The (martial) art of offering and receiving feedback

A few weeks into every new Beginners’ class at our judo club, the students have learned the basics of how to take a self-initiated fall and it’s time for them to start throwing each other. It's an important new step and it must be taken with a focus on safety.

The dojo is a busy place during classes, and a lot is always happening. At any given moment, the instructors’ attention is focused here or there. With almost forty students on the mats and only two instructors, it’s simply impossible for us to see everything that’s going on. How can we help students improve their breakfalls (or any other technique, for that matter) if we don’t get to observe, in the moment, something that a student should work to improve?

One of the solutions is to leverage the power of peer feedback. The key to this is to teach our students – who are all young adults – a simple way to know if they’re looking at a good breakfall. This takes the form of some very basic markers: Their partner’s chin should be tucked in so that the head never hits the mats; the partner’s arm should hit the mats (hard!) at a specific angle from their body, and the legs should be positioned in a certain way. It’s a basic pattern that all students can learn to recognize and against which they are all able to assess each other’s performance.

“Here are the instructions for the next exercise: You will take turns throwing each other with a hip technique. Always make sure you control your partner’s fall! If you’re the person being thrown, do your breakfall and then freeze. For the person who executes the throw: You will examine your partner’s position and if anything is off, you will help them adopt the proper position while they’re still down. Then they get up, and you change roles. Any questions?”

My partner and I then walk around the dojo, paying attention not only to our students’ throws and breakfalls, but also to the quality of the feedback they are giving each other. The objective is to help them, very early in their journey, to develop the ability to offer and receive feedback – skills that will be key to their development as long as they practice judo.

During judo classes, at any level of proficiency, feedback is constantly being offered and received – and not just by the senseis. It can take many forms, not all of which involve words. Perhaps you’re sparring with your partner, and you notice a flaw in the way they’re applying a specific technique. Without saying a word, you immediately apply the same technique, with a small but important adjustment. Your partner looks at you and goes: “Ah!”, and without skipping a beat, the match continues.

In other cases, a pause and a few words can be helpful: “Hey! I think that if you had done this right now, I wouldn’t have countered you and you could have thrown me instead.” Combined with the ability to immediately try out the alternate approach, this kind of “in-the-moment” feedback is a powerful development tool.

More seasoned judokas may have more opportunities, due to their skills, knowledge, and experience, to provide helpful feedback to less experienced ones. But the responsibility to support your partner’s development exists between peers, too, and even the most experienced practitioners can only continue growing with the help of their partners – more experienced and less. Feedback may pertain to technique, but it can also pertain to attitude and behavior and it’s not always easy to receive.

In judo, offering feedback is underpinned by fundamental values such as Sincerity, Respect, and Friendship, while receiving it is grounded in the values of Humility and Modesty:

“Humility and modesty could be defined as the feeling and the state of mind which reserve a place for awareness of your weaknesses, while also being aware of your strengths, without publicizing either to excess. (IJF, Judo Moral Code)

Feedback is not the same as criticism. Offered with a generous heart and received with an open mind, it is an incredible gift that allows us to grow and develop towards our goals. Offering and receiving feedback can be taught, and it can be learned. It is one of the most important things we can invest in to support any kind of growth and development.

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