Kids
Youth Judo
Confidence, discipline, and safe falling — taught through games and technique in a structured, respectful dojo.
| Tue – Thu | 6:00 – 7:00 PM |
|---|
Matthews, North Carolina · Est. tradition, modern dojo
Judo for every body
in the Carolinas.
Physical exercise, mental training, and life skills that last — for kids and adults. We educate, inspire, and connect judoka throughout the Carolinas.
- 150+active members
- 1957the year our head coach first stepped on the mat
- 1stsession always free — gi provided
Programs & schedule
Two paths onto the mat
Walk in during any class — your first session is free and we'll lend you a uniform.
Adults
Adult Judo
From first breakfall to shiai competition — recreational and competitive training for every level, five days a week.
| Mon – Thu | 7:00 – 8:30 PM |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 12:00 – 1:30 PM |
Free study tool
Learn the throws — and the terms — anywhere
Our free flashcards app covers 53 throws (the full Gokyo no Waza, the preserved Habukareta Waza, and the newer Shinmeisho no Waza) with animated demonstrations, quizzes, spaced repetition, and a typed-answer mode that forgives your spelling — plus a glossary of the judo vocabulary every student needs: commands and etiquette, breakfalls, stances and footwork, the words every throw's name is built from, and contest scoring. It works offline and installs to your phone like a native app.
- 53 Kodokan throws, animated — every ATJA exam throw tagged with its kyu grade
- 102 judo terms — Japanese, kanji & English, as flashcards and quizzes
- Smart drills that target your weakest techniques
- Works offline — study at camp, on the road, anywhere
Mat-side arcade · 一本
Ippon Toss — throw for the crowd
A silly little judo game to pass the time between classes. Hold to break uke's balance, release in the glowing zone, and see how far you can send them flying. Earn your belt one ippon at a time — no ukemi required.
Best with sound on · plays great on your phone, too
Dojo etiquette · 礼儀
How we carry ourselves
Judo begins and ends with respect. New to the dojo? These five habits cover almost everything.
Bow — and mean it
Bow when entering or leaving the dojo, every time you step on or off the tatami — on with the left foot, off with the right — and before and after every partner drill or randori. A standing bow (ritsurei) is a straight-backed 30°, never rushed.
Respect the gi
Wash your judogi after every session, keep it free of rips, and tie your belt properly. A cared-for uniform shows consideration for every partner who grips it.
Arrive early, arrive clean
Be changed and ready before class starts. Nails trimmed short, long hair tied back with a soft band, all jewelry off — rings, necklaces, earrings, watches. Your partners' safety depends on it.
Honor the mat
No shoes, phones, food, or drinks on the tatami — and no bare feet off it. Sit in seiza or cross-legged when not training. Running late? Wait at the mat's edge, raise your hand, and join when Sensei invites you on.
Sensei & Senpai
Address the instructor as Sensei and senior students with courtesy. Watch how the senior grades conduct themselves — that's the fastest way to learn the culture.
It's a path, not a rulebook
Kanō Jigorō taught judo as a dō — a path of physical, intellectual, and moral growth. Pick one etiquette habit each session, practice it deliberately, and carry it beyond the dojo.
How every class opens and closes
Highest rank on the right, lowest on the left. When the class kneels in seiza or rises, wait for the senior grades to move first.
Hear the dojo commands- Line upShoulder to shoulder, in rank order
- Ki o tsuke“Attention” — called by Sensei
- Shomen ni reiBow to the front, honoring those who came before
- Sensei ni reiBow to the teacher — called by the senpai
Judo basics · 基本
What every judoka learns first
How techniques are organized, how a throw works, and how a match is scored — the groundwork every new judoka builds on.
投技 · Nage-waza
Throwing
- Te-waza
- hand throws
- Koshi-waza
- hip throws
- Ashi-waza
- foot & leg throws
- Sutemi-waza
- sacrifice throws
固技 · Katame-waza
Grappling
- Osaekomi-waza
- pins
- Shime-waza
- chokes
- Kansetsu-waza
- joint locks
基本 · Kihon
Fundamentals
- Ukemi
- breakfalls
- Shisei
- stances
- Sabaki
- footwork & turning
- Kumi-kata
- gripping
Watch the breakfalls: back side front forward roll side roll
Anatomy of a throw
- Kuzushi 崩しBreak uke's balance and posture — move them, then control them.
- Tsukuri 作りBuild the technique: fit your body into position.
- Kake 掛けExecute — lift, pull, or push, and steer the fall.
- Kime 極めFollow through, in control to the very end.
How a match is scored
- Ippon 一本Full point — the match is over.
- Waza-ari 技ありHalf point — two make an ippon.
- Yuko 有効Smallest score — never adds up to a waza-ari.
Four ways to score
- ThrowUke lands on the back, with force, speed & control
- Pin5 s yuko · 10 s waza-ari · 20 s ippon
- ChokeUke taps to submit
- ArmlockUke taps to submit
Read a throw's name like a sentence
Olarge
sotooutside
garireap
Learn a couple of dozen words and most technique names translate themselves.
Drill them as flashcards- Mae front
- Ushiro back
- Yoko side
- Migi right
- Hidari left
- Mawari turn
- Ashi foot · leg
- Te hand · arm
- Koshi hip
- O large
- Ko small
- Soto outside
- Uchi inside
- Gari reap
- Harai sweep
- Guruma wheel
- Otoshi drop
- Nage throw
Adapted from Sensei Sami's Basics of Judo class notes. Video links open on YouTube.
Belt ranks · 段級位
The road from white to red
Judo progresses through the kyu (student) grades, then ten dan (black-belt) grades. Every belt on this wall is earned on the mat — the last two are earned over a lifetime.
Kyu 級 · student grades
- WhiteBeginner · no grade yet
- YellowRokkyu · 6th kyu
- OrangeGokyu · 5th kyu
- GreenYonkyu · 4th kyu
- BrownSankyu – Ikkyu · 3rd – 1st kyu
Dan 段 · black-belt grades
- BlackShodan – Sandan · 1st – 3rd dan
- Black & RedYondan – Godan · 4th – 5th dan
- Red & WhiteRokudan – Hachidan · 6th – 8th dan
- RedKudan – Judan · 9th – 10th dan
Senior grades shown, per the ATJA kyu curriculum — juniors add blue and purple belts along the way.
What each belt is tested on
CAJA is a member club of the American Traditional Jujutsu Association (ATJA) and tests to its Judo Kyu Curriculum. Each grade adds the techniques below to everything that came before.
YellowRokkyu · 6th kyu First throws, first pin and choke, falling safely
- Throws
- O-goshi · O-soto-gari · Hiza-guruma · Seoi-nage (ippon or morote)
- Counter
- to O-goshi
- Pin
- Kesa-gatame
- Escape
- Kesa-gatame #1
- Choke
- Hadaka-jime
- Breakfalls
- Back (kōhō ukemi) · side (yoko ukemi)
- Show
- How and when to bow · how to sit properly · how to tie your belt
OrangeGokyu · 5th kyu First combinations, cross chokes, rolling breakfalls
- Throws
- De-ashi-harai · O-uchi-gari · Sasae-tsurikomi-ashi · Uki-goshi
- Combinations
- with O-goshi · with Seoi-nage
- Counter
- to O-soto-gari
- Pins
- Yoko-shiho-gatame · Kami-shiho-gatame
- Escape
- Yoko-shiho-gatame #1
- Choke
- Juji-jime — nami, kata & gyaku
- Arm lock
- Ude-garami
- Ground entry
- Hands & knees, top #1
- Breakfalls
- Front (mae ukemi) · forward roll (zenpō kaiten)
- Show
- Tsugi-ashi · ayumi-ashi · tai-sabaki
GreenYonkyu · 4th kyu Harai-goshi, the sliding lapel choke, the straight arm lock
- Throws
- Tai-otoshi · Ko-soto-gari · Harai-goshi · Ko-uchi-gari
- Combination
- with Hiza-guruma
- Counters
- to Seoi-nage · to Hiza-guruma
- Pin
- Kuzure-kesa-gatame
- Escape
- Kami-shiho-gatame #1
- Choke
- Okuri-eri-jime
- Arm lock
- Ude-gatame
- Ground entries
- Hands & knees, bottom #1 · legs around, top #1
- Show
- Shizen-hontai — natural stance
BrownSankyu · 3rd kyu Uchi-mata, Juji-gatame, the directions of kuzushi
- Throws
- Koshi-guruma · Uchi-mata · Ko-soto-gake · Tsuri-goshi
- Combination
- with De-ashi-harai
- Counters
- to De-ashi-harai · to Ko-uchi-gari
- Pin
- Kuzure-yoko-shiho-gatame
- Escape
- Kesa-gatame #2
- Choke
- Kataha-jime
- Arm lock
- Juji-gatame
- Ground entries
- Legs around, bottom #1 · hands & knees, top #2
- Show
- Jigo-hontai — defensive stance · the directions of off-balancing
BrownNikyu · 2nd kyu Tomoe-nage, Kata-gatame, refereeing a match
- Throws
- Okuri-ashi-harai · Tomoe-nage · Tsurikomi-goshi · Ashi-guruma
- Combination
- with O-uchi-gari
- Counter
- to Tsuri-goshi
- Pin
- Kata-gatame
- Escape
- Yoko-shiho-gatame #2
- Choke
- Ryote-jime
- Arm lock
- Hiza-gatame
- Ground entries
- Hands & knees, bottom #2 · legs around, top #2
- Show
- How to referee a match
BrownIkkyu · 1st kyu Kata-guruma, side sacrifice throws, the triangle choke and lock
- Throws
- Yoko-otoshi · Tani-otoshi · Uki-otoshi · Kata-guruma · Soto-makikomi
- Combinations
- with O-soto-gari · with Uchi-mata
- Counters
- to Uchi-mata · to Tai-otoshi
- Escape
- Kata-gatame
- Choke
- Sankaku-jime
- Arm lock
- Sankaku-gatame
- Ground entry
- Legs around, bottom #2
Juniors cover the same syllabus in twelve smaller steps — yellow, orange, green, blue, purple and brown, two per color (the second may carry a stripe) — and leave arm locks for later. Drill any belt's throws in the flashcards app: search “6th kyu”, “orange”, and so on.
Your teachers
Instructors
A deep bench of dan-grade coaches — from first-lesson fundamentals to national-level refereeing and kata.
Community spotlight
Congratulations, Joey Tamburello!
−73kg M2 Champion at the 2026 USA Judo Senior Nationals in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 🥇
Patrick Szrejter
8th Dan · Head Coach
On the mat since 1957, with competitive years across the U.S. and three in Europe. National Referee and Kata Instructor, leading CAJA's 150-plus members.
Dana Rucker
6th Dan
Brian Dillmann
4th Dan
Jason Tacker
4th Dan
Joey Tamburello
5th Dan
Javier Guédez
4th Dan
Allan Hernandez
5th Dan
Sensei Sami
2nd Dan
Richard Troy
4th Dan
Mike Casper
1st Dan
Arthur Minasyan
1st Dan
Venancio Pedrosa
1st Dan
Joe Ragan
5th Dan
Andy Cudahy
4th Dan
Edward Shirey
8th Dan
Jonathan Welton
1st Dan
Eric Ly
Ikkyu
Dustin Kirkley
Sankyu
Dalton Farriss
Yonkyu
Full bios coming for everyone as we build out the new site.
About CAJA
A club built on maximum efficiency, mutual welfare
Carolina's American Judo Association sits in Matthews, North Carolina — between the two Carolinas we serve. Our mission is simple: educate, inspire, and connect judoka throughout the Carolinas, whether they step on the mat to compete, to get fit, or to find a second family.
“Maximum efficiency with minimum effort. Mutual welfare and benefit.” — Kanō Jigorō, founder of Kodokan Judo · 精力善用 · 自他共栄
- All ages and experience levels welcome
- Recreational and competitive tracks
- Belt testing, kata instruction, and referee development in-house
Hosted here in Matthews, NC
The Greatest Camp on Earth
Three days. 20+ hours of training across judo, jujitsu, aikido, and karate — headlined by two-time Olympian Javier Guédez. Families train together: adults on the mats, kids ages 4–12 in a dedicated Kids' Zone with pool parties, movies, and themed nights. Catered meals and a camp t-shirt included. All organizations welcome.
Beyond this dojo
Our Wider Judo Family
CAJA trains alongside sister clubs across the Carolinas — plus the calendar that keeps it all straight.
Come train with us
Your first session is free
No experience needed, no gear needed — we provide a temporary uniform. Just show up a few minutes early and say hello.