Shotaro Tabata Trains Palau Youth in Judo Without a Dojo

Shotaro Tabata, a 23-year-old volunteer, is working with the Palau Olympic Committee and the Palau Judo Federation after arriving in 2025.

Tabata’s weekly schedule centers on two distinct cohorts of students following university graduation and a six-month stint working in the sport in Japan. Roughly fifteen kindergarten and elementary school children meet twice a week, though facility scheduling for international meetings recently paused those sessions for about a month and a half. Rather than prioritizing technical throws, the single-instructor format demands an emphasis on engagement and classroom management.

I want them to like judo, to come to the dojo with excitement, Tabata stated.

Training on Beach Sand Without a Dojo

The second tier of instruction involves high school students, including four athletes who began training at a young age. Because the program currently lacks a dedicated indoor dojo, these older students condition on the sand at a local beach volleyball court. Tabata hopes to eventually prepare these athletes for international competition outside of Palau.

Rethinking Victory Through Play and Discipline

Operating in Palau required Tabata to rethink conventional athletic training models focused purely on competitive victory. In a country where competitive judo infrastructure is virtually nonexistent, the approach shifted toward foundational values. Tabata uses games for roughly eighty percent of the young children’s classes, using play to establish basic discipline.

If you play and don’t listen, you can’t enjoy the game, Tabata explained, pointing out that following an instructor’s explanation is a prerequisite for play.

Cultivating Gratitude and Manners

Tabata also observed differences in how communities handle basic manners compared to Japan. After roughly a year of living in the country, the volunteer noted that residents show signs of aid dependency, making the traditional martial arts emphasis on respect, treating equipment properly, and showing gratitude particularly valuable.