Judo for Physical Literacy.

As children grow they will develop  quickly (you knew that though). Much like their other skills like reading and writing, their physical skills need to be learnt also. Just like math, physicality can be learnt and developed through an appropriate form of education, such as Judo.

Of course, just like math, you need a good teacher and you need to learn the right things in the right order.

Much as you do not teach teach Pythagorean Theorum to a five year old, you do not teach elite contest Judo to a five year old.

With young children up to around 7-11 years, much of what occurs in a Judo club is about providing not only a basic Judo education but a basic physical education also.

Within the classes your child attends you will be able to identify sections where agility, balance, co-ordination and speed will be developed. This may take the form of exercises,  Judo throws, games and gymnastics.

It is at this young age that your child will learn to run, jump, roll, balance, hop, skip and more.

Within some clubs this is taken further and generic sports skillsmay also be introduced. These are skills such as throwing, kicking and catching of balls. Racquet skills too may be taught depending on the class. However these generic sports skills are less common and often limited to specific lessons.

It is important as a parent that you are aware that at this age your child needs to develop their general physical skills as opposed to sport specific excellence.  Be cautious of any sports coach, including Judo coaches, who put excessive emphasis on competition performance for children this age.