You look away for one second, and when you look back the referee has an arm in the air and both children are bowing. The match is over. You missed it.
What you missed was an ippon. Ippon is the full score in judo. It wins the match outright. In a kids’ competition it comes from a clean throw, where one player lands the other on their back with speed and force or a hold down. The referee will shout “ippon” and signal, the arm goes up, and the match is over.
There are three ways to score ippon:
- A perfect throw.
- Holding an opponent down for twenty seconds.
- A submission, where one player taps out (but this is only for senior judoka)
At a kids’ competition you’ll mostly see the first two. So when people talk about ippon, they mean a throw or hold has scored ippon.
How do you spot it from the side? Watch the referee. One arm raised straight up is ippon. The match is over.
Most parents want to learn the names of the throws once they’ve seen their first ippon. You can watch every one in our animated judo throws guide. The techniques you’ll see on a competition day are all there.
And if a throw is good but not quite perfect, that’s a waza-ari, worth half a point.
If your child wants to learn the throws themselves, 40 Judo Throws walks through the whole syllabus, step by step.
For the full competition day, start with our parent’s guide.
Looking for a judo book for your child?
Not sure which Koka Kids book is right for your young judoka? We can help you choose based on where they are on their judo journey.
Help me choose a bookAre you a judo coach?
Koka Kids books are designed to support young judoka both inside and outside the dojo. Coaches can also buy selected books at special coach prices.
Coach resources
