4 Reasons BJJ is a Great Martial Art for Kids
Martial arts is often touted as a wonderful activity for children. And it’s true. But within that world are multiple disciplines, and striking arts are included. To ensure safety, these forms of martial arts may be excessively watered down. And for some kids, that’s just plain boring. Enter Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Here are four reasons BJJ is the best martial art for kids.
Mimicking natural movements
Just like other young mammals, it’s not unusual for kids to wrestle and roll around with siblings and even friends. Guess what? BJJ is a more polished version of this, incorporating techniques for self defense and control. But unlike other martial arts, the majority of it happens on the ground.
Leveling the playing field
In the world of sports – children’s sports included – size, speed and strength matter. But in BJJ, principles like leverage are learned, which truly does equalize size/speed/strength disparities. It’s incredibly motivating and empowering for kids when they build these skills – it gives them an advantage unrelated to their stature, strength and speed, which brings us to our next point.
Repelling bullies
Bullies target their victims for any number of reasons, based on visual cues. Sometimes it’s based on physical features – skin color, size, glasses, whatever. And sometimes it’s based on body language – concave chest, hunched shoulders, downcast gaze. Maybe it’s simply shyness, but when it comes across as insecurity, it’s like a billboard to a bully.
Bullies don’t target people who are likely to fight back – the goal is to tear down something else in an effort to build themselves up. So where does BJJ fit it? It’s the empowerment thing. By learning how to defend yourself, you begin to build confidence, which boosts self esteem. Even if your skills are intermediate at best, believing in yourself changes your entire persona. That’s true even with kids.
Building confidence
BJJ is results-driven in a way that other martial arts are not. No forms, no formulaic choreography, but rather natural evolution and progress that comes from fun, engaging, tactical work. When a child ranks up, it really means something – it’s not because it’s been a few months and the rest of the class is graduating, so your child is hurried along as well. Belts are hard to earn in BJJ, and a rank up for a child means steady participation and skill development. It’s a true achievement, and your child will feel that improvement.