The Shintaro Higashi Show - 3 Ways To Grow Judo | The Shintaro Higashi Show

Episode Date: October 7, 2025

In this solo episode, Shintaro Higashi breaks down three powerful ways to grow Judo in the United States. From unifying national organizations to creating viable pathways for judo in schools and drastically improving the customer experience at tournaments—this is a must-listen for anyone passionate about the future of Judo in America.🎧 Whether you're a dojo owner, competitor, or parent in the Judo world, this episode is packed with insights, real talk, and practical solutions.⏱️ Timestamps00:00 Unifying Judo Organizations in the U.S.02:00 Consolidating Local Affiliates & Reducing Admin Burden03:00 Why Judo in Schools Isn’t Scaling (Yet)04:00 The Phys Ed Pipeline: Getting Judo into Public Education05:00 A Career Path for Judoka: Become a Gym Teacher06:00 Educating Dojo Owners on Customer Experience07:00 What Disney World Can Teach Us About Running a Dojo08:00 Tournament Experience is Driving People Away09:00 How TaeKwonDo Tournaments Set the Standard10:00 Making Competition Accessible for Non-Competitors11:00 Why Many Quit After Tournaments & Belt Deflation Issues12:00 Weigh-Ins, Sandbagging, and Fixing a Broken Product13:00 Final Thoughts: Grow Judo with Better Structure & Vision🚨 LIMITED-TIME OFFER: 40% OFF 🚨The All-in-One Instructional Bundle just got even better.Every major instructional. One complete system. Now at our biggest discount yet.Grab yours now at 40% off : https://higashibrand.com/products/all-instructionalsThis won’t last. Build your game today.🔥 Get 20% OFF FUJI Gear! 🔥Looking to level up your judo training with the best gear? FUJI Sports has you covered. Use my exclusive link to grab 20% OFF high-quality gis, belts, bags, and more.👉 https://www.fujisports.com/JUDOSHINTARO 👈No code needed – just click and save!Links:🇯🇵 Kokushi Budo Institute (The Dojo) Class Schedule in New York, NY 🗽: https://www.kokushibudo.com/schedule🇯🇵 Higashi Brand Merch & Instructionals: https://www.higashibrand.com📚 Shintari Higashi x BJJ Fanatics Judo Courses & Instructionals Collection: https://bjjfanatics.com/collections/shintaro-higashi/

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Growing USA Judo, Judo in the United States, how are we going to do that? First and foremost, I think there needs to be. be a collaboration between, we used to have this USJAA, J-I, USA J-F, all three organizations recognizing each other's thing. I think we need to bring that back. I don't know who's involved in these talks and who the decision makers are, but we need to bring that back. We need to kind of consolidate and maybe here's just like a crazy idea, whatever local organization that has the most or the strongest. For instance, I'm in New York. There is New York State. Judo Inc. New Jersey Judo Inc. And then there's also the Hudson Judo, which is under the

USJF. So whichever is doing the very best, that thing should just take the place that maybe start a new organization. I don't know, but we should kind of really start consolidating these organizations because it's getting kind of ridiculous. Every time I have to re-up my membership for USJF, I have to also re-up my membership for USA Judo. And then those two systems don't talk to each other. So I had to do my concussion training and then get that and then the certificate and then send it there and then this one's lapsing at this time and that one's lapsing at that time. It really does add an extra step of administrative work and I think it's absolutely annoying AF. So we got to start bringing this thing. We have to work together in a cohesive

way. I don't know who it is. I don't know how they're going to do it. But whoever is in charge, that should be the first and foremost priority to kind of combine those things together, combine forces, because together we could kind of grow, we need like unity. You know, judo needs to be united on the front of the United States. I think that's first and foremost. Second, I hear everyone talking about,

all right, we've got to put it in the school systems, NCAA school system. I've seen it work. You know, I know this guy, he and fam, used to come to my gym, move to Carmel, upstate New York, and he is the phys ed gym teacher, and now all of a sudden,

He has a full-blown judo program. He's running through 200 kids through his judo program in physical education. So how are we going to do that? We're going to get all these judo guys to go to these schools and talk to the athletic director and sell them and pitch them. And let me tell you something. There's just not enough money for that. And they don't hire outside guys to teach phys ed classes for your school. Maybe you could get an after-school program, but even that's difficult.

And at one point in my life, I had three private schools on the Upper West Side bought into my system. right and I would send instructors but it just became too much of an hassle and I was just like you know what forget it even though I was charging per kid per program whatever it was and I had a bunch of kids throughout these different places it was just too much for me to handle the staff and then all this stuff and the issues and you know we had one program bringing the kids to the dojo it was just the juice was not worth to squeeze for me personally now it doesn't mean it won't be for a lot of other programs out there. There's full-blown taquo in those schools that charter buses and go to these schools and pick them up and then bring them to the school.

It's just too much work for the average judoka. You know, if you look at the average judoka running a gym, they're part-timers. They're doing it after as a second career. They're doing it as a hobby almost. So you can't expect those guys to be calling the school systems, hey, we're going to go to your school. They just have their plates too full. So how are we going to do it? We need full-time physical education teachers. literally gym teachers who were qualified, and then we've got to make those guys start programs in their schools. All right.

So how are we going to do that? First of all, we have to identify phys ed teachers who do judo. That's like sort of the best, you know, just like how there's police officers at the NYPD now who do judo who want to have like a grappling club or judo for police officers things. You need guys on the inside. So would it be the craziest thing to fund, the education, to get a phys ed degree, you you know, through USA Judo, have a grant with the idea of getting more gym teachers. Right, that's a great career for a judo guy.

You know, you're doing judo, you're looking at careers, you know, you're 20-something years old, you're going to school, you're doing judo full-time, all of a sudden now you're a phys ed teacher. So now you get to teach judo at the school, running after-school judo program, you make money, your career is taking care of, and in the summer you go out and compete. You know, that's a great setup for a lot of guys. We need people funnel it into that sort of system to kind of, grow, right? And now all of a sudden, you know, those people rise up to the ranks, they're athletic directors, maybe they get a physical education PhD, now they're teaching in

the universities, and now they have an athletic director, whatever it is, you know, the athletic chair. Who knows? You need people in these positions of power to be able to push judo onto the public, into the programs, et cetera, et cetera, right? So that's the second thing. First, we need the organizational side of the things. Second, you know, when we need to, you know, need qualified gym teachers and judo teachers and things like that and have that sort of a pipeline. And I think third is just education for the average dojo owner. You know, a couple weeks ago, I went to Disney World with my kid and it was the best trip of my life. It was absolutely amazing, like seeing my 7-year-old ride all the rides and just experience all that Disney world

has to offer. But for me, it was like, you know, looking at it through a business perspective. and I understand it's like a $250 billion market cap company. It said I know all the studies that I've read about it. But really, it just came down to good customer service. And then everything is planned out and thought out. For instance, I'm drinking a water. I wanted to throw this water bottle out. Oh, there's a garbage hand.

Bang, right? Oh, I need to use the restroom. Oh, there's the restroom right there. You know, and everything. Hey, you know, my kid's first time at Disney. Can you, oh, first time visitors pin. here you go this that this and they're so well trained you know so having just specific protocols for everything having these dojo owners being educated on what it means to have a good customer facing product

you know when someone walks into the door you greet them hey how are you why are you here that's the most important thing why they are here right if they want to be physical fitness okay we have a cater to you your program to that i want to make friends oh there's tons of look at this community here is very nice. I want to learn judo, which is actually the most rare case out of all the people that walk through the dojo. Maybe one out of ten guys are specifically seeking just judo, right? But everyone assumes that they're coming for judo and they're trying to sell judo, sell judo, nine out of ten times. That's not even the case. You know, so educating the dojo owners about good business practices. And by the way, if you're listening, and you're a dojo

owner, you could reach out to me directly. I'm on Instagram. My email's out there. You know, I'm pretty public when it comes to the stuff. I don't really read the comments that much, even though I should, but reach out to me and then maybe there's something that we could sort of do together. I'm more than happy to help anyone in the sport. This is my mission to grow judo. I'm relentlessly making content all the time, day in and day out, for the purpose of growing judo, right? So I'm more than happy to help you, so definitely reach out.

And yes, that's a third portion of growing the judo in the United States. and then back to the customer service side, you look at these tournaments that are being run. It's a terrible product. Seriously, it's like the worst thing on this planet because you go there, you burn an entire day, and if you're a young parent like me with a 7-year-old, I'm not burning a Saturday.

I'm not burning a Sunday and sacrificing one of those days with my daughter. I'd rather go to the park. I'd rather go to Billy Bees. I'd rather do anything else but sitting in a gym all freaking day with people, yelling and screaming. I'm just not doing it. If they can guarantee me, you're in at 9 a.m. and you're out at noon and you can go home, have lunch with your kid, and you can take her to skating,

I'm 100% in, right? That's what we need to do. The product needs to be better. And then I was speaking to some of these tournament directors from the local organization, they were like, I was like telling them this. I was like, listen, man, you got to, even with the way and let them step on the scale, go out there, you know, do this, that, do this, that, like put more mats out there, you know, And, you know, they're just too myopic in what they want and need. They're like, oh, no, but if we did the way it's like that, then the attendance would drop. And then if we made this smaller thing, there's a million excuses, why not to do some of these things? But I think first and foremost, customer service is the key, you know?

And I understand, you know, you need 10 by 10 met area, whatever it is for safety reasons. Is it really, though, you know? And if safety is your concern, have majority of the matches, be technique demonstration like Takuendo does. I will never forget I went to a Takenot gym, a Ta-Wondo tournament. And there must have been 2,000 people there. And they were pumping through people. This mat they were doing Kata, this mat they were doing freestyle, this mat they were doing that and boards and breaking. Every single kid who did Ta-Quendoo had something to do in that tournament venue. And that's not the same for judo. Judo, what percentage of your dojo competes? In my

dojo is probably 5 to 10% maybe even 5% of the lower end and every single dojo I've ever been to what percentage of that dojo competes 5 to 10% I'm making numbers up maybe it's 20 right maybe you go to a gym but I you know I've been in enough dojoes to know majority of your people in the gym do not compete so you're missing out on that entire market sales like why do they compete I don't want to get injured I don't want to be there all day there's a million excuses why not to do it but what if there was sort of something that bridges that. Hey, you can walk in, demonstrate your technique, get a metal, and you get a taste of what it's like to put your judo out there. And you get a metal, no one will yell at you, you'll be there for 20, 40 minutes max, in and out, you'll have a great

time you can post it on Instagram and you'll have a great freaking weekend. I'm in for that. I will push every single one of my students to do that because the product is good. The product needs to be good. Not just in the dojo, but the competition also. I have had so many instances, and I used to talk and keep metrics to this stuff, send 10 guys to a local tournament, two of them will get injured, five of them will quit. And that's been the case many, many years. And you could argue, oh, man, you know, maybe they weren't prepared, maybe it was. But, you know, hand selecting, you're prepared, you're not prepared, you're going, you're not going. It really shouldn't be like that, right? Majority of the time,

people select themselves to go to this stuff. Who are the competitors in the room? I joined the dojo, I want to compete, those guys are out there. And whether they're prematurely going to or not going to, no one knows when it's the proper time, and it's the green belts and below. So it's like, you could get green belts in there that's been doing judo for eight years.

I saw a local tournament in New Jersey where Meow was competing. Miao. Paulo Miao, Jujitsu champion, like one of the best Jiu Jitsu players of all time showed up in an orange belt and then smoked the competition.

guys who's been doing judo for like eight months it was the most unfair thing I have ever seen but that stuff happens all the time you think those guys the dads they're coming off the couch 34 years old I did judo started eight months ago because my kids doing it goes up against me out get smashed put on their head

you think that guy's gonna come back no it's a terrible product dude horrible why are we even doing this is my question you know so we really have to rethink the product you know think about the product that we're putting out at the dojo at these competitive venues. You know, and if you guys have ideas, please reach out to me.

I'm more than happy. Leave it in the comments here for a discussion. I know right now, New York and New Jersey, weigh-ins is a hot topic, you know, because some people certify their weights for their athletes, and then, you know, they show up. It's like, wait a minute, that guy is 73 kilograms. I saw my guy competing.

I saw him step on the scale at 72. There's no way that guy who's a foot taller than a foot wider, same weight class as my guy, you know, and then there's like belt deflation and all these different issues, you know, we got to solve these things once and for all. And if it means taking a little bit of a contraction first, you know, in order for looking at it sort of long-term lens, like we really need to do this. So there you go, ways to grow judo in the US, three for you, really, three sort of ideas. As always, leave it in the comments. Thank you so much for listening and, you know, stay tuned. Thank you.