An alternative to Excel kata scoresheets
Tallying kata on a spreadsheet works until it doesn’t: totals entered by hand under time pressure, versions emailed around, and nothing for the hall to watch. Here is what changes if you move to a live system — and how to do it while keeping your EJU scoring.
Last updated: 30 September 2026.
Why people look for an alternative
Michel Kozlowski’s Excel Kata Scoresheets (EJU) is the reference many organisers know, and this project follows it and is dedicated to his memory. The friction is not the scoring maths — it is everything around it:
- Every mark is written down and then typed into the sheet by hand
- Totals and tie-breaks are re-checked manually, often in a hurry
- The hall sees nothing until the results are worked out
- “Which version of the file is current?” becomes a real problem
- Correcting a mark means editing cells, with no record of the change
The short version
TL;DR: a spreadsheet is a single-user file for tallying. Judo Kata Tournament Manager is a live event system: judges score on named tablets, totals are computed by the app to your chosen ruleset, the hall sees results as they happen, and printable packs and CSV exports come out at the end. It is also free and open source (AGPL). Choose the spreadsheet if your events are small and the process works; choose a live system when accuracy, speed, and the hall experience matter.
Side by side
| Excel kata scoresheet | Judo Kata Tournament Manager | |
|---|---|---|
| Who enters marks | One person, at the table | Each judge, on a named tablet seat |
| Totals | Formulas in cells, re-checked by hand | Computed by the app for EJU, BJA-style, or IJF |
| Live results | None | Live ranking and announcer board for the hall |
| Corrections | Edit cells; no history | Unsubmit, ± corrections, and a scoring audit log |
| Paperwork | Formatted and printed by hand | PDF scoresheet pack and CSV exports generated |
| Data | File copies emailed around | One SQLite file per event, kept by the organiser |
| Internet | Not needed | Not needed |
| Cost | Free | Free (AGPL) |
In detail
Scoring and rulesets
The spreadsheet computes EJU scoring. Judo Kata Tournament Manager computes EJU, kata-judge/BJA-style, and IJF — including dropped high and low judge totals, the forgotten-technique rule, and tie-breaks by big, medium, then small mistakes — and its rulesets were validated against the senior categories of the 2024 Silesian Open Judo Kata Competition.
Bottom line: if you only ever need EJU, both work. If you run different rulesets across events, the app saves reworking the sheet each time.
Devices and entry speed
A spreadsheet is one screen and one typist. The app gives every judge a seat URL with their name, the kata, and tori and uke; each tap is saved immediately, and the seat waits for the rest of the panel before the mat advances.
Bottom line: tablets remove the transcription step and the queue at the table.
The hall experience
A spreadsheet gives the hall nothing until results are worked out. The app projects live results with provisional points and an in-progress marker, plus an announcer board showing who is on deck.
Bottom line: the difference organisers notice most is that the room can follow the competition in real time.
Corrections and audit
Correcting a spreadsheet means editing cells, silently. The app records tablet taps, submits, and unsubmits in a scoring audit log, so you can see what was marked and when.
Bottom line: if disputes happen, the audit trail settles them.
Paperwork and data
The spreadsheet needs manual formatting for printing. The app produces a PDF pack (cover, performance order, results, and pair×judge scoresheets) and per-kata and technique-level CSVs, and keeps each event in a single SQLite file you own.
Bottom line: less time at the printer, and no “which file is current?”.
Who should switch — and who shouldn’t
Switch if…
- Manual totalling is your bottleneck or error risk
- You want judge tablets and live results for the hall
- You run EJU, BJA-style, or IJF across different events
- You want printable packs and exports without formatting work
Stay on a spreadsheet if…
- Your events are small and the process is comfortable
- You do not want devices on the mat
- You want zero setup beyond opening a file
- You are not ready for a supervised first run
Switching over
There is no “import .xlsx and go” button, and it is not needed. Moving to the live system is about your lists and your first run:
-
What transfers: competitors via CSV (a header
starting
"Country","Given Name","Surname", optionally with"Birth Year","Grade"), or by importing this year’s IJF Judobase entries; judges via CSV with a"Kata"column. - What is different: the draw is run in the app and scoring is entered on tablets rather than typed into cells.
- First run: run it in parallel beside your spreadsheet so nothing is lost, or use on-site support for the first event.
See how an event runs for the full flow.
Questions
Does it replace the EJU spreadsheet scoring?
Yes. Judo Kata Tournament Manager implements the EJU ruleset — including dropping the highest and lowest judge totals and the forgotten-technique rule — so the tablet marks produce the same kind of result the spreadsheet did, without manual totals.
Can I import my competitor list from a spreadsheet?
Yes. Competitors import from a CSV whose header starts with
"Country","Given Name","Surname" and can include
"Birth Year","Grade". Judges import from CSV too. This
imports your lists; it does not read scoring from an existing .xlsx
scoresheet.
Can I run it alongside my spreadsheet at first?
Yes. A common first run is to operate the system in parallel with your existing spreadsheet so your current process stays the safety net until the team is confident.
See also: all the kata scoring options compared.
Try it on a real event
The software is free and open source (AGPL). Send your event date, kata, and rough pair count and we’ll set up a demo or a supervised first run — run in parallel with your spreadsheet if you prefer.
Email us to arrange a demo or test event · Compare with specific tools