Female Focused Judo Program
Empowering Women and Girls Through Judo, Self-Defence & Community
The POLICE JUDO Women’s Judo Program has been a female-focused program since 2918, led by Head Instructor Yuki Yokosawa, a silver medalist for Japan at the Olympics Games. The program is designed to build confidence, physical literacy, personal safety and awareness, and the leadership through the principles and practices of judo.
The program provides a welcoming and supportive environment where women and girls of different ages, backgrounds, and experience levels can learn practical skills while developing strength, balance, coordination, discipline, and confidence.
Breaking Down Barriers
The program is particularly focused on creating opportunities for women who may experience barriers to participating in traditional sport, recreation, or self-defence programs. Through an inclusive and community-based approach, the program helps participants develop skills and confidence in a safe, positive environment.
Our goal is not only to teach physical skills, but also to help participants feel stronger, more confident, and better prepared to respond to challenging situations.
What the Program Offers
Participants will have opportunities to develop:
- Judo fundamentals – falling safely, balance, movement, gripping, throwing, and groundwork
- Practical self-defence skills – awareness, positioning, movement, escape and control concepts
- Physical literacy – strength, coordination, agility, mobility, and fitness
- Confidence and resilience – developing the ability to remain calm and make decisions under pressure
- Leadership skills – encouraging teamwork, communication, and positive leadership
- Sport and Law Enforcement career pathways – opportunities to continue into recreational judo, belt advancement, competitions, coaching, and leadership to career development
Participants learn in a progressive environment where techniques are introduced safely and developed according to individual ability and experience.
Building a Stronger Community
The Women- led Judo Program also creates opportunities for women to connect with other participants, instructors, and community partners. This helps build positive relationships while encouraging women and girls to become active leaders and role models.
Our Vision
Empower women. Build confidence. Develop skills. Strengthen community.
The Women’s Judo Program is more than a self-defence class — it is a pathway for women to become stronger physically and mentally, develop lifelong skills, and build a supportive community through judo.
Women’s Judo & Self-Defence Outreach Event
In the past, the OSP Women’s Judo Club, in partnership with the Vancouver Police Department Women’s Personal Safety Team (@vpdwpst), Judo BC (@judobc), and Police Judo (@police_judo), co-hosted “The Gentle Way to Empowerment” at the Justice Institute of British Columbia.
This free outreach self-defence workshop brought together a team of women with backgrounds in law enforcement, judo, and martial arts to share their knowledge, skills, and personal experiences with women and girls aged 16 and older.
The workshop focused on building confidence, awareness, physical literacy, personal safety, and empowerment, while introducing practical strategies to help participants feel more prepared and confident in responding to challenging situations.
The successful sold out event also provided an important opportunity to connect the community with female role models and instructors from law enforcement and martial arts. It was particularly timely given concerns about violence and stranger assaults occurring in public spaces, including on public transit.
Through initiatives such as this, the Police Judo Women’s Judo Program continues to promote safe, inclusive, and empowering opportunities for women and girls to develop confidence, physical skills, and leadership through judo and self-defence.
