Kids Jiu-Jitsu

We get this question a lot, and in a word—no.  Jiu-Jitsu is a combat art and there is no denying that it is.  It is called ‘the gentle art” for a reason, however.  We are going to teach your child to control themselves so that they can better control their environment.

The reality of the world we live in is that bullies and predators exist.  That doesn’t mean we have to be savages in order to survive.  The best way to win a fight is to avoid it, and that’s what Jiu-Jitsu teaches us.

“Jiu-Jitsu for everyone” isn’t simply a slogan, but a methodological approach to Jiu-Jitsu instruction.  Throughout the Gracie Barra Association, and the sport of Jiu-Jitsu as a whole, we have athletes with virtually every form of impairment.  For example, Fabricio Galvao, who earned his black belt at the age of 32—Fabricio has Down Syndrome.  Or Sam Kaye, born with a congenital defect that resulted in his right arm being malformed, who is also a black belt.  If your child has the desire to learn Jiu-Jitsu, regardless of their disability, they are welcome on our mats.

Parents often worry about starting children with behavioral issues in martial arts programs.  Their chief concerns are that it will either make the problem worse or in the event that their child is physically aggressive, will make their child more difficult to manage.  Discipline and self-control are cornerstones of Jiu-Jitsu.  From the way we enter and exit the mat, to the way we interact with each other while training, every aspect of Jiu-Jitsu instruction is heavily structured to instill both discipline and self-control in our students.  Jiu-Jitsu has a proven track record of smoothing edges and can be a very useful tool in overcoming a variety of behavioral issues.

How a child learns to interact with situations that make them afraid or anxious is a critical developmental consideration, one that has lingering effects well into adulthood. During their Jiu-Jitsu instruction, your child will be faced with situations that make them anxious, uncomfortable, and perhaps even make them afraid.  Often, your child will be worried about making mistakes, if they are big and strong enough to win against their training partners, and they will doubt their ability.  This is where our instruction has its biggest impact.

Through assertive and attentive coaching, we will help your child navigate these situations in order to build confidence in themselves and their abilities.  With each successful execution of a technique that they didn’t believe they could master, each victory over an opponent that they didn’t believe they could beat, and with each stripe they earn your child’s perception of both themselves and their environment will be positively impacted.

Think about the first time you did something that made you anxious, or that you didn’t think you could do.  When you look back on whatever that was, does it seem as intimidating as it did initially?  Is your perception of yourself and your abilities changed because you accomplished something that inspired fear or anxiety?  That’s precisely what we will provide your children through Jiu-Jitsu.

If safety is the bedrock of Jiu-Jitsu, discipline its foundation.  In order to practice Jiu-Jitsu safely and effectively, each practitioner must learn and practice discipline at all times.  Our Jiu-Jitsu instruction for children is fun and engaging, but it is also very structured.  Even the way your child steps on and off of the mat has a requisite action, and their advancement in Jiu-Jitsu is tied to their behavior both at home and in school.

We’ll make no bones about it—we have high expectations and standards for our student’s behavior both on and off the mat.  This doesn’t require that we become tyrants, but education, assertiveness, and consistency in both our expectations of your child and what they can expect from us.  On our mats your child will learn to follow instructions, respect others, and engage with their world with concern for outcomes.

Without question, your child’s development is impacted by their peers.  This makes their peer group of critical importance to how they will perceive the world around them.  It is also very important for children to have a peer group, as humans were not meant to exist in isolation.  Having peers your child can identify with, peers who support and encourage them, can improve their mental wellness, their physical health, and improve their educational performance and outcomes.

Brotherhood is one of the core principles of our Jiu-Jitsu instruction.  On the mats, we are all the same and we are all here not only to better ourselves but to uplift and better each other.  Your child will find a peer group in our academy that provides them with the encouragement, positivity, and support they require.

We all know that exercise improves our physical health, but we seldom realize how much of an impact the physical can have on our mental wellbeing.  This is doubly true for your child.  Exercise is an important component of your child’s healthy physical development, but it is also an important aspect of their cognitive and psychological development.

Without getting too far into the weeds, exercise triggers the release of hormones and other neurotransmitters that improve mood, sleep, concentration, and a wide array of other functions.  These functions are important to how your child grows and how they view themselves.  Our Jiu-Jitsu instruction is designed to ensure that your child receives the sort of physical activity that they require to maintain their physical and mental wellbeing—the two are inextricably linked.

At various points throughout their childhood, your child is going to be required to navigate conflict.  How your child learns to engage with conflict is going to have consequences that could follow them through their adult lives.  It seems a contradiction to identify a martial art as “The Gentle Art”, but that’s what Jiu-Jitsu is.

Through our Jiu-Jitsu instruction, your child won’t learn to beat up bullies or slay dragons—at least not in the physical sense.  What your child will learn from us is a new way of thinking about conflict and confrontation.  They will learn to solve problems, not just human ones, in an intelligent and assertive way in order to avoid physical confrontation without becoming someone else’s punching bag.