Judo Blog

What is the judo moral code?

The judo moral code is an eight-part set of values, invented by judo’s founder Jigoro Kano. The eight values are courage, courtesy, honour, honesty, modesty, respect, self-control and friendship and all eight are covered in the Koka Kids judo moral code series, with supporting material for coaches to use including poster and sticker templates.

In this eight part Moral Code series we look at how we can encourage these values in a dojo through every-day examples.

Respect

Mostly, we think about respect in the sense of respecting others. But what about respect of the environment? And very importantly what about self-respect? It’s one of the most important values for young judoka to get to grips with.

Six examples of Respect in the Dojo

1. Bowing to your partner before and after each randori is a sign of respect in judo.
2. Keeping the dojo tidy and clean and respecting and looking after training equipment is another important aspect of respect
3. Accepting decisions of referees without complaint, even if you disagree with it.
4. Giving your full attention to you coach when they are speaking or explaining a technique.
5. Complimenting another judoka on their good technique is a sign of respect for your club mates and for their efforts.
6. Giving other judoka enough space on the mat to practice

See more examples of how you can apply the judo code of ethics in a judo situation.

What is the judo moral code?

The judo moral code is an eight-part set of values, invented by judo’s founder Jigoro Kano. In this series we look at how we can encourage these values in a dojo through every-day examples.

Modesty

Be without ego. But what does that mean? And how can you teach that to children? It is a fine line to understand the difference of being confident or being arrogant, or being proud and being conceited. One way to explore the judo moral code, is by using every-day examples that highlight modesty in practical terms like ….

What is the judo moral code?

The judo moral code is an eight-part set of values, invented by judo’s founder Jigoro Kano. The eight values are courage, courtesy, honour, honesty, modesty, respect, self-control and friendship and all eight are covered in the Koka Kids judo moral code series, with supporting material for coaches to use including poster and sticker templates.

In this eight part Moral Code series we look at how we can encourage these values in a dojo through every-day examples.

Honesty

Honest hearts produce honest actions! An honest person does what he or she says they will do, and so becomes a trusted member of the dojo.

There is also the aspect of self-honesty, being truthful about your own abilities. Once you are honest about your weaknesses then you can begin to improve them. So, how can we get our young judoka thinking honestly and acting honestly. Perhaps we can do so by highlighting every-day situations in the dojo like these…

What is the judo moral code?

The judo moral code is an eight-part set of values, invented by judo’s founder Jigoro Kano. The eight values are courage, courtesy, honour, honesty, modesty, respect, self-control and friendship and all eight are covered in the Koka Kids judo moral code series, with supporting material for coaches to use including poster and sticker templates.

In this eight part Moral Code series we look at how we can encourage these values in a dojo through every-day examples.

Honour

Honour – it means to do what is right. Even (or especially) when it’s the harder choice. It’s about sticking to principles, and acting with integrity. But how do we teach that to children in our dojo? We can try to show by example. Here, are six examples that are common in judo and show honour…

Six examples of Honour in the Dojo

1. Competing with a spirit of FairPlay, with integrity and without trying to bend the rules in your favour.
2. Shaking the hand of your opponent, no matter if you win or lose
3. Learning and respecting judo’s history and traditions
4. Keeping your word and sticking to your principles. 
5. Following the judo moral code!
6. Bowing to a photography of Jigoro Kano in the dojo.

What is the judo moral code?

The judo moral code is set of eight values, invented by judo’s founder Jigoro Kano to guide judoka in our lives.

The eight values are courage, courtesy, honour, honesty, modesty, respect, self-control and friendship and all eight are covered in the Koka Kids judo moral code series, with supporting material for coaches to use including these eight moral code posters.

In this series we look at how we can encourage these values in a dojo through every-day examples, starting with Courage in the Dojo.

Courage

Courage is the ability to face difficulties. They say, courage is like a muscle – the more you use it, the bigger it becomes! But what does the word really mean? And how can we encourage judoka to recognise courage in themselves, and nurture it? Perhaps we can do so, by using real-life every day situations…

Read more

Koka Kids Judo Resources on Encouraging Courtesy

Go here to download five resources to use around your dojo to create an environment that encourages and fosters courage.

What is the judo moral code?

The judo moral code is an eight-part set of values, invented by judo’s founder Jigoro Kano. In this series we look at how we can encourage these values in a dojo through every-day examples. There are coaching resources for coaches to use, including digital templates to print posters for courage, courtesy, honour, honesty, modesty, respect, self-control and friendship.

Courtesy

So what is courtesy? Saying ‘please and thank you’ is a part of it, but being courteous goes beyond the basics to a deeper form of respect and thoughtfulness of others. In what other ways does courtesy appear in a dojo? What does the word really mean and how can teach that to children?

Maybe we can do so by providing real examples, and getting judoka to consider their behaviour and when they are being courteous and when they are not…

Six examples of Courtesy in the Dojo

1. Bowing when you enter and leave the dojo (and also to our partner before and after each practice)
2. Listening and paying attention to what someone is saying is being courteous. 
3. Treating club mates with kindness and respect.
4. Saying ‘please and thank you, hello and good-bye’ creates a polite environment to train in.
5. Arriving to class punctually on time. If you are late, then stand by the edge of the tatami until your instructor signals that you can come onto the mat.
6. Wearing footwear until the edge of the mat, then removing shoes before you step on the tatami. 

Getting the judoka to think about their behaviour

1. Can they think of an example when they have acted courteously at the dojo? What about at school? Or at home?
2. Can they think of an example when someone has acted discourteously in those environments? How did that make them feel, and how would they have acted differently?
3. Can they colour in this judo moral code courtesy Kanji page? (available through our Coaching Resource newsletter – sign up here!)
4. Which of the examples on the ‘Courtesy in the Dojo’ poster do they use the most?