Which software should you use to run a judo competition?
CompetHub is online software to organize a judo competition. It handles registrations by weight and age class, generates the pools and single-elimination brackets with repechage, automatically advances the winner of each bout, computes the pool ranking and the schedule by combat area, then publishes everything on a branded public page.
The judo organizer's real problem
Building a judo competition on a spreadsheet means keeping dozens of grids in parallel. Judo is contested by gender, by weight and by age: seven weight classes for senior men (-60, -66, -73, -81, -90, -100, +100 kg) and seven for women (-48, -52, -57, -63, -70, -78, +78 kg), to which you add the grids specific to benjamins, minimes, cadets and juniors. Each class runs its own competition, with its own bouts.
On event day, the headache goes up a notch. Depending on the number of entrants, a class is played as a pool (everyone meets everyone) or as a single-elimination bracket with repechage, where the losers of the quarter-finals come back through the repechage to contest two bronze medals. Drawing those brackets by hand, carrying over every winner, recomposing the next pool, all of it across several combat areas at the same time, multiplies errors and dead time.
Then comes the tracking. You need to know who fights, on which tatami and at what time, keep each pool's ranking up to date and inform a public that does not see the table sheets. A spreadsheet cannot keep up with that pace. Dedicated software centralizes registrations, brackets, results and schedule, and makes every line reliable.
Why not run a judo competition in Excel?
Excel forces you to retype every registration, to draw every bracket by hand and to carry over every winner from one bout to the next. A transcription error skews an entire bracket and the ranking. Dedicated software generates pools and brackets, advances the winner automatically and publishes the schedule, with no retyping.
How CompetHub runs a judo competition
CompetHub ties every building block of the software to the reality of a judo competition. Here is how.
Online registrations, club lists and weigh-in
Each judoka registers online in their class. The staff sees the list, filters by class and by status, searches by name, approves or rejects each request and checks in those present on event day. You can require manual validation before accepting a registration, and above all bulk-enter a club's lists: judoka records without an account, created in one go. At the weigh-in, you record each judoka's body weight, and CompetHub automatically re-seeds them into the right weight class when only one fits.
Weight, age and level classes
You create your classes by combining three axes: gender, weight (bounds in kg, for example -60 or +100 kg) and age (year bounds, from poussins to veterans). A fourth, free-form level field lets you require a minimum grade, for example a green belt for a youth competition. The judoka picks their class at registration, and you keep control of validation.
Pools and single-elimination brackets with repechage
CompetHub automatically generates the format suited to each class. For a small class, a pool (round-robin) where everyone meets everyone. For a well-filled class, a single-elimination bracket with a dedicated judo repechage format: the losers of the quarter-finals are repechaged by bracket half and face the beaten semi-finalists of the other half, which awards two bronze medals, as the rules require. The winner of each bout advances on their own. No more brackets redrawn by hand between two classes.
Bout entry and automatic winner advancement
The referee judges the bout on the mat. In CompetHub, you record the bout details (ippon, waza-ari, shido) and the winner. The winner then advances on their own to the next round, and the loser joins the repechage where applicable. An entry error stays editable. You no longer carry any result from one sheet to another.
Pool ranking
For classes played as a pool, CompetHub keeps the table of bouts played, wins, draws and losses, awards the points (three for a win, one for a draw) and breaks ties on differential. The pool ranking updates with each bout entered, ready to qualify for the next stage or to name the winner.
Schedule by combat area
A judo competition often runs on several tatami (mats) in parallel. You assign each bout a combat area (free-form label) and a time slot, and CompetHub displays the schedule and flags conflicts (same area at the same slot). You orchestrate your mats without a separate spreadsheet.
Public results page
You publish a public page in the competition's colors (logo, colors), with the presentation, the participants, the brackets and the pool ranking. It updates automatically during the competition, without the spectator having to reload the page, and stays accessible without an account. The list of entrants, the pool ranking and the schedule export to CSV for your archives.
How do you create a judo competition with CompetHub?
Create your account, add the competition, create your weight and age classes, then open registrations. On event day, generate the pools or the single-elimination bracket, enter the winner of each bout (they advance on their own) and publish the ranking, ready to follow on the public page.
Which format to run for a judo competition
Judo is played through head-to-head confrontations within each class. For a lightly filled class, the pool (round-robin) guarantees several bouts for everyone. For a large class, the single-elimination bracket takes over, with a repechage that offers a second chance to the beaten and lets you award two bronze medals. CompetHub generates these two formats (pool and single-elimination bracket with judo repechage) and advances the winner automatically at each bout entered.
Which format for a judo competition?
A lightly filled class is played as a pool, where everyone meets everyone. A large class moves to a single-elimination bracket with repechage. CompetHub generates the pool and the single-elimination bracket with judo repechage (two bronze medals), advances the winner on their own and keeps each pool's ranking up to date.
Why CompetHub rather than Excel or a spreadsheet
| Step | Excel or paper | CompetHub |
|---|---|---|
| Registrations | Manual retyping, duplicates | Online form, validation, automatic emails |
| Classes | Sorting by hand by weight and age | Weight / age / level classes, guided registration |
| Brackets and pools | Brackets drawn by hand | Pools and elimination generated, repechage included |
| Bout results | Carried over from one sheet to another | Winner entered, automatic advancement |
| Tatami schedule | Separate grid, conflicts unseen | Area and time per bout, conflicts flagged |
| Informing the public | Announcement on the mic, quickly lost | Brackets and ranking on a public page, no account |
Does CompetHub replace Excel for a judo competition?
Yes. Where Excel imposes retyping and brackets drawn by hand, CompetHub generates pools and brackets, advances the winner automatically, keeps the pool rankings and publishes the schedule. You keep the history and export entrants, pool ranking and schedule to CSV.
CompetHub compared to other software
CompetHub aims for simplicity. You create a judo competition in a few minutes, with no installation or heavy configuration. Where some platforms require a long learning curve, CompetHub offers the essential building blocks directly: weight and age classes, pools, single-elimination brackets with repechage, bout entry, pool ranking, schedule by combat area and a public results page. It is a tool to start fast, whether you are running an internal club tournament, an inter-club event or a team-based activity.
What is the difference between CompetHub and other competition software?
CompetHub aims for simplicity: you create a judo competition in a few minutes, for free and with no credit card. Weight and age classes, pools, single-elimination brackets with repechage, bout entry, pool ranking, schedule and public page are included, with no complex configuration or installation.
Free to start
CompetHub is free to start, with no credit card. You create your first judo competition, open registrations, define your classes, generate the pools and brackets, enter the bouts and publish the ranking without paying anything. You test the full cycle, from registration to the final ranking, before any commitment.
Is CompetHub free to organize a judo competition?
Yes, CompetHub is free to start, with no credit card. You manage registrations, classes, pools, brackets, bouts and the ranking, and publish the public results page without paying. You test the full cycle before any commitment.
Frequently asked questions
How do you create a judo competition online?
Create a CompetHub account, add your competition, create your weight and age classes, then open registrations. On event day, generate the pools or the single-elimination bracket, enter the winner of each bout (they advance automatically) and publish the ranking on the public page.
Is the software free?
Yes, CompetHub is free to start, with no credit card. You manage registrations, classes, pools, brackets, bouts and the ranking, and publish the public results page for free, before deciding whether to go further over a whole season.
How are weight and age classes handled in judo?
You create your classes by combining gender, weight (for example senior men -60 to +100 kg, women -48 to +78 kg) and age (poussins to veterans). The free-form level field lets you require a minimum grade (for example green belt). Each judoka registers in the class that applies to them.
How do brackets and repechage work in CompetHub?
CompetHub automatically generates pools (round-robin) for small classes and single-elimination brackets for the larger ones, including a judo repechage format that brings back the losers of the quarter-finals and awards two bronze medals. When you enter a result, the winner advances on their own, and the loser joins the repechage where applicable.
How do you enter the result of the bouts?
In a judo competition, you record the bout details (ippon, waza-ari, shido) and the winner. The result stays editable, and the winner automatically advances to the next round or updates the pool ranking.
Can the public follow the results?
Yes. CompetHub publishes a branded public page, accessible without an account, that presents the competition, the participants, the brackets and the pool ranking. It updates automatically during the competition, without the spectator having to reload the page.
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