Judo score counter · Free · No sign-up
Judo Score Counter
A judo score counter keeps each athlete’s waza-ari, yuko and shido on a four-minute contest clock. This one follows the 2026 IJF rules: two waza-ari make ippon, yuko never add up, a hold scores itself at 5, 10 and 20 seconds, the third shido is hansoku-make, and level scores go to golden score.
Free, no sign-up, works offline, and nothing leaves this browser.
No osaekomi
White: no score; Blue: no score
Tap Hajime when the referee starts the contest. Scores level at the end go to golden score, whatever the shido.
If time ran out now: golden score. Shido do not count.
Contest of 4 min; golden score with no time limit; IJF rules 2026
| Athlete | Ippon | Waza-ari | Yuko | Shido |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blue | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clock | Athlete | What |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing yet: scores, shido and holds appear here with the contest time. | ||
Tap Hajime at the referee’s call and Mate when the referee stops the contest; the clock counts down from 4:00 and runs only between the two. Tap Osaekomi under the athlete holding: the hold timer scores by itself at 5, 10 and 20 seconds, and the key becomes Toketa for when the hold is broken. Tap a score or a shido under the athlete it is given to. Ctrl+Z undoes.
This keeps the scoreboard; it does not referee. It cannot tell a yuko landing from a waza-ari, judge passivity or a false attack, or review a call on video: the score and the penalty are whatever you tap. It does not model simultaneous scores, a double hansoku-make (which the tournament director resolves), medical treatment, or whether an athlete given a direct hansoku-make may fight on in the event. Built for contests under the IJF refereeing rules for 2026–28; national federations vary contest times and some techniques by age, and kata is judged differently. It is not an official scoreboard.
Adding up is the easy part. A judo scoreboard has to know that yuko is back and never makes a waza-ari, that a hold ends at 10 seconds for an athlete already on a waza-ari and at 5 in golden score, that time waits for a hold in progress, and that a shido never decides a contest. This counter does.
Judo is a Japanese martial art and Olympic sport in which two athletes score by throwing, holding down, strangling or arm-locking each other, under the refereeing rules of the International Judo Federation. A contest lasts four minutes of fighting time and is won by ippon, by more waza-ari or yuko at the end, or in golden score.
- No sign-up
- No ads
- Counts never leave your browser
- Works offline
- Unlimited counters
Key facts
| Detail | Answer |
|---|---|
| Price | Free, no sign-up, no ads |
| Rules | IJF refereeing rules for 2026–28, yuko included |
| Contest clock | Counts down from 4:00, or 3:00 or 2:00; runs between hajime and mate |
| Scores | Ippon, waza-ari and yuko, counted separately; two waza-ari are ippon |
| Osaekomi timer | Scores the hold by itself: yuko at 5 s, waza-ari at 10 s, ippon at 20 s |
| Holds that end early | 10 s for an athlete already on a waza-ari; 5 s in golden score |
| Time running out | Waits for a hold in progress, then decides on waza-ari, then yuko |
| Shido | Three per athlete, the third hansoku-make; never decides a contest otherwise |
| Golden score | No time limit; scores and shido carried over; the first score wins |
| Where data goes | Nowhere. Local storage in this browser only |
| Official record | No. It records what you tap and does not referee |
How to keep score in judo with the counter
Set the contest time once, then tap what the referee gives.
Set the contest up
Contest time of 4, 3 or 2 minutes, and the names of the athletes called first (white) and second (blue).
Tap Hajime
When the referee starts the contest. The clock counts down; tap Mate when the referee stops it, Hajime when the contest restarts.
Tap the scores
Waza-ari, Yuko or Ippon under the athlete who scored. A second waza-ari ends the contest as ippon.
Tap Osaekomi for a hold
Under the athlete holding. The hold timer scores by itself; tap Toketa if the hold is broken.
Tap each shido
Under the athlete penalised. The third is hansoku-make and ends the contest.
Let time run out
The counter gives the result on waza-ari, then yuko, or starts golden score at the next Hajime.
Where a judo score counter gets used
Any club randori, grading day or small tournament with no electronic scoreboard.
Club competitions
The score, the shido and the hold timer, kept on a phone or tablet beside the mat.
Coaches
Who is ahead on the board, how many shido each athlete carries into golden score, and how long the hold has run.
Randori and contest practice
Four-minute rounds scored to competition rules, so athletes learn what a yuko is worth now.
Table officials in training
A second board to check the osaekomi bands and the end-of-time decision against.
Watching on TV or streams
Why a contest went to golden score with one athlete on two shido, and why it ended at a 5-second hold.
Parents at junior events
Shorter contests of 3 or 2 minutes, with the result explained as it happens.
Judo scoring in 2026: yuko is back, and it never adds up
The International Judo Federation removed the yuko in 2017. It came back for a trial from the Paris Grand Slam in February 2025, and the IJF Referee Commission kept it, with more landings counted, in its January 2026 update for the 2026–28 Olympic cycle; British Judo applied the 2026 rules from 21 February 2026. So a judo scoreboard now needs three scores again, and they do not convert into one another.
| Score | From a throw | From a hold (osaekomi) | Ends the contest? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ippon | Thrown largely on the back with speed, force and control to the end of the landing; also a submission (tapping twice, or “maitta”) | 20 seconds | Yes |
| Waza-ari | Landing beyond 90° of the shoulder axis but not on the back, or a throw that does not fully meet the four ippon criteria | 10 to 19 seconds | The second one does: two waza-ari are ippon (Article 16) |
| Yuko | A side landing (90°) or towards the front, the upper back, the side with one elbow or hand, one or both buttocks, or the neck | 5 to 9 seconds | Only in golden score |
“Yuko scores are counted (1, 2, 3, etc.) but they do not add up to waza-ari” (Article 15). Two waza-ari make ippon; no number of yuko make a waza-ari. That gives a strict order for deciding a contest that reaches the end of its time, and it is the order the counter’s “If time ran out now” line applies as you tap.
| Step | Rule |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ippon, or a second waza-ari, has already ended it |
| 2 | More waza-ari wins, whatever the yuko |
| 3 | Waza-ari level: more yuko wins |
| 4 | Still level, or no scores: golden score, “regardless of the number of shido” (Article 13) |
| White | Blue | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 waza-ari | 3 yuko | White win: a waza-ari outranks any number of yuko |
| 1 waza-ari, 2 yuko | 1 waza-ari, 1 yuko | White win on yuko |
| 2 yuko, no shido | 2 yuko, 2 shido | Golden score: shido do not decide |
| No score | No score, 2 shido | Golden score, with Blue one shido from hansoku-make |
Hold times are where older explanations go wrong most often. Under the 2014–16 IJF rules a hold of 10 to 14 seconds was a yuko and 15 to 19 seconds a waza-ari; from 2017 there was no yuko and a waza-ari took 10 seconds. The 2026 bands are 5, 10 and 20 seconds, and the counter’s hold timer applies them by itself.
Osaekomi: why a hold can end at 5 or 10 seconds
A hold scores on its length: 5 to 9 seconds is yuko, 10 to 19 seconds waza-ari, 20 seconds ippon (Article 7). But a hold does not always run to 20. It is over the moment it has scored enough to end the contest, and the referee announces it there.
| Situation | The hold ends at | Score | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular time, holder has no waza-ari | 20 s, or earlier at toketa or mate | Yuko from 5 s, waza-ari from 10 s, ippon at 20 s | Art. 7 |
| Regular time, holder already has a waza-ari | 10 s | Waza-ari-awasete-ippon: the contest is over | Art. 7, 16 |
| Golden score | 5 s | Yuko, and the contest is over: “Yuko! Sore-made!” | Art. 13 |
| Time runs out during the hold | When the hold ends | Whatever it reached; then the contest ends | Art. 8 |
| The holder commits a shido | At once: mate | The penalty, and the score the hold had reached | Art. 17 |
| The athlete held commits a shido | It goes on | The penalty is given without stopping the hold | Art. 17 |
The counter does all six. Tap Osaekomi under the athlete holding and it watches the hold: at 10 seconds for an athlete on a waza-ari, or 5 seconds in golden score, it ends the contest itself; when time runs out mid-hold the clock waits at 0:00 until Toketa or Mate; and a shido tapped under the holder stops the clock and awards the hold’s score with the penalty.
What the other scoreboards do
The free browser scoreboard in the results, ScoreJudo-HTML, says it was last updated on 24 October 2018 and defaults to the “2017-18 IJF rule set - No Yuko”; its yuko option is the “2016 and Earlier rule set”. MartialMatch’s help page, checked on 2026-10-09, describes a hold timer that awards after it is stopped: “After 5 sec. - yuko, after 10 sec. - waza-ari, after 20 sec. - ippon.” That is right for the first row of the table, and the page does not say whether its timer ends a hold at 10 seconds for an athlete already on a waza-ari, or at 5 in golden score.
Shido and golden score: what a penalty cannot decide
A shido is a penalty for a minor infringement: passivity, a false attack, an illegal grip, stepping out. “Shido do not give a score to the other athlete, only technical scores can give points on the scoreboard,” and “a contest cannot be decided by single or accumulated shido, until hansoku-make is reached” (Article 18). The third shido is hansoku-make, and the opponent wins by ippon.
| Penalty | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1st and 2nd shido | Warnings. No score for the opponent; no effect when time runs out; carried into golden score |
| 3rd shido | Hansoku-make: the opponent wins by ippon. The athlete may continue in the competition |
| Direct hansoku-make | The opponent wins by ippon. For a dangerous technique the athlete may continue in the event; for an act against the spirit of judo, at IJF events, not |
| Both reach a 3rd shido | Both lose, recorded 0–0; the tournament director decides what follows |
Some answers still say a level contest goes to the athlete with fewer shido, or that the first shido in golden score loses it. Both were the rules once. Under the 2014–16 IJF rules, with the scores equal “the one with less Shidos wins”, and golden score “ends as soon as a contestant is being penalized by Shido”. Neither is true now.
| IJF 2014–16 | IJF 2026–28 | |
|---|---|---|
| Hold for yuko | 10–14 s | 5–9 s |
| Hold for waza-ari | 15–19 s | 10–19 s |
| Hold for ippon | 20 s | 20 s |
| Shido for hansoku-make | The 4th | The 3rd |
| Scores level at time | Fewer shido wins; then golden score | Golden score, whatever the shido |
| Golden score ends on | A score, or a shido (the penalised athlete loses) | A yuko, waza-ari or ippon, or hansoku-make |
| A hold in golden score | Runs to 20 s, or until toketa or mate | 5 s is yuko and ends it |
Golden score
If neither athlete has a score, or the scores are equal, when time runs out, the contest goes straight into golden score: no rest, no time limit, and every score and shido from regular time stays on the board. The first yuko, waza-ari or ippon wins, or a hansoku-make, direct or by a third shido. If both score at the same moment the referee calls mate and neither counts (Article 13). The counter starts golden score at the next Hajime, counts its clock up from 0:00, and ends the contest on the first score.
How long a judo contest lasts
Four minutes of contest time for seniors, juniors and cadets, with the clock stopped at every mate, so a contest takes longer than four minutes on a wall clock. An athlete is entitled to 10 minutes’ rest between contests. Younger age groups often fight shorter contests set by the organiser, which is what the 3- and 2-minute settings are for.
Sources: British Judo, 2026 Contest Rules to be Implemented from 21 February, and its Contest Rules (February 2026), based on the IJF Sport and Organisation Rules; the IJF, New Rules: What to Remember (17 December 2024); the IJF refereeing rules 2014–16 for the earlier column.
Online counter vs a clicker, an app, paper and a spreadsheet
Every counting method trades something away. This is what each one actually costs you.
| Feature | This online counter | Handheld clicker | Counter phone app | Pen and paper | Spreadsheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | $5–$15 | Free with ads, or paid | Cost of paper | Subscription |
| Anything to install | No | Buy the device | App store download | No | Yes, or a web login |
| Several counts at once | Unlimited | One per device | Usually limited | Yes, messy | Yes |
| Fix a miscount | Undo and redo | Start over | Sometimes | Cross it out | Edit the cell |
| Counts by more than one | Any step size | One at a time | Sometimes | Manual maths | Yes |
| Below zero | Yes | No | Rarely | Yes | Yes |
| Keeps the count if you close it | Saves automatically | Until you reset the dial | Yes | If you keep the paper | Yes |
| Works with no signal | Yes, after first load | Yes | Yes | Yes | Often not |
| Keyboard and shortcuts | Full | None | None | None | Partial |
| Sends your data anywhere | Never | Never | Often, for accounts and ads | Never | Yes, to the cloud |
Other counter types
The same counter, set up and explained for a specific job. Your counters are shared across all of them.
Everyday6
The general-purpose counters: one number, many numbers, or counting on a timer.
Online counter
The all-purpose counter. Any step size, any number of counters, negative values allowed.
Open online counter →Tally counter
Tally marks in groups of five for surveys, stock takes and wildlife counts.
Open tally counter →Click counter
A browser clicker that replaces the handheld thumb counter for door headcounts.
Open click counter →Multi counter
Run as many counters as you like at once, side by side in a grid.
Open multi counter →Auto counter
Counts on its own from every 0.1 seconds to once an hour, and stops at your limit.
Open auto counter →Yes/No counter
Two options, a live percentage, and the sample size and caveats the percentage needs.
Open yes/no counter →
Sport & scores25
Scoreboards that know the rules of their game, not just two numbers that go up.
Score counter
A scoreboard for cards, darts and board games. One counter per player, negatives allowed.
Open score counter →Pitch counter
Count pitches, then get the rest days owed and the next eligible date.
Open pitch counter →Golf scorecard
Strokes per hole with the course handicap allocated by stroke index, net and Stableford.
Open golf scorecard →Badminton score counter
Rally scoring with the service court and doubles positions, for 3x21 and the 2027 3x15 system.
Open badminton score counter →Pickleball score counter
The 0-0-2 call with the right server and side, in side-out or 2026 rally scoring.
Open pickleball score counter →Squash score counter
Point-a-rally to 11 with the server, the service box, hand out and lets.
Open squash score counter →Penalty shootout counter
Five kicks each that stop the moment a team cannot catch up, then sudden death.
Open penalty shootout counter →Basketball score counter
Points by period with team fouls and the bonus as FIBA, NBA, NCAA or high school count them.
Open basketball score counter →Baseball score counter
Balls, strikes, outs and the line score, with foul bunts, dropped third strikes and walk-offs.
Open baseball score counter →Cricket score counter
Runs, wickets and overs by legal balls, with wides, no-balls, free hits and the chase.
Open cricket score counter →American football score counter
Touchdowns and the try at each level, with NFL, college and high school overtime rules.
Open american football score counter →Boxing score counter
Three judges' 10-point must cards and the verdict they give, split and majority draws included.
Open boxing score counter →Hockey score counter
Ice hockey goals and shots by period, with each league's overtime, shootout and standings points.
Open hockey score counter →Pool score counter
Straight pool with the breaking foul and three-foul penalties, and 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball races.
Open pool score counter →Rugby score counter
Union, sevens and league points, conversions tied to tries, golden point and bonus points.
Open rugby score counter →Soccer score counter
Goals by minute, five subs in three windows, second yellows, extra time and aggregate.
Open soccer score counter →Table tennis score counter
Games to 11 with the server named, doubles order, the swap at 5 and the expedite system.
Open table tennis score counter →Tennis score counter
Love to game with the server's court, every change of ends, tie-breaks and doubles order.
Open tennis score counter →Padel score counter
The 2026 Star Point, golden point or advantage, who serves and receives, and every change of sides.
Open padel score counter →Volleyball score counter
Rally scoring with the six-position rotation, the next server, time-outs, subs and beach mode.
Open volleyball score counter →Americano padel score counter
Rotating partners for 4 to 16 players, matches to a points total, and every player's running total.
Open americano padel score counter →Field hockey score counter
Goals by minute, a clock that stops, card timers in playing time, the 2026 card rules and shoot-outs.
Open field hockey score counter →Free throw counter
Make or miss, the percentage with its likely range, runs of makes, sets and make-50 goals.
Open free throw counter →Futsal score counter
Accumulated fouls per half with the 10 m kick, timeouts, a stopped clock and the red card timer.
Open futsal score counter →Handball score counter
2-minute suspensions a goal does not end, the third a red card, three warnings and team time-outs.
Open handball score counter →
Fitness & health6
Reps, laps, breaths and daily habits, where the count is part of the activity.
Lap counter
Count pool lengths, track laps and treadmill intervals without losing your place.
Open lap counter →Rep counter
Track reps and sets during a lifting session, with a step size for supersets.
Open rep counter →Click speed test
Measure your clicks per second over 1 to 60 seconds, with your personal best kept on-device.
Open click speed test →Habit counter
Count toward a daily target and keep the streak, with a day boundary you choose.
Open habit counter →Breath counter
Count breaths one to ten for meditation, with lost count recorded, or time breaths per minute.
Open breath counter →Craving tracker
Time each urge, rate it 1 to 10, and log whether you rode it out or acted on it.
Open craving tracker →
Work & field5
Counting that produces a record someone else relies on: stock, occupancy, lab work.
Differential counter
Six keys for a manual white cell differential, with an auto-stop and live percentages.
Open differential counter →People counter
In and out at a door, with live occupancy against a capacity and a fix for drift.
Open people counter →Bird counter
A row per species recording the high count, so a circling flock is not counted twice.
Open bird counter →Inventory counter
A count sheet holding the book quantity beside the counted one, with the variance per line.
Open inventory counter →Knitting counter
Rows, pattern repeats and a shaping schedule that names the increase rows and then ends.
Open knitting counter →
Faith2
Counts with their own rules about when a day turns over and what completes a set.
Frequently asked questions
Has judo brought back the yuko score?
Yes. The IJF removed yuko in 2017, trialled it again from the Paris Grand Slam in February 2025, and kept it in its January 2026 rules update for the 2026–28 cycle, counting more side and buttock landings. A yuko is a lesser throw or a hold of 5 to 9 seconds. Yuko are counted one by one but never add up to a waza-ari.
Can two yuko make a waza-ari in judo?
No. Under the 2026 IJF rules yuko are counted 1, 2, 3 and so on, but they never add up to a waza-ari, however many are scored (Article 15). Only waza-ari combine: two make ippon. So an athlete with one waza-ari beats an opponent with any number of yuko, and yuko decide a contest only when the waza-ari are level.
How long do you have to hold a pin to score in judo?
Five seconds for yuko, ten for waza-ari and twenty for ippon, counted from the referee’s osaekomi call (Article 7). A hold ends sooner when it has scored enough to win: at ten seconds for an athlete who already has a waza-ari, since a second waza-ari is ippon, and at five seconds in golden score, where the first score wins.
Does shido decide a judo match?
Not unless it reaches hansoku-make. Under the IJF rules a contest cannot be decided by single or accumulated shido; if the scores are level at the end of time, the contest goes to golden score regardless of the number of shido. The third shido is hansoku-make, which gives the opponent the win by ippon. Fewer shido winning a level contest was the 2014–16 rule.
What is the difference between shido and hansoku-make?
Shido is a minor penalty, for passivity, a false attack or an illegal grip, and gives the opponent no score. Hansoku-make is disqualification from the contest: the opponent wins by ippon. It comes from a third shido, or directly for a grave infringement such as a dangerous technique or an act against the spirit of judo, which can also end the athlete’s event.
What happens in golden score in judo?
Golden score follows straight on when the scores are level at the end of regular time. It has no time limit, and every score and shido from regular time stays on the board. The first yuko, waza-ari or ippon wins, as does a hansoku-make. A hold in golden score ends at five seconds with yuko, which wins the contest.
How long is a judo match?
Four minutes of contest time for seniors, juniors and cadets under IJF rules. The clock stops at every mate, so a contest lasts longer on a wall clock, and if the scores are level it continues into golden score with no time limit. Younger age groups often fight shorter contests set by the organiser, such as three or two minutes.
What are the scores in judo?
Three, from 2026: ippon, which wins the contest outright; waza-ari, two of which make ippon; and yuko, the lowest, which is counted but never adds up to a waza-ari. Shido are penalties, not scores, and give the opponent nothing on the board. At the end of time more waza-ari wins, then more yuko.
Is this an official judo scoreboard?
No. It is a score counter for clubs, coaches, table officials in training and anyone following a contest. It keeps the scores, shido, holds and clock in this browser and sends nothing anywhere. It cannot see the mat or judge a landing, and it records whatever you tap, so the referee’s call is always the one that counts.
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Longer answers to the questions behind the counting.
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- Surveys
How many people do you need to survey?
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- Rules
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Penalty-kick fouls stop counting, the dropped ball follows possession, and the 8-second rule is not futsal's.
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Hockey rule changes from 1 November 2026
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Reps and sets explained
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