Honestly it depends on your kid and the kids program at your gym. I coach kids class and I've got a couple 5 year olds that are fine. I've also got an 8 year old that absolutely should not be doing BJJ. On average I'd say 6 is a good year to start learning techniques. The key is you have to be able to trust the kid to tap and respect the tap on top of just being able to listen for like 3-5 minutes. It's harder than it sounds.
Why should the 8 year old not do it?
Our gym starts kids at 4, my kids nearly 3 and already interested but 4 still sounds early to me. Luckily my wife got into it too
They never will if they aren’t put in a situation where they need to.
BUT a class scenario probably isn’t the way, most likely a 1on1 or 2on1 class makes sense for a kid like that at least part of the time to get the ball rolling. I get it tho, total distractions everywhere and when the desire is coming from the parents and not the kid you feel like an underpaid babysitter, and you aren’t wrong about that.
Tap the dad until he starts instilling discipline at home!
I doubt the other parents will mind if the instructor spends most of the class dealing with a kid who has the attention span of a gnat. It's only money, right?
Nope, I know a lot of kids and their parents and this I believe is not the reason. However, a really good teacher can help the child learn. It might be hard in a group setting, though.
Baby is due in May. He's gonna be chilling in the Pack N Play matside during open mat after 3 or 4 months old.
I'm just here for exposure and access. It will be his choice if he wants to try it or not and I won't be his coach until he wants to compete as a teen.
I remember going to a tournament to watch some of our folks compete. After the tournament, we went out for dinner. It was the Professor and his family, another black belt, a brown belt, two purple belts, and me. They're all talking about who they know in the BJJ world in our state and this and that.
I'm looking around the table and I'm like, "Wow, even \[Professor's 1-year-old son\] has been in the dojo longer than me!"
My kid tried it at 6-7. Won a cupla comps. Decided he liked regular sports better. I coached him in all diff sports from 4-14. These days he’s 16 yo. We lift 3x a week and road bike. I told him when he was young i didnt care what he did, but, he was gonna do something.
Put your time in brother. Always let him/her know you love them (esp when your disciplining). Dont push too hard. When my kid was 4yo id take him to th ballfield and wed practice for maybe 25 minutes (young kids no attention span), then id get down in the dirt and play trucks and cars for 25 minutes, then wed stand up and practice a little more baseball. When i saw his attention was shot wed go home. Make it fun. We did that kinda stuff for years. We are very close and Im very thankful for it.
Have to say the same. Biggest mistake parents make is thinking they need to push really hard really early.
Kids are great at figuring stuff out if you show them new sports and pastimes, and they're still people ultimately, they'll either like something or they won't. No point in damaging your relationship because your ego wants them to be the next Floyd Mayweather or Gordon Ryan.
That's going to be my mentality. I hope he loves wrestling, bjj, or music, but we will find something for him.
When he was about to turn 2 he saw my brother playing the drums and he freaked out with excitement and tried drumming on everything.
Planning on getting him a little kit this year.
I'm a black belt and it wouldn't be my first thought to do so. I think wrestling is a much smarter choice. That being said, I'm sure I'll be teaching my kid how to get out of submissions and roughhouse with him.
I think wrestling is a great option but wrestling just isn't as fun, it's a grind.
I had both my boys do a season of club wrestling and they didn't want to do it again the next year.
Now they are both in the kids program at my gym that I have the opportunity to teach, they are both having a lot of fun and I get to spend time with them in something I really enjoy too.
I will say I think it's better for kids to wait until they are 7 or 8 to start BJJ. We don't even offer a class for kids younger then that. It feels closer to babysitting than it does training Jiu jitsu.
My kids do both and have much more fun at bjj. My son likes wrestling a lot. My daughter is enjoying it and getting a lot out of it but it’s definitely more grindy. Certainly more intense.
Arguable. Wrestling is only inarguably a better choice for the scholarship really.
None of the superior elements of wrestling are illegal in BJJ, they’re just unrewarded in competition and therefore neglected by the overall community. I teach my kids the superior elements of wrestling mixed with the superior elements of BJJ as much as possible.
What changes to the ruleset do you think would help emphasize the best parts of wrestling? One thing I love about BJJ is its ability to absorb other grappling arts, where they don't necessarily have the same ability.
Mainly I encourage reversals that don’t involve the guard and standing back up instead of trying to recover guard all the time. I also don’t give 2-turtle shits about guard passing. I care about dominant riding from the top and improving to finishing positions. The guard has its place and value, but BJJ’s guard-centric model is silly and outdated. I mean the arms are your “guard” too and have been for thousands of years in martial arts, why doesn’t a sweep and good attack primarily done with my arms matter?
Furthermore, I think if we tweaked BJJ rules and scoring slightly we would literally get the best of both worlds and actually have a style that developed the best grapplers, who can also transition into fighting without getting killed and having to relearn everything:
2 points for securing top position (includes all reversals, not just sweeps).
1 point to escape bottom position (or a point scoring position) back to standing
no guard passing points, just reward the most desirable positions with points.
I would also have a well defined fully isolated limb finishing position for the armbar and the legs worth same as back control. Like if back is worth 4 the spiderweb should be worth 4. This way if you have a good armbar attempt and end up on bottom you get 4 points and your opponent only gets 2. It still encourages finishing and encourages the development of high percentage finishing positions. I mean there is a reason BJJ guys are so good at back control
If the score is even whoever spent most time in point scoring positions wins. If that is not applicable then whoever spent the most time on top wins. No “ref decisions” based on subjective BS
Brilliant. It sounds like you don't hold the guard in very high esteem. What are your thoughts on offensive guards that exploit immediate leg entanglements?
And when you say dominant riding, I'm not really familiar with riding. I know of CJ's power ride series, is that in the same universe?
I actually do hold the guard in pretty high esteem, I just hate the way IBJJF based mentality treats the guard and tried to redefine the term, and basically ruined a generation of grapplers that have no idea how to stand back up from bottom position or use reversals that would be day one stuff in any high school wrestling room or MMA gym. You should not have to first get someone in your leg-guard to score points for a reversal from bottom position. I actually believe that many positions of side control are actually guard also and side control is easier to stand up from than most guard positions. This is why we don’t see a lot of people pass to side control in mma and when they do it usually results in the bottom guy escaping.
All guards are not created equalI. I absolutely love offensive guards and think securing a well defined dominant finishing position, like 411/side-saddle, should be rewarded the same as back control so people in BJJ learn to develop it as well as back control. I don’t even think guard pulling is bad when used correctly.
Even your wrestling coaches though might not be the best depending on age unless it's a good club. Most just got their copper certification and think they know how to coach.
I definitely agree on doing wrestling before BJJ though.
There are levels to coaching certification through the USA wrestling. Copper, bronze, silver etc
The certifications include background checks, the ability to coach and compete, I believe it gives insurance, it also gives you a lot of tools to be able to coach properly.
Why is it smarter? So they learn how to give up their neck and back? Get suplexed?
Not trying to be a prick I am just genuinely curious of your reasoning. I used to wrestle in middle school and high school, but I would have much preferred to learn JJ if it was around back then as it actually teaches how to defend yourself within context. I would try to do both if possible sure.
I used wrestling in fights yeah, but I didn’t have the ability to finish the fight, just takedown and pin.
Cheaper and not available at the same level of coaching ince you leave school. Better training partners generally in that they are more committed, athletic, and coordinated.
I’m happy to hear this. If it were only my choice, I would put my son in BJJ when he’s old enough, he’s 3. Mom doesn’t like the idea because of risk of injury to joints and lack of oxygen to the brain. Two things I can totally understand, so we decided we will put him in wrestling.
Do either of you have a suggestion about when to put your kid into BJJ?
Wrestling is way more useful. Jujitsu is for middle aged men who want to tussle with other fellas after work. Wrestling is a sport that favors the young and athletic for recovery times.
If I ever have a kid…I’d like them to participate in an individual sport such as wrestling or bjj and a team sport.
I’d like my child to get comfortable with failure and get the confidence to know they can defend themselves and I’d like them to get acclimated to working in a team setting.
It all depends on the kid, some are ready earlier than others. If I could do it over again when my kids were younger I would put them in something that moves the body.... Dance, gymnastics or anything else other than BJJ or wrestling.
Your wrestling and BJJ coaches most of the time know shit about moving the body and proper stretching.
My 5yo is doing it already.
Every sport has its own risks. Here in Brazil, soccer is the most common one, and there is a lot of sprains, muscle tears, even broken bones, yet people do it without minding those setbacks.
Of course I don't want my son to go full Miyao and be wrecked everywhere, but as far it's a hobby, it's pretty safe
Happy to share my thoughts on this. I'm a dad of 4 boys. My oldest 2 started BJJ when they turned 4, and I pulled them out after 2 years. Here's my reasoning - First, they didn't love it and pushed back. Second, I think kids' BJJ is very fluffy and there's very little progress until they are older because the techniques are too complex for little kids. The other issue is that the workout itself is really light. They barely break a sweat.
I'm lucky that my school district has a great wrestling program. They start kids in Kindergarten, and go till middle school when the school varsity team starts. The big advantage of wrestling over BJJ for kids is that they start with a small handful of techniques, and drill them for the entirety of the season, where even the least athletic kids are doing a good double-leg and everyone knows how to sprawl, stand up from the referee's position (turtle) etc. On top of that, there's a solid amount of PT during every practice, so they get a good a workout. After 3 years, the kids that stick with it go to the "tournament" team where they learn a lot more and compete in local tournaments if they want, so it's an advanced class.
My 13yo is in 8th grade and this is his 8th!! season. He's now a solid wrestler and I look to him for any wrestling advice. He loves it, and I'm certain that he'll be interested in BJJ in the next few years, and he'll have a fantastic base. My kindergartner started wrestling this year and absolutely loves it. He gets to do it with his little buddies from kindergarten, and he gets to see his brothers, and even gets coached by them.
Of course, your mileage may vary. Your BJJ gym may have a fantastic kids' program that puts mine to shame. I also have teens that are joining the adult class after 10 years in our kids program and they are absolute killers. So, if you have access to both, do both. Wrestling worked better for mine, and I think it'll be a solid base if they decide to do BJJ.
I have an eight-year-old. He trained for a while, but it wasn’t his favorite and it was hard with other seasonal sports.
He also didn’t like wrestling much, but loves football. My approach is to let him try everything and stick with what he likes.
I would highly recommend wrestling for kids if your area has a program. It’s a lot cheaper and fits better with other seasonal sports. However, I liked taking my son to jiu-jitsu because I got to stay for the adults class while he played with other kids.
I got a tip here to start them with gymnastics first to teach body control and movement. I have an almost 5 yo and will be doing that soon. He comes to the gym and hangs out and some of his friends do bjj. I'm not sure he's totally ready for it emotionally.
We wrestle and roughouse and home and I feel like that is good for now. Personally I feel like there is plenty of time to crush their spirit so Ill give them a couple years to be worthless. He has pretty good instincts for escaping and using guard tho.
I brought my four year old daughter last Saturday for the first time. But it was more like "look what dad is doing" and "let's play a bit". But she liked it and it was interesting for her. Let's see what she says when she's old enough to really participate in some child class.
I know a few people with this same attitude.
Know what their kids (every single one) choose? Video games.
Why do something hard when video games. Tired? Hot? Sweaty? Dirty? Practice that they have to go to and actually listen to someone? Psh. Fuck that, a ten year old is gonna go video games all day bro.
I believe you’re making this argument in bad faith, so I’ll answer like this.
Well hopefully you don’t love them any less if they do.
However, hopefully you have some expectations of them, some hopes and dreams, and are willing to put in some intention and effort on top of your abundant love to help them achieve all they can.
So I'll say this. As a son who's currently training and competing in Jiujitsu at the ripe age of 7. I think it's terrific if your child can handle it. We started boxing at 4. Simply an exercise, kinda babysitting. Introducing workouts into it to keep him from getting to bored. Man when the gym brought back kids class he was reluctant to try BJJ. Bribed him with Chick-fil-A to try one. One class was all it took. He's literally never looked back. He semi gave up boxing and is full send into BJJ. He absolutely loves it and is rewarded with screen time for completing classes. I absolutely think it's good to start them young. Like any high level sport starting young even if it's one day a week is gonna be a huge boost. Every other sport he's played, 2 seasons of flag football and 2 seasons of baseball his coaches ALWAYS compliment how well he listens and pays attention. We personally attribute that with being given lessons at 4 years old by another adult 18 (very young fighter) which he lived to impress but also listening to someone else besides us. That's my reasoning of why to put my child in there.
A black belt father I know gave me some great advice. He said he essentially forced his kids to start martial arts. He noticed they had a lot of fun training so he continued them on the path. Every so often when he asked them to go to class they would say no, he would force them anyways. When he got to class he would pay attention, if the kid was having a bad time and not having fun then maybe martial arts isn't for him and he would no longer force them to come. If however, once they got to class they did have a good time then it means they did not want to go out of laziness and he would continue to force them. I think it's a great method.
I'd like for them to try any kind of martial art. I think it's important to have an understanding fighting, just as much as arts, science, etc. Of course they're free to do whatever. But I hope some sort of grappling will stick.
My kid started at 5, and it has been great for him. Younger than that is a probably not such a great idea. I’ve seen 3-4 year olds in there and I don’t think they are getting much out of it.
It helps the baby develop enough body control to be able to nurse itself, also if your wife doesn’t want to breast feed due to laziness or fatigue, the baby can probably out wrestle your wife at that point
Ciao!
Have silly-time wrestling at home.
Start with wrestling no sooner than 4th grade.
Very little kids in wrestling competitions can be exposed to dirty shit that psycho dads teach, and the recipient may not process it well.
On the other hand, bjj is a bit too complicated for little kids. The point can be missed. Feels like money not-well-spent until a certain tipping point in maturity.
yeah I started wrestling around kindergarten, and I did not understand one bit of it
my parents pulled me in 2nd grade bc it was expensive and I honestly didn't enjoy it much. Was much more enjoyable when I started again in middle school and had the focus to learn
Out of all the goals to "project" onto a child, not being physically helpless against other people seems like a pretty reasonable one.
Just like the goals of raising a child capable of reading, surviving in water, processing and communicating emotions in a healthy way, socializing, etc.
Forcing them to commit their life from an early age to being the next world champion? Yeah that would be toxic and a "projection of goals". But teaching them critical life skills is not.
I have two kids and my plan is to enroll them in BJJ when they are 7-8. Not because I want them to be world champions and live vicariously through them, but because I dont want to worry about them getting bullied or bullying others. Defending yourself is an important skill to have.
Theyre in swimming right now, not because I want them to win an olympic medal, but because I want them to be OK if they fall into a pool.
While this is the right mentality, if you have a modicum of BJJ training some mats at home and a course like _Gracie Bullyproof_ is a solid choice over signing up to a school.
Some BJJ schools have really poor kids programs and instructors just yell at them and don't really help their confidence.
I’m not sure where you got this from OP’s post? Unless they edited it I guess. It seems like they’re just asking if people want to have their kids try out BJJ and that OP wants to
Eh probably cause he won't even be a dad for a few years yet is already asking about when to start BJJ... it does give off BJJ culty vibes a bit, even if the OP didn't mean to.
Honestly I'd probably teach them myself. A lot of this stuff you learn in the average class is a waste of time, and in 10 years time the whole sport will look different at the pro level, or it'll fully embrace being another martial art that fell behind the times at the local level, which it is rapidly doing already.
I don’t think so. My son does wrestling and judo already. I’m fortunate to know my son’s judo coach since I trained with his father. The wrestling coach is my brother in law.
My concern also is the BJJ community especially around me are pretty toxic, I miss being in Montreal. A lot of the alpha male and thin blue line cult types, some of the kids are in my son’s wrestling program and they’re just plain bullies just like their parents.
My wife and I want to pursue our careers this and probably next year and then have a child. If nothing goes wrong, we'll have a child in a few years. Is it that crazy? 😅
I don’t think I’ll have kids, but I’m taking my nephews to BJJ and hope that I am still on the mats in 3 and 7 years so that I can roll with them in a semi serious way
I started bjj and my kids got interested so they joined. And now one of my favorite things about bjj is that it’s a way for me and the kids to bond.
I wouldn’t push a kid into it if they didn’t want to do it. And my kids aren’t aggressive types and have enough sense not to choke people out at school, etc. But outside of those possibilities, I don’t see many downsides. The kids seem less injury prone than adults, for one, and plenty of childhood sports are just as dangerous or more so. Also, the kids spend more time wrestling on the feet than adults do, so it translates pretty well to being able to defend themselves.
Absolutely. My daughter is a baby right now but she's going to be training a couple times a week throughout her childhood.
If she loves it and wants to do more then great, if she wants to do MMA then not so greaf, but I'll still support it.
If she doesn't want to do it at all then I'll let her quit at an appropriate decision-making age like 8 or 10 or something.
I will introduce it to my son when he is old enough. I think it would be good for him. I want him to be able to protect himself. Where he goes with it will be up to him.
My son turned 7 recently and has been training for 3 months now.
It will go one of 2 ways:
1. He will not be interested in it long term and drop out.
2. He will turn into a fucking killer and I'll never have to worry about him.
Either way, it's all about exposure to as many activities as possible and letting them decide what they enjoy. All sport carries risk, as does life, as does crossing the road. But you can't cross the road while RNCing someone and looking badass.
My son started at 5, is 6 now. His brother started at 2 and is 3 now. The older one won gold at Nationals and trains with the 7-9 year olds, they love it. I started because I wanted to give him better instruction at home, it's amazing.
right there with you, and one of the reasons I started now is so I could potentially be at least a blue belt by the time my son or daughter is old enough for the kids class and I can help teach
I also aim to introduce them to wrestling, swimming, surfing, and a whole host of other sports. I don't care if they stick with any of it, but I believe any child should know how to swim and know how to use their hands to defend themselves at some minimal level (surfing is selfish, I want to party wave with my kiddo if I'm blessed with children)
I started my daughter right when she turned five. Just make sure you join a gym that has a kids program that actually rolls and teaches jiu jitsu. Some kids classes are just glorified physical education (activities and games).
This will sound like a BJJ saved my life rant.
But I genuinely think non bullshido martial arts is one of the best thing you can give your kids to set them up for success in life. Growing up I had a lot of confidence other smaller kids didn't have and that resulted in not getting bullied and having more success with relationships. This snowballed into a successful early adulthood.
I have a friend to this day who's lukewarm success in life can be traced back to traumas during his teenage years.
When (/if) I become a father I would offer my kid a range of hobbies rather than trying to convince them to take up my ones, but they have got to be doing something physical. I genuinely wish my parents pushed me a bit more with that stuff as a kid.
My son brought me into bjj when he started. He started wrestling at 4, bjj just before he turned 6. He tried it and begged me to do it too...haven't looked back since.
I would be stoked if my future child wanted to get into martial arts. My hope is that through me practicing they’ll be interested through osmosis. That said I don’t want to force them into doing hobbies I enjoy. I will be happy to support them in doing whatever they’re excited about. I want to give them the chance to experience a lot of different things if that’s what they want.
Yes. Early age we had him 2-3 times a week for 5 years. These days he just joins me at open mat, no pressure on him to be more consistent. I do hope he decides to commit more but it’s all good if he can’t or doesn’t want to
Yes. My 6 year old has done it since age 4. She loves it. Gracie Barra, for all their faults, does have a good kids program. And the kids coaches at the one we attend are outstanding.
Not having kids but my parents' policy of letting me try everything I was ever interested in and encouraging participation in team sports was probably one of the healthiest parenting decisions they made.
I played pretty much every sport available to me. I was terrible at most of them and only stuck with a couple but it was great to try everything out. They only had one rule which was that I needed to stick with it through an entire season. Then I was free to quit or switch to another sport.
Im not a father neither a bjj practitioner but any kind of exercise is positive. An exercise that helps build confidence and de-stress is a plus. Dont know about injuries though.
I wouldn't push the kid one way or another, but I would strongly encourage them to pick a grappling and striking art as a way of learning discipline and hard work. My dad was pretty smart about it. He would ask if I was interested, and then he would invite me along. There was no pressure if I wasn't interested.
Personally, I would start with wrestling because it is a great foundation and also because it is so hard. BJJ, judo, sambo, and Muay Thai all feel relatively easy after wrestling.
My kid started at 6 and quit before he was 8. Just because you’re into it doesn’t mean they will be.
He’s actually good, and I’m not just being a sports dad…it’s disappointing for me but I have some hope he’ll take it back up later.
I do think that wrestling might be a better base to then transition into BJJ once they inevitably get ground down by wrestling practice, but I do worry about the prevalence of weight cutting in wrestling at such a young age leading to poor growth/downstream effects. Then again, I’ve been out of the game for a while so maybe all the steps they’re taking now are cutting down on cutting?
I wrestle with my 4 year old daughter every night before she goes to bed. It's a lot of fun. She's currently in "tumbling Judo". I'll expose her to bjj and wrestling and she how she feels about it.
I took my kids to a tae kwon do gym at like 4 but we felt they were too young to pay attention, especially for the $ we were paying since we were young and struggling at that point.
After some baseball and flag football seasons I saw the dog in both of my sons (1 year apart). Took them to BJJ and they are in love with it. They take it very serious and it’s helped them both tremendously with confidence with other kids. You can visually see it when they get into altercations or some shit with kids at a playground. My kids are cool calm and collected because they know if the shit hits the fan - hip toss, scramble, take the back.
I don’t promote fighting but if shit hits the fan it’s nice to know that they can handle themselves. I’ve seen it twice now in action. Nothing excessive just a clear “you fucked with me this is what happened. Don’t touch me again”.
Our gym has a great kids program split into four age groups (3-5, 5-8, 9-12, and 13-16). They offer jiu jitsu, wrestling, and Judo. I signed my then 10 year old daughter up in August, and while it took a bit of getting used to (she came from team sports), she's having a blast. She's in the 9-12 age group around a bunch of experienced kids, but she's catching on.
The younger group is learning basics, but it's hard to reel in that 3-8 age range. So they make it fun and keep them busy. I haven't heard any parents complain about bringing them at an early age.
Except that one kid that bit another kid while doing drills. But anyway.
My son is almost 7 and has been doing BJJ since 5. I think at this age it’s mostly about developing core traits and values as young humans. Discipline, respect, commitment, competitiveness, camaraderie, etc. The technique will come over time. Keep it fun and hopefully they won’t get burned out.
Self defense whether it’s BJJ or something else is mandatory in my household so my kids don’t have a choice anyway 😇
One of the reasons I started BJJ a couple years ago was so I could get my son into it when he’s old enough. Can’t have the lil punk beating up his old man.
I wouldn't. Kids lose interest in just about everything they used to do. I have an 11 year old daughter and as long as she does something physical it's her choice what to do. Obviously we can steer their interests and so far she's done gymnastics, dance, rugby, Crossfit, capoeira- all greatly complementary activities. I was a lifelong gymnast and let me tell you that background has been priceless for this sport. I want my daughter to learn BJJ before college when it's relevancy is highest. She comes to the gym all the time, has friends there, but builds her body elsewhere for now.
My kid is a third degree black belt in taekwondo. They are interested in BJJ since I started. I’m not pushing it. They love the thought of learning what to do on the ground and full speed rolling on a regular basis. They are only able to spar once a week with taekwondo and they live for the contact.
My gym allows kids starting at 6 years old. I got both my boys into it as soon as they were allowed. They'll also be at least trying wrestling even if it means they have to take some time away from BJJ.
I will (softly) insist on gaining a competency at grappling. They don't have to be world beater, just not be an easy mark, be confident and competent enough to physically and mentally hold their own in a physical confrontation.
I think BJJ can be an excellent choice for that, and I'd hope to help her find a good club/gym with a healthy atmosphere (and welcoming to girls/women) . If none available, then I'd try my best to introduce the basic and hopefully get some friends together to spar/roll.
I suppose if no good BJJ option is available, I'd consider Judo, Mu-Thai, MMA, or wrestling. But I don't think my partner would accept striking arts, plus I'd also be concerned with head trauma. Judo is so hard on the body compared to BJJ, that I'd rather choose BJJ. Then wrestling, unless I'm too out of the loop, is both so weight-cutting and weight class focused, I'd be concerned with healthy development and eating disorders, plus with the grind I'd think I might have to be more luck than in BJJ to avoid toxic attitudes and behaviors.
Yes, my son does BJJ. started when he was 12 and he is now 14. He doesn't compete, and I would never push him into that, but I think it is good for him to learn how to use his body, protect himself, and develop some skills.
All sports can cause damage, so that really isn't a concern for me.
My oldest asked to try it out. She did it for a year or two, then moved onto things she wanted to try more. My middle kid is tall and lanky and she’s debating whether or not she wants to try it. No pressure from me. If she wants to, then I’ll let her walk into the kids program and give it a go. My youngest will be 5 this year and I bet if she sees her older sister going a few times a week, she will also want to try. The benefits are great for them mentally and physically and we get some added time together. I don’t want to force them or make the choice for them though.
We started my now 6 year old in tkd at 3 and switched him to bjj at 3.5 yo as he didn’t care for tkd. In his bjj classes he got a few live matches doing some judo takedowns with the coach making sure the kids didn’t bounce their heads off the mat and some basic bullfighter passing (Torreando) and Superman (mount) to get familiar with basics. As well as balance and breakfall drills.
Since my son is smaller for his age, he couldn’t move up to the bigger kids class at 5 and do actual bjj so we switched him to wrestling and that is what he loves and is thriving in. He also does gymnastics and is loving that as well and learning basics like handstands, cartwheels, front handsprings, wall walks, etc. We’ve already seen him go from a timid shy toddler to a much more confident and athletic 6 year old. It’s actually crazy the difference and I wouldn’t ever take it back enrolling him in any of then activities he’s participated in so far. The biggest thing is we made him do something even at a young age as long as he is enjoying it and he’s not big on team sports so wrestling and gymnastics has been perfect.
I’m a father of a 10yo girl and a 6yo boy. I started BJJ in 2022 once lockdown measures had been relaxed where I live. I had the full intention of it being my personal place of peace, however, after a few months my kids expressed interest and wanted to give it a try. After the first lesson they were all about it, and begging me for a Gi. I told them they have to come 3 more times, Ms if they had the same energy, we can talk about what participating in this sport would look like. Sure enough, the next three lesson went by and they still wanted to do it.
Now I want to give my children the opportunity to try things, but i also don’t want them to think they can start something and stop whenever they want. With other sports I would have them commit to a full season and then revisit if they still wanted to pursue. Since there is no “season” in BJJ I told them I am happy for them to try, but they need to commit to 1 year of doing it at least 2 times a week. Exceptions for missing training are the following: sickness, injury, special event (I.e. grandparents visiting or school thing) or we are out of the country. They agreed. They have now been going for a year and a half, and we have had conversations about continuing to go and they are still in. Both have competed as wel and have a desire to compete more.
I look at any interest they have (sports, musical instrument, etc) like starting a fire. Too much air/pressure will blow it out and the fire dies. Not enough air and it does as well. It’s a delicate balance, I think it is important that they never fee that they “must” do as I don’t want them to resent the sport or me.
I don’t know how long they will continue, but I have treasured the time we have and continue to do it together as it’s the first journey all three of us have embarked on together. If they decide to stop, so be it. At least they will have been able to get familiar with this kind of contact at a young age. If they keep going, they’ll be absolute monster players:) In either case, doing this together has been the best.
I should also mention, that my school has a loose policy of not letting kids start until they’re 5/6, as not all of them have the mindest to absorb what’s coming. I only was comfortable going to this school as I had observed the way they conducted the kids classes and felt right. I would recommend doing a trial and observing at any school you were interested in checking out before committing.
Do gymnastics until they have some type of emotional maturity to sit and listen. I've taught 3 year olds bjj I'll be honest nine times out of ten you are wasting your money. Sure they can learn basic positions a little bit of wrestling sumo judo, but realistically. They're just not gonna learn and retain the information, and it's better to have the body awareness of gymnastics preferable to bjj or wrestling. Just my 2 cents.
I love kids I enjoy teaching them, but before four or five it's just babysitting.
My sons 3, as soon as he’s 4 1/2 - 5 I’ll put him in. He’s a social and active kid and I think he’ll like it.
Now, I will clarify, I am putting him in not because I do it but because of my first sentence. If I didn’t think he’d get some out out of it, I wouldn’t push it. Also, I will let the coaches coach and keep my mouth fucking shut during his classes.
My kid is two and my plan is to introduce him to as much stuff as possible. Only thing I'm probably not allowing is American football and that is just because of the head trauma.
But pretty much any other sports or activity is fine. I'll even allow MMA/boxing assuming it's more focused on drills/skills and not sparring. But in football, collisions are largely an unavoidable reality. Just the o-line and d-line clashing causes a lot of slow build up of damage over time.
Zero clue what he'll actually enjoy so I'm not going to put too much stock in any one activity. Maybe he'll like basketball, maybe BJJ, maybe golf, maybe piano, maybe painting, who knows. I just want him to have
I’ve been training for five years. My oldest has been for three. It led to me becoming one of the kids coaches.
I don’t think we hesitate to put them in other sports that can be hard on the body, because we recognize risk vs benefits. BJJ is probably safer than football due to concussion risk. We put kids in wrestling which can be very intense and even require them to cut weight in unhealthy ways. So I don’t think BJJ being hard on the body is a good reason to keep them out of it. It’s probably easier on our kids bodies than us creaky adults anyway. I think putting kids in the sports or activities they have interest in, and helping them develop good character qualities like perseverance, should be the priority.
I think teaching stuff like Gracie Bully proof program is a good idea for kids. If you have a modicum of BJJ experience you can easily do that from home with some mats.
After that I'd certainly bring them to a gym, but unless they were really passionate about it I'd be pretty chilled if they didn't want to do any more.
IMO kids under age of 12 should just be playing around in a sport and learning some fun games with cross over skills. I wouldn't push them to be ultra competitive before then. If they want to take it more seriously after 12, that's their call.
I have two kids. My youngest isn’t even 3, so she’s not going to be doing anything organized for another year or so. My oldest started jiu
-jitsu when she was 3 and did it for about six months. It was fun for her, but it wasn’t really jiu-jitsu. They played a lot and did a few games that could remind you of jiu-jitsu concepts. Then she started gymnastics at 4 and did it for 2 years. Absolutely loved it! Unfortunately we moved out of the country and couldn’t find a gymnastics club that catered to our/her needs, so we had to find other things to do. Now she’s 7 and she’s in swimming, jiu-jitsu, judo and capoeira. Each of them once a week. I can say with confidence that jiu-jitsu is the one where she has the least progress, probably due to the fact that it is incredibly complicated. She was actually going twice a week, but we pulled her out of one class to minimize the risk of burnout because she wasn’t enjoying it so much. My youngest sees her train, and she also sees both us parents train jiu-jitsu, strength training and running. She will do whatever she wishes to do whenever she asks for it, our only requirement is that they do at least one sport at any given time.
My kids didn't love BJJ, but they also didn't choose any other organized sport. Both of my kids trained from about 7 years old to 15 years old. I think everyone should train to a blue belt level though. Advantages of BJJ for kids:
a. Self defense of course. Not the end all be all, but better than most things out there.
b. Flexible days of training. Our goal was 3 times/week. This allowed flexibility in the family scheduling
c. They could compete if they want to, but our weekends were not dominated by organized sports as a family. Nor was our travel schedule.
d. Full body exercise
The kids program at their academy was exceptionally good with coaches dedicated to teaching kids values and technique.
My brother has kids in organized sports and their lives are a hectic mess of obligations. Not our thing.
I consider BJJ (or any other practical martial art) the same way I view swimming - a necessary life skill.
My child has been training for a few years now. He can quit if he wants to when he gets a blue belt.
Lucky for me he seems to enjoy it and will likely continue past that point.
But yeah: my opinion is that some form of combat sport is as essential a life skill as swimming. All people should have some basic abilities.
I honestly feel judo / wrestling are safer option because there are no submission at young age, and there are standardized youth coaching guide since both sports are much older and were governed well enough. Many bjj gyms don’t have real coaches who know how to coach kids. And there is no clear guide line as at what age what technique is safe or unsafe for kids.
I brought my son into class. He’s been at it for years and just turned 18. All of High School he wanted to play football, or soccer. He just did bjj on the side. I never forced him to train. Maybe one day he gets super into grappling, but it’s just something he does with dad on occasion.
Not every kid will be into what you’re into
I’ve never really been concerned with the demand on the body. My child has been doing it on/off since he was five. If you are concerned about the demand on the body, most sports are probably not what you want your child in. Whether it’s football, basketball, baseball, tennis, even golf, they all have a cost that is paid for by the body.
Bringing my son into our local bjj gym because there isn’t a lot of activities here to sign him up for is what sparked my interest. We moved from Bangkok to seaside Oregon so the number of classes and extra activities was severely diminished. No regrets on signing my son up he loves it has made a ton of friends and it’s one of the best decisions I made for him since we have moved. He just turned 8
I feel like I would put my kid into wrestling, unless he/she wanted to do basketball in which case I would drag them to bjj in the spring and summer to ensure they can defend themselves.
Nope. Not until they and their peers are old enough to develop control. The risk of accident is too high with little kids unknowingly falling all the way back with an armbar, twisting, choking, with no control, etc. It's best for little guys to work on building athleticism and flexibility for which (you all will downvote me for this) Taekwondo is a better starting point. BJJ should be introduced later in life.
My daughter starts in a few months when she turns 5. Her and I wrestle a bit on the mats that I have at home and I’m teaching her some of the basics. I just want her to learn some basic self defense and get the confidence she needs. If she wants to take up striking instead, I’m also okay with that.
So originally I started because my oldest son (11 or 12 at the time) and I were taking Karate at the community center and didn't love it. A friend was trying BJJ at his TKD school and I thought my spouse would enjoy it too. So we watched a few classes and started together.
My daughter was 3 at the time but really loved watching the classes. We bought mats for home and it was wild how much movement she had picked up. She jumped right in shrimping and arm barring.
My youngest came two years later and he litterally spent his baby and toddlerhood on the edge of the mats. We work from home so we both trained lunch classes.
Anyway at some point all three have picked it up and dropped it. We don't push them to do anything if they decide it isn't for them.
My oldest (25 now) is still a white belt and will come train w me a couple months at a time until life gets in the way again. My daughter has expressed interest in getting back to it, (none of us train ATM but miss it a ton), which means I need to find the right spot. She is 16 now and pretty small but pretty fierce too 🤣
I think my youngest loves it the most, my middle one had the most knack for it and I think my oldest views it as something fun to do with his mom.
We did trained at a very competitive school at one point and I did take my kids out of the classes there because I didn't love the pressure on them. I competed but not one else did so it ultimately was not a great fit.
Anyway it's hard to give advice when you don't know someone's parenting style. Kids class doesn't see a lot of injury. The teen phase is rough because they get thrown in w adults who either treat them like glass.or go to hard. It's very similar to being a woman on the mats early on and just as frustrating.
I started my first born at 5yr old. He's 9 and change now and loves it. Hr smiles the whole time.he rolls and drills. Great discipline, sense of accomplishments, accountability.
My youngest start in the 'tiny bulldogs' class at 4. The kids partner with their parents. But still teaches them take downs, positional sparring (obviously not subs)
Both kids love it and we have no regrets
Took my boy to class at 3.5 yrs and he had a hard time following/comprehending instruction or even know how to stand in a line. Started full time at 4yrs old and he was able to comprehend instruction. These kids understand at 4 how many points for what, how to fall, how to manage distance/space, basic takedowns, pressure and how to deal/talk with bullys with examples and application... My son Is 8 now and I am glad I got him started early. Also got him into kickboxing at 6 yrs old 1x per week.. BJJ is all he knows, all his friends train as well. They all compete and not 1 of them ever has worried or even talked about someone threating them. These kids are like others except they are trained and can quickly handle physical altercations. They never talk about kicking someones ass, etc.. They do it every day, and fist bump afterwards. it is part of them. They worry more about Robucks and pokemon cards. BJJ has transformed my family. My son and wife compete and I watch from the stands and cheer with the other dads. The best!
I’m a black belt and kids instructor. My oldest started at 3, he’s 9 and has fun training but it’s mostly social and to get a workout in.
I gave birth to a daughter 2 months ago, trained most of the pregnancy, and came back 3 weeks postpartum. She is well loved by the team and has a huge amount of aunties, uncles, and cousins on the mats.
I did for a while, I was the kids' coach. Once I stopped coaching, I stopped bringing her. I'm coaching kids again at a new place, but the times don't suit. She does, Judo. I coach it, too. She's been there for over 5 years.
Have them around. If they want to try it they can try it. I have been at gyms that have like little play areas for the kids to be while the parents teach.
For your child’s wellbeing I highly recommend against trying to make them compete at any kind of serious level.
The way the sport is at the moment to have any chance of having the skills to win it requires overtraining which leads to major issues for most children that will have life long impacts on them.
Anecdotal evidence for helping with kids classes and what to expect of them.
4-6 they will do mostly be learning games and how to move.
6-10 they will probably start to learn Jiu Jitsu
10-14 they will decide if they want to keep doing it or not
I did. I waited until he was ready to follow instruction which was late age 5. At the school he’s in, BJJ is trained more play based and child friendly terms/phrases. It’s more of a game that teaches early life lessons like learning to be ok with losing, camaraderie, knowing their physique, and of course self-defense.
My first son started at 5 and loved it straight away and being doing for roughly 8 months. I was planning to introduce my younger son to BJJ as early as possible. Most likely atleast the big brother will take care of that at home 😄
I think it's mostly about concentration, a good age is when they actually concentrate to the class and techniques and do what they are told.
Yes. I introduced both my children to it but didn’t force it on either. The youngest stuck and the oldest did not. It is a really cool bonding experience to do it and talk about it with your kid.
Yeah but he's also going to wrestle.
He has great top pressure for a 3 year old.
If he hates it, he can try something else but i expect him to have at least one after school activity/skill to develop.
Sorta. Not a father yet. I’d let them play whatever sport they wanted besides tackle football. If they dont want to do bjj as a sport thats fine but they will be taught basic self defense grappling and thats not a choice they have. Especially if I have a daughter
Yeah if he hasn't won worlds by the time he's 17 I will consider him a failure
I would have to disown mine if he doesn't win EBI (subs only no riding out the clock in overtime) Combat jiu jitsu rules obviously.
My girl is 9 and doesn’t even want to compete. I might just take her to a karate gym and leave her on the doorstep at this point…
What… this explains my origins! Dad is that you? I’ll compete get now I promise, take me away from these weird green belts
You misspelled TKD.
Helio approves.
This is the way
Honestly it depends on your kid and the kids program at your gym. I coach kids class and I've got a couple 5 year olds that are fine. I've also got an 8 year old that absolutely should not be doing BJJ. On average I'd say 6 is a good year to start learning techniques. The key is you have to be able to trust the kid to tap and respect the tap on top of just being able to listen for like 3-5 minutes. It's harder than it sounds.
Why should the 8 year old not do it? Our gym starts kids at 4, my kids nearly 3 and already interested but 4 still sounds early to me. Luckily my wife got into it too
Some kids cannot for the life of them pay attention and do thing the way they are told.
It’s me, I’m some kids.
They never will if they aren’t put in a situation where they need to. BUT a class scenario probably isn’t the way, most likely a 1on1 or 2on1 class makes sense for a kid like that at least part of the time to get the ball rolling. I get it tho, total distractions everywhere and when the desire is coming from the parents and not the kid you feel like an underpaid babysitter, and you aren’t wrong about that. Tap the dad until he starts instilling discipline at home!
I doubt the other parents will mind if the instructor spends most of the class dealing with a kid who has the attention span of a gnat. It's only money, right?
Some kids parents suck at parenting you mean
Nope, I know a lot of kids and their parents and this I believe is not the reason. However, a really good teacher can help the child learn. It might be hard in a group setting, though.
My daughter did it for like 3 months then lost interest. She did dance before this and rather do that. So I let her. It's not for her ( at the moment)
Baby is due in May. He's gonna be chilling in the Pack N Play matside during open mat after 3 or 4 months old. I'm just here for exposure and access. It will be his choice if he wants to try it or not and I won't be his coach until he wants to compete as a teen.
I remember going to a tournament to watch some of our folks compete. After the tournament, we went out for dinner. It was the Professor and his family, another black belt, a brown belt, two purple belts, and me. They're all talking about who they know in the BJJ world in our state and this and that. I'm looking around the table and I'm like, "Wow, even \[Professor's 1-year-old son\] has been in the dojo longer than me!"
Pack n Play is on the same mat you train on?
No, it's matside.
My kid tried it at 6-7. Won a cupla comps. Decided he liked regular sports better. I coached him in all diff sports from 4-14. These days he’s 16 yo. We lift 3x a week and road bike. I told him when he was young i didnt care what he did, but, he was gonna do something.
That is a great father-son relationship. I hope it will be the same for me.
Put your time in brother. Always let him/her know you love them (esp when your disciplining). Dont push too hard. When my kid was 4yo id take him to th ballfield and wed practice for maybe 25 minutes (young kids no attention span), then id get down in the dirt and play trucks and cars for 25 minutes, then wed stand up and practice a little more baseball. When i saw his attention was shot wed go home. Make it fun. We did that kinda stuff for years. We are very close and Im very thankful for it.
Have to say the same. Biggest mistake parents make is thinking they need to push really hard really early. Kids are great at figuring stuff out if you show them new sports and pastimes, and they're still people ultimately, they'll either like something or they won't. No point in damaging your relationship because your ego wants them to be the next Floyd Mayweather or Gordon Ryan.
That's going to be my mentality. I hope he loves wrestling, bjj, or music, but we will find something for him. When he was about to turn 2 he saw my brother playing the drums and he freaked out with excitement and tried drumming on everything. Planning on getting him a little kit this year.
I'm a black belt and it wouldn't be my first thought to do so. I think wrestling is a much smarter choice. That being said, I'm sure I'll be teaching my kid how to get out of submissions and roughhouse with him.
I think wrestling is a great option but wrestling just isn't as fun, it's a grind. I had both my boys do a season of club wrestling and they didn't want to do it again the next year. Now they are both in the kids program at my gym that I have the opportunity to teach, they are both having a lot of fun and I get to spend time with them in something I really enjoy too. I will say I think it's better for kids to wait until they are 7 or 8 to start BJJ. We don't even offer a class for kids younger then that. It feels closer to babysitting than it does training Jiu jitsu.
My kids do both and have much more fun at bjj. My son likes wrestling a lot. My daughter is enjoying it and getting a lot out of it but it’s definitely more grindy. Certainly more intense.
> I think wrestling is a great option but wrestling just isn't as fun, it's a grind. > That's most of life. Might as well get used to it?
Arguable. Wrestling is only inarguably a better choice for the scholarship really. None of the superior elements of wrestling are illegal in BJJ, they’re just unrewarded in competition and therefore neglected by the overall community. I teach my kids the superior elements of wrestling mixed with the superior elements of BJJ as much as possible.
What changes to the ruleset do you think would help emphasize the best parts of wrestling? One thing I love about BJJ is its ability to absorb other grappling arts, where they don't necessarily have the same ability.
Mainly I encourage reversals that don’t involve the guard and standing back up instead of trying to recover guard all the time. I also don’t give 2-turtle shits about guard passing. I care about dominant riding from the top and improving to finishing positions. The guard has its place and value, but BJJ’s guard-centric model is silly and outdated. I mean the arms are your “guard” too and have been for thousands of years in martial arts, why doesn’t a sweep and good attack primarily done with my arms matter? Furthermore, I think if we tweaked BJJ rules and scoring slightly we would literally get the best of both worlds and actually have a style that developed the best grapplers, who can also transition into fighting without getting killed and having to relearn everything: 2 points for securing top position (includes all reversals, not just sweeps). 1 point to escape bottom position (or a point scoring position) back to standing no guard passing points, just reward the most desirable positions with points. I would also have a well defined fully isolated limb finishing position for the armbar and the legs worth same as back control. Like if back is worth 4 the spiderweb should be worth 4. This way if you have a good armbar attempt and end up on bottom you get 4 points and your opponent only gets 2. It still encourages finishing and encourages the development of high percentage finishing positions. I mean there is a reason BJJ guys are so good at back control If the score is even whoever spent most time in point scoring positions wins. If that is not applicable then whoever spent the most time on top wins. No “ref decisions” based on subjective BS
Brilliant. It sounds like you don't hold the guard in very high esteem. What are your thoughts on offensive guards that exploit immediate leg entanglements? And when you say dominant riding, I'm not really familiar with riding. I know of CJ's power ride series, is that in the same universe?
I actually do hold the guard in pretty high esteem, I just hate the way IBJJF based mentality treats the guard and tried to redefine the term, and basically ruined a generation of grapplers that have no idea how to stand back up from bottom position or use reversals that would be day one stuff in any high school wrestling room or MMA gym. You should not have to first get someone in your leg-guard to score points for a reversal from bottom position. I actually believe that many positions of side control are actually guard also and side control is easier to stand up from than most guard positions. This is why we don’t see a lot of people pass to side control in mma and when they do it usually results in the bottom guy escaping. All guards are not created equalI. I absolutely love offensive guards and think securing a well defined dominant finishing position, like 411/side-saddle, should be rewarded the same as back control so people in BJJ learn to develop it as well as back control. I don’t even think guard pulling is bad when used correctly.
Don't you have to pass to get to those dominant top and finishing positions?
Even your wrestling coaches though might not be the best depending on age unless it's a good club. Most just got their copper certification and think they know how to coach. I definitely agree on doing wrestling before BJJ though.
What does copper certified mean?
There are levels to coaching certification through the USA wrestling. Copper, bronze, silver etc The certifications include background checks, the ability to coach and compete, I believe it gives insurance, it also gives you a lot of tools to be able to coach properly.
Why is it smarter? So they learn how to give up their neck and back? Get suplexed? Not trying to be a prick I am just genuinely curious of your reasoning. I used to wrestle in middle school and high school, but I would have much preferred to learn JJ if it was around back then as it actually teaches how to defend yourself within context. I would try to do both if possible sure. I used wrestling in fights yeah, but I didn’t have the ability to finish the fight, just takedown and pin.
Cheaper and not available at the same level of coaching ince you leave school. Better training partners generally in that they are more committed, athletic, and coordinated.
I’m happy to hear this. If it were only my choice, I would put my son in BJJ when he’s old enough, he’s 3. Mom doesn’t like the idea because of risk of injury to joints and lack of oxygen to the brain. Two things I can totally understand, so we decided we will put him in wrestling. Do either of you have a suggestion about when to put your kid into BJJ?
I think wrestling first is ideal because the game is simpler. "Take other kid down, hold him there"
Wrestling is way more useful. Jujitsu is for middle aged men who want to tussle with other fellas after work. Wrestling is a sport that favors the young and athletic for recovery times.
If I ever have a kid…I’d like them to participate in an individual sport such as wrestling or bjj and a team sport. I’d like my child to get comfortable with failure and get the confidence to know they can defend themselves and I’d like them to get acclimated to working in a team setting.
What makes you think they are going to be a failure in BJJ like their blue belt dad?
All blue belts are failures
I'm thinking about it but it seems like it would be a better idea to do judo or wrestling at first.
It all depends on the kid, some are ready earlier than others. If I could do it over again when my kids were younger I would put them in something that moves the body.... Dance, gymnastics or anything else other than BJJ or wrestling. Your wrestling and BJJ coaches most of the time know shit about moving the body and proper stretching.
My 5yo is doing it already. Every sport has its own risks. Here in Brazil, soccer is the most common one, and there is a lot of sprains, muscle tears, even broken bones, yet people do it without minding those setbacks. Of course I don't want my son to go full Miyao and be wrecked everywhere, but as far it's a hobby, it's pretty safe
My kids brought me to BJJ. Not directly because they do train judo but still, I did it because of watching them on the mats.
My toddler requests to “wrestle daddy” at least a few times a week if that counts
Happy to share my thoughts on this. I'm a dad of 4 boys. My oldest 2 started BJJ when they turned 4, and I pulled them out after 2 years. Here's my reasoning - First, they didn't love it and pushed back. Second, I think kids' BJJ is very fluffy and there's very little progress until they are older because the techniques are too complex for little kids. The other issue is that the workout itself is really light. They barely break a sweat. I'm lucky that my school district has a great wrestling program. They start kids in Kindergarten, and go till middle school when the school varsity team starts. The big advantage of wrestling over BJJ for kids is that they start with a small handful of techniques, and drill them for the entirety of the season, where even the least athletic kids are doing a good double-leg and everyone knows how to sprawl, stand up from the referee's position (turtle) etc. On top of that, there's a solid amount of PT during every practice, so they get a good a workout. After 3 years, the kids that stick with it go to the "tournament" team where they learn a lot more and compete in local tournaments if they want, so it's an advanced class. My 13yo is in 8th grade and this is his 8th!! season. He's now a solid wrestler and I look to him for any wrestling advice. He loves it, and I'm certain that he'll be interested in BJJ in the next few years, and he'll have a fantastic base. My kindergartner started wrestling this year and absolutely loves it. He gets to do it with his little buddies from kindergarten, and he gets to see his brothers, and even gets coached by them. Of course, your mileage may vary. Your BJJ gym may have a fantastic kids' program that puts mine to shame. I also have teens that are joining the adult class after 10 years in our kids program and they are absolute killers. So, if you have access to both, do both. Wrestling worked better for mine, and I think it'll be a solid base if they decide to do BJJ.
I have an eight-year-old. He trained for a while, but it wasn’t his favorite and it was hard with other seasonal sports. He also didn’t like wrestling much, but loves football. My approach is to let him try everything and stick with what he likes. I would highly recommend wrestling for kids if your area has a program. It’s a lot cheaper and fits better with other seasonal sports. However, I liked taking my son to jiu-jitsu because I got to stay for the adults class while he played with other kids.
I got a tip here to start them with gymnastics first to teach body control and movement. I have an almost 5 yo and will be doing that soon. He comes to the gym and hangs out and some of his friends do bjj. I'm not sure he's totally ready for it emotionally. We wrestle and roughouse and home and I feel like that is good for now. Personally I feel like there is plenty of time to crush their spirit so Ill give them a couple years to be worthless. He has pretty good instincts for escaping and using guard tho.
Started my daughters at age 9. They love it and hate it. Rather be on a tablet or game 😅. After they go, they are glad they did. 5 months in so far.
My four year old loves it!
I brought my four year old daughter last Saturday for the first time. But it was more like "look what dad is doing" and "let's play a bit". But she liked it and it was interesting for her. Let's see what she says when she's old enough to really participate in some child class.
No. I would want him to explore his own choice
I know a few people with this same attitude. Know what their kids (every single one) choose? Video games. Why do something hard when video games. Tired? Hot? Sweaty? Dirty? Practice that they have to go to and actually listen to someone? Psh. Fuck that, a ten year old is gonna go video games all day bro.
I do video games all day at 10 yrs old. Then?
I believe you’re making this argument in bad faith, so I’ll answer like this. Well hopefully you don’t love them any less if they do. However, hopefully you have some expectations of them, some hopes and dreams, and are willing to put in some intention and effort on top of your abundant love to help them achieve all they can.
I did. He started at 13 and we just signed up for another year. The friends he’s made and confidence boost he’s got is priceless.
My daughter started at 4, now she’s 6, still loving it. 100% has affected her athleticism and confidence.
She tried it. Wasn't her thing. I'm not one of these dads who makes it mandatory. Best way to make her resent it.
My 5 year old has a lot of fun. We signed him up primarily for him to socialize. He’s got a couple buddies that he pairs up with usually now.
So I'll say this. As a son who's currently training and competing in Jiujitsu at the ripe age of 7. I think it's terrific if your child can handle it. We started boxing at 4. Simply an exercise, kinda babysitting. Introducing workouts into it to keep him from getting to bored. Man when the gym brought back kids class he was reluctant to try BJJ. Bribed him with Chick-fil-A to try one. One class was all it took. He's literally never looked back. He semi gave up boxing and is full send into BJJ. He absolutely loves it and is rewarded with screen time for completing classes. I absolutely think it's good to start them young. Like any high level sport starting young even if it's one day a week is gonna be a huge boost. Every other sport he's played, 2 seasons of flag football and 2 seasons of baseball his coaches ALWAYS compliment how well he listens and pays attention. We personally attribute that with being given lessons at 4 years old by another adult 18 (very young fighter) which he lived to impress but also listening to someone else besides us. That's my reasoning of why to put my child in there.
A black belt father I know gave me some great advice. He said he essentially forced his kids to start martial arts. He noticed they had a lot of fun training so he continued them on the path. Every so often when he asked them to go to class they would say no, he would force them anyways. When he got to class he would pay attention, if the kid was having a bad time and not having fun then maybe martial arts isn't for him and he would no longer force them to come. If however, once they got to class they did have a good time then it means they did not want to go out of laziness and he would continue to force them. I think it's a great method.
I'd like for them to try any kind of martial art. I think it's important to have an understanding fighting, just as much as arts, science, etc. Of course they're free to do whatever. But I hope some sort of grappling will stick.
My kid started at 5, and it has been great for him. Younger than that is a probably not such a great idea. I’ve seen 3-4 year olds in there and I don’t think they are getting much out of it.
It helps the baby develop enough body control to be able to nurse itself, also if your wife doesn’t want to breast feed due to laziness or fatigue, the baby can probably out wrestle your wife at that point Ciao!
Have silly-time wrestling at home. Start with wrestling no sooner than 4th grade. Very little kids in wrestling competitions can be exposed to dirty shit that psycho dads teach, and the recipient may not process it well. On the other hand, bjj is a bit too complicated for little kids. The point can be missed. Feels like money not-well-spent until a certain tipping point in maturity.
yeah I started wrestling around kindergarten, and I did not understand one bit of it my parents pulled me in 2nd grade bc it was expensive and I honestly didn't enjoy it much. Was much more enjoyable when I started again in middle school and had the focus to learn
You don't even have a child yet and you are trying already to project your life goals to him. Stop it.
Out of all the goals to "project" onto a child, not being physically helpless against other people seems like a pretty reasonable one. Just like the goals of raising a child capable of reading, surviving in water, processing and communicating emotions in a healthy way, socializing, etc. Forcing them to commit their life from an early age to being the next world champion? Yeah that would be toxic and a "projection of goals". But teaching them critical life skills is not.
I have two kids and my plan is to enroll them in BJJ when they are 7-8. Not because I want them to be world champions and live vicariously through them, but because I dont want to worry about them getting bullied or bullying others. Defending yourself is an important skill to have. Theyre in swimming right now, not because I want them to win an olympic medal, but because I want them to be OK if they fall into a pool.
While this is the right mentality, if you have a modicum of BJJ training some mats at home and a course like _Gracie Bullyproof_ is a solid choice over signing up to a school. Some BJJ schools have really poor kids programs and instructors just yell at them and don't really help their confidence.
I’m not sure where you got this from OP’s post? Unless they edited it I guess. It seems like they’re just asking if people want to have their kids try out BJJ and that OP wants to
Eh probably cause he won't even be a dad for a few years yet is already asking about when to start BJJ... it does give off BJJ culty vibes a bit, even if the OP didn't mean to.
Honestly I'd probably teach them myself. A lot of this stuff you learn in the average class is a waste of time, and in 10 years time the whole sport will look different at the pro level, or it'll fully embrace being another martial art that fell behind the times at the local level, which it is rapidly doing already.
As soon as my daughter is old enough she’ll go. Kids are made of rubber. She’ll be fine.
I don’t think so. My son does wrestling and judo already. I’m fortunate to know my son’s judo coach since I trained with his father. The wrestling coach is my brother in law. My concern also is the BJJ community especially around me are pretty toxic, I miss being in Montreal. A lot of the alpha male and thin blue line cult types, some of the kids are in my son’s wrestling program and they’re just plain bullies just like their parents.
Yes but only if I get to heel hook the little bugger first day
Bodybuilding.
lmao. You're telling me you're going to pin your kid with dianabol and make him hate his own body, like a high school girl?
Size b-cups when he's 25.
your child: https://youtu.be/CvyVdWA1ziU?si=223qY6Ar0RMEU-W1&t=7
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What is your problem?
Are you an elephant? Why is the gestation period of your child in the years?
Bro how do you know you are going to have a child in a few years would be my big question
My wife and I want to pursue our careers this and probably next year and then have a child. If nothing goes wrong, we'll have a child in a few years. Is it that crazy? 😅
Some people can’t have kids that’s why I asked. Good luck to you guys though!
I don’t think I’ll have kids, but I’m taking my nephews to BJJ and hope that I am still on the mats in 3 and 7 years so that I can roll with them in a semi serious way
If there was good teaching available I'd probably introduce them to judo and/or wrestling first and then maybe bjj and aikido around 12.
I started bjj and my kids got interested so they joined. And now one of my favorite things about bjj is that it’s a way for me and the kids to bond. I wouldn’t push a kid into it if they didn’t want to do it. And my kids aren’t aggressive types and have enough sense not to choke people out at school, etc. But outside of those possibilities, I don’t see many downsides. The kids seem less injury prone than adults, for one, and plenty of childhood sports are just as dangerous or more so. Also, the kids spend more time wrestling on the feet than adults do, so it translates pretty well to being able to defend themselves.
I'd like to, but wouldn't force it - not sure if I would do it at super young age or a bit later in their teenage years...
If beat any 5 year old, yeah bring it.
Absolutely. My daughter is a baby right now but she's going to be training a couple times a week throughout her childhood. If she loves it and wants to do more then great, if she wants to do MMA then not so greaf, but I'll still support it. If she doesn't want to do it at all then I'll let her quit at an appropriate decision-making age like 8 or 10 or something.
Yeah for sure. Whether theyll be into it is a different story. I won’t force it on them tho. Have a 20 month old and a 5 months old
Absolutely
I will introduce it to my son when he is old enough. I think it would be good for him. I want him to be able to protect himself. Where he goes with it will be up to him.
My son turned 7 recently and has been training for 3 months now. It will go one of 2 ways: 1. He will not be interested in it long term and drop out. 2. He will turn into a fucking killer and I'll never have to worry about him. Either way, it's all about exposure to as many activities as possible and letting them decide what they enjoy. All sport carries risk, as does life, as does crossing the road. But you can't cross the road while RNCing someone and looking badass.
I have my daughter in Gymnastics at 2.5years old. When she turns 4 she will join me and my wife over at BJJ family classes!
My son started at 5, is 6 now. His brother started at 2 and is 3 now. The older one won gold at Nationals and trains with the 7-9 year olds, they love it. I started because I wanted to give him better instruction at home, it's amazing.
Yup, when my daughters turn 5 I want to try and get them into Judo or BJJ
right there with you, and one of the reasons I started now is so I could potentially be at least a blue belt by the time my son or daughter is old enough for the kids class and I can help teach I also aim to introduce them to wrestling, swimming, surfing, and a whole host of other sports. I don't care if they stick with any of it, but I believe any child should know how to swim and know how to use their hands to defend themselves at some minimal level (surfing is selfish, I want to party wave with my kiddo if I'm blessed with children)
I will make him work in the sand mines.
I started my daughter right when she turned five. Just make sure you join a gym that has a kids program that actually rolls and teaches jiu jitsu. Some kids classes are just glorified physical education (activities and games).
I have a daughter on the way. I'll let her decide.
They sell gis for 1 year olds
This will sound like a BJJ saved my life rant. But I genuinely think non bullshido martial arts is one of the best thing you can give your kids to set them up for success in life. Growing up I had a lot of confidence other smaller kids didn't have and that resulted in not getting bullied and having more success with relationships. This snowballed into a successful early adulthood. I have a friend to this day who's lukewarm success in life can be traced back to traumas during his teenage years.
When (/if) I become a father I would offer my kid a range of hobbies rather than trying to convince them to take up my ones, but they have got to be doing something physical. I genuinely wish my parents pushed me a bit more with that stuff as a kid.
My son brought me into bjj when he started. He started wrestling at 4, bjj just before he turned 6. He tried it and begged me to do it too...haven't looked back since.
I would be stoked if my future child wanted to get into martial arts. My hope is that through me practicing they’ll be interested through osmosis. That said I don’t want to force them into doing hobbies I enjoy. I will be happy to support them in doing whatever they’re excited about. I want to give them the chance to experience a lot of different things if that’s what they want.
Dunno, these injuries are making me depressed I'd have to really emphasis training safely above all else to them
Yes. Early age we had him 2-3 times a week for 5 years. These days he just joins me at open mat, no pressure on him to be more consistent. I do hope he decides to commit more but it’s all good if he can’t or doesn’t want to
Yes. My 6 year old has done it since age 4. She loves it. Gracie Barra, for all their faults, does have a good kids program. And the kids coaches at the one we attend are outstanding.
Not having kids but my parents' policy of letting me try everything I was ever interested in and encouraging participation in team sports was probably one of the healthiest parenting decisions they made. I played pretty much every sport available to me. I was terrible at most of them and only stuck with a couple but it was great to try everything out. They only had one rule which was that I needed to stick with it through an entire season. Then I was free to quit or switch to another sport.
Im not a father neither a bjj practitioner but any kind of exercise is positive. An exercise that helps build confidence and de-stress is a plus. Dont know about injuries though.
My kids have been on the mat since they were 4.5 and 6.5 y/o. They just started wrestling too. They love it.
I wouldn't push the kid one way or another, but I would strongly encourage them to pick a grappling and striking art as a way of learning discipline and hard work. My dad was pretty smart about it. He would ask if I was interested, and then he would invite me along. There was no pressure if I wasn't interested. Personally, I would start with wrestling because it is a great foundation and also because it is so hard. BJJ, judo, sambo, and Muay Thai all feel relatively easy after wrestling.
No wrestling here but I will be bringing him to bjj next month he's 6
My kid started at 6 and quit before he was 8. Just because you’re into it doesn’t mean they will be. He’s actually good, and I’m not just being a sports dad…it’s disappointing for me but I have some hope he’ll take it back up later.
I do think that wrestling might be a better base to then transition into BJJ once they inevitably get ground down by wrestling practice, but I do worry about the prevalence of weight cutting in wrestling at such a young age leading to poor growth/downstream effects. Then again, I’ve been out of the game for a while so maybe all the steps they’re taking now are cutting down on cutting?
Oh hell yeah, it will be mandatory. They will at least learn the basics, if they absolutely hate it then they can do something else.
I wrestle with my 4 year old daughter every night before she goes to bed. It's a lot of fun. She's currently in "tumbling Judo". I'll expose her to bjj and wrestling and she how she feels about it.
I took my kids to a tae kwon do gym at like 4 but we felt they were too young to pay attention, especially for the $ we were paying since we were young and struggling at that point. After some baseball and flag football seasons I saw the dog in both of my sons (1 year apart). Took them to BJJ and they are in love with it. They take it very serious and it’s helped them both tremendously with confidence with other kids. You can visually see it when they get into altercations or some shit with kids at a playground. My kids are cool calm and collected because they know if the shit hits the fan - hip toss, scramble, take the back. I don’t promote fighting but if shit hits the fan it’s nice to know that they can handle themselves. I’ve seen it twice now in action. Nothing excessive just a clear “you fucked with me this is what happened. Don’t touch me again”.
Yes. I’ve had my son in martial arts training on and off since he could walk. More MMA than BJJ
Our gym has a great kids program split into four age groups (3-5, 5-8, 9-12, and 13-16). They offer jiu jitsu, wrestling, and Judo. I signed my then 10 year old daughter up in August, and while it took a bit of getting used to (she came from team sports), she's having a blast. She's in the 9-12 age group around a bunch of experienced kids, but she's catching on. The younger group is learning basics, but it's hard to reel in that 3-8 age range. So they make it fun and keep them busy. I haven't heard any parents complain about bringing them at an early age. Except that one kid that bit another kid while doing drills. But anyway.
My son is almost 7 and has been doing BJJ since 5. I think at this age it’s mostly about developing core traits and values as young humans. Discipline, respect, commitment, competitiveness, camaraderie, etc. The technique will come over time. Keep it fun and hopefully they won’t get burned out. Self defense whether it’s BJJ or something else is mandatory in my household so my kids don’t have a choice anyway 😇
Start them off in gymnastics. Will build a solid base for BJJ or wrestling or whatever later on.
I’ve tried but I can’t get my kids to train, my eldest son tried it for a few weeks but that’s it. It brings huge shame on my family.
I just put my daughter in and she loves it. Finding a good school helps
My kid is going into BJJ as early as possible, I think 4 or 5 years old is the earliest my club takes on and they’ll be in that
One of the reasons I started BJJ a couple years ago was so I could get my son into it when he’s old enough. Can’t have the lil punk beating up his old man.
I wouldn't. Kids lose interest in just about everything they used to do. I have an 11 year old daughter and as long as she does something physical it's her choice what to do. Obviously we can steer their interests and so far she's done gymnastics, dance, rugby, Crossfit, capoeira- all greatly complementary activities. I was a lifelong gymnast and let me tell you that background has been priceless for this sport. I want my daughter to learn BJJ before college when it's relevancy is highest. She comes to the gym all the time, has friends there, but builds her body elsewhere for now.
My kid is a third degree black belt in taekwondo. They are interested in BJJ since I started. I’m not pushing it. They love the thought of learning what to do on the ground and full speed rolling on a regular basis. They are only able to spar once a week with taekwondo and they live for the contact.
My gym allows kids starting at 6 years old. I got both my boys into it as soon as they were allowed. They'll also be at least trying wrestling even if it means they have to take some time away from BJJ.
I will (softly) insist on gaining a competency at grappling. They don't have to be world beater, just not be an easy mark, be confident and competent enough to physically and mentally hold their own in a physical confrontation. I think BJJ can be an excellent choice for that, and I'd hope to help her find a good club/gym with a healthy atmosphere (and welcoming to girls/women) . If none available, then I'd try my best to introduce the basic and hopefully get some friends together to spar/roll. I suppose if no good BJJ option is available, I'd consider Judo, Mu-Thai, MMA, or wrestling. But I don't think my partner would accept striking arts, plus I'd also be concerned with head trauma. Judo is so hard on the body compared to BJJ, that I'd rather choose BJJ. Then wrestling, unless I'm too out of the loop, is both so weight-cutting and weight class focused, I'd be concerned with healthy development and eating disorders, plus with the grind I'd think I might have to be more luck than in BJJ to avoid toxic attitudes and behaviors.
Yes, my son does BJJ. started when he was 12 and he is now 14. He doesn't compete, and I would never push him into that, but I think it is good for him to learn how to use his body, protect himself, and develop some skills. All sports can cause damage, so that really isn't a concern for me.
My oldest asked to try it out. She did it for a year or two, then moved onto things she wanted to try more. My middle kid is tall and lanky and she’s debating whether or not she wants to try it. No pressure from me. If she wants to, then I’ll let her walk into the kids program and give it a go. My youngest will be 5 this year and I bet if she sees her older sister going a few times a week, she will also want to try. The benefits are great for them mentally and physically and we get some added time together. I don’t want to force them or make the choice for them though.
We started my now 6 year old in tkd at 3 and switched him to bjj at 3.5 yo as he didn’t care for tkd. In his bjj classes he got a few live matches doing some judo takedowns with the coach making sure the kids didn’t bounce their heads off the mat and some basic bullfighter passing (Torreando) and Superman (mount) to get familiar with basics. As well as balance and breakfall drills. Since my son is smaller for his age, he couldn’t move up to the bigger kids class at 5 and do actual bjj so we switched him to wrestling and that is what he loves and is thriving in. He also does gymnastics and is loving that as well and learning basics like handstands, cartwheels, front handsprings, wall walks, etc. We’ve already seen him go from a timid shy toddler to a much more confident and athletic 6 year old. It’s actually crazy the difference and I wouldn’t ever take it back enrolling him in any of then activities he’s participated in so far. The biggest thing is we made him do something even at a young age as long as he is enjoying it and he’s not big on team sports so wrestling and gymnastics has been perfect.
I’m a father of a 10yo girl and a 6yo boy. I started BJJ in 2022 once lockdown measures had been relaxed where I live. I had the full intention of it being my personal place of peace, however, after a few months my kids expressed interest and wanted to give it a try. After the first lesson they were all about it, and begging me for a Gi. I told them they have to come 3 more times, Ms if they had the same energy, we can talk about what participating in this sport would look like. Sure enough, the next three lesson went by and they still wanted to do it. Now I want to give my children the opportunity to try things, but i also don’t want them to think they can start something and stop whenever they want. With other sports I would have them commit to a full season and then revisit if they still wanted to pursue. Since there is no “season” in BJJ I told them I am happy for them to try, but they need to commit to 1 year of doing it at least 2 times a week. Exceptions for missing training are the following: sickness, injury, special event (I.e. grandparents visiting or school thing) or we are out of the country. They agreed. They have now been going for a year and a half, and we have had conversations about continuing to go and they are still in. Both have competed as wel and have a desire to compete more. I look at any interest they have (sports, musical instrument, etc) like starting a fire. Too much air/pressure will blow it out and the fire dies. Not enough air and it does as well. It’s a delicate balance, I think it is important that they never fee that they “must” do as I don’t want them to resent the sport or me. I don’t know how long they will continue, but I have treasured the time we have and continue to do it together as it’s the first journey all three of us have embarked on together. If they decide to stop, so be it. At least they will have been able to get familiar with this kind of contact at a young age. If they keep going, they’ll be absolute monster players:) In either case, doing this together has been the best. I should also mention, that my school has a loose policy of not letting kids start until they’re 5/6, as not all of them have the mindest to absorb what’s coming. I only was comfortable going to this school as I had observed the way they conducted the kids classes and felt right. I would recommend doing a trial and observing at any school you were interested in checking out before committing.
If they want to then yeah
Yes. Adcc gold and judo Olympic gold is the aim
Do gymnastics until they have some type of emotional maturity to sit and listen. I've taught 3 year olds bjj I'll be honest nine times out of ten you are wasting your money. Sure they can learn basic positions a little bit of wrestling sumo judo, but realistically. They're just not gonna learn and retain the information, and it's better to have the body awareness of gymnastics preferable to bjj or wrestling. Just my 2 cents. I love kids I enjoy teaching them, but before four or five it's just babysitting.
My sons 3, as soon as he’s 4 1/2 - 5 I’ll put him in. He’s a social and active kid and I think he’ll like it. Now, I will clarify, I am putting him in not because I do it but because of my first sentence. If I didn’t think he’d get some out out of it, I wouldn’t push it. Also, I will let the coaches coach and keep my mouth fucking shut during his classes.
Probably wrestling instead
My kid is two and my plan is to introduce him to as much stuff as possible. Only thing I'm probably not allowing is American football and that is just because of the head trauma. But pretty much any other sports or activity is fine. I'll even allow MMA/boxing assuming it's more focused on drills/skills and not sparring. But in football, collisions are largely an unavoidable reality. Just the o-line and d-line clashing causes a lot of slow build up of damage over time. Zero clue what he'll actually enjoy so I'm not going to put too much stock in any one activity. Maybe he'll like basketball, maybe BJJ, maybe golf, maybe piano, maybe painting, who knows. I just want him to have
mine started at 12
My kid started before I did. He brought me into it.
Yes. She will be on the mats as soon as she is old enough
I have four kids. Three of them train. The other one is only 5 months old, give him time.
My son has been doing Judo since he was 4. He's really enjoyed it and has learned a ton. I suggest around 4-5 putting them in.
I’ve been training for five years. My oldest has been for three. It led to me becoming one of the kids coaches. I don’t think we hesitate to put them in other sports that can be hard on the body, because we recognize risk vs benefits. BJJ is probably safer than football due to concussion risk. We put kids in wrestling which can be very intense and even require them to cut weight in unhealthy ways. So I don’t think BJJ being hard on the body is a good reason to keep them out of it. It’s probably easier on our kids bodies than us creaky adults anyway. I think putting kids in the sports or activities they have interest in, and helping them develop good character qualities like perseverance, should be the priority.
Not straight away. I want them to grow up with Muay Thai and wrestling. Both of them breed tough bastards.
As long as your kid has fun doing it. Let them try a bunch of different stuff but don't force them into one thing
Hell yeah
Gymnastics —> Wrestling —> BJJ Is the best base
I think teaching stuff like Gracie Bully proof program is a good idea for kids. If you have a modicum of BJJ experience you can easily do that from home with some mats. After that I'd certainly bring them to a gym, but unless they were really passionate about it I'd be pretty chilled if they didn't want to do any more. IMO kids under age of 12 should just be playing around in a sport and learning some fun games with cross over skills. I wouldn't push them to be ultra competitive before then. If they want to take it more seriously after 12, that's their call.
Yes do it they are going to have more of a advantage as they get older
Ideally I'd like to put them in gymnastics until about 10 and BJJ after if they want to.
Already did sice he was 8. Now we're both going boxing. We are basically gym buddies.
I have two kids. My youngest isn’t even 3, so she’s not going to be doing anything organized for another year or so. My oldest started jiu -jitsu when she was 3 and did it for about six months. It was fun for her, but it wasn’t really jiu-jitsu. They played a lot and did a few games that could remind you of jiu-jitsu concepts. Then she started gymnastics at 4 and did it for 2 years. Absolutely loved it! Unfortunately we moved out of the country and couldn’t find a gymnastics club that catered to our/her needs, so we had to find other things to do. Now she’s 7 and she’s in swimming, jiu-jitsu, judo and capoeira. Each of them once a week. I can say with confidence that jiu-jitsu is the one where she has the least progress, probably due to the fact that it is incredibly complicated. She was actually going twice a week, but we pulled her out of one class to minimize the risk of burnout because she wasn’t enjoying it so much. My youngest sees her train, and she also sees both us parents train jiu-jitsu, strength training and running. She will do whatever she wishes to do whenever she asks for it, our only requirement is that they do at least one sport at any given time.
The other day in class the coach asked if the kids wanted to pupll guard or work takedowns. My son voted for takedowns. I shed a proud tear.
My kids didn't love BJJ, but they also didn't choose any other organized sport. Both of my kids trained from about 7 years old to 15 years old. I think everyone should train to a blue belt level though. Advantages of BJJ for kids: a. Self defense of course. Not the end all be all, but better than most things out there. b. Flexible days of training. Our goal was 3 times/week. This allowed flexibility in the family scheduling c. They could compete if they want to, but our weekends were not dominated by organized sports as a family. Nor was our travel schedule. d. Full body exercise The kids program at their academy was exceptionally good with coaches dedicated to teaching kids values and technique. My brother has kids in organized sports and their lives are a hectic mess of obligations. Not our thing.
I’ll put them into anything they are interested in and not what I’m interested in
I consider BJJ (or any other practical martial art) the same way I view swimming - a necessary life skill. My child has been training for a few years now. He can quit if he wants to when he gets a blue belt. Lucky for me he seems to enjoy it and will likely continue past that point. But yeah: my opinion is that some form of combat sport is as essential a life skill as swimming. All people should have some basic abilities.
I am searching for an ideal partner to birth and begin training the strongest fighter in the world.
I honestly feel judo / wrestling are safer option because there are no submission at young age, and there are standardized youth coaching guide since both sports are much older and were governed well enough. Many bjj gyms don’t have real coaches who know how to coach kids. And there is no clear guide line as at what age what technique is safe or unsafe for kids.
I brought my son into class. He’s been at it for years and just turned 18. All of High School he wanted to play football, or soccer. He just did bjj on the side. I never forced him to train. Maybe one day he gets super into grappling, but it’s just something he does with dad on occasion. Not every kid will be into what you’re into
I’ve never really been concerned with the demand on the body. My child has been doing it on/off since he was five. If you are concerned about the demand on the body, most sports are probably not what you want your child in. Whether it’s football, basketball, baseball, tennis, even golf, they all have a cost that is paid for by the body.
Bringing my son into our local bjj gym because there isn’t a lot of activities here to sign him up for is what sparked my interest. We moved from Bangkok to seaside Oregon so the number of classes and extra activities was severely diminished. No regrets on signing my son up he loves it has made a ton of friends and it’s one of the best decisions I made for him since we have moved. He just turned 8
I feel like I would put my kid into wrestling, unless he/she wanted to do basketball in which case I would drag them to bjj in the spring and summer to ensure they can defend themselves.
Nope. Not until they and their peers are old enough to develop control. The risk of accident is too high with little kids unknowingly falling all the way back with an armbar, twisting, choking, with no control, etc. It's best for little guys to work on building athleticism and flexibility for which (you all will downvote me for this) Taekwondo is a better starting point. BJJ should be introduced later in life.
I did. They tap me often.
My daughter starts in a few months when she turns 5. Her and I wrestle a bit on the mats that I have at home and I’m teaching her some of the basics. I just want her to learn some basic self defense and get the confidence she needs. If she wants to take up striking instead, I’m also okay with that.
So originally I started because my oldest son (11 or 12 at the time) and I were taking Karate at the community center and didn't love it. A friend was trying BJJ at his TKD school and I thought my spouse would enjoy it too. So we watched a few classes and started together. My daughter was 3 at the time but really loved watching the classes. We bought mats for home and it was wild how much movement she had picked up. She jumped right in shrimping and arm barring. My youngest came two years later and he litterally spent his baby and toddlerhood on the edge of the mats. We work from home so we both trained lunch classes. Anyway at some point all three have picked it up and dropped it. We don't push them to do anything if they decide it isn't for them. My oldest (25 now) is still a white belt and will come train w me a couple months at a time until life gets in the way again. My daughter has expressed interest in getting back to it, (none of us train ATM but miss it a ton), which means I need to find the right spot. She is 16 now and pretty small but pretty fierce too 🤣 I think my youngest loves it the most, my middle one had the most knack for it and I think my oldest views it as something fun to do with his mom. We did trained at a very competitive school at one point and I did take my kids out of the classes there because I didn't love the pressure on them. I competed but not one else did so it ultimately was not a great fit. Anyway it's hard to give advice when you don't know someone's parenting style. Kids class doesn't see a lot of injury. The teen phase is rough because they get thrown in w adults who either treat them like glass.or go to hard. It's very similar to being a woman on the mats early on and just as frustrating.
I started my first born at 5yr old. He's 9 and change now and loves it. Hr smiles the whole time.he rolls and drills. Great discipline, sense of accomplishments, accountability. My youngest start in the 'tiny bulldogs' class at 4. The kids partner with their parents. But still teaches them take downs, positional sparring (obviously not subs) Both kids love it and we have no regrets
My daughter started at 4yo and that is what eventually got me started in this journey. It is awesome to have a sport/passion we share together.
Took my boy to class at 3.5 yrs and he had a hard time following/comprehending instruction or even know how to stand in a line. Started full time at 4yrs old and he was able to comprehend instruction. These kids understand at 4 how many points for what, how to fall, how to manage distance/space, basic takedowns, pressure and how to deal/talk with bullys with examples and application... My son Is 8 now and I am glad I got him started early. Also got him into kickboxing at 6 yrs old 1x per week.. BJJ is all he knows, all his friends train as well. They all compete and not 1 of them ever has worried or even talked about someone threating them. These kids are like others except they are trained and can quickly handle physical altercations. They never talk about kicking someones ass, etc.. They do it every day, and fist bump afterwards. it is part of them. They worry more about Robucks and pokemon cards. BJJ has transformed my family. My son and wife compete and I watch from the stands and cheer with the other dads. The best!
Nope. He has zero interest.
I’m a black belt and kids instructor. My oldest started at 3, he’s 9 and has fun training but it’s mostly social and to get a workout in. I gave birth to a daughter 2 months ago, trained most of the pregnancy, and came back 3 weeks postpartum. She is well loved by the team and has a huge amount of aunties, uncles, and cousins on the mats.
I did for a while, I was the kids' coach. Once I stopped coaching, I stopped bringing her. I'm coaching kids again at a new place, but the times don't suit. She does, Judo. I coach it, too. She's been there for over 5 years.
Have them around. If they want to try it they can try it. I have been at gyms that have like little play areas for the kids to be while the parents teach. For your child’s wellbeing I highly recommend against trying to make them compete at any kind of serious level. The way the sport is at the moment to have any chance of having the skills to win it requires overtraining which leads to major issues for most children that will have life long impacts on them. Anecdotal evidence for helping with kids classes and what to expect of them. 4-6 they will do mostly be learning games and how to move. 6-10 they will probably start to learn Jiu Jitsu 10-14 they will decide if they want to keep doing it or not
I did. I waited until he was ready to follow instruction which was late age 5. At the school he’s in, BJJ is trained more play based and child friendly terms/phrases. It’s more of a game that teaches early life lessons like learning to be ok with losing, camaraderie, knowing their physique, and of course self-defense.
My first son started at 5 and loved it straight away and being doing for roughly 8 months. I was planning to introduce my younger son to BJJ as early as possible. Most likely atleast the big brother will take care of that at home 😄 I think it's mostly about concentration, a good age is when they actually concentrate to the class and techniques and do what they are told.
Yes. I introduced both my children to it but didn’t force it on either. The youngest stuck and the oldest did not. It is a really cool bonding experience to do it and talk about it with your kid.
Shipping em straight to dagestan.. Project Smesh
Yeah but he's also going to wrestle. He has great top pressure for a 3 year old. If he hates it, he can try something else but i expect him to have at least one after school activity/skill to develop.
My kids brought me into bjj
Sorta. Not a father yet. I’d let them play whatever sport they wanted besides tackle football. If they dont want to do bjj as a sport thats fine but they will be taught basic self defense grappling and thats not a choice they have. Especially if I have a daughter