Principles of Judo Training as an Organised Form of Physical Activity for Children.

Monika Kowalczyk,Małgorzata Zgorzalewicz-Stachowiak,Wiesław Błach,Maciej Kostrzewa

doi:10.3390/ijerph19041929

Abstract

When organising judo training for children, it is essential to ensure maximum safety, and use an appropriate training methodology adapted to the age of the youngest judo athletes. This paper aims to review the current literature containing judo training principles and safety-related considerations for preschool (4–6 years) and school-age (7–12 years) children as an organised physical activity. Data were collected until October 2021 from eight international scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, UpToDate, Web of Science, Cochrane, EBSCOhost, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar). In the overviews, we found various times and frequencies of judo training for children. In preschool, the training time was 30–60 min with a frequency of 2–3 times per week, whereas in the school-age group, the training time was extended from 45 to 90 min 3–4 times per week. The most common injuries included upper arm injuries, followed by those of the lower limbs. In the future, it would be an advantage to systematise the methodology of judo training as an organised form of physical activity that can complement the daily dose of exercises recommended by the World Health Organization for maintaining children’s general health.

Highlights

This study aimed to review the current literature on the practical organisation and conduct of judo training for healthy children of preschool and school-age
In the publication by Garcia et al [19], describing a training programme of judo techniques for children, the authors indicate that of all children starting judo, 73% are aged 4–8, the majority of whom began training at the age of five or six (17.7% and 22.9%, respectively)
The advantage of judo is that it is a sport for participants of all ages and the cost of preparing a practice hall is low, with only mats being essential

Summary

Introduction

The sedentary lifestyle of children is a serious problem in the 21st century. Fewer and fewer children participate in spontaneous outdoor games, and children are spending more time in front of multimedia screens. To maintain the psychophysical health of children aged 5–17 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends physical activity (PA). In the Polish curriculum, the weekly time allocated to physical education in the early school period (ages 7–10) is three classes per week for 45 min; in the school period (ages ten and above), it is four times per week for 45 min [2]. The PA time in school settings is insufficient to meet children’s movement needs. In addition to educational establishments, it is mainly the parents who should take care of their children’s physical development

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