Coaching People with Special Needs
Coaching People with SN
Through Experience and having no knowledge of disabilities at the beginning of my coaching career, I have now passed on my experiences, good and bad, to many others in the judo world.It is my belief that disabled people of all disabilities can be coached to have an involvement in the sport of judo. Whether it is of a competitive - demonstrative or educational event. This can also be applied to other areas of our sport, like refereeing and table officials.
Most disabled judoka involved in our sport at present have what is termed as a learning disability/mental handicap or mental retardation. The coaching of these athletes is very similar to coaching at mainstream level, with the only difference being, you might have to give your instructions many times before it is understood and digested. You might have to adjust your coaching techniques to suit this individual, buy adapting a simplified form of learning. Basically these athletes at the higher level or the sport can and are able to participate in club sessions with mainstream judoka.
These would be the most prominent competitive judoka.
Again in this category we will come across judoka with a mental disability perhaps combined with a behavioural disability or physical disability. These athletes need more care and attention. It has been found through experience the athletes with a behavioural problem react to judo in a disciplined way due to it being a contact and aggressive sport. With the discipline involved in the sport it makes it easier to correct the individual. It is advisable at first with the disability to keep them in an individual specific special needs group session.
This judoka I would put in the demonstrative category, perhaps kata events.
The athletes with a mental and physical disability will now test your coaching mind. You will find the main reason for this will be the physical disability causing a balance difficulty for the athlete so your adaptation of techniques and skills will be very important for this athlete. Some of these athletes will be in the competitive event and others in the demonstrative event.
Our visually impaired and hearing impaired judoka are able to participate in mainstream sessions and would come under the competitive level. But help is needed at these sessions with partners for the visually impaired. For the hearing impaired your skills of communication are most important, especially your presence and position on the tatami, when facing and giving instructions. These judoka are of sound mind and can digest information and instructions quite easily.
Our next largest percentage of judoka participating would be those with a physical disability, mainly cerebral palsy, which normally affects the lower limbs in our competitors already participating. These are mainly of sound mind and can absorb instructions quite quickly. These athletes that can participate standing could be in the competitive and demonstrative events. Coaching these athletes needs your coaching ability to select/adapt and formulate judo throwing techniques which will enable them to participate in a standing event without losing their balance, counter techniques are sometimes more adaptable to these athletes.
Below these we have beginners and perhaps those with one or more disabilities, who only want to participate for fun and enjoyment. These might be athletes who are very weak or those that can only start in the newaza situation. We do hold competitor events in national federations for the more experienced and knowledgeable athletes.
This group could be classed in the demonstrative event but most of the weaker athletes will be able to cope better in the educative events. Although if newaza contest starts were eligible in the high ranging events some of these judoka would be in the competitive level.
When taking on students with disabilities into your local club sessions, firstly find out from the parents or carers some background information on the disability and ailments and temperament, especially if they have epileptic seizures. What medication do they take?
It would be knowledgeable for all coaches to attend a Disability Awareness Course prior to teaching athletes with special needs. It is always advisable to gain a little knowledge prior to taking on new students. Coaching judo is the easy part for coaches, adapting techniques and the repetitions of coaching these will be the task.
For the weaker or less able students a special needs class amongst their peer group is essential and proves less aggressive.
As coaches we are there to teach a sport, teaching moves or exercises specifically for therapy, or to help actions of bodily movements, just for therapeutic reasons is not why we are involved, there must be a willing contribution from the athlete to participate.
Use coaching aids for technique, doing things by numbers is easier for an athlete to absorb, put fun and games into sessions. This way you will find the athlete absorbs things quicker this way.
If you have students in your sessions who can only do newaza, take a class warm up from the ground, but if you have a mixed ability class/session do not get embarrassed by teaching techniques some in your session cannot do, they welcome a rest like all others. People with disabilities are quite aware that some exercises they cannot perform but quite understand in this situation. Your more able students and higher grades will be more than willing to have a short rest coaching a disabled athlete.
Every person has a right to participate but the coach must be willing and confident in coaching people who have disabilities.
Start small with a special needs mixed disability session, or restrict it to a certain individual disability session. Make sure you have help and if it is a mixed gender class, ensure you have male and female helpers.
The first couple of sessions you will find it very demanding, treat the athletes like you would treat other athletes in your classes, some athletes learning age is of a lower age than what they are, but discipline is very important, they understand discipline and it helps others in the session. A good system to ensure your sessions are controlled in the judo spirit is to have a small club award system once per month and nominate a judoka who perhaps is not the best exponent of the judo skills but has shown the true spirit of the sport of judo in the past month. Another way of doing this is to have a ladder or leader board system, which changes every week with the first position at the end of the month receiving the accolade.
When accepting athletes with downs-syndrome, it is important to check with the parents/guardians or carers, that they do not have Atlanto-Axial-Instability, which is a weakness in the neck which if prominent could cause a serious injury to themselves. It is documented that approximately one in ten could have this diagnosis.
There are many other prospective athletes with different disabilities, which we have not mentioned but ensure you have a little knowledge or advice on this ability. Autism/Amputees/Dwarfs/ADD/ADHD/ Dyspraxia and Dyslexia, perhaps some of these are not classed or labelled has having a disability, but you will find they are unable to withstand or participate in mainstream events/activities, so what options are open to them?
Another discussion point we will be asked, is how do we grade or promote a special needs or disabled judoka?
This I have found to be a discriminative discussion point, some athletes have a visual disability, but many do not have any distinguishable features.Do we give athletes normal colour plain judo belts like in mainstream judo?
Will this cause a risk factor if an athlete visits another club and gets injured due to the coach not seeing any distinguishable features.
Distinguishable belts?Badge on Judogi?
A special judo licence?
There are many ideas and systems like this operating within National Federations in Europe, but we must think of the safety of the athlete. So in your club ensure you have a system that, puts your own mind at ease.
JUDO GAMES
SPECIAL NEEDS JUDOKA LOVE JUDO GAMES AND LEARN QUICKER THROUGH PLAY
1. Using soft play equipment like pairs of flat rubber feet, these are ideal for breaking balance techniques. (Feet can be moved for different posture positions).
2/ Cloth ribbons tucked into the rear of the belt (catch the foxes tail), is another game well liked and improves the body movement of the student in a fun way.
3/ Another game well liked (footsies). Partners stand apart with their arms behind their back. On hajime they try to tap their partners toes with their toes (no stamping). A great game for movement over that tatami
4/ A good groundwork game is played with one partner lying on their back with feet raised, and the other partner standing behind their head. The aim of the game is for the partner standing, to try and tap the other partners right ankle or heft heel etc. The partner on their back must resist this, by movement of the legs away from the attackers hands. A great game for movement and confidence building in newaza.
These are just a small selection of games people with disabilities enjoy. As you can see, they prefer judo games, which is what they have joined the session for. The majority, when playing these games will not realise the benefits to their skills whilst playing games. They
will be having fun and enjoyment, which should be incorporated in all activities
FUN JUDO
Visually Impaired Athletes in Judo Competition
Blind competitors have competed at the local level for years and at the national level, in both kata and shiai. Blind competitors also complete in international tournaments and world championships for the blind. However, there has always been a need for uniformity in application of the rules at various events where the visually impaired compete against sighted athletes. Training for the visually impaired competitor should include specific instruction on rules applicable to their participation. As more visually impaired athletes take part in tournaments, referees and sighted athletes will also need to be familiar with the adaptations required for matches involving a blind athlete.
Competition specifically for visually impaired competitors is governed by the International Blind Sports Association IBSA and by USABA in the United States. Both organisations have similar rules based on adaptations to the current International Judo Federation rules.
Each visually impaired athlete is unique and competitors may need varying degrees of assistance depending on visual acuity, experience, age, etc. The basic procedures are that the coach or assistant will guide the competitor to his/her side of the mats when called and ensure that the competitor knows whether they are aka (red) or shiro (white). The corner judge then guides the athlete to his/her starting mark. After the judges are seated the referee will announce ‘rei’.
The most important rule modification involves the beginning of the match. Although different methods have been tried in the past, the current rules call for the referee to clap once with arms outstretched in front. The competitors then advance towards each other until contact is made. They engage in Kumikata (grip each other’s gi) and then drop their hands to their sides. The competitors should have their feet even or parallel with each other and then the referee announces ‘hajime’.
This starting position is used to permit the contestants to grip each other freely. After ‘hajime’ is called the referee should ensure that the athletes do not step away or change their foot positions before making some contact with each other. This prevents the sighted athlete from intentionally avoiding any contact. Each time the athletes separate during a match the same procedures are used to resume competition
Rules for blind competitions call for the danger zone to be distinguishable by touch, (this can be done by temperature). Since this is not practical for many local tournaments, officials must recognise that visually impaired athletes may not be able to tell when they are approaching the boundaries. The referee should call ‘matte’ when necessary to ensure safety and to prevent an unintentional rule violation.
All of the referee’s hand signals (such as the motion which indicates stalling or inactivity), should be verbalised for the visually impaired athlete, and announced scores should include ‘aka’ or shiro’ to be sure both competitors are informed of the score. Referees may take the opportunity during a break in the action to verbally inform the contestants of the score and time remaining, if appropriate. At the end of the match the corner judge again provides whatever assistance is needed as a guide for the visually impaired competitor.
Being visually impaired is not a handicap when it comes to participation in judo. With a little assistance and encouragement, blind athletes and youth can enjoy all the benefits of judo competition. By recognising the abilities of visually impaired athletes, they can easily be included in all judo classes and events including tournaments.
Coaching a Special Needs Session
This some might feel is a daunting task to coach judo to a group of mixed disabilities, but what we have to remember is they were not forced to participate.They have come to learn the sport of judo. This I have found to be the most advantageous point.We run this session like any other session we do in our local judo clubs, i.e. show a technique, get the class to practice, and then go around as a coach with the individual pairs of judoka, correcting or adapting a technique to suit the disability.The memory span of most special needs students is short, so competitive showing, practising of techniques is essential. If a coach also puts humour into the session, students remember more quickly.If you are running a session with a judoka, who cannot stand or do the standing techniques, it is important to keep them involved, “not easy”. Try the warm up with all floor exercises, alternate with Tachiwaza and Newaza techniques. After your first couple of sessions, you will go home physically drained due to your constant session of talking, saying things 20 times, thinking of adaptations and putting humour into your full session, but you will feel satisfied and get more confidence over the weeks.
Coaching an Integrated Session
This session will be similar to the above, but you will have a lot more help with some partners being able-bodied. The difficulties you might encounter in this session are able-bodied students who are nervous or feel embarrassed if asked to partner a student with special needs. This is a normal occurrence and happens with all ages, but over the sessions, you will find this situation changing, once people get to know each other. Your coaching skills are put to the test where, with an integrated class. Also as a coach, never spend most of the session with a person/persons with special needs because you think you have to. Your older and higher-grade students do not want to be left out, and the special needs students also need their space plus more rest periods in a session.You will as a coach, get more satisfaction and become more confident in a session like this, but during the session, special needs students might prefer to practice with another special needs student. This again is a normal occurrence and should not be discouraged.
People with disabilities have the right in today’s society to participate as equals with others, in all activities, but in all situations, provision should be made for those wishing to participate with their own skill groups.
The training programme for a project of this kind should be for all in the sport, coaches, officials, volunteers and athletes of which disability awareness courses are the way forward.
It must be taken into consideration that not all coaches, officials will be confident enough to work with people with various disabilities, there are many reasons for this, and it should be taken into consideration when making national rules or amendments.
Today’s society is advancing at a great speed in all walks of life, but sport and a project like this, should not be rushed, but sport for all is a fact and the Judo Associations throughout the UK and the world are surely showing the way forward