Moving to Rome for Erasmus, university, a master’s degree or another study programme does not mean you have to stop practicing judo. If you already train in your home country and you are looking for a judo club in Rome where you can continue practicing during your stay, Fukuro Roma offers you the opportunity to keep training while you live in the city.
Whether you are staying in Rome for three or four months, one academic year or several years, continuing your judo practice can help you maintain your technical level, fitness and connection with the sport. It is also a great way to meet people outside university and become part of a local dojo while Rome is your temporary home.
This is not a course designed only for people discovering judo for the first time. If you already have experience, hold a belt and regularly practice in your country, you can contact us and find the training group that best suits your level.
Already practice judo? Keep training while you live in Rome
One of the most common problems for judoka moving abroad is finding a dojo where they can continue training without interrupting their usual practice for several months. A semester may seem short, but stopping completely for four, six or nine months can make a significant difference, especially if you have been practicing regularly for years.
At Fukuro Roma, experienced judoka can join training during their stay in the city. If you already practice judo in France, Spain, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands or anywhere else, you can tell us about your experience, belt and usual training routine and we will help you understand which group is most suitable for you.
You do not need to treat your stay in Rome as a break from judo. You can continue stepping onto the tatami, training with other judoka and maintaining your technical progression while studying in Italy.
A judo club in Rome for Erasmus and international students
Rome welcomes thousands of international students every year. Some stay for a single Erasmus semester, others for an entire academic year, while others move to the city for a degree, PhD, internship or postgraduate programme.
If judo is already part of your life, finding a local club can make settling into a new city easier. A dojo is a familiar environment even when everything else around you is new. The language, university, neighbourhood and daily routine may change, but the tatami remains something you already know.
For this reason, international students who already practice judo are welcome to contact Fukuro Roma and train with us during their stay. You do not have to be living permanently in Rome to become part of the training group.
You don’t have to start from zero
If you already practice judo, you are not starting again as a beginner simply because you are joining a new dojo in another country. Your previous experience matters.
Tell us how long you have been practicing, your belt level, how often you normally train and whether you also participate in competitions. This helps us understand your background and introduce you to the most appropriate training environment.
Every dojo has its own training habits and every country may have small differences in teaching methods, but the fundamentals of judo remain the same. Techniques, randori, ukemi, gripping, ne-waza and the Japanese terminology used on the tatami create a common language between judoka from different countries.
Joining a new dojo can therefore be much easier than joining a completely unfamiliar sport.
What are judo training sessions like at Fukuro Roma?
If you already practice judo, you probably want to know what actually happens during training before choosing a dojo. You are not looking for a general explanation about the benefits of martial arts: you want to know whether you will be able to train properly.
Training can include technical work, repetitions, uchikomi, nage-komi, ne-waza, randori and physical preparation, depending on the period of the season, the group and the objectives of the session. Experienced judoka can therefore continue working on both technical and physical aspects of their judo during their time in Rome.
If you usually train several times a week in your home country, continuing regularly while abroad can help you avoid losing rhythm and make it much easier to return to your original club when your stay in Italy is over.
Judo training for adults in Rome
For university students and adult judoka, training times are particularly important. Classes often need to fit around lectures, exams, internships and university life.
Fukuro Roma offers judo training for older teenagers and adults during the week, allowing students to continue practicing alongside their academic commitments. Before coming to the dojo, you can contact us to check the current training schedule and identify the sessions that are most appropriate for your age and experience.
If you are used to training two or three times per week, tell us when you contact us. This makes it easier to understand how you can organise your training while living in Rome.
Can I train for only one Erasmus semester?
Yes, you can contact us even if your stay in Rome is temporary. You do not need to be planning to live in the city permanently in order to ask about training at Fukuro.
Many international students remain in Rome for only a few months. Others arrive in September and leave at the end of the academic year. Some stay for one or two years. The important thing is simply to tell us how long you expect to remain in Rome when you contact the club.
If you are here for an Erasmus semester, for example, explain your dates and your previous judo experience. We can then give you the relevant information about training during that period.
A four-month stay does not have to mean four months without judo.
Do I need to speak Italian to train judo in Rome?
Moving to another country often creates one obvious concern: language. You may be comfortable speaking English but know very little Italian when you first arrive.
Fortunately, judo already has something of an international language of its own. Terms such as rei, hajime, matte, randori, uchikomi, nage-komi, osaekomi and ippon are familiar to judoka all over the world.
Of course, communication with the coach and training partners is still important, but an experienced judoka can often understand the structure of an exercise simply by watching the demonstration and recognising the technique being practiced.
In a way, judo already gives you a common vocabulary before you even arrive in Italy.
Can competitive judoka continue training in Rome?
If you compete in your home country, spending several months abroad without training can be particularly frustrating. You may want to maintain your fitness, continue randori and keep working technically so that returning to competition after your Erasmus period is easier.
Fukuro Roma also has athletes involved in competitive judo, so experienced and competitive judoka can contact us and explain their level and objectives. If competition is an important part of your usual judo practice, mention it when you get in touch.
Studying abroad and continuing to train do not have to be mutually exclusive. With the right organisation, your semester in Rome can become part of your judo experience rather than a pause from it.
Training in another country can improve your judo too
Joining a different dojo is not only a way to avoid losing training time. It can also be an interesting part of your development as a judoka.
Different coaches may emphasise different details. Training partners may have different gripping habits, preferred techniques and styles of randori. Even when everyone practices the same judo, changing training environment exposes you to situations you may not regularly encounter at your home club.
For someone who has practiced for several years, this can make training abroad particularly interesting. You continue working on your own judo while also experiencing how the sport is practiced in another country.
When you eventually return home, you take that experience back to your original dojo with you.
Where is Fukuro Roma?
Fukuro Roma is located in Via Antonino Campanozzi 34, in the eastern part of Rome, in the Prenestino and Villa Gordiani area.
If you are choosing accommodation for your Erasmus or university stay, it is worth checking the distance between your home, university and the dojo before organising your weekly training. Rome is a large city, so transport time can make a significant difference to how regularly you are able to attend classes.
If you are living or studying in eastern Rome, the Prenestino area or nearby neighbourhoods, Fukuro can be particularly convenient. International students living elsewhere in the city can contact us to understand whether reaching the dojo works with their daily schedule.
Can I come for a trial training session?
If you already practice judo and are trying to choose a club in Rome, the easiest way to understand whether a dojo suits you is to train there.
A trial session allows you to meet the coaches, see the training group, experience the atmosphere on the tatami and understand whether the level and style of training are right for you.
When you contact us, tell us that you are an international student or Erasmus student and that you already practice judo. It is useful to include your age, belt, how many years you have practiced, whether you compete and approximately how long you will remain in Rome.
This information allows us to give you a much more useful answer than simply asking whether you can “try judo”.
Bring your judogi and keep training in Rome
Your time in Rome can be an opportunity to study, travel, learn a new language and experience a different culture. It can also become another chapter in your life as a judoka.
If you already practice judo in your home country, you do not have to leave the sport behind while you are studying abroad. Whether you are staying for one semester, one academic year or longer, you can continue training and meet other people through the same sport you already practice.
At Fukuro Roma we welcome experienced judoka who are temporarily living in the city and looking for a place to continue their training.
Rome may only be your home for a few months. During that time, Fukuro can be your dojo.
Contact us before coming, tell us about your judo experience and arrange your first training session with the group.
Bring your judogi and come train with us.
Frequently asked questions about judo in Rome for international students
Can I train at Fukuro if I already belong to a judo club in another country?
If you already practice at a club in your home country and are temporarily living in Rome, contact us and explain your situation. Tell us your belt, experience and how long you will be staying in the city so we can give you the appropriate information.
Can I join if I am in Rome for only three or four months?
Yes, even students staying in Rome for a short study period can contact the club. Let us know the dates of your stay when you write to us.
Do you accept experienced judoka?
Yes. If you already have several years of judo experience, tell us your level and training background when you contact Fukuro Roma.
Can I train if I do not speak Italian?
Knowing Italian can obviously make communication easier, but experienced judoka already share much of the terminology and structure of judo training. Contact us before your first session if you are concerned about language.
Can competitive judoka train at Fukuro Roma?
If you normally compete, mention your competitive experience when contacting us. This will help us understand your level and training needs.
Can I try a session before deciding?
Yes. Contact Fukuro Roma before coming and explain that you are an international student who already practices judo. We can then provide the information needed for your first session.
What should I bring for my first training session?
If you already practice judo, bring your judogi. Before coming, contact us to check whether any additional documentation or requirements are necessary for training during your stay in Italy.
