We are excited to announce our fantastic outline for the forthcoming weekend’s JudoScotland Talent Development Squad.
With Georgian, Polish and Irish judoka joining our Scottish Pathway Squad, there will be over 80 judoka on the mat, providing these young players with increased exposure to international training and development together.
Our Talent Development Programme focuses on supporting individuals with their technical, physical and behavioural development as they aim to fulfil their performance aspirations. We have a group of highly experienced and inspirational Talent Development Support Coaches working with individuals at weekly sessions and in wider squad training environments.
On Friday night, Assistant High Performance Coach Taka Kitahara, having just returned from a three week training camp in Japan, will be sharing some of his expert technical guidance. All players are encouraged to be self-aware and to use self-reflection to consider how any information and guidance could benefit their style and performance.
Saturday will revolve around valuable mat time at Tulliallan, offering crucial opportunities to apply and integrate our learnings. Additionally, the group will have some off-mat moments dedicated to social media training, aimed at guiding individuals in thoughtful content creation, sharing, and optimal use of social media platforms.
On Sunday morning, we’re thrilled to announce that double Olympic Champion Shohei Ono will be present to enhance our randori session, engage in conversations with players, and provide personalised advice when needed. What an incredible opportunity for our Talent Development Squad!
Our National Talent Development Coach Gary Edwards said: ‘It’s brilliant to be getting repeat international judoka coming to train with us here in Scotland. They always love the atmosphere created by our group and it gives us strong training partners to challenge ourselves. It will be fantastic to have Shohei join us on Sunday with many in attendance determined to get to the Olympic Games.’