6 Reasons Why Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the Perfect Martial Art for Kids

Kids are like sponges. They soak up all kinds of information from their surroundings at a rapid rate. As they are in a crucial stage of their development, you can help to foster their learning and build their character by enrolling them in martial arts lessons, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)..

Besides being a fun activity for your child, BJJ encourages strategic thinking to solve complicated problems, along with a host of other positive benefits.

1. Because it makes them bully-proof

Ideally, school is supposed to be a safe place for your kids to grow and learn. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. Statistics have shown that bullying is on the rise.

DoSomething.Org reports that:

1 out of 4 children are bullied on a monthly basis.

7% of children are bullied at least once.

1 out of 10 students drop out of school because of bullying.

Bullying not only damages children's self esteem, but also affects their performance as they would feel less motivated to go to school. Studies show that bullying has a serious negative impact on a child’s life and development. They may find it more difficult than others to adjust, have a low psychological well-being, face psychological distress and are almost always physically unwell.

One of the best ways to bully-proof your kids is to let them pick up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This is because it trains them to react and defend themselves in real life situations. What’s more, size doesn’t matter in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as it is designed to enable a smaller person to overcome a bigger, stronger opponent.

2. Because it teaches them discipline

When your kids train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, they will become more disciplined, as they are required to follow directions and abide by the rules on the mat. What’s more, when they dedicate their time to learn the various techniques, they’ll be more focused and strive to perform better at every lesson.

Several studies have shown that kids who train martial arts perform better in school because it helps lengthen their attention span and improve their memory. The discipline and focus that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu cultivates in your kids will later translate to better performance in school and life.

3. Because it boosts their confidence

According to BJJ World Champion and Evolve MMA Instructor, Leandro Thomas Issa da Silva, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is great for kids as it helps their confidence grow.

"As they improve in the sport and successfully execute techniques in class, they get more confident," he shares. "They also learn to pick themselves up and carry on if they lose, so learning to be okay with losing gives them the strength to work on their weaknesses and ultimately get better."

By adopting this healthy mindset, your kids would learn to bounce back from any shortcomings that they face in life. Their persistence would teach them to never give up on themselves, and this would help them get stronger.

4. Because it develops their social skills

Your kids will have plenty of opportunities to interact with their teammates and coaches in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class. Sharing a common interest, as well as the experience of drilling techniques and sparring, would help them foster stronger bonds with everyone and build their social skills.

The social skills they pick up at the gym would come in handy when they make friends in school or at social gatherings. Apart from that, they would learn to be respectful towards not just their instructors and peers, but also everyone else.

5. Because it keeps them active

Do your kids prefer to play video games or watch cartoons instead of playing outdoors? In this digital age, most children seek entertainment on the computer or iPad rather than a playground.

However, you can keep your kids active by enrolling them in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes. Besides acquiring new skills that they will constantly work on to improve, it would be a great and fun cardiovascular workout! Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu encourages weight loss and strengthens the core, while giving your kids more stamina and energy for other activities.

6. Because it teaches them patience

Training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu would help your kids become more patient as it takes awhile for them to progress to the next level. Hence, they’ll have to learn to deal with taking time to perfect their techniques and ultimately improve.

Besides that, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu offers many opportunities for them to set goals – be it getting their next belt or entering upcoming competitions – and measure their progress. This habit to set goals would greatly benefit them in life as they will constantly be striving to improve and be better than they were yesterday.

So, do you feel that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the perfect martial art for your kids? With bullying on the rise, it is important to protect your kids by letting them learn to defend themselves in case they ever need to.

Apart from helping them to protect themselves from bullies, it will keep them fit and healthy while developing their character. The mental strength, confidence and focus that they’ll develop along the way would help them succeed in all aspects of life.

Written by

Evolve MMA

6 ReasonsBrazilian Jiu-JitsuPerfect Martial Art for Kids