Community ActionEmpoweringUK3 Oct 20261 min read

Ulster students find confidence together on the judo mat

For students at Ulster University’s Magee campus, learning judo is also a way to feel more confident away from the mat.

Niamh, one of the club’s members, told the BBC that its strong female membership was encouraging in a sport often dominated by men. She wants more women to try it, describing feeling “so much better and safer” on a night out.

The university’s club information makes the first step straightforward: complete beginners are welcome alongside experienced players, with training on Mondays and Wednesdays at the sports centre in Derry.

Three female judo competitors in white and blue uniforms waiting beside a mat in Edmonton. — Women waiting to compete at the 2016 Edmonton International Judo Championships, Canada. Illustrative archive photograph; the people pictured are not the Ulster students. Photo: IQRemix, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Those personal accounts are about confidence, rather than evidence that judo prevents assaults. Fellow member Méabh also makes clear that women are not responsible for someone choosing to harm them, and calls for stronger consequences for offenders.

The club offers something tangible in the meantime: a regular place to learn a new skill, with other women already taking part and encouraging newcomers to give it a go.