Abstract
The modifications of judo regulations since 2013 were examined as a career change-event (Samuel and Tenenbaum Citation2011a). Highly competitive judokas (n = 53) and coaches (n = 30), representing three main sub-cultures (i.e., Israel, Croatia, and the UK), completed online measures of change-event experiences and athletic/coaching identity. The modifications of judo regulations were perceived as a moderate and somewhat negative change-event. Judokas’ perceptions of this change-event were correlated with their coaches’ perceptions. Coping efforts mainly focused on adjusting tactical skills. Participants’ decision-making mostly involved consulting with others and making a conscious decision to change. The participants’ motivation decreased following these modifications. The participants were only moderately knowledgeable about these changes. UK participants perceived this change-event more negatively and were less informed about it. These findings stress the importance of conducting a reflective process before additional modifications are introduced to the sport, and the role of coaches in athletes’ education.
Disclosure statement
The authors have no conflict of interest.
Notes
1. We could not find studies which examined the effects of these latest rule modifications.