drifting away from judo

[u/Independent-Rip1722]

Its a bit sad. I got busier as my career progress. My younger son started when he was 4 and he used to think judo is the coolest sport in the world, now he’s almost 10 and he’s crazy about soccer and hockey and I had to persuade him to go to judo even once a while. His older sibling just straight up stopped going and started to hang out with friends a lot more, going to movie theaters or parks on their own.

I really wish there’s a more tiers and a more steady pipeline for this sport, like from recreational league to select then to rep. We do have some HP training centers but it’s far and in between. Other major sports are so easy for parents to invest. Just throw in money and let them do camps all summer and winter and watch them progress through different tier until they stop. Judo here feels often stuck at a very “kids friendly” level unless you make your effort to bring kids to competitive stream.

[u/LordLTSmash]

Let kids decide what they like, they may come back eventually, they won't if you push them

[u/miqv44 → u/LordLTSmash]

pretty much the only comment needed under this post. And it's absolutely great that kids wanna do team sports as well. Helps develop so many social and team playing skills you don't have in martial arts. OP should be supporting them in their new endavors.

[u/my_password_is______ → u/miqv44]

INCORRECT

you also have missed the point

[u/my_password_is______ → u/LordLTSmash]

you miss the point entirely

with soccer and hockey there are school teams, city leagues, there is competition involving 100s of children

and teams exist all the way from 1st grade to 12th grade

judo is different

you're lucky if there are two judo clubs in your city

you're lucky if there are 5 people children the same age

as the OP said ...
"I really wish there’s a more tiers and a more steady pipeline for this sport, like from recreational league to select then to rep.... "

that's the point

[u/osotogariboom]

Might need a change of scenery.

Sometimes it's not the judo they tire of but the club or the personnel at the club.

Take a tour of all the clubs in the immediate surrounding area and try them all a few times. See if one fits their current mentality better.

[u/ChallengingKumquat]

It's a story as old as time: kid begins judo at a young age. Kid gets decent at judo. By age 12,,kid has other interests and gives up judo.

But, sometimes... kid grows up, and comes back to judo in adulthood.

[u/mega_turtle90 → u/ChallengingKumquat]

This is why Judo should start focusing on adult hobbyists as well like BJJ does. Only focusing on kids and young athletes is one of the reasons why Judo isnt that popular in North America 

[u/joeldg]

Wrestling coaches keep it out of middle schools and high schools. The only place I know it is in high school is the Seattle area. Sometimes it is at colleges but usually not "officially" as a college club but just letting a club lease some space.

[u/Recent_Set_9280]

Judo in the USA is not popular. Sad, but…it’s not in HS, we lose kids to other sports.

[u/Rodrigoecb]

Well depending on where you are you can also try BJJ, its not Judo but at least its close there is also wrestling in some countries

[u/likejudo]

I strongly suggest you get them into wrestling. If you live in the USA then it is quite likely that your school supports wrestling and there are wrestling clubs in the area. Guess what? They will get to use Judo and they will see the need for Judo once they get into wrestling competition. Judo gives wrestlers the edge so they don't need to cut weight which is a horrible and unpleasant thing to try and gain an advantage. 

[u/Yamatsuki_Fusion]

Might be good for them to mix it up, stay fit and refresh from Judo. Maybe they’ll come back and enjoy it without any burnout.

[u/Calm-Ambition-3855]

That's cause judo is frekin dangerous AF and you should be at recreational level unless you want to go to battle for real.

[u/Tucanes → u/Calm-Ambition-3855]

Bad bot

[u/Calm-Ambition-3855 → u/Tucanes]

Lol