As a self-defense system, BJJ is second to none. But its benefits don’t just derive from martial arts techniques. It also gives children a mental and emotional toughness — which is likely to prevent them from being bullied in the first place.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an incredibly practical martial art. This is reflected in training. Sparring is a part of every martial art, but it’s a much larger part of BJJ. Unlike striking arts like Karate or Taekwondo, in which practitioners only begin sparring against resisting opponents after many months or even years of training, adults begin sparring against each other in BJJ from their first class. In Jiu-Jitsu, we call this “rolling”.
Of course, it’s different for children. Safety always comes first at Vaughan Jiu-Jitsu Academy, and we never make kids who are too young spar. And regardless of age, we always ensure children are sufficiently comfortable with their environment before they begin rolling with anyone. But once your child does start sparring, they’ll learn many fantastic skills and traits.
SKILL #1: DON’T BE A VICTIM
This is one of the first concepts we teach to our BJJ students; If you carry yourself like a victim, you are much more likely to be picked on. We teach some basic techniques about how to carry one’s self, look people in the eyes, and be in control of the situation. Many people mistakenly associate the Jiu-jitsu and Martial Arts with the act of “Fighting”. However Jiu-Jitsu and Martial Arts are not about fighting, Jiu-Jitsu is about developing CONFIDENCE. When a child knows how to defend themselves, both verbally and physically, the result is increased confidence which usually help avoid both verbal and physical confrontations. Jiu-Jitsu Kids don’t become Victims.
SKILL #2: VERBAL JIU-JITSU
The verbal skills we teach in martial arts help defuse situations and avoid conflict. An example might be if a bully approaches a child teasing him with insults, the child is taught to ask questions and make comments to break the flow of the bully’s expected conversation.
The conversation might read something along the lines of:
Bully: “Hey that is one ugly shirt!”
Victim: “I know but you should see the shirt I just got for my birthday… talk about UGLY! BTW I really like YOUR shirt. Where did you get that?”
SKILL #3: CONFIDENCE
If a child is not confident about defusing a bullying situation, the bully will sense this and possibly continue. At our Lil' Ninjas BJJ Program, we teach them how to be confident, smart and assertive in situations where bullying may occur.
SKILL #4: SELF ESTEEM
How a child feels about himself will determine how likely to become victims they are. A child needs to be made aware of its potential, and knowledge is part of the martial arts journey. Knowledge empowers children to carry themselves with Confidence and the Self-Esteem needed to not believe the bully’s insults or comments, and also be prepared to react in the best way when a confrontation arises. Statistically bullying victims do not take their own lives because they were beat up by a bully, but more likely because they have been “Beat Down’ mentally by their abuser.
Self Esteem and Character Building are the real benefits of involving a child in Jiu-Jitsu. It’s one thing to practice a roundhouse kick against a wooden block. It’s another to learn a self-defense technique and then successfully use it against a resisting opponent. Doing the latter makes a child confident and self-assured. And as we know, bullies typically pick on people who are insecure, or who the bully perceives to be weaker than themselves.
Sparring teaches your child resilience. Jiu-Jitsu is not easy. It comes with a lot of failure and discomfort, as sometimes it can take months to nail a technique or figure out the weaknesses in your game. But through this difficulty comes growth, and the ability to become comfortable in uncomfortable situations.
Again, it’s this kind of self-assuredness that can allow your child to avoid confrontation in the first place. At the end of the day, we believe the best self-defense is to just walk away. BJJ equips your child with the mental and emotional skills that make that easier.
But if a confrontation with a bully does arise, your child will be more than ready for that too.
If you’re a parent in Vaughan or within the GTA and are interested in your kid learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, feel free to bring them in to Vaughan Jiu-Jitsu Academy for a free trial class.
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