Bringing new light to the Japanese judo world. The world envisioned by Maki Tsukada, a leader of a new era – SDGs | SPUR

Even if you try your best, sometimes there is nothing you can do. Defeat at the Beijing Olympics turned into a “gift”

In 2002, after entering Tokai University, she won her first All Japan Women’s Championship. Armed with the powerful Osoto-kari, he quickly rose to prominence.

In 2004, he won the Athens Olympics, and four years later won the silver medal at the Beijing Olympics. In the final, he overwhelmed China’s Deng Bun, but suffered a come-from-behind loss with eight seconds remaining. It was a great match in which he maintained his aggressive judo skills until the very end. Tsukada himself says he has a special fondness for the Beijing final.

“I practiced really hard, so I was able to give my best performance in Beijing.However, my opponent was strong and I lost.I learned that even if you give your all, there are times when nothing can be done. I now think of it as an asset.
If I had won against Tou Bun then, I might have forced the students I teach now to be competitive. The reason we can say to the kids who lost a match, “That happens sometimes,” was because of the loss in Beijing. Ayumi Tanimoto (women’s judo 63kg gold medalist at the Athens and Beijing Olympics) said, “It’s a gift.”

What I learned while studying abroad in the UK: Coach accountability and athlete independence

Tsukada, who was a leading figure in the women’s heavyweight division, announced her retirement in December 2010 and began her career as a coach. He studied abroad in the UK for two years as a JOC (Japan Olympic Committee) sports instructor overseas trainee, and learned coaching while attending a language school. Although he was initially confused by the difference in the training environment between Japan and Japan, he approached the players himself and put all his efforts into one-on-one communication.

“When I participated in the British national team’s practice, I was surprised at how assertive the players were.For example, when I tried to play against a 70kg athlete who weighed over 78kg, I was asked, “Why is Maki not in my weight class?” ‘I have to practice.’ This was an unbelievable question for me, as I had always thought that I would just do what the teacher told me to do. We had to communicate properly and get them to understand.”

It is said that the master-servant relationship unique to the sports world is a breeding ground for sexual harassment and power harassment. It was also refreshing to see the players and coaches maintain an equal relationship and maintain a proper distance from each other.

“Japanese training is dominated by comprehensive programs that take a long time to improve physical strength and technique.As a result, athletes and coaches are often together all the time, but in England training is focused on pinpoint training. A style of deciding on a target and working towards it without wasting anything. Athletes and instructors work closely together in the field of judo, but outside of that, they each have their own place.I feel that such a flat relationship is suitable for the current era. I think it also helps instructors have a better work-life balance.”

A relationship of mutual respect between players and coaches

In 2011, a former gold medalist and coach of the university’s women’s judo club was found to have sexually harassed underage members. The former coach was sentenced to prison for quasi-rape.

Around the same time, the violent coaching of Japan’s women’s national team became a social issue. In January 2013, 15 women’s athletes, including those on the London Olympic team, submitted a complaint to the JOC alleging violence from the national team coach. The national team coach and reinforcement committee chairperson at the time resigned. This incident exposed the old-fashioned nature of the judo world.

“I was still in London during the whole incident and I sometimes wondered if there was something I could have done before the players filed suit. I wrote down a note expressing my anger. I still have notes that I read over from time to time.I believe that the power harassment issue at that time was an action taken by the entire judo world to encourage mutual respect between instructors and athletes.
On the other hand, I’ve been hearing the phrase “athlete first” a lot lately, and I feel uncomfortable with that. Between players and coaches, neither should be superior or inferior. We should be a team that accomplishes the mission together.”

“Gender barrier” in the judo world

Mr. Tsukada was appointed as the coach of the Japan national team in 2013. Since 2014, he has gained experience as an instructor, including serving as the coach of the Tokyo Women’s University of Physical Education Judo Club. Currently at my alma materDepartment of Martial Arts, Faculty of Physical Education, Tokai UniversityIn addition to teaching as a teacher, she also serves as the director of the women’s judo club.

Women’s judo became an official sport at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, but even today, more than 30 years later, most of the people involved in judo are men.

All Japan Judo FederationAccording to 2023, women account for approximately 20% of all individual registrants nationwide. Women account for less than 10% of leaders and executives. Even in the Tokai University Judo Club, the number of women was far smaller than the number of men, and there were no other female judo instructors. Tsukada says, “Sometimes I feel suffocated because I don’t have any female colleagues.”

“Recently, there is a trend that it is better not to divide by gender, but the difficult thing about the sports world is that it is inevitably divided by gender. ‘Women should not be intrusive’, ‘You should be careful because you are a woman. Although I object to gender biases such as ”, there are parts of me that I unconsciously suppress in order to get along well among male teachers.
When I have a problem, I consult a friend of the same sex who is in a completely different industry and occupation. I think it’s important to get inspired by their advice and try to avoid stress as much as possible.”

Guiding girls who require careful consideration

Although I worry about the difficulty of teaching every day, I am interested in people and want to be involved in their growth. Because Mr. Tsukada has such feelings, we have a strong bond with him. At the same time as gaining the deep trust of the students, she demonstrated excellent leadership skills, and led the Tokai University women’s judo club to number one in Japan four times at the All-Japan Student Championships.

“We need to be very careful when teaching girls,” says Ms. Tsukada, who, as a same-sex instructor, has sincerely sympathized with the feelings of her students. One of the problems that women face in judo is menstrual blood leakage during matches and practices.

Current domestic judo rules state that if a player bleeds during a match, he must receive help from medical staff to stop the bleeding. If bleeding continues from the same area after the second stoppage, that athlete will be deemed unable to continue, and the opponent will be forfeited. This rule may also apply to menstrual blood leakage.

“I think establishing rules regarding menstruation is an issue.It is common for menstruation to suddenly start on the day of a game or practice.Athletes prepare carefully with changes of clothes and sanitary products, but teachers and When the coach is a man, it’s hard to open up about it.Once, when I was subbing for a class with a male teacher, there was a student who secretly complained of menstrual pain and couldn’t tell. , Some children even fainted from the pain.
Since the amount and cycle of menstrual blood and changes in physical condition cannot be controlled, I tell my students not to be afraid to learn more about this. When coaching girls, it’s important to build a relationship where they can feel free to talk about sensitive matters.”

Creating an environment where it is easy for women to work in the judo world

Although the success of Japanese female judo athletes has been remarkable in recent years, there has never been a single female national team coach. Mr. Tsukada’s selection this time opened up a hole in that situation. Women’s judo, which has been shaken by issues of sexual harassment and power harassment, is finally entering a new era.

The term of office is four years. In preparation for the next Los Angeles Olympics, we will select athletes in seven weight classes and focus on training young athletes. The number of medals won for women’s judo at the Paris Olympics was the lowest ever, with only two medals (one gold and one bronze). Amid calls for rebuilding, Tsukada has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor and has expressed a coaching style that respects the autonomy of players.

At the same time, we are also exploring new challenges. The team is reviewing the system of coaches assigned to each class, and is considering a policy in which the five national coaches will be able to coach athletes in any class.

“The advantage of the coach system is that you can communicate closely with the coach in charge of your class, but it tends to create a vertical division.It is better for players to be able to interact with various coaches, which will improve Team Japan as a whole. I think the horizontal connections will become stronger when people see it.”

Of the five national coaches selected by Tsukada, two are women. She recalls that the current review of the coach system is aimed at making it more flexible when women’s life stages change, such as when they give birth or raise children.

“The job of a coach for the national team involves long hours, and you may have to sacrifice your private life for away trips and training camps.There have been female national team coaches in the past, but due to family reasons, I feel like there are many people who think, ‘I’m sorry if I caused you trouble.’ Even if everyone around you says it’s okay, I feel like there are situations where you can’t be too kind.
When thinking about balancing work with the national team with childbirth and childcare, I think it would be easier to deal with the situation if someone vacated a position by not assigning a fixed coach to each rank. Everyone who agreed to be my coach this time sympathized with my ideas. The judo world is said to be old-fashioned, but I would like to create an environment that is as easy to work in as possible.”

The words I cherish are “co-prosperity of self and others.” These words were coined by Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo.

“As you interact with people, you and others will prosper together.It’s different from “self-sacrifice,” and I think it’s an exciting word.When I was approached to be the national team coach, I realized that I could be involved in the growth of people. I honestly felt happy about that.First of all, I want to constructively discuss the issues that need to be resolved with the staff I trust, and then involve the players in that process to form a team. I will do my best with respect.”

Resilience to overcome difficulties, humility to approach others, respect and consideration for others. There is a saying, “softness controls stiffness,” and this seems to describe Tsukada’s flexible way of life.

The sports world is said to be a microcosm of society. Tsukada’s presence will be a ray of hope as a role model for many female athletes to imagine that they too want to become a coach. “If you only look at the negative aspects, no matter what you do, it won’t work,” Tsukada says cheerfully. What is important is to think about a better future for women’s judo rather than thinking about how unfortunate it has been. What kind of dreams will we have in four years? Tsukada’s new system has only just begun.