The Benefits of Jiu Jitsu for Kids

by Chad Smith

Team Jucao Brazilian Jiu Jitsu specializes in the training of kids jiu jitsu.  Brazilian jiu jitsu is an excellent martial art for kids because it involves grappling and is practiced mostly on the ground. Because there is no striking, the risk of injury (like concussion, particularly dangerous for children) is very low. This martial art is very active, and requires you to use nearly every part of your body. Its focus from its beginnings in Brazil were to ‘give the small a chance against the big’: it prioritizes leverage and technique over strength and size.

Our instructors are experts in the benefits of jiu jitsu for kids and the unique challenges facing today’s children:

BULLYING AND SELF-DEFENSE

Bullying is a serious problem facing today’s kids.  With jiu jitsu, kids gain confidence from knowing effective defense skills, and that they are ready for an unexpected physical or verbal confrontation.  The best part of jiu jitsu is that the self-defense aspect of it is natural: jiu jitsu is only the practice of effective and useful techniques.  Kids quickly and regularly learn to apply technique through live sparring, and so the movements become natural.  Should kids be physically confronted, they will naturally know how to defend themselves.

PHYSICAL HEALTH

Kids that improve their physical health see the value in the effort, and their ability to do things they could never do before.  They also learn to improve control of their bodies, and increase their coordination.  Kids learn that they are often more capable than they initially thought.

MENTAL HEALTH

Endurance and effort are mental trials as much as they are physically demanding.  Kids also learn to solve problems in jiu jitsu that cannot be solved easily or quickly.  They are expected to conduct themselves with discipline and respect both on and off the mat, befitting a true martial artist learning self-defense and sparring skills.  Kids in our program often report how jiu jitsu is an important piece in their focus and self-control. 

RESPECT FOR YOURSELF / CONFIDENCE

Regular promotion fosters a sense of progress, but the road to advanced belts is long.  Kids begin to learn that promotion in life is not only to be seen in the color of their belt, but in their success in applying things they have learned.  This teaches kids that investing time and effort in something over the long-term leads to true accomplishment. Jiu jitsu is also an individual martial art, so accomplishment belongs to the child and not to the team or instruction.   Promoting individual achievement gives kids a powerful lesson in respecting one’s self and the value of never giving up.  

RESPECT FOR OTHERS

While every person’s jiu jitsu is theirs to develop, the art is trained in groups and generally with a partner in class.  Without your partner, you cannot learn!  Respecting the instructor and other students is essential to the learning process in jiu jitsu.  Because both girls and boys train in the same class, gender equality and respect is also a key lesson.  Girls learn how to stand up to boys, and boys learn respect and control.