Samurai Judo Club holds the proof that junior refereeing works. The club possesses the largest number of active junior referee's in its ranks, over 20! We hold a junior referee's course each year for junior referees which is well attended and our referee's are given the best chance to practice their skills at our club competions.

Junior Refereeing Gives Players a Competitve Edge

Referee's know the rules inside out - they know what they can and can't do and what they can possibly get away with. By refereeing others juniors are able to learn how a referee scores and controls a contest and applies penalties. With this knowledge under their belt juniors are less likely to be caught out on penalties (especially Hansoku Make offences) and are less likely to lose on this account. They will also be able to understand exactly what they need to do to win.

Samurai contest players who are referees perform. Our former juniors who were junior referee grades 2 and 3 have a very good contest record, in some part owed to refereeing experience.

A referee is required to be cool and confident in a number of challenging situations. Whilst on the mat junior referees recieve continual guidance to help them perform confidently and to give them confidence in themselves and their decisions. Confidence is a fantastic asset for any young person. These skills are transferable to other situations that the junior may experience on and away from the mat.

Junior Refereeing provides an alternative avenue for the less competitive Judoka

Success in Judo is not just limited to contest wins. Refereeing provides opportunities for anyone to become a successful referee even if they are not fantastic competition players. The refereeing scheme is well structured into three levels; junior 1, 2 & 3, and juniors can progress through this scheme as they become better referees and recieve their badge and certificate as acknowledgement of this.

Refereeing IS Fun

Refereeing brings with it lots of fun and laughs. At Samurai we do our upmost their refereeing. We have a zero tolerance policy on abuse to any of our referees, especially juniors to ensure that they are not picked out or victimised. Our Junior Refereeing Co-Ordinator Carol Leverton does her best to make every refereeing event enjoyable for our juniors.

Juniors CAN be Given Positions of Responsibility

Referee In Charge or Tournament Director at the age of 14...... surely not? Of course its possible. Juniors can (under the supervision of adults) conduct the majority of a competions functions (including weigh-in, sheet writing, organising refereeing teams and making announcements.) This can be a big confidence boost for juniors. Samurai holds two to three competitions each year to give juniors a chance to take center stage and give them a feel of what it is like to be a tourament official.

Junior Refereeing is Safe

Junior MUST be supervised by two qualified senior referees at all times whilst they are on the mat. This is to ensure the safety of the players and the junior official. The senior referees have the authority to interupt the competition at any time and where necessary alter any judgement of a junior referee. This however is used infrequently to allow juniors to develop their skills and allow them to think independantly. A safe environment however, will always be provided for both player and referee.

Junior Refereeing is a Fantastic Route into Senior Refereeing

Junior referees are the senior referees of the future. The competition experience that a junior referee possesses allows them on turning 16 to quickly make their way into the senior ranks. The experience gained gives them the edge over other senior candidates who will have had little or no refereeing experience prior to their test. If a junior referee has passed junior grade three upon turning 16 they can achieve Area Referee Award. This shows the faith and confidance that the Refereeing Commision have in junior officials.

Samurai has recently seen the promotion of Stefan Newbury to the grade of National B at the Heart of England. He was a junior official at Samurai Judo Club who is now keen on advancing up the national ranks.

Junior Refereeing Works

The Junior Refereeing Scheme is a fantastic scheme for junior referees to participate in. It helps to build confidence and judo knowledge, as well as improve overall competion success. For the determined junior the scheme provides opportunity to become Referee in Charge and provides the opportunities to advance as a senior referee.

Samurai usually run a Junior Referee Course every July.