From 2024, all coaches looking to guide athletes on the IJF World Tour must hold the IJF Academy’s Undergraduate Certificate as a Judo Instructor – and Judo Australia is moving to support Australian coaches in securing this qualification.
This course comprises online study followed by a practical component that must be passed to complete the course and secure the IJF Coaching Licence. Judo Australia is in talks with the IJF Academy to host a practical unit for the Class of 2024 in Melbourne, potentially saving Australians and other Oceania region coaches thousands of dollars.
Maria Pekli, Judo Australia’s general manager of Performance Pathways and Combat Australia’s technical head – judo, urged all Australian coaches to pursue this opportunity.
“I will be asking all of our coaches for the National teams to undertake this qualification if they don’t already have it. For coaches looking to move into high performance roles, this course is essential to coaching the World Championships, the Grand Slams, the Grand Prix events.”
It also provides an academic and employment pathway that is recognised by the more than 200 National Judo Federations affiliated with the IJF.
“For those not already involved in teaching high-performance competition judo, the course offers the structure and methodology to teach judo to all age groups and levels. The EU-recognised academic qualification also allows graduates to work as judo coaches in European educational institutions, and is an ideal opportunity for active competitors, as well as recently retired athletes, to combine training and competition obligations with study,” the course outline states.
Judo Australia is now accepting Expressions of Interest from coaches and prospective coaches looking to pursue this course of study in 2024. Full details of costs and course requirements are outlined on the IJF Academy’s course page at https://academy.ijf.org/.
Please submit your Expressions of Interest by January 31, 2024, to:
Jaq Nunan
Pathways Operations Assistant