Judo as moral education (Kanō)

1. Introduction

Version followed: Kodokan judo as presented by the Kodokan, the International Judo Federation (IJF) and the All Japan Judo Federation (AJJF, Zen Nihon Jūdō Renmei), with British Judo for safeguarding and the European Judo Union (EJU) "adapted judo" rules as summarised in a 2024 systematic review for disability programmes.

Judo is not a psychotherapy. It is a martial art and Olympic sport that its founder, Kanō Jigorō (born December 1860; principal of the Higher Normal School and Tokyo Higher Normal School for 23 years; the first Asian member of the International Olympic Committee), designed as an educational system for body and mind [source: University of Tsukuba]. Kanō opened his dōjō in 1882 at the Eishōji temple in Shitaya, Tokyo, reorganising older jūjutsu into a system of throwing techniques (nage-waza), grappling and holding techniques (katame-waza: osaekomi, shime and kansetsu, i.e. hold-downs, chokes/strangles and joint locks) and striking techniques (atemi-waza) that are taught only in forms [source: AJJF chapter hosted by Nippon Budōkan]. He removed techniques he considered dangerous or maiming, explained throws in terms of balance and centre of gravity, and improved falling technique so that practice became safer [source: IJF history].

The tradition's account of how change happens is moral and educational, not clinical. Kanō's strategy is described as resting on three elements, knowledge, morality and physical training [source: IJF, citing David Waterhouse]. With the founding of the Kodokan Cultural Society in 1922 he launched two mottos [source: IJF]:

Seiryoku zen'yō (精力善用): rendered by the IJF as "the Best Use of Energy" and by the University of Tsukuba as "maximum efficient use of energy"; the IJF explains it as using spirit and physical strength well for the common good and self-realisation.
Jita kyōei (自他共栄): "Mutual Prosperity" (IJF) or "mutual prosperity for self and others" (Tsukuba); the IJF links it to the Confucian idea of social obligation and mutual aid.

The AJJF teaching text states that these two phrases express the essential meaning (hongi) of judo, and that respecting the partner and building a society of mutual support is a major purpose of learning it; it also uses the older maxim "jū yoku gō o seisu" (柔能く剛を制す), roughly "softness controls hardness": not meeting force with force but reducing the partner's power through body movement and breaking balance (kuzushi) [source: AJJF; tr.]. Kanō presented judo as a way of life whose principles applied "inside and outside the dojo" [source: IJF]. These are the tradition's ethical teachings; they are not psychological mechanisms with an evidence base, and any therapeutic use of them is an application by the clinician [synthesis].

For a psychotherapist the method therefore has three practical faces: (1) mainstream club and school judo with an explicit moral-education claim; (2) adapted judo programmes for people with disabilities, especially autistic children, which have a small research literature; (3) the clinician's own role in suggesting, preparing for, integrating and safeguarding a client's practice. A psychotherapist does not teach judo unless separately qualified and licensed as a judo coach through a national federation; otherwise this guide is written for the therapist working alongside the coach. The English phrase "judo therapy" is also used for 柔道整復 (jūdō seifuku), a Japanese manual-therapy profession for fractures, dislocations and sprains, which is a different field and not covered here [uncertain: not verified].

2. Framework

Who holds teaching authority. The Kodokan in Tokyo awards Kodokan dan grades; its International Department runs dan examinations for people resident outside Japan, from sho-dan (1st dan) to hachi-dan (8th dan), under the "Kodokan Internal Regulations for Dan Promotion", with eligibility decided by the Kodokan and a letter of authorisation from a Kodokan national committee where one exists [source: Kodokan dan examination guidelines]. The practical examination covers fundamental knowledge, basic movement, nage-waza, katame-waza, kata and randori (or yakusoku-geiko, agreed practice), plus knowledge of the kata required for each rank [source: same]. The IJF governs judo as an international sport; national federations (e.g. AJJF in Japan, British Judo Association in the UK) license coaches, run kyu and dan gradings, and set safeguarding policy. In Japan, budo (judo, kendō or sumō) became a compulsory subject in the first two years of junior high school from 2012 under a revised national course of study, taught by school PE teachers [source: Chunichi Shimbun 2010; Nagahiro & Mizobuchi 2014]. No government licence regulates who may call themselves a judo teacher outside school and federation systems [uncertain: not verified].

Stages of a judoka's path as published.

Etiquette first: practice is framed by rei (bowing, respect for partner); the AJJF text describes judo as beginning and ending with rei [source: AJJF].
Foundations: ukemi (breakfalls) and basic movement before being thrown. After a school-club death, the Fukuoka City Board of Education's 2015 investigation report recommended that beginners practise mainly ukemi for at least three to four months and avoid dangerous techniques, and that coaches personally check each beginner's ukemi and throwing skill by partnering them [source: Fukuoka City report; tr.].
Technique: nage-waza and katame-waza, taught progressively according to strength and skill [source: AJJF; Fukuoka].
Kata: prearranged forms. The IJF lists Nage-no-kata, Katame-no-kata, Jū-no-kata, Kime-no-kata, Kodokan Goshin-jutsu, Koshiki-no-kata and Itsutsu-no-kata [source: IJF].
Randori: free practice with a resisting partner, and later contest (shiai).
Grading: coloured-belt kyu grades (set by national federations) then dan grades, with kata knowledge required at each dan level [source: Kodokan].

Adapted judo programmes (disability). In the 16 intervention studies reviewed by Descamps et al. (2024), sessions for autistic participants usually had a warm-up, a main technical segment and a cool-down, often closing with mindfulness or reflection, and usually more than one instructor; programmes in those studies ran from several weeks to several months, most often weekly. Adaptations followed the EJU rules for adapted judo: no neck pressure, chokes, arm-locks or sacrifice techniques; emphasis on safe falling, clear and repeated instructions, imitation and guided modelling, and gradual progression [source: Descamps et al. 2024]. The ADHD study in that review prepared novices for a first belt examination and included randori [source: same].

Psychotherapist's frame [synthesis]: (1) assessment and decision to suggest judo; (2) screening, medical clearance and choosing a club; (3) preparation (touch, falling, being held, competition, aggression); (4) concurrent practice with regular review in therapy; (5) integration of the moral principles and dojo experiences; (6) ongoing monitoring for injury, head-injury symptoms and safeguarding concerns. There is no published session count for this; review at natural points such as a grading or the end of a term. Move from (3) to (4) when the client can state how they will signal "stop" (tapping out, saying matte) and has a plan for distress; move to (5) once the client has concrete experiences to discuss.

Evidence status. For neurodevelopmental conditions, the 2024 systematic review found reported physical, social, emotional and cognitive benefits but heterogeneous programmes and outcome measures, few randomised trials and causal conclusions not possible; one study found no significant quantitative differences [source: Descamps et al. 2024]. Claims that judo builds character or moral reasoning are the tradition's claims [synthesis]. Judo is not a treatment for any physical disease.

3. Guiding principles

Seiryoku zen'yō, attributed to Kanō: in practice, help the client notice efficient, non-forcing effort (on the mat and in life) rather than winning by strength. [source: IJF; Tsukuba]
Jita kyōei, attributed to Kanō: in practice, the partner is someone who lets you learn; frame practice as cooperative, and check that the club actually behaves this way. [source: IJF; AJJF]
Rei and respect: in practice, bowing is a framing of mutual respect, not submission to a teacher; a client may respect etiquette and still refuse unsafe or abusive instruction. [source: AJJF; synthesis]
Safety before technique: in practice, ukemi competence before being thrown; beginners, first-year students and those returning after head injury are the highest-risk groups. [source: Nagahiro & Mizobuchi 2014; Fukuoka]
Head injury is never trained through: in practice, any head blow, headache or feeling unwell means stop and medical assessment before return. [source: Fukuoka; Nagahiro & Mizobuchi 2014]
Consent to contact: in practice, gripping, throwing and holding are agreed contact with an always-available stop signal; the psychotherapist never makes physical contact as part of therapy. [source: USABP; EABP; synthesis]
No dual relationship: in practice, the therapist is not also the client's coach, training partner or grader. [source: BACP 2018 para 33(b); UKCP item 8]
Competence boundaries: in practice, teach judo only with a federation coaching qualification and therapy only within therapy training; otherwise refer and collaborate. [source: UKCP items 23–24; BPS 2.3]
Safeguarding is shared: in practice, know the club welfare officer and the federation's reporting route before a child starts. [source: British Judo]
Attribute the philosophy: in practice, present Kanō's principles as the tradition's teachings, not as proven mechanisms of change. [synthesis]
Adapt for the person: in practice, for autistic or intellectually disabled clients prefer coaches using adapted-judo rules (no chokes, locks, neck pressure or sacrifice throws). [source: Descamps et al. 2024]
Contest is optional: in practice, competition and weight-category pressures are not required for the educational aims; discuss them separately. [synthesis]

4. Intervention inventory

Part A describes the components of judo practice as the tradition and its bodies publish them, so the therapist knows what the client will meet; they are taught by a qualified judo coach, not by the therapist in session, and are described qualitatively only. Part B gives the psychotherapist's own interventions. Example language is illustrative throughout.

Part A. Components of judo practice (taught by the coach)

A1. Rei (etiquette and bowing)

Purpose: frames each session and each bout as an exchange between respected partners; the AJJF text calls respect for the partner the starting point and says judo begins and ends with rei [source: AJJF; tr.].
Steps (as practised, described qualitatively): bowing on entering and leaving the mat, to the teacher and to each partner before and after practice.
Example language (therapist, illustrative): "When you bow to your partner before randori, what are you saying to them, and what are they saying to you?"
Watch for: clients who experience bowing as humiliation or religious observance (it is etiquette in judo, not worship) [synthesis]; clubs that use etiquette to demand unquestioning obedience. Working: the client describes respect flowing both ways.

A2. Ukemi (breakfalls)

Purpose: the foundation of physical safety; enables being thrown without striking the head. Catastrophic head injuries in Japanese school judo occurred mostly in novices whose ukemi was judged insufficient [source: Nagahiro & Mizobuchi 2014].
Steps (qualitative): backward, sideways and forward falls learned progressively, from low positions upward, before being thrown by a partner; the coach checks each beginner's ukemi personally [source: Fukuoka report; tr.].
Example language (illustrative): "Being thrown and landing safely is a skill you are allowed to take slowly. Has your coach checked your breakfalls before you were thrown?"
Watch for: being thrown in randori before ukemi is secure; neck not yet strong enough (the Chunichi report cites injuries occurring before neck strength developed); fear of falling that may relate to trauma or dissociation [synthesis]. Working: client reports controlled landings and no head contact.

A3. Nage-waza and katame-waza (throwing and grappling)

Purpose: the technical core: breaking balance (kuzushi) and using the partner's force rather than opposing it, illustrating "jū yoku gō o seisu" [source: AJJF].
Steps (qualitative): techniques taught in progression according to body size, strength and skill; holds, chokes and joint locks taught later with strict tap-out rules; dangerous techniques withheld from beginners [source: AJJF; Fukuoka].
Example language (illustrative): "You said you won the exchange without using strength. What did that feel like compared with how you usually push through problems?"
Watch for: shime-waza (chokes) and kansetsu-waza (joint locks) in children or adapted programmes, where EJU adapted-judo rules exclude them [source: Descamps et al. 2024]; being held down (osaekomi) triggering panic in clients with trauma histories [synthesis].

A4. Kata (prearranged forms)

Purpose: practice of principles in fixed, cooperative pairs; required knowledge for Kodokan dan grades [source: Kodokan; IJF list of kata].
Steps (qualitative): tori (performer) and uke (receiver) execute an agreed sequence; roles alternate.
Example language (illustrative): "In kata both of you know what will happen. Does that predictability make contact easier for you than randori?"
Watch for: kata can be a lower-arousal entry for anxious or trauma-affected clients [synthesis]. Not proceduralised here; learn from a qualified teacher.

A5. Randori (free practice) and shiai (contest)

Purpose: applying technique against a resisting partner; tests composure and self-control.
Steps (qualitative): agreed free practice in pairs under the coach's supervision; contest later and optional for many judoka.
Example language (illustrative): "What happened inside you when your partner started to resist? What did you do with it?"
Watch for: most fatal Japanese school cases occurred in club activities, and commentators quoted in the Chunichi report suggested Japanese coaching over-emphasised randori and matches, contrasting France's play- and groundwork-based introduction [source: Chunichi Shimbun 2010, reporting Uchida Ryo; tr.]; size mismatch; anger escalation [synthesis].

A6. Grading (kyu and dan)

Purpose: structured progression and recognition; in the Kodokan system, dan examinations test fundamentals, techniques, kata and randori [source: Kodokan].
Steps: set by the client's national federation (kyu) and by the Kodokan or national federation (dan).
Example language (illustrative): "Your grading is in a few weeks. What would it mean to you to pass, and to not pass?"
Watch for: perfectionism, shame after failure, or pressure to train while injured before a grading [synthesis].

A7. Living the principles outside the dōjō

Purpose: Kanō's intention that seiryoku zen'yō and jita kyōei apply "inside and outside the dojo" [source: IJF]. The IJF also presents seven values (respect, modesty, sincerity, friendship, honour, politeness, self-control) [source: IJF].
Steps (as clubs may use them): coaches reference the principles or values in talks, club codes and end-of-session reflection; adapted programmes in the 2024 review often closed with reflection or mindfulness [source: Descamps et al. 2024].
Example language (illustrative): "Kanō's idea of 'best use of energy': where in your week are you spending effort that gives little back?"
Watch for: moralising that shames children; values used to excuse abuse ("respect the sensei") [synthesis].

A8. Adapted judo session (disability programmes)

Purpose: judo for autistic children and people with intellectual disability or ADHD; reported outcomes include physical activity, motor skills, social behaviour, self-esteem and (in ADHD) working memory, with low-certainty evidence [source: Descamps et al. 2024].
Steps (as published in the reviewed studies, qualitatively): warm-up; main technical segment with safe falling, clear repeated instructions, imitation and guided modelling; gradual progression; cool-down with reflection or mindfulness; usually more than one instructor; EJU adapted rules exclude neck pressure, chokes, arm-locks and sacrifice techniques [source: same].
Who may deliver: a judo coach qualified with a national federation, ideally with disability-specific training; a psychotherapist only if also a qualified coach, and then not with their own therapy clients [synthesis]. Programmes for blind and visually impaired judoka exist in Paralympic sport [uncertain: not verified].
Example language (to a parent, illustrative): "Ask the coach how they adapt for autistic children, whether chokes and arm-locks are excluded, and how they help a child who becomes overwhelmed."
Watch for: sensory overload (noise, mats, judogi), unpredictable touch, meltdowns, communication of pain [synthesis].

Part B. The psychotherapist's interventions

B1. Assessing fit and suggesting judo

Purpose: decide whether a club or adapted programme suits the client's goals (structure, peer belonging, self-control, embodied confidence) [synthesis].
Steps: explore the client's interest; check physical screening needs (B2); consider trauma, dissociation, aggression and self-harm risk; discuss whether competitive or recreational judo fits; agree what you will review together.
Example language (illustrative): "Judo involves being gripped, thrown and held down by other people. How does that sound to you, honestly?"
Watch for: wanting judo mainly to hurt others or as revenge; wish to punish the body; recent concussion. Working: the client's reasons are about learning, belonging or self-mastery.

B2. Physical-safety screening and medical clearance

Purpose: judo is a contact sport with throws, chokes and joint locks; its catastrophic risk is head injury, especially acute subdural haematoma (ASDH) from bridging-vein tearing after the back of the head hits the mat when thrown [source: Nagahiro & Mizobuchi 2014].
Steps: ask about previous head injuries and persistent headaches; any history of subdural haematoma; neck or spinal problems; bleeding risk; epilepsy; cardiac conditions; pregnancy; recommend the client seek medical clearance from their own doctor before starting and after any head injury [synthesis for the list; source for head injury items]. Share the published head-injury facts: in Japan Sports Council data on students aged 7–18 (1998–2011), judo accounted for 40 of 88 catastrophic sports head injuries; of 30 judo ASDH cases (2003–2010) half died and about a quarter remained in a persistent vegetative state; incidence peaked in the first year of junior and of senior high school; about half were novices; most had a lucid interval but half deteriorated within minutes; about a fifth of catastrophic cases had an earlier judo head injury with headache, and some had returned after a thin subdural haematoma [source: Nagahiro & Mizobuchi 2014]. Journalism reporting research by Uchida Ryo counted 106 deaths in junior and senior high school judo lessons and club activities from 1983 to 2008, mostly in club activities and about half in first-year students [source: Chunichi Shimbun 2010; tr.]. Children who have had even a thin or resolved subdural haematoma should in principle not return to contact judo; helmets and mouthguards have no proven protective effect against rotational injuries [source: Nagahiro & Mizobuchi 2014].
Example language (illustrative): "Have you ever hit your head in sport or had headaches that would not go away? Before you start, please check with your doctor, and if you ever get a headache or feel strange after a fall, stop and get seen the same day."
Watch for: headache, vomiting, confusion, drowsiness or behaviour change after practice: urgent medical assessment [source: Fukuoka; Nagahiro & Mizobuchi 2014]. Working: client knows the stop rule and the club has a head-injury protocol (British Judo publishes one) [source: British Judo policies page].

B3. Choosing a club and teacher

Purpose: the main protective decision the client (or parent) makes [synthesis].
Steps: check the coach holds a current national-federation coaching licence and a dan grade from a recognised body (Kodokan or national federation) [source: Kodokan; synthesis]; ask who the club welfare officer is and whether the club follows the federation's safeguarding policies (in the UK, British Judo's "Safelandings" child-protection policy, Safeguarding Adults Policy, Allegations Policy and Low Level Concern Policy, plus a Head Injury Protocol) [source: British Judo policies page]; ask how beginners are taught ukemi before being thrown and how mismatched partners are avoided [source: Fukuoka]; for neurodivergent clients, ask about adapted-judo experience [source: Descamps et al. 2024]; watch a session first.
Example language (illustrative): "When you visit, notice whether the coach checks beginners' falls, how they talk to children who make mistakes, and whether anyone is pushed to keep going after a knock."
Watch for: no welfare officer, shouting or physical punishment, training through injury, coaches alone with children, secrecy. Working: the client can name the welfare contact and describes a cooperative atmosphere.

B4. Preparing for touch, being held and being thrown (consent)

Purpose: judo contact is intimate in posture (gripping the jacket, pinning, groundwork) though never sexual; clients with trauma histories, dissociation or body-image distress need preparation [synthesis].
Steps: name the kinds of contact plainly; agree the client's stop signals (tapping out, saying "matte", stepping off) and that stopping is always allowed; plan how to tell the coach about limits (e.g. no groundwork at first, a same-gender partner); rehearse what to do if flooded; agree to review after early sessions. Consent is before and during, can be withdrawn at any time, and no sexual or genital touch is ever acceptable from coach or partner. The psychotherapist does not demonstrate holds or touch the client: mainstream therapy codes (BACP, UKCP, BPS, HCPC, APA) contain no touch provision but all prohibit sexual contact (e.g. APA 10.05) and require work within competence; only body-psychotherapy codes regulate touch, requiring informed consent, the right to refuse or end touch at any time, and never sexual touch (USABP section VIII; EABP Principle 7) [source: codes listed under Sources].
Example language (illustrative): "You have the right to tap out or step off the mat at any moment, for any reason, including feelings rather than pain. What would you say to the coach if you needed that?"
Watch for: freezing or going numb under a hold (dissociation), dissociative tolerance of pain, re-enactment of abuse dynamics, a coach who overrides refusals. Working: the client uses stop signals without shame and reports staying present.

B5. Children and young people: assent, parents and safeguarding

Purpose: most judo injuries and abuse concerns in the sources concern minors [source: Nagahiro & Mizobuchi 2014; Human Rights Watch report as covered by Japan Today].
Steps: obtain the child's own assent as well as parental consent; involve parents in club choice (B3) and in head-injury rules (B2); make sure the child knows the club welfare officer and national helplines (in the UK, British Judo signposts NSPCC and Childline); agree with parents that the child may stop judo without penalty [source: British Judo safeguarding page; synthesis].
Example language (to a child, illustrative): "If anything at judo ever feels wrong, scary or secret, you can tell me, your parents or the welfare officer, and you won't be in trouble."
Watch for: reluctance to attend, unexplained injuries, weight-cutting, fear of a coach, secrecy. Working: the child describes judo as fun and safe and knows whom to tell.

B6. Integrating dojo experience into therapy

Purpose: use concrete mat experiences (falling, being held, losing, helping a partner) as material for therapy; attribute Kanō's principles as his teaching [synthesis].
Steps: ask for a specific recent moment; explore sensations, thoughts and actions; link to the client's goals (e.g. self-control, cooperation, efficient effort); invite small transfers into daily life, mirroring the tradition's "inside and outside the dojo" aim [source: IJF; synthesis].
Example language (illustrative): "You told me you learned to fall without bracing. Is there somewhere in your life where you could stop bracing for the impact?"; "Kanō's 'mutual prosperity' idea: who helped you improve this week, and whom did you help?"
Watch for: spiritualising or idealising the art; using judo to avoid therapy topics; competitive identity eclipsing other selves. Working: the client generates their own links.

B7. Working with anger and aggression

Purpose: some clients seek judo to manage aggression; randori can contain or inflame it [synthesis].
Steps: assess violence risk first; frame judo as practice of self-control (an IJF value) and of yielding rather than force; agree early-warning signs and a plan to step off the mat; inform the coach of relevant risks with consent.
Example language (illustrative): "When you feel the urge to slam someone, what would 'best use of energy' look like in that moment?"
Watch for: deliberate injury to partners, escalation, use of techniques outside the dojo. Working: the client reports catching the urge and choosing technique over force.

B8. Collaborating with coaches and adapted programmes

Purpose: align goals and safety for neurodivergent or vulnerable clients [synthesis].
Steps: with written consent, share only what is needed (e.g. sensory sensitivities, triggers, communication needs, signs of overwhelm); ask about the class structure, adapted rules and staff ratio [source: Descamps et al. 2024]; agree how concerns will flow both ways; respect EABP-style transparency about parallel services [source: EABP 6.b].
Example language (to a coach, illustrative): "She finds unexpected touch from behind very hard. Could partners say what they are about to do before gripping?"
Watch for: over-sharing therapy content; a coach taking on a therapeutic role. Working: clear, minimal, consented information exchange.

B9. Recognising and passing on harms

Purpose: judo has documented harms: catastrophic head injury and deaths in Japanese school judo (above) and, more broadly, abuse in Japanese youth sport; a 67-page Human Rights Watch report in 2020, based on more than 800 athletes in 50 sports, documented physical and verbal abuse of child athletes in Japan, and some sexual abuse [source: Japan Today, reporting HRW]. Judo-specific findings of that report are not summarised here [uncertain: not verified].
Steps: ask directly about hitting, humiliation, food or water restriction, forced training while injured and sexual contact; follow your local safeguarding procedures for children and adults at risk; in the UK use the federation route (club welfare officer or BJA safeguarding team; for immediate danger call the police first, then report with the crime reference number) alongside statutory child-protection referral [source: British Judo safeguarding page]; refer injuries for medical assessment.
Example language (illustrative): "Some coaches still hit or shout at students, or make them train when hurt. Has anything like that happened at your club?"
Watch for: normalisation of abuse as "tradition" or "discipline"; loyalty to a coach blocking disclosure. Working: the client can name what happened and is linked to protection.

5. Handling problems

All guidance in this section is [synthesis] unless a source is named.

Head knock or headache after practice: stop practice and arrange same-day medical assessment; return only on medical advice (Fukuoka's board required a doctor's clearance to resume) [source: Fukuoka; Nagahiro & Mizobuchi 2014]. A child with any subdural haematoma should in principle not return to contact judo [source: Nagahiro & Mizobuchi 2014].
Overwhelm, panic or dissociation under a hold: agree that the client stops immediately; return to grounding and stabilisation in therapy; consider kata or standing practice only, a trusted partner, or pausing judo. Seek supervision before encouraging re-exposure.
Flashbacks linked to abuse history: pause judo, treat with trauma-focused therapy, and resume only if the client wishes and has a plan.
Client wants to keep training through injury or before a grading: explore shame and perfectionism; restate the stop rule; support the client in talking to the coach.
Stuck or bored client: explore what they hoped judo would give; consider grading goals, kata, a different club or a different activity; judo is optional.
Non-attendance: explore fear (falling, contact, a person at the club) before assuming low motivation; a sudden drop-off in a child may be a safeguarding sign.
Aggression on the mat: involve the coach with consent; reconsider suitability; assess risk to others.
Disclosure of abuse by a coach: follow statutory safeguarding duties and the federation's reporting route; do not investigate yourself [source: British Judo safeguarding page for the federation route].
Rupture over the therapist's caution: acknowledge the client's love of the sport, separate safety limits from judgement, and seek agreement on minimum safety (head-injury rule, stop signals).
Moral principles used against the client (e.g. "respect" demanded to silence complaints): name that Kanō's jita kyōei describes mutual benefit, not one-sided obedience [source: IJF; synthesis].
Parent-driven participation: elicit the child's own wishes; mediate a trial period with a right to stop.
Therapist who is also a judoka: do not train with, coach or grade clients; manage chance meetings at competitions as a boundary matter in supervision [source: BACP 2018 para 33(b); UKCP item 8].

Sources

Judo, safety, safeguarding and adapted-judo sources:

Professional codes on touch, sexual contact and competence:

BACP Ethical Framework 2018
UKCP Code of Ethics and Professional Practice 2019
HCPC Standards of Proficiency: Practitioner Psychologists
APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
USABP Code of Ethics
EABP Ethics Guidelines 2020
BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct (2009 version) [uncertain: later versions not verified]

Further documents relevant to this topic whose content is unconfirmed here: the IJF's own safeguarding policy, the full Human Rights Watch report, the EJU Rules for Adapted Judo text, British Judo's Safelandings document text, and the jūdō seifuku profession [uncertain: not verified].

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