Finland
HISTORY
Some judo teachers taught Judo in schools already back in the 1970s but in the 1990s, more and more judo clubs began to organize school judo. We have had different projects during the years. For example, in 2008 the Finnish Judo Association started a 2-year project “Judo for Schools / Judoa kouluihin” with the help of external financing. In this project youth from 9 judo clubs developed exercises that fits teaching judo in schools and for kids with no judo background. These exercises were put together as a printed guidebook for everyone interested organizing school judo. The guidebook also includes for example lesson plans and documents with what the judo clubs can contact schools easily.
FINNISH SCHOOLS ON THE MOVE
Finnish Schools on the Move is a national action program aiming to establish a physically active culture in Finnish comprehensive schools. Schools and municipalities participating in the program implement their own individual plans to increase physical activity during the school day.
Finnish Schools on the Move program is one of the key projects in the field of knowledge and education in the Government Program of Finland. The goal of the government is that "the Schools on the Move project will be expanded across the country to ensure one hour of physical activity each day".
The Schools on the Move program is carried out by the Finnish National Agency of Education and the Ministry of Education and Culture. The program is financed with lottery funding and coordinated by the LIKES Research Centre for Sport and Health Sciences.
Finnish Schools on the Move program started with a pilot phase (2010-2012). More than 90% of municipalities and of comprehensive schools (2112 schools) are involved in the program.
Because of the positive attitude towards physical activity in schools it is quite easy for judo clubs to organize judo for school kids. In 2018, 22 judo clubs (out of 122) organized judo in some way in 77 schools for 3685 students in total. The biggest challenge for judo clubs what it comes to school judo is that only couple of clubs have paid personnel who can teach judo daytime.
COOPERATION WITH DIFFERENT COMBAT SPORTS
Finnish Judo Association has lots of co-operation with combat sports federations (karate, taekwondo, taido, aikido, boxing) especially in educations. In 2014 judo, aikido, taido and taekwondo had a project to promote martial arts in schools. In the project was created ”Combat Sports Master 1 and 2” material that helps schoolteachers to teach martial arts in schools. The material is found here: https://www.judoliitto.fi/seuroille/liikkuva-koulu-hanke/
See also the Youtube videos:
