MONTHLY CLUB ROUND UP (NOVEMBER '25)
- EdinburghJudo
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
November began with a very busy weekend of back-to-back competitive action at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility in Motherwell; starting off with the 2025 Scottish National Closed Championships.
We had a team of seventeen players competing at this event across the pre-cadet, cadet, junior, senior and veteran divisions, so it was a busy event for everyone involved.
Across the two days of competition, there were wins, losses, plenty of experience gained, lessons learned and a few new Scottish Champions crowned. Everyone who stepped up to compete showed great tenacity and enthusiasm in their contests, displayed some great judo and kept positive attitudes regardless of the end result.
Thank you to Sarah A, Craig, Scott, Gav, and Nick for coaching and supporting the players throughout the day. Lots to work on back in training for those looking towards the British Championships in December, and a huge congratulations to the following players on their podium finishes:
Pre-Cadet
Clara (-48KG): Bronze
Cadet
Alban (-60KG): Bronze
Juniors
Evan (-81KG): Bronze
Ethan (-100KG): Bronze
Senior
Regina (-57KG): Gold
Nicco @edinunijudo (-100KG): Gold
Veteran
Rafal (-100KG): Gold
Following the Scottish Championships, twelve EdinburghJudo members (plus Chad representing Peebles Judo) took part in the JudoScotland National Kyu & Dan Grading at Ravenscraig.
To kick off the day both Dan and Ash passed their 1st Dan theory, and with all his competitive points already in the bag, Ash can now proudly wear his black belt!
Congratulations to James and George who smashed their competitive line ups to join Ash in becoming EdinburghJudo’s newest 1st Dans, and to Euan for achieving all the points required for his 4th Dan.
For everyone else competing throughout the day, there were plenty of contests, wins, losses, points earned and lots of positive judo on display. Good performances from everyone to round off the last national grading of the year - we look forward to more progress and new Dan grades throughout 2026!
Following the competitive grading at Ravenscraig and some theory examinations that took place at the club, five EdinburghJudo members were proudly presented with their black belts by Billy!
Ash, George and James all participated in the National Kyu & Dan Grading in Motherwell. To start the day off, Ash successfully passed his theory exam to tick off the final requirement for his 1st Dan, after achieving the last of his competitive points back in September.
George, only needing his last 10 points going into his competitive line up, stormed right through his three contests to seal the deal for his 1st Dan.
James also made quick work of his line up, with some nice seoi-nages to both sides and a bit of ashi-waza to top it all off.
Both Grzegorz and Aidan earned their long awaited black belts after successfully passing their 1st Dan theory exams at the club. The pair achieved their competitive points back in 2024 via line-up, so it’s been a long time coming, but they can both now proudly wear their black belts following lots of hard work put into passing their theory!
Lovely to see the hard work pay off for all of the guys; plus the great camaraderie between them all at the grading and on the mat training each week. Well done - lots of proud family and friends this month!
Well done to the youngsters who took part in the Jidel Judo Bonsai 2025 event in Livingston!
Everyone came with excellent attitudes and put tremendous effort into their contests, it was great to see them all trying to implement the judo they’ve been learning in class. Fantastic job everyone, and thank you to family, friends and Sarah A for supporting the team.
Archie - Gold
Ivan - Gold
Lenny - Gold
Lily B - Silver
Lilly M - Silver
Arran - Bronze
Hamish - Bronze
James - Bronze
Logan - Bronze
Sampa - Bronze
Huge congratulations to all of our juniors who completed their latest grading this month!
We were very impressed by the effort and energy put into everyone’s demonstrations, plus the attention to detail and teamwork skills that were shown by all.
Thank you to all of our members, staff and coaching team for making the day run smoothly and successfully for those who took part. It was great to see lots of very proud family and friends celebrating everybody’s achievements!
If you missed it, you can catch up on our grading day gallery by clicking the button below:
Congratulations to Loretta Doyle on receiving the "Inspiration in Sport" award at the 2025 Scottish Women in Sport Awards.
Earlier this year, Loretta made history as the first British woman to earn a 9th Dan in judo. A former World & European Champion, she won over 50 international medals and was among the first group of women to compete at the World Judo Championships.
Since retiring, she has become a respected commentator, held senior roles at major international Games, and has been named Technical Delegate for Glasgow 2026.
Congratulations on a very well deserved award, from everyone at EdinburghJudo!
Thank you to everyone who helped make Keizoku 2025 such a success for all the young people involved. From participants to volunteers, young coaches and supporters, your contribution made a real difference.
Why do you start judo? Why do you stay in judo? Because it is fun, you make friends and you learn something new. To learn, to have fun, to grow and to develop are the most important things.
With the right role models and the right experiences, you can build resilience, develop confidence, grow as a person and find your own path in judo - this is only the beginning of that journey!
Gold:
Lilly
Alexander
Dami
Logan
Pippa
Ilyas
Yunus
Silver:
Nina
Bronze:
Hugo
Murray
To round off a very busy November of competitions, Traiko and Harry headed to Cumbernauld to compete in the Scottish Kyu Grade Tournament.
Harry took top spot, winning both of his contests to take the gold, and Traiko won two out of his three to proudly walk away with bronze.
With throws, hold downs and some lovely arm locks on show, it was a great chance to try what they’ve been learning as they look ahead to 2026 - well done to both!
Finally, November marked Samir's last week with us at EdinburghJudo, as him and his family are heading off to Lebanon for two years to start a new chapter.
Samir's coaching at the club will be missed by all, and we wish him and his family lots of happiness as they embark on this journey together. Samir has had a huge influence on many of EdinburghJudo’s members and their judo development throughout his time at the club, as well as being a friend to many both on and off the mat.
We'll see you again soon when you return to Edinburgh for visits, and we look forward to hearing all about your adventures in Lebanon!
The pace isn't slowing down just yet as we head into December, with our junior and senior squad players training hard for the final competition of the year: the 2025 British Championships.
The action continues in the club too, where we have a variety of festive events lined up for all our junior and senior members before we wrap up for the two-week festive break!
Spaces are still available on our Christmas events and can be booked by clicking the button below, or speak to Lorraine at the desk for more information.
See you in the next round-up,
The EdinburghJudo Team
