7th Dan, IJF Academy Expert and member of the EJU Kata Commission, Slavisa Bradic can now add another string to his bow as he was featured by UNESCO ICM. Established in December 2016, the ICM is the result of an agreement between the government of the Republic of Korea and UNESCO. The International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development and Engagement (ICM) works under the auspices of UNESCO.
The scholar of the University of Hertfordshire, majoring in judo, recently completed his PhD, using judo as a method of moral development. Bradic explains,
The final thesis at the time was based on the Judo in Schools project, because that was when we started implementing that project in Croatia. My interest in further studies was certainly inspired by Jigoro Kano, who emphasized the development of morals in judo as the greatest goal of judo. I received additional encouragement from the director of the Kodokan Museum, Mr Naoki Murata, who gave me some of the original teachings of the founder of judo. He also assured me that research is essential because the impact of judo activities on the development of morale is an essential goal of judo.
With the desire to explore this subject at the highest academic level, the PhD posed a perfect opportunity. Along with his mentor, Dr Mike Callan, and the Croatian Judo Federation with whom he developed a story regarding the moral code, his research journey has been ‘a pleasure’.
Though we all assume and can give examples of the moral code, this study is evidence of such, Bradic continues,
Proving that judo is an excellent tool for positively influencing behaviour was something very important for me that I have to give back to my judo and to the community as a whole.
The complete study includes in-depth research in the following chapters:
- The Influence of Western Authorities in the Fields of Psychology, Philosophy and Sociology on Jigoro Kano;
- Morality through the history of martial arts to judo;
- Development of self-control in judo;
- Psychological mechanisms and conditions responsible for various forms of exercise and application of judo
- Emotional intelligence and emotional regulators.
Find out more about the ‘Judo, a Catalyst for Moral and Emotional Development Among the Youth’ study here.
Author: Špela Lampe
Author: Thea Cowen