Travis Stevens on How to Fix USA Judo

Travis Stevens on YouTube, https://youtu.be/xLNpi2HHPsU

Travis Stevens, American judo Olympian, spent over two hours on YouTube describing how to fix the American competitive judo system. He said he has spent several years advocating these changes and pitching it to multiple audiences.

This post is my attempt to summarize his main points. I thought his presentation was compelling, so I wanted to capture highlights. If you want it straight from him, please watch the video.

The First Step: Startup Revenue Through Seminars

The First Step

The first step is to hire a coach to perform two main functions. The first is to teach judo cadets, those under age 18 years of age.

The second is to have that coach teach 18 seminars per year, across the US. (That's 18 seminars, not just seminars for 18 year olds.)

Figure 1 below shows the revenue that a single seminar could generate, depending on the attendance and the cost per person.

Figure 2 shows shows the revenue that 18 seminars could generate. I do not recall which number Travis thought would be the best estimate. I chose the average and bolded it below. I also subtracted his estimated travel costs.

National Coach Seminar Revenue Estimates

The coach would be a salaried employee with a salary of $75,000 per year. USA Judo could contribute to the coach's salary to reduce the planned cost to about $60,000.

Three Types of Judo Practitioners

Three Types of Practitioners

Travis' plan embraces three types of judo styles.
Judo for competition.Judo for martial arts.Judo for self defense.

Self defense is the main reason most people begin training. This is one reason Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) attracts so many students.
By attending a seminar with the national cadet coach, all three types of practitioners are connected to the Olympic system, whether a hobbyist or a top-level competitor. Judo has this, unlike most other martial arts. This could be a major advantage for judo!

The Promotion and Coaching Systems

The Coaching System

Travis recommends a promotion system that relies on a participant database and modern marketing to track and develop practitioners.
Travis recommends a three-part coaching system.
The first system shows a 10-15 years old kid how to teach 4-7 year old kids judo for martial arts and self defense.
The second system shows a sensei how to teach anyone judo for martial arts or self defense.
The third system shows a coach how to teach competitors ways to win judo contests.
These are different systems with different requirements. The new USA Judo would provide online resources to teach all three systems.
Winning judo competitors learn and execute a system. This is why judoka can recognize a Russian judoka, or a Japanese judoka, or certain American champions.

Getting Judo into BJJ Schools and Assisting Judo Schools

Sensei Certifications

The “sensei” coaching system enables black belt BJJ coaches to embed judo into their academies.
For example, begin with a “level 1 certification.” This would equip a certified coach with a white to green belt curriculum. It could cost an access fee of $499, plus an exam fee.
The benefits to the certified coach include being able to offer a nationally certified judo program. Kids who join the new judo program would pay USA Judo $70 per year in dues as well.
There would likely be five levels of certification.
Judo needs a national events application and software system that gives competitors a chance to watch and share their matches. It already exists, for example, with TrackWrestling.

Centralized Top Competitor Training

Centralized Training and Regional Coaches

Every competitor that wants funding to compete has to train at a centralized training location. Travis prefers Boston, because the Pedro family are the most successful coaches in US history. Boston is close to Montreal, which would provide competition opportunities as well.
At a centralized training location, USA Judo could hire a specialized coach, perhaps a Japanese coach, to train competitors.
In addition to a centralized training location, Travis would hire regional training coaches. They are not volunteers but employees. Their goal is to raise athletes from their region and convince them to move to the centralized training location.

USA Judo as a Consultancy and Enabler

USA Judo Consulting

Travis would convert USA Judo into a dojo consulting service, via “dojo in a box,” such as a membership system, marketing and social media, training systems, web sites, uniforms, crash pads, etc., to become an official “USA Dojo.”

This is less likely to be a franchise, and more likely as a system and consulting. The purpose of this step is to grow the grassroots dojo and reduce the fear for owners to open and grow their schools.

Conclusion

USA Judo doesn’t have the money to fund this program now. That’s why Travis begins with hiring a national coach, with his or her salary being initially funded by judo seminar profits. The remainder of those profits then become the initial funding for these other programs.

I will try to keep track of this and see what happens. If I can help in some way, I'm interested.

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