Our Philosophy

About us…

Merseyside Judo Association (MJA) is a not for profit, martial arts association. All Officers and Personnel are volunteers, driven by passion to create and maintain a martial arts body run by the people of Merseyside and the North West of England, for the people of Merseyside and the North West of England.

What do we do?

At present, the Merseyside Judo Association currently serves as a free of charge promotional platform for agreed clubs and instructors. 

We also host the Merseyside Judo Network, a free online community for clubs and Judoka of Merseyside and the North West of England to promote activities and discuss club and training matters free from the auspices and politics of their respective NGB's in an effort to bring Judo players of the uk together.

Who we are…

MJA was a name initiated in June of 2015. It was originally made up of a group of clubs situated in the North West of England who informally decided to come together for the benefit of Judo. Since then, things have progressed to the stage where we have now evolved into a fully constituted organisation whose aim is to take Judo on Merseyside and the North West to a new plain.
Although MJA is relatively new, the North West has historically been deemed to be a "hot spot" for Judo since its introduction in the 1950’s by martial arts legend, Sensei Kenshiro Abbe.

Many of the clubs of the North West's founders and instructors received tuition from Kenshiro Abbe. Some of whom are still involved in our activities today and continue to pass on the philosophies and concepts of the founder of Judo, Prof Kano and the founder of Kyu Shin Do, Kenshiro Abbe.
The North West of England and in particularly, Merseyside has a history of producing spectacular combat athletes from many styles and backgrounds. This is a tradition that we plan to support also. It is worth noting that although Judo is in our name and is our passion, we endeavour to support others who practice different styles of martial arts and welcome them to the family with the freedom to practice martial arts how they should be practiced, with passion and commitment. 

At Present, there are a number of different martial arts being practiced within the clubs of the Merseyside Judo Association. These styles include No Gi submission grappling, Karate, MMA, Boxing, Muay thai, Catch as Catch Can Wrestling and even Police Arrest and Restraint Styles. 

Why we exist?

It became apparent to us as an organisation, that the concept of National Governing Bodies in sport were not always the best governance models and certainly was not the most advantageous for us. We had heard how a number of clubs in the North West felt alienated by their National Governing Bodies and that they no longer received an adequate level of support from them. Individuals questioned as to why they were paying fees and getting little or nothing in return.

Enter, the Merseyside Judo Association…

Our aims go hand in hand with our motto as an organisation, “Respect Through Diligence”. This means that we will demonstrate our respect to our members by providing the best service that we can with the means available to us. We believe you deserve that honesty and respect.

“Talkin‘ bout a Revolution”… 

Our Aims and Objectives:

• Affordable participation.

  
  

• To promote Judo, other martial arts and exercise systems to the wider community.

  
  

• To promote the physical and mental benefits of Judo, other martial arts and exercise systems.

  
  

• To encourage participation of people of all ages and abilities.

  
  

• To promote and support local clubs, members and communities.

  
  

• Tailored development programmes for clubs, personnel and students.

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• Regular events and competitions.

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• The development and management of the services that we provide.

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• We don’t have to be the biggest organisation, but we do want to be the best.

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Our promise to you…

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• To go “above and beyond” in all aspects of the services that we provide.

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• To ensure the training frameworks provided to all personnel are to the best of our abilities and are in line with or exceed standards set by National governing bodies and regulated by Law.

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• All personnel will be appropriately qualified for their role in respect of training, DBS checks and insurance where necessary.

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• To provide a safe and structured environment for the practice of Judo and other martial arts and exercise systems.

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• To value and respect every individual associated with our service.

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• To promote the ethos of Judo set out by Judo founder, Prof Kano and the teachings of Sensei Kenshiro Abbe.

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• Respect through Diligence.

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“This is how we do it on the Merseyside”…

All personnel are volunteers. They are here because they want to be. They hold this cause close to their hearts and are passionate about what they do. These individuals deserve respect for that alone.
The MJA is a non-profit organisation and proud of it! We aim to keep our outgoings low so that we can make learning Judo, other martial arts and exercise systems affordable for everyone via a relatively low cost to join and participation, but please remember, we cannot function for free. As an organisation we still require funds if we are to achieve our aims and those of our members in particular, organising future events, promotions, training and development and support for clubs and individuals as required.
Judo is fundamentally a martial art and our aim is to teach traditional Judo techniques using the traditional rules. We feel this has been lost in the way that some have developed it as a sport. We believe January 2013 was "the day the music died" for Judo. We respect and understand the IJF’s decision to change competition Judo’s rules, however we feel that too much of this beautiful and effective martial art was lost amidst their need for change. We aim to return Judo to what Jigoro Kano created it to be.

We operate classes and competitions for No GI Judo. Many people are caught up in the whirlwind of mixed martial arts and as such, we have developed a program whereby Judo can be practiced without the traditional Judo uniform. Students are encouraged to participate in No Gi Judo classes and competitions. We believe it allows for a more rounded education whereby students are able to adapt their Judo to a multitude of circumstances.

We operate Kata courses and competitions. Judo Kata is a set series of movements practiced in pairs. Judo Kata is often regarded as an acknowledgement of Judo’s Samurai roots and we think it’s important to preserve the history and traditions of this beautiful martial art.

We offer a technical and a competitive syllabus. Not everyone wants to be the next Olympic hero. Some of us want to absorb ourselves in this art as a hobby, whilst still being able to go to work, many of us have different needs and issues Therefore, we have developed two pathways to allow Judo to be inclusive to as many people as possible.

In order to promote Judo to the wider community we take the initiative of an “open door” policy for individuals from 3rd party organisations to attend competitions and events.

In addition to our Judo Specific goals, we regularly host competitions and events that are open and inclusive to those from other martial arts backgrounds and will support those within the organisation to develop their programs, competitions and events relative to their martial arts. 

The Bottom line...

Judo is many things to many people. The MJA sees Judo as more than sport. We also see it as a martial art and quite importantly, an educational system, a means of personal development that encourages respect and compassion for others as well as encouraging physical and mental wellbeing and executive functioning skills.

To us, the key principles of Judo are:

•  “Seiryoku-zen’yo” - Minimum effort, maximum efficiency. The efficient use of physical and mental energy.

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• “Jita-kyoei” - Mutual prosperity (Welfare and Benefit) for self and others. “Judo is the acquisition of moral and physical discipline, and martial arts training. These are the three fundamentals of self-discipline. They are beneficial to the human being for the completion of the self, and help us coexist in harmony… one must always act with the goal of the common good in mind”   The Canon of Judo  Sensei  Kyuzo Mifune

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• "Randori" - Free practice, literally "taking the chaos". Solving problems, the practical application of strategy and technique to overcome adversity.

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• "Ju-no-ri" - Calmness and clarity of mind in order to react appropriately to life’s trials and to take the appropriate course of action where necessary.

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And not forgetting our own motto as an organisation;

“Respect Through Diligence”