First Shiai Playbook

Mat Manual companion guide to "Your First Shiai: The Contest Day Nobody Rehearses." Print it. The article walks the contest day in order and explains why the day, not the judo, is the untrained part. This book trains the day: a six-week run-in, a two-throw game plan, the day-of checklist, warm-up builds for three hall situations, the between-match reset, and a review sheet that turns the event into training material.

Competitor: ______________________________ Event: ______________________________ Date: ______________ Division: ______________ Coach: ______________________________

BEFORE ANYTHING: THE RULES THIS BOOK DOES NOT BEND ☐ Compete at your natural weight. Weight is settled with your coach weeks out, on the entry form. No dehydration practices, no morning-of negotiations with the scale. ☐ The two-throw plan is fixed by week two of the run-in. Nothing new is added in the final fortnight, however well it worked once in randori. ☐ Breakfalling is checked before the event, not assumed. A player whose ukemi (falling technique) has gone rusty fixes it in the run-in or does not enter. ☐ Any injury in the run-in is reported to the coach the day it happens. Entering hurt and hoping is a decision this book removes in advance. ☐ The tap, in newaza (groundwork), is rehearsed verbally as well as physically in the final two weeks. Adrenaline swallows quiet signals. ☐ On the day, food and water follow Part 8 and Part 21. The venue's snack line is not a nutrition plan.

Part 1: The Contest Card — Scores, Calls, and the Pencil Rule

Carry this card in the bag. Event rules vary by federation and level, so verify each line against your event's published rules before the day and pencil any difference onto the card. The pencilled card is the true one.

Hold times and penalty counts are the lines events most often adjust. Write yours here from the official rules: hold for the middle score: ______________ hold for ippon: ______________ penalties before disqualification: ______________

Two habits this card buys. First, attack honestly and regularly: quiet players collect passivity penalties in matches that feel even. Second, know the score state before the last thirty seconds of any match. A player who knows they are ahead defends the lead. A player who knows they are behind attacks with the plan, not with panic.