The Gathering Returns This Weekend!

Nearly 200 Judoka will take to the mat this weekend as the Gathering returns to Inverclyde to celebrate its 10^th Year! Our flagship coach development event, The Gathering is set to host a fantastic range of guests across the weekend.

So whether you are a seasoned pro or new to the Gathering here’s what to expect.

What To Expect…

Saturday

The weekend will kick off on Saturday morning with Dr Andy Dalziell, the co-designer of the Better Movers & Thinkers programme that Education Scotland has embedded within their physical education programmes. Andy’s session will link directly to the JudoScotland Player Development Framework, as he leads an enjoyable practical session which is sure to engage your brain first thing on a Saturday morning.

Leading on from Andy’s session, the Lead Physical Preparation Coach at JudoScotland, Greg Valentine will link critical components from the previous session into Judo. His session is designed in line with the Player Development Framework to ensure athletes’ physical preparation for judo.

Saturday morning will then be rounded off by Judo legend and The Gathering veteran, Neil Adams MBE. Neil will round up the two previous sessions by linking them into a Judo session. The aim of the three sessions is to show the golden thread that runs throughout and how the preparation phases provide a very important platform for coaches to build the judo technical content.

After lunch, JudoScotland is delighted to welcome one of the biggest names in Judo to visit Scotland, Masashi Ebinuma. Three-time World Champion, Masashi will lead the first session of the afternoon before being joined by his wife Kana who is a top-level competitor in her own right, both sessions will have us taking part in some Japanese tachi-waza. Saturday afternoon will conclude with our traditional ‘Gathering randori’, an opportunity to put what you have learnt into practice.

Saturday evening will once again be a fantastic opportunity to socialise with the Scottish Judo community. The JudoScotland AGM will also take place at the Gathering starting at 6 pm.

Sunday

The second day of The Gathering will kick-off with a ne-waza session led by Kana Ebinuma.  A key component to the Player Development Framework’s 54321 model, Kana will take the lead on ne-waza session. For the final session of the 10^th Gathering, Three-time World Champion, Double Olympic medallist, Five-time All Japan Champion, Grand Slam Champion in Paris, Tokyo & Osaka and Grand Prix Champion Masashi Ebinuma will return to the mat to conclude the weekend.

We look forward to sharing a round-up of the weekend after the event!

For full event details, click here.