Children’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – a recipe for success!

The importance of mental fortitude and discipline should go without saying. But those attributes are best gained as byproducts of loving relationships and a love for art!

In my last blog entry, I discussed the art of teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to young children, although I really only dealt with the tip of the iceberg. Yes, there’s a balance between discipline and play, and achieving it is critical to keep children coming back for more than one class. Discipline for the sake of discipline looks tough, but it’s a recipe for burn-out. Play for the sake of play should be reserved for playtime, not class time. But when a good coach leads a kids class, there are some really interesting ways in which martial discipline and a playful attitude can be combined and synergized! And even though I could tell you quite a few stories about how BJJ training has strengthened bonds between parents and children, I think that the accomplished basketball coach John Wooden hits the nail on the head best:

“Dad reasoned that whether we were better than someone else should not be a focus because our position in relation to others was out of our control. We could not control another’s performance, nor could we control how we would be ranked. All we could do was our best. While dad urged us to always learn from other people, he also cautioned us against depending upon others to define our self-worth or success. Instead, he wanted us to try very hard to give the best possible effort to become the best we could be and let the results take care of themselves.”

A flexible, fluid mind and a happy mentality are necessary for growth in any sport or martial art!

Looking back at my own childhood in sports and martial arts, I remember that I was always at my best when I was at play – when I valued other things higher than taking home a gold medal. Granted, those “other” concerns usually amounted to when I could go exploring in the woods, what kind of fort I could make, what pond water looked like under a microscope (and why), and how my friends and I would beat that one annoying level in that videogame that seemed too hard for us. This gave me a more flexible mind that prevented stress and tension from hindering my timing and technique. Have you ever seen a professional athlete or martial artist perform while having a tense, stressed-out mind? The result usually isn’t pretty for them, regardless of their natural talent, technical skill, or how much drilling they’ve done.

Later on in childhood, I went through a phase in which I lost this fluidity and became very tense in many areas of life. But I think we all do that at some point. And once you rediscover a previously lost talent or mentality, your grasp on it and your understanding of it is much more sure and substantial.

If you or your child have lost that great mentality that Wooden discusses, or if you’d simply like your child to gain confidence and strong technique through martial arts training, then give us a ring or send us an email! Our children’s program always has room for newcomers!

JJ Mike

Come train at NJ United Mixed Martial Arts and take advantage of our 7-day free trial offer! Whether you’re an aspiring competitor or casual student, you will benefit from training in our friendly, professional, and ego-free environment. Call us at 973-638-1570 to schedule your first class, and visit us on the web at http://www.njunitedmma.com/ for more info.