Follow Us:
Founded in 2017, Yamato Judo is a Sydney-based martial arts club dedicated to excellence in judo and character development.
We are an independent, community-driven organisation committed to delivering high-quality training in a structured and respectful environment. Our programs cater to children, teenagers, and adults, from complete beginners to experienced competitors.
At the heart of everything we do—respect for coaches, training partners, and the traditions of judo.
Commitment to continuous improvement through hard work and consistent effort.
We foster an inclusive and supportive environment, welcoming people of all backgrounds and abilities.
Practicing honesty, fairness, and responsibility both on and off the mat. Excellence: Striving for high standards in training, competition, and personal development.
Building mental strength and the ability to overcome challenges.
Acquire and develop our own large, state-of-the-art dojo, offering world-class facilities for training, events, and community activities.
Develop future champions, supporting judokas from grassroots to elite levels with a clear pathway toward Olympic and international competition.
Continue fostering an inclusive community that offers fitness, self-defense, and personal growth opportunities for everyone, regardless of age or experience.
Expand our junior development program, providing a structured long-term athlete development (LTAD) system to nurture young judokas.
Maintain a high-performance coaching team, continuously upgrading skills and knowledge to deliver the best training experiences.
Strengthen our community ties, offering opportunities for members to participate in social events, seminars, and competitions that foster camaraderie and connection.
Roman Garai is the Head Coach and founder of Yamato Judo. With a journey in judo that spans over four decades, starting in his father’s dojo in 1984, Roman has dedicated his life to the philosophy, discipline, and science of the sport.
When you choose Yamato Judo, your child is learning from a professional who understands both the elite side of the sport and the developmental needs of growing athletes. Roman has been instrumental in bringing the world’s best judoka to Sydney, organizing exclusive clinics with Olympic and World Champions such as Tonaki Funa, Takato Naohisa, and Horikawa Megumi.
This allows Roman to bring professional-level training insights directly to our club’s youth program, ensuring that every student, whether they are there for fitness, self-defense, or future competition, receives world-class guidance in a supportive, structured environment.
Roman is more than a judo instructor; he is an expert in human movement. With a deep background in professional fitness training, he is uniquely qualified to help children safely understand their body’s capabilities.
“True spirit of Judo is nothing but the gentle and diligent free spirit. Judo rests on flexible action of mind and body. The word flexible however never means weakness but something more like adaptability and open-mindedness. Gentleness always overcomes strength”.
Kyuzo Mifune
Maxime is an accomplished judo athlete and coach with a proven track record at the highest levels of international and national competition. He trained for over a decade in France’s National High Performance Pathway, participating in Olympic preparation programs, consistently competing at the national level, and earning medals in major national and international championships.
For the past five years, he has served as a State Coach for Judo NSW. In this role, he has applied my deep technical expertise and leadership to guide athletes at all levels, emphasizing high-performance coaching, mental preparation, and sophrology. Maxime coaching philosophy combines world-class judo instruction with a strong focus on mindset and emotional regulation. This holistic approach helps athletes build resilience, sharpen focus, and perform under pressure, shaping the next generation of judokas both on and off the mat.
Daew is an accomplished judo athlete and coach with a proven track record at the highest levels of international and national competition.
Daew is no stranger to high-level competition, with a strong international judo background under the IJF and extensive experience across Asia and Oceania, he brings both technical excellence and personal coaching style to the team.
He’ll be leading our Saturday kids’ classes at Lane Cove. Whether you’re a beginner or a regular on the mat, Daew is here to support your development and challenge you to grow.
Activefit.Gym Building 4, University of Technology Sydney 745 Harris St, Ultimo 2007
Blackman Park Lloyd Rees Drive, Lane Cove West, NSW 2066
Follow Us:
Founded in 2017, Yamato Judo is a Sydney-based martial arts club dedicated to excellence in judo and character development.
We are an independent, community-driven organisation committed to delivering high-quality training in a structured and respectful environment. Our programs cater to children, teenagers, and adults, from complete beginners to experienced competitors.
At the heart of everything we do—respect for coaches, training partners, and the traditions of judo.
Commitment to continuous improvement through hard work and consistent effort.
We foster an inclusive and supportive environment, welcoming people of all backgrounds and abilities.
Practicing honesty, fairness, and responsibility both on and off the mat. Excellence: Striving for high standards in training, competition, and personal development.
Building mental strength and the ability to overcome challenges.
Acquire and develop our own large, state-of-the-art dojo, offering world-class facilities for training, events, and community activities.
Develop future champions, supporting judokas from grassroots to elite levels with a clear pathway toward Olympic and international competition.
Continue fostering an inclusive community that offers fitness, self-defense, and personal growth opportunities for everyone, regardless of age or experience.
Expand our junior development program, providing a structured long-term athlete development (LTAD) system to nurture young judokas.
Maintain a high-performance coaching team, continuously upgrading skills and knowledge to deliver the best training experiences.
Strengthen our community ties, offering opportunities for members to participate in social events, seminars, and competitions that foster camaraderie and connection.
Activefit.Gym Building 4, University of Technology Sydney 745 Harris St, Ultimo 2007
Blackman Park Lloyd Rees Drive, Lane Cove West, NSW 2066
