Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is great for children. It helps them develop effective self-defense techniques, build self-confidence, increase their fitness and provides a great social outlet.  But, it is a bit different than many of the other martial art choices available. I’m writing this post for anyone who is interested in enrolling their child into a BJJ program but is unsure about what BJJ is or how it differs from other martial arts. First off, I am a black belt in BJJ and full time Brazilian Jiu-jitsu instructor to both adults and children. I absolutely love teaching kids and I’ve personally seen the positive impact it can have on a child’s life and that fires me up!

There are three main differences I tell parents about when they are planning on attending a BJJ class or when they bring their child in the gym for the first time.

First, there are no punches or kicks. That’s right, no punching and kicking unless it’s to explain how to defend against them. All the techniques in BJJ involve grabbing and what will appear as a form of wrestling. Sometimes it might even look a little weird, but I promise there is a reason for teaching these techniques.

Second, we have this thing called rolling. This is our version of sparring. During what we call a “roll”, students will use the techniques they learn in class and try to apply them against each other in a form of wrestling where both people are resisting. This is so useful for the child because it will help desensitize them to the stress of being grabbed. Rolling also helps the child understand how the moves work against a fully resisting opponent. Why are these things so important? Well if they are attacked by a bully at school for instance, a bully won’t be nice. The bully will grab and strike your child, if able, and if your child tries to fight back the bully will resist. This makes it imperative for your child to understand how to make their techniques work against a person who is fighting back.  

Third, in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu the belt system is way different than other martial arts. Most notably the fact that belts take longer to acquire, and children cannot obtain a black belt. We still have belts to provide an incentive for children but we do not have an overly saturated belt system with more belts and colors than you can ever hope to remember. Typically children will be promoted on a mixture of understanding and memorization, their ability to execute the techniques during rolling (most important) and attendance in class. In addition it’s not uncommon to see a child remain at the same belt level for 6 months or more depending on the belt level. In my eyes, this allows the child to develop work ethic and focus on the time spent training with their friends in class, rather than being constantly focused on a new belt to keep their attention. The child will still get a continuous supply of gratification. But instead of coming in the form of a new belt every month, it comes in the form of being able to successfully use new moves in class, being able to stand up to a bully at school or their noticing that their pants fit a little more loose than when they started.  I always tell my kids that belts alone are nothing but dyed pieces of cotton that anyone could buy. It’s the hard work they put into earning the belts that makes them something to be valued and respected.  

If done right, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu can be an amazing experience for your child. A life changing experience in some cases! In my own childhood, wrestling (which is very similar to BJJ and can be used as self-defense), filled me with an inner self-confidence that allowed me to feel comfortable being my nerdy, bookworm-self in high school. Instead of feeling like I had to fit in and do things that weren’t “me.” If you are interested in getting your child enrolled into BJJ be sure to take advantage of a free class that gyms offer. If they don’t offer a free class, I would personally pass. That free 1^st class should be used to test your child’s enthusiasm for the martial art and allow you time to talk with the instructor and see if it’s the right fit for you and your family.

Oh and my last suggestion. If you do enroll your child into Brazilian Jiu-jitsu classes, you should try at least one BJJ class yourself. You may not like it and may not want to continue the training, but it will give you a deep respect for what your kiddo is accomplishing on the mat.

I hope this helps you with your decision on martial arts training for your child. If you have any questions feel free to email me at chewy (at) matwind.com and I would be more than happy to help you with any BJJ related question.

Thanks for reading!

Chewy