Monthly Club Round Up (April '26)
- EdinburghJudo
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
As we settle into spring with the days becoming brighter and the weather getting a little bit warmer, the energy has been ramping up at EdinburghJudo across April with collaborations, camps and lots of hard work being put into every judo session!
To start off the month, Evan and Archie were down at the BritishJudo National Training Centre in Walsall for four days of training alongside members of the GB squad as part of the team’s preparations for the Senior European Championships that took place in April.
The boys got involved in technical sessions, strength and conditioning training, and plenty of randori with some of the best players in the country - a great experience that will benefit their training back at the club.
With the Easter break taking place this month, we hosted a very energetic and busy week of camp at the club!
Our popular camps are a fantastic way for kids to stay active, have fun and meet new friends during the school holidays. They’re also a great opportunity for our young volunteers to develop their organisation and leadership skills. It's always great to see new faces getting involved in each judo camp that passes, with confidence growing across each day and the positive impact it has on each participant.
Team games, fun activities, new friends and lots of judo - what more could you want?
April 14th marked just 100 days to go until the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games begin!
To mark the occasion, Sarah A was invited to an evening of celebrations and the exciting reveal of the official Team Scotland tartan.
It's set to be an inspiring summer of sport in Glasgow, with three days of judo competition taking place at the SEC Centre across 31st July - 2nd August. Have you got your tickets yet?
Sarah C and Euan took part in a “Kata For All” course, led by EJU Head Kata Commissioner Slaviša Bradic at Bishops Stortford judo club.
Over two days, the pair learned new adaptive learning methods and refined their coaching technique, with the aim of making kata accessible and engaging for all ages and abilities.
Thank you to Brada and the event organisers for providing an insightful weekend of learning!
A group of our performance squad players took the trip over to Derry to compete in the Northern Ireland Open.
The boys stepped into this event with the aim of securing further GB ranking points, with debuts in new weight categories for Alban (-66kg) and Fergus (-81kg). Both put in impressive performances against tough opponents in the cadets division, and came away with 5th and 7th place finishes respectively.
In the junior 81kg category, Evan secured a well deserved bronze medal, whilst Archie showed great determination in the -100kg category to win a silver medal.
Liam was first up in the seniors, fighting his way through to the -66kg bronze medal contest and finishing in a well earned 5th place. Evan put in a mature performance in -81kg, narrowly missing out on a medal contest and finishing in 7th place, and Archie closed the weekend with a bronze medal in the -100kg category.
We also had Kirsty W officiating on both days, receiving very positive feedback which bodes well for her ambition to progress to National B referee level - great work, Kirsty!
As always, there is plenty to learn, but it was great to see the players showcase what they have been working on recently, as well as how well they represented themselves both on and off the mat. Thank you to Gav for travelling with the team to support and coach across the weekend.
Results:
Cadets
Alban (-66KG) - 5th
Fergus (-81KG) - 7th
Juniors
Evan (-81KG) - Bronze
Fergus (-81KG) - 7th
Archie (-100KG) - Silver
Seniors
Liam (-66KG) - 5th
Evan (-81KG) - 7th
Archie (-100KG) - Bronze
We had a lot of fun delivering judo sessions at Edinburgh Accies as part of the Easter edition of their Raeburn Place Rugby Camps.
The sessions introduced core skills utilised in judo that also crossover into rugby, such as falling safely, contact control and body awareness, and will support their development both on and off the pitch.
Scott and Nick were very impressed by the high energy and level of effort both groups of young players brought onto the mat. Great to work with the team, and thank you to Edinburgh Accies for having us!
A huge well done to Rafal on his bronze medal finish at the Warsaw Veteran European Cup in Poland.
Another good event for Rafal in the M4 -100KG category, with this result building on his silver medal at the British Veteran Open in March and gold medal at the Scottish Open in January, highlighting the consistency and progression in his performances this year.
Congratulations to Nathan, who has achieved his 1st Dan and was presented with his black belt by Billy at training!
Nathan has put in commendable effort into his journey to black belt over the past year or so, training hard and competing in tournaments alongside his studies at Glasgow University. After securing the last of his competitive points at the Glasgow Teams event this month, and with his theory already ticked off, he becomes EdinburghJudo's newest 1st Dan and can now wear his black belt with pride.
Well done Nathan - the hard work starts now!
As the temperature slowly starts to heat up and the sun begins to make a steady appearance, get ready for spring and summer weather at EdinburghJudo with some of our Macron team wear!
With t-shirts, shorts, hoodies, hats and more available in a range of junior and senior sizes, there’s plenty to keep you kitted out all year round. Orders can be delivered to straight to your home, the judo club in St. Margaret's House, or the Macron Sports Hub in Canonmills.
Shop now by clicking the button below:
As we head into May, our junior members are working hard in their classes towards their upcoming gradings on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th of May. If you have yet to book in for your child's grading, please do so by following the instructions sent to your member email or contact Lorraine at the desk.
For those looking towards the summer, we will be hosting two weeks of Summer Camp throughout the school holidays: Monday 13th July - 17th Friday July and Monday 20th July - Friday 24th July.
Summer Camp is open to members, non-members, family and friends aged 5+ and is set to be filled with fun games, team challenges and lots of judo action! So if you're looking for something to keep your child active and engaged this summer, book our Summer Camp by clicking the button below and clicking the "CAMP" tag at the top of the page.
See you in next month's round-up,
The EdinburghJudo Team ⛩️
