Judo Kata Tournament Manager

Why it helps

How an event runs

One laptop, many browsers. Clerks, judge tablets, the announcer, and live results stay in sync on the local network. The in-app How to page walks through the same flow.

Config

Before anyone walks in, set the event name, location, dates, and logo. Choose how many referees sit a performance, EJU or kata-judge/BJA scoring, breaks every N performances for M minutes, and whether the judging team rotates at each break. Tick the kata this event will run. Optionally set an organiser PIN, a public token for spectator and tablet links, and how long each kata stays on a rotating results projector.

Competitors

Register competitors through the web UI, CSV import, or from this year’s IJF kata events on Judobase. The CSV header is "Country","Given Name","Surname" with quoted fields. Judobase import adds people and skips anyone already in this event (same name and country). Pairing is done on the Pairs page. Each person can enter multiple categories.

Pairs

Form tori and uke pairs for each kata. The same two people can be a pair in more than one kata.

Judges

Add judges per kata, or import them from CSV with "Country","Given Name","Surname","Kata" (use the kata code, for example nagenokata). You need at least as many judges on a kata as referees per performance.

Draw

Run an automated random draw for performance order. That seats the judges (seat 1 is the first listed) and can rotate the panel at each break when you have extra judges. Running the draw again overwrites the order for that kata; tick remove previous scores if you also want to wipe scores already entered.

Pair counts pick the competition formula:

• 6 or fewer pairs — direct final
• 7–11 pairs — one preliminary (top 4 advance)
• 12 or more — two preliminaries (top 3 per group)

Mats

Add a tatami, then assign performances in the order you want them to run — or assign several and randomize unfinished (the pair currently on the mat stays put). The clerk page shows who is scoring now, who is on deck and double deck, and completed performances with a link to edit scores. Mark a seat as shadow if that judge is recording only: the score is stored and ignored in the total. Unsubmit a seat if the judge sent scores too soon, while that performance is still current.

Judge tablets

Each seat URL is one named judge. The tablet shows the seat, the judge’s name, the kata, and tori and uke. For every technique, tap small (S), medium (M), big (B), forgotten (F), and +/− correction. Each tap is saved immediately — overview progress, live results, and leaderboards update with provisional scores and an in-progress marker. Submit once the kata is finished — you will be asked to confirm — to lock that seat. After submit the seat waits until the other official seats submit, then the mat advances. The tablet updates in place when the mat changes. Tablets have dark/light and zoom controls, and they hide the clerk navigation so judges do not wander off.

Announcer

Open the announcer board on a hall screen. It shows the current tori and uke, the judging team, who is on deck with an estimated time, then the rest of the mat schedule. It updates in place. Same dark, zoom, and English/French flags as live results. No clerk menu.

Electronic scoresheets

If a phone fails, the clerk scoresheets write the same scores. Open scoresheets, then kata, pair, and judge. The pair page lists the judges seated for that performance. Use +/− on each mistake column. The page total is that judge’s kata score.

Printable PDF pack

Download a pack for one kata or the whole day. Choose blank, in progress, completed, or all sheets. Force blank layout if you need empty paper after scoring has started. Each pack includes a cover, a divider per kata, performance order, results, and a pair×judge scoresheet with a checkbox grid, totals, judge and data-entry signature blocks, and the event logo in the header.

Live results

Project the ranking on a hall screen — large type, no clerk menu. Scores update in place as judges tap, including provisional points while a pair is still being scored, with an in-progress marker and progress %. Open /results?rotate=1 to loop through kata; how long each stays on screen is set in Config. Switch language with ?lang=en or fr; use ?theme=dark and ?zoom= like the tablets.

Leaderboards and CSV

Leaderboards are the same ranking for the clerk, including provisional totals and the in-progress marker while a panel is still scoring. Download totals CSV (rank, country, pair, points) and techniques CSV (per judge, per technique).

Scoring audit

Under Admin, the scoring audit log records tablet taps, submits, and unsubmits. Filter by mat, performance, seat, action, judge, or time if you need to see what was marked and when.

Category progress

A summary view shows how far the category has progressed — useful for medals, announcements, and keeping the mat schedule moving.

Scoring you can trust

Scoring follows kata competition practice implemented in the application calculator — not a spreadsheet rewrite at the venue. Choose the ruleset in Config.

• EJU (default): drop the highest and lowest judge totals when there are three or more official judges; a forgotten technique zeroes that technique, then halves the judge’s kata total once (rounded up); a +1 correction can reach 10.5
• kata-judge / BJA-style: scores stay between 1 and 10 (0 if forgotten); dropping is per technique; forgotten halves without rounding up
• Technique evaluation with small, medium, and big mistakes, plus optional correction values
• Shadow seats never count in either ruleset
• Tie-breaks: fewer big mistakes, then medium, then small, then average score
• Competition formula by entry size: up to 6 pairs go straight to a final; 7–11 use one preliminary (top 4 advance); 12+ use two preliminaries (top 3 per group advance)

Supported kata

• Nage-no-Kata (including 1G, 2G, 3G, and 3-set)
• Katame-no-Kata (including 1G)
• Ju-no-Kata
• Kime-no-Kata
• Kodokan Goshin Jutsu
• Koshiki-no-Kata
• Itsutsu-no-Kata
• Kodomo-no-Kata 1–7

Runs where you need it

• Access everything through a web browser — no special client install for tableside users
• Run on a primary machine at the venue; use a local network when multiple devices need access
• Start with ./script/start so one worker keeps judge tablets, the announcer, and live results in sync. If a live connection drops, those pages also reload every five seconds
• Each event uses its own SQLite database file
• Optional Docker packaging for consistent deployment
• Organiser PIN protects clerk pages (competitors, judges, pairs, scoresheets, draw, config, mats clerk, leaderboards, scoring audit). Results, announcer, judge seats, and schedule stay reachable on the LAN
• A public token gives /p/… links for tablets, announcer, and results without the PIN
• Live screens support English and French
• Built with Perl, Mojolicious, SQLite, and AlmondCSS; licensed under the AGPL

On-site support at your event

Lance Wicks can travel to your competition and run the system on the day — in the UK or internationally. You get someone experienced at the laptop while judges and clerks focus on the mat.

• Run in parallel with your existing scoring process — a low-risk way to try the software at a real event
• Ideal for smaller events first, before scaling up to larger competitions
• Help plan the hardware you need, or simply bring kit and operate the software on site
• Flexible arrangements — get in touch and we can shape what fits

Typical fee: £100 per day (including travel days), plus accommodation, meals, travel costs, and any hardware agreed in advance.

Email lw@judocoach.com to discuss dates and what you need.

Further reading

• Kodokan kata pages — definitive documentation on judo kata
• IJF Kata Commission documents — International Judo Federation kata materials
• Kata Scoresheets (EJU) — Michel Kozlowski’s Excel-based scoring software