Judo, The Ultimate Challenge, Inc. – Hawaii (JTUC Hawaii) is the state level of a 30-year-old national non-profit organization committed to the proliferation of Judo all over the United States. We provide programs, services, and support to young judoka of Hawaii and their Olympic Dreams. 

At JTUC Hawaii, we use the teaching and practice of the Olympic sport of judo to incentivize youth’s participation and achievement in customized and targeted initiatives that promote academics, self-esteem, wellness, discipline and empowerment while regularly exposing youth to critical thinking (chess, public speaking and debate) and enrichment (organic gardening, music, dance and photography) activities.

Judo is uniquely different from other physical activities in that its traditional focus is not on competition and winning, but on self-defense, self-knowledge, self-improvement and self-control. Judo’s high degree of ceremony and ritual, and emphasis on integrating mind and body, help practitioners apply its philosophical and ethical teachings to all aspects of life. Indeed a number of longitudinal studies have shown that the non-physical aspects of the martial arts have a unique and long term influence on participants, including being more easygoing and warmhearted, having decreased anger and mood disturbances, lower rates of violence, and higher overall life-satisfaction.[1]

[1] (Pyecha, 1970), (Paul, 1979), (Kutner et at., 1997), (Brown et at., 1995)

Hawaii Judo United Initiatives

Hawaii Judo United is a state-wide judo development initiative designed to provide technical, physical, and material support to all judoka of Hawaii. Our efforts are open to all clubs or individual judo players registered with any of the National Governing Bodies (USA Judo, USJF, or USJA). The overriding goal is to grow grassroots programs and increase the number of judo players in the state while nurturing and supporting intermediate to advanced players into becoming elite international competitors. We will do this by providing training opportunities for players from all clubs to participate in joint training and development opportunities.

JTUC Hawaii provides an opportunity for all clubs to train together for the betterment of the collective. Hawaii Judo United is a program, not a dojo or club, and participants are both expected and required to stay with their home dojo. Participants will be regularly be afforded the opportunity to train with Olympians and champions from Japan and around the world.

Sunday Joshi/Wahine Competitive Judo (click)

Who: female judoka who are or want to become competitors

What: competition training focused on strategy, conditioning, and skill acquisition 

When: Sundays, 3-4pm

Where: 620 Waipa Lane, Honolulu

Japan Judo Tour

Experience bushido, the way of the warrior, judo as more than sport. Tour includes judo at Japanese universities and training halls. Participants must submit a written application and pass an ukemi test in order to be accepted.  Dates TBD, conditional upon interest levels.