NEW! Moral Code: Courage #1
Courage in the Dojo
Hi! Today, I’m launching the first of an eight-part series of visual resources to encourage learning of the judo moral code.
The objective of this new resource is to help children understand the words: courage, courtesy, honour, honesty, modesty, respect, self-control and friendship.
And learn what these words really mean through every-day examples, actions and situations in the dojo.
Each month, I will focus on a different value, and we start off with something we all are going to need, as the new term descends on us, and that is: Courage. :-)
Courage
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?
This resource will help you:
Create an environment, with visual reminders of the judo moral code and of how judoka are expected to behave
Begin discussions by using real-life every-day examples and situations when courage is shown or required for judo
Get the students thinking about their own behaviour.
Reward courageous acts and encourage courage!
What is in today’s resource?
First up, there are two posters …
These dojo posters can form a reference point in your dojo. They have been designed to print at A4 size, but could easily be downsized to A5 leaflet handouts, or boosted to A3 to make a real impact.
Poster 1: The meaning of Courage
What does courage mean? The first poster reminds judoka about the judo code. Please add your logo to the bottom left hand corner, or if you’d like me to do that for you then reply and ask about my Club Branding service.
Download the files below
Poster 2: Courage in the Dojo
The second poster shows six examples of courage you find in a dojo. You, and your judoka will come up with many more examples but here are my six:
Trying a technique for the first time in randori (or indeed any time)
Trusting in your own abilities. This is especially key when things are going wrong, you need courage to persist through difficulties.
Putting your hand up to ask a question. For shy or nervous children, it takes huge courage to stand out from the crowd.
Competing in a tournament.
Demonstrating techniques in front of the class.
Refusing to go along with the crowd if you believe something is wrong. A different type of courage, but an important one to be able to stand your ground and stick to your principles.
Download the files below
More resources
In the recent subscriber chat asking for feedback and suggestions from coaches on what resources you need at your dojo, one of the things was “more moral code activity sheets” and here they are!
Two black and white worksheets to hand out:
first, a simple colouring page.
second, a worksheet. Get judoka thinking of examples of when they have acted with courage either in the dojo, or at home, or at school. (This activity links with the “Courage in Dojo” poster )
Courage Activity and Worksheets
Download the files below
That’s not all, there is more…
And it’s something a bit different
I thought it might be interesting to try something other than certificates as a way to motivate, and came up with the idea of stickers. You’ll have to tell me if it’s practical, but I had a quick look around online and found you can print square stickers at a reasonable price. I think the kids might really like these!
Perhaps you could use them to give to judoka when they hand in their filled out worksheet?
No doubt you’ll invent many ways to use the stickers to reward and encourage courage in your dojo.
Stickers!
Download the files below
What about the rest of the moral code?
Yes, about that.
Today’s resource on COURAGE is free for everyone to use, but the rest of the series will only be going out to those with a paid subscription. So now is a good moment to upgrade your subscription if you’d like to get the full series.
What’s coming up for paid subscribers?
For paid subscribers, each month I will send out the next part of the moral code. You can look forward to resources to encourage:
courtesy
honour
honesty
modesty
respect
self-control
friendship
Actually there will be a host of other tools and visuals also coming your way! Paid subscribers can also look forward to ideas for games and drills, technique cards, editable flyers, interactive tools and new-look certificates.
Download the files
Click the orange download button to get the pdf files for the Courage Resources
So that’s it for today. I really hope you find these visuals and tools useful for teaching the moral code. If you have any feedback I’d love to hear it, reply here.
Until next week,
Nik
Nicola Fairbrother MBE, 8th Dan
- 1992 Olympic Silver Medallist
- 1993 World Champion
- Publisher of Koka Kids children’s judo books
More about my work and me. I’m Nicola Fairbrother. I’m a double Olympian (Barcelona 1992 Silver and Atlanta 1996 5th), light-weight World Champion (1993), triple European Champion and I publish a range of children’s judo books (Koka Kids)
Please let you judoka know about the range of Koka Kids books available on amazon, with more information on each book at the Koka Kids website.