target to aspire to.

There are also a wider range of competitions and events which can give opportunities for beginners to further develop their skills and techniques. These can be found on the British Judo Association events calendar.

What’s next?

When asked if he had plans to put on another course, Scot responded immediately: “of course. We had to get a few things in place to run this course. But that will only make it easier next time around”. British Judo Association Area Service Manager for the North West, Jeff Hynds visited the club to watch one of the sessions.

“Beginners courses are a great way for clubs to introduce and showcase judo to new people” said Jeff.

“Most people who sign up to course are naturally a bit anxious so creating a fun, relaxed and enjoyable environment whilst ensuring that the judo fundamentals are covered is crucial. Despite being a relatively new club Scot and the gang have got this balance right from the start and are a good example for other clubs to follow who want to run beginners courses and grow membership at their clubs”, Jeff added.

Ronin Ryu Judo club meet at the Unique Training Centre, Blackpool on Mondays (seniors), Wednesdays (seniors and juniors) and Saturdays (juniors). For more information visit their Facebook page.