Shufu Judo Yudanshakai presents the Spring 2026 Shufu Judo Yudanshakai Junior and Senior Promotional Examination Saturday, April 25, 2026 at Beltsville Community Center 3900 Sellman Road, Beltsville, MD 20705 United States Judo Federation Sanction # 26-04-03 This event is Preregistration Only. There is no onsite registration. Eligibility to register for promotion All judoka must be a current member of the USJF, USJA, or USA Judo . (USJF members are eligible to be promoted at this event. USJA and USA Judo members may request to be examined and have their results forwarded to the appropriate organization.) For Shodan – current year plus one year prior membership in USJF For Nidan and above – current year plus three years prior membership in USJF Promotion Requirements being used The Shufu Board of Examiners has implemented the changeover to the USJF promotional requirements. The 2026 Shufu Spring Promotional will follow the “2021 USJF Senior Rank Promotion Requirements”, available on the Shufu website under Promotions. All ranks within Shufu’s promotion authority are required to do the physical testing, i.e. all ranks through and including Godan. Rokudan and above are not required to do physical testing; Kata requirements still apply as required[...]
Register HERE for the Takemori/Kashiwazaki Clinic Waivers will be available on site. For minor judoka unaccompanied by a parent or guardian, please have the parent or legal guardian download, print, and sign Waiver to bring to this event.
DON’T MISS THIS CLINIC!! Former World Champion and “Godfather of Newaza” Katzuhiko KASHIWAZAKI coming to DC Area on May 9th and 10th. Register HERE. NOW.
Novice Referee Clinic at Arlington Judo a Great Learning Success
March 13, 2025
On March 1, 2025, we held an in-person Novice Referee Clinic at the Arlington Judo Club in Arlington VA. It was an opportunity to learn about refereeing and pre-teens were invited to be part of the clinic.
We had over 21 people attend in person and 9 of them were 18 years old and under. We had attendees from 8 judo clubs and from over 4 different states.
The clinicians were Sharon Landstreet and Richard Hugh. Sensei Landstreet, IJF International Referee and Chairman of the Shufu Judo Yudanshakai Referee Committee, was also the event coordinator.
Richard Hugh is an international referee with many years of experience and offered insights and advice on becoming a referee.
The clinic began at 10:00 pm and ran until 4:00 pm.
The following areas were included in the clinic: Discussion and practice of commands and positioning, Scoring criteria, Penalties and Procedures, Review of various tachiwaza, newaza and gripping situations, Tools used by referees, CARE system and how it is used, and insight on refereeing at each level from local to international.
We held mock matches so everyone could practice refereeing and judging. Several of the attendees also got to learn how to operate the scoreboard and practiced their new skills during the mock matches.
We had several kids from Arlington Judo Club come to help as the competitors with the mock matches. They also expressed an interest in refereeing, so we gave them an opportunity to referee. They also got to help with running the Care System and scoreboard during the mock matches.
Thanks to Lindsay Cosley for all the technical support, Bo Pryor for helping to organize the mock matches and Michael Landstreet for the administrative support.
Thanks to Sharon Landstreet for this report.
Sensei Edwin Takemori Retiring as USNA Coach
Sunday, May 3, 2026 at NOON at USNA, Annapolis, MD
This newsletter is presented in memory of Malcolm Hodges who was a dedicated Shufu and Washington Judo Club member for many years and wrote and was the editor of the monthly Shufu Shinbun newsletter.
Did you know that Shufu has an Athlete Funding Program?
Shufu’s Athlete Funding
Program provides reimbursement ($150 to $300) for athletes competing in National and
International level events. Juniors, Seniors, Masters/Veterans, and Kata competitors
can all apply to the Shufu Athlete Funding Program. If you have been a member of Shufu for at least 2 years and have participated in any of the events listed below, then you should consider applying for Shufu’s Athlete Funding Program!
2025 USA Judo Youth National Championships
2025 USA Junior Olympic National Championships
2025 USA Judo Senior National Championships
2025 USA Judo President’s Cup
2025 US Open
2025 USJF/USJA Nationals
2025 Pan American Cups or 2025 Pan American Championships
2025 IJF Point Events (Grand Prix, Grand Slams, or Championships)
Please note that these are not the only tournaments which will be considered for funding.
Please go to the Funding Support for Athletes link for the complete details.
