Another death: a thirteen-year-old girl   22/05/2015

Over the 29-year period between 1983 and 2012, 118 students died as a result of judo incidents in elementary, junior high and high schools in Japan. However, in the last three years, no death from school judo accidents have been reported.

On May 22 of this year, however, a female 13-year-old junior high school student was critically injured during practice at the judo club of Sekita Junior High School in Fukuoka city, Fukuoka Prefecture. She was a first grade student who had joined the club shortly before on April 13, with no previous judo experience.
A 4th Dan female teacher with a class A coaching license and two Kuro Obi (black belt) male coaches were instructing ten male students and four female students at the club. The session started at 17:00 and the accident occurred at 18:45. Nagekomi, or throw practice, was taking place. A thrower announced the technique to be used before throwing the opponent. The 13-year-old girl was assigned to practice ukemi. When major outer reap, or osotogari, was performed by the partner, the victim hit the back of her head on the tatami mat and lost consciousness. She was transported to the hospital, found to have acute subdural hematoma and died on the 27th.

There are typical conditions causing accidents in judo, many of which apply in this incident. The victim:
1. was a beginner with one and a half months of judo experience
2. had a headache before the accident
3. was injured as a result of osotogari
4. was paired with a taller and heavier senior student
5. developed acute subdural hematoma

Issues
1. It was throw practice based on an announcement of the technique to be used by the thrower. As a beginner with only 1.5 months of judo experience, was she capable of understanding the name of the throw and taking appropriate form of ukemi?
2. While the victim had complained of a headache to her family the day before the accident, the family was unaware that doing judo with a headache was very risky. Why had the teacher failed to explain about the risk of headaches to students learning judo as well as their parents?
3. In addition to being a novice who only joined the club on April 13, the girl was unable to practice judo between May 13 and May 15, the week before the accident, because the first grade students participated in Nature School and stayed away from home. What was the total numbers of hours of judo practice she had completed before the accident?
4. Was it reasonable to make a student with less than 1.5months of judo experience practice ukemi of Nagekomi, or skills of being thrown?

http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASH5X6S01H5XTIPE02Y.html
http://bylines.news.yahoo.co.jp/ryouchida/20150529-00046132/
http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=201505/2015052800790&g=soc

                      10/08/2015




» Back to top