[Sensei Rick's comments follow this letter by Dave Browne to the New Zealand Judo Community]
Dear Kong,
Please publish this on the University website -- we all know it's the only Judo blog in New Zealand that is regularly updated and is actually read by the community (even those of us that offered such animated protests about all the tits on the "real" AJA page).
As you are all aware significant changes been made in recent times within Judo New Zealand including a new Board, the adoption of a new constitution, the appointments of the National Technical and Business Directors, and a move to have more of our processes online.
We are now looking at the appropriateness of the various Commission structures.
One of the most significant changes that could be contemplated is the separation of the Coaching Commission into two distinct parts.
One part will be responsible for Coaching Development ( e.g. Coaching the Coaches).
The other part will be responsible for connecting with our high performance athletes and delivering on our primary goal of winning medals at the Commonwealth games in Glasgow in 2014.
It is important we get this latter part right and we wish to consult within the New Zealand judo coaching community before reaching a decision on how we move forward.
As a person with an interest in the coaching side of judo above national level we are looking for your input, ideas and thoughts on what you think would be the best processes and/or structure for JNZ to adopt in its interaction with our athletes, their coaches and their clubs to achieve our 2014 goal.
Please bear in mind that the any role or roles developed will voluntary although we are earmarking funds for programme delivery.
Please send any thoughts you have on the subject to me in the first instance by 31 March.
Kind regards
Dave Browne [dave@propertypeople.co.nz]
President – Judo New Zealand
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Reference your email of 22 March 2009.
Firstly, I would like to thank you for my inclusion in this discussion and the open and transparent manner in which you appear to be pursuing this issue. It is important that we are able to address matters such as this in this manner.
My thinking is best grouped under the following headings:
Coaching for Coaches – How about acknowledging that most coaches do a pretty good job without any input from the NZJF? Perhaps we should be supporting them instead?
I believe that this is an unfortunate term and I would have said ‘supporting caches’ instead. It is apparent that if the NZJF is to survive there needs to be a change in focus from compliance and standard setting being the primary function of the organization towards actively supporting club coaches.
Compliance is the first issue speaking for myself and possibly others I find it a bit silly that the NZJF and AJA spend time trying to convince me to:
* Complete a Level 2 Coaching certificate that I can do over the internet. Why waste your time I have been coaching Judo since 1973 have produced a number of top level players that have represented NZ at the Olympics. Does a coaching certificate I get by logging onto the NZJF website really matter.
* Provide feedback for the development of a code of ethics.
* Justify to my members the administrative burden of belonging to the NZJF
Only a few examples but they are all that I could think of at the moment. The simple point that I want to make is that it would be great if the NZJF spent less time trying to tell successful caches how to do their job and loading them with the costs of complying with NZJF rules and regulations. Remember that every time a person attends a course on coaching there is an implicit cost to the club because that person is devoting their limited voluntary labour to the course rather than to the club. It could be argued that the benefits outweigh the costs but I yet to be convinced.
An issue that I see is that many NZJF appointments enjoy running technical courses. Is this supporting clubs or is it supporting the individuals who run the courses. Once again the volunteer labour that goes into developing technical courses might be better expended developing better administrative procedures that make coaches jobs easier. Following Ju Jitsu and our other competitor’s example players are willing to pay for good training. When the NZJF subsidizes technical training it not only uses up valuable volunteer resource but effectively shuts the door to professional instructors who can never compete with the NZJF.
NZJF Control of Coaches – What is the reason for a coaching commission?
Generally I am concerned about NZJF control of coaches because I don’t think it adds value the money spent on running coaching clinics could be better employed elsewhere. Flying coaching commissions’ around the country is expensive and in my opinion adds little value. Perhaps instead of having a Coaching Commission the money used to run it could be allocated to the flying coaches overseas to gain experience.
In short a coaching commission at all is needless expense that appears to establish a body for control of the people doing the work by those who are not active coaches rather than a way of supporting coaches on the ground.
Elite Coaching – Good money after bad?
We have had an expensive full-time national coach recently. Did it improve our results? No. Why because the only way NZ players will get to international standard is by going overseas young and completing an apprenticeship in a tough Judo environment. It is farcical to think that players can train in NZ spend 6 weeks overseas building up to a tournament and be competitive with extreme Russians, Koreans and Japanese that have been doing Judo 60 hours a week since high school. Sorry but it doesn’t matter how many Chisel protein bars they eat, how much pseudo sport science is pumped into them by AUT, how much they can bench press or how much Powerade they drink without a solid base of experience and mat craft players will not succeed internationally.
Look at the facts:
* Rick Littlewood
* Brent Cooper
* Bill Vincent
* Daniel Gowing
* Tim Slyfield
What do our top performing international players have in common? Long periods of time spent hardening themselves in tough competitive environments overseas. The only input NZ coaches should have is getting players to a standard at which they will survive on the mat. We do not need elite coaches. It is a sham perpetuated by administrators and coaches that have not experienced what it is actually like on the international circuit.
Instead of wasting resource on this idea we should be looking at how we can encourage young players to go overseas and stay overseas. Not sending them on silly six week school trips. We need to look at how we can financially and emotionally support good young players, long term in the hubs of international Judo. Financial grants are the obvious choice but there are also options like:
* Mentor schemes – we have a small pool of players that have done the hard yards and could be kept in the Judo community by being asked to mentor young players with potential.
* International networks – instead of the NZJF getting upset about the Kiwi Judo guys in London we could be utilizing them to link young players into the London Judo community
* Life skills training – perhaps we should be teaching young players life skills like budgeting and how to access grants so they are better equipped to support themselves on the road
Just a few thoughts lets focus on areas where we can influence the development of players rather than patting ourselves on the back and developing elite coaching regimes that we really don’t have the resources to support.
Recommendations:
1.That all courses that are required by clubs be discussed and if they are not adding value are removed from NZJF regulations
2.That all training provided by the NZJF is audited and unless deemed necessary for the development of Judo is discontinued and the opportunity of providing the training offered to private providers
3.That the NZJF does not have a coaching commission
4.That the NZJF utilize funds made available by not having a coaching commission to pay for coaches to travel and develop their individual skills
5.That NZJF’s elite coaching program should focus on developing the mechanisms for supporting young players with potential to train overseas for extended periods of time.
[Please email your feedback to Rick Littlewood: r.littlewood@xtra.co.nz. Alternately, if you concur, please copy and forward this letter to Dave Browne at:dave@propertypeople.co.nz]
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