Format and Purpose
There will be one monthly tournament in four different regions of the province for four months in a row (for a total of sixteen tournaments). The results of these tournaments will be used to build the Hayabusa Judo League ranking. This ranking will bring kids from all different parts of the province into one single ranking and will help foster the creation of new friendships that turn into lasting comradery through the sport of judo. Ultimately, this type of structure will pave the way for a stronger provincial judo team for Ontario.
The format of each monthly tournament is based on the Kodokan “Red and White” tournaments that are used for black belt gradings in Japan and is modified to help create a tournament that encourages kids to participate in competitive judo.
Kids are split up into age categories and male/female for ages 10 and up. They are then ordered in a line-up from lightest to heaviest. As a part of the first round, the participants are then paired up against each other to see how many matches they can win in a row, as they fight through the line.
Those who win three or more fights in the first round get another line-up in the second round that will be made up of anywhere from 3-5 other kids who did not make it to the second round. The aim is to give those who won three matches or more in the first round a chance to compete against heavier and/or more experienced fighters to get more wins.
A third and final round will be held for any of those participants who have not yet had a second match.
At the end of the tournament, gold, silver and bronze are given to the top, second and third-most wins (ties allowed). These results will be tabulated into a provincial ranking that will be used to decide seeds at the Final tournament to be held at the Royal Military Collgege in Kingston,Ontario at the RMC Open in February.
The Final tournament is an opportunity for the kids to get an early taste of feeling the pressures of different levels of competitions.
3” Medals will be given to winners of the monthly tournaments.Larger/heavier medals will be awarded at the Final tournament.
In addition to medals for top performing athletes, there will also be an award for the best throwing technique executed to win a match (called the Best Technique Award) and an award for the athlete who shows the greatest heart in his or her matches (called the Best Kiai Award). The Best Kiai is aimed at rewarding those athletes who show the strongest fighting spirit through a combination of resilience and sportsmanship. These athletes will likely also be those who are fighting against fighters that are particularly larger, stronger, more experienced, or a combination of these.
An award for the top performing club and region will also be given out at the Final.
The regions are: West, North, Central East and East. These regions are generally set by the boundaries in the map shown below. These regions are set based on Judo Ontario regional boundaries and will automatically change to conform to whatever changes that Judo Ontario deems necessary.
Parents are encouraged to sign their kids up for the full set of tournaments (the Full Series) to give their kids the full experience. Those who sign up for the Full Series will be given a significant discount on the registration fees. In addition to this, those fighters who sign up for the Full Series will receive a 20% discount on their entry fee to the Final tournament in Kingston.
For those who decide to sign up for tournaments one tournament at a time, there is an early bird price available that is used to incentivise earlier registration to enable the organizers to get things prepared ahead of time. Late/day of registrations cause delays and make the day significantly longer for everyone.