It’s been proven that physical activity helps a child develop cognitively and socially. According to Psychology Today,
“Physical activity is a fundamental building block for psychological and physical well-being throughout a lifespan.”
But, it’s not always clear for parents which physical activity their child should participate in.
Of course, children may naturally show some interest in a physical activity, however, some children never get the opportunity to learn about different sports or activities.
That’s why it’s important for parents to encourage their children to participate and try different sports and activities. One physical activity all children should be exposed to and allowed to experience is martial arts training.
But, not just any martial arts training. Children need to be encouraged to try the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
The discipline of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu empowers children to accomplish their goals. It develops a child’s mental and physical capabilities while teaching them to control their aggression.
In this post, I’m going to share with you the 5 most important benefits for children training BJJ.
Let’s get started.
Benefit #1. Self-Defense
School bullying is more common than you think—1 out of every 5 kids report bullying in the course of the school year according to the CDC statistics.
And since most fights end up on the ground, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu provides the most practical self defense for both children and adults. The ability to defend yourself doesn’t mean you’re actively looking for fights. In fact, jiu jitsu is one of the few martial arts that doesn’t teach kids to kick and punch each other.
So, how do you ensure your child is safe? Teach them to handle themselves EARLY on.
Most martial arts schools accept kids as early as 5 or 6 years old. We take kids 6 and up at Journey BJJ Academy.
It’s not the athletic tough kids who know how to defend themselves. No, the bullies go after small awkward children who fail to show self-confidence. They go after the vulnerable ones.
As a self-defense system, Helio Gracie designed Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for the small and weak individuals to defend against bigger opponents. For children, it’s the best best way to go.
Benefit #2. Self-Confidence
A child who knows self-defense is a child who’s walking around with a certain level of self-confidence. Unlike many karate and taekwondo students, this child who knows how to move on the ground, and knows his/her strength relative to others. They have a real advantage.
Martial arts kids also know how to be successful.
In order to succeed, you must learn to fail. There is no other truer statement. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teaches children how to learn from failure in order to succeed..
Children training BJJ will learn from their failures over and over. They will learn how to process failure, learn the takeaways, and then learn how to succeed from those failures.
The process of learning from constant failure builds a child’s self-confidence as they begin achieving more and more of their goals. Their self-confidence is boosted as they persist through constant failure to find success.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teaches children that anything can be achieved through hard work and persistence. Learning these skills will develop a child’s overall self-confidence.
Benefit #3. Physical Activity
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18.5% or 13.7 million children in the United States are considered obese. The CDC writes,
“Childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States putting children and adolescents at risk for poor health.”
There’s no better way to overcome child obesity than with physical activity.
Children training BJJ get a great workout that’s both functional and fun. From the warm up to rolling on the mats, children will burn off excess energy and calories.
Also, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teaches children the discipline needed for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As they learn more about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, children will want stay healthy so they can perform better on the mats.
Benefit #4. Social Skills
At a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym, children will learn critical social skills. Classes provide children an opportunity to meet new friends and strengthen relationships.
In most cases, children work in pairs as they learn new moves and practice drills. They learn to help each other. The learn to trust each other. But, most importantly, they learn to respect each other.
Shy kids stop being so shy and become confident. Spastic kids become more controlled, disciplined. The skills children learn from training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu provides them with the building blocks for growing into socially competent adults.
Benefit #5. Individual Responsibility
Individual responsibility is perhaps the most important benefit of training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teaches children that hard work and persistence matters far more than physical ability. And, as a result, children learn how their actions produce certain outcomes. They become responsible for the results of their training.
When a child loses in a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu match, they learn to take responsibility for the result. They can’t blame teammates or coaches, they can only reflect on the actions that gave them the result.
A child who learns to take individual responsibility for their results will become a responsible adult.
Conclusion
So, there you have the five benefits of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for children.
These benefits provide children with the fundamentals to live a happy and healthy life.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s get your child involved today.
