Philadelphia Judo Club
About
Philadelphia Judo Club on S. Broad Street
Philadelphia Judo Club is the longest continuously operating judo school in the Philadelphia area and one of the oldest martial arts academies on the entire East Coast, founded in 1949 at the dawn of post-war American judo. It operates today out of 1168 S. Broad Street in the Newbold/Point Breeze neighborhood, having trained generations of Philadelphia families through the same Kodokan-based curriculum.
Kids Martial Arts Programs
The kids program is split by age and experience, covering the standard Kodokan syllabus:
- Ages 5-7 train Tuesday evenings in a one-hour class on fall practice, listening skills, and foundational throws and pins
- Ages 8 and up train Monday, Thursday, and Saturday in a more technical syllabus
- Nage-no-kata throws: osoto-gari, ouchi-gari, seoi-nage, harai-goshi, tai-otoshi
- Ne-waza pins and escapes
- Structured randori once basics are clean
What's Included
- 75-plus years of continuous operation since 1949
- Strong competition tradition with members placing at regional and national USA Judo events
- No pressure to compete; many kids train recreationally
- SEPTA Broad Street Line access
- Trial classes available; judogi eventually required for ongoing students
Experience
Three quarters of a century in the same city means parents and grandparents who learned ukemi here in the 1960s and 70s now bring their own kids through the same curriculum. The S. Broad Street location is accessible from South Philadelphia, Center City, Graduate Hospital, Pennsport, and Passyunk Square. It suits families wanting deep heritage and a real competition pathway without any obligation to enter tournaments.