Is Jiu-Jitsu Safe for My Kid? A Straight Answer for Parents.

It is the first question every parent asks, and it deserves a real answer rather than a slogan.

What Jiu-Jitsu is, and is not

Jiu-Jitsu is grappling. There is no punching, no kicking, no striking of any kind. A child learns to control position, escape a hold, get up off the ground and stay calm. The techniques that end a match, the submissions, are taught with control and stopped by a tap. In our kids classes, nothing is applied fast.

How a kids class is run

• Coach Cliff coaches and supervises every minute of every class.
• Kids are paired by size and experience.
• The tap is taught in the first class, and respecting the tap is the first rule.
• Control comes before intensity. A child who cannot show control does not move to live rounds.
• Parents are welcome to watch every class from the edge of the mat.

What about bullying?

Jiu-Jitsu gives a child the ability to handle a physical situation without hurting anyone. A kid who can calmly get out from under a bigger kid, stand up and walk away is not a target for long. That confidence is what parents notice first, usually within a couple of months.

The honest part

It is a contact sport. Kids get bumps and bruises, the same as soccer or basketball. What we control is how classes are run, who a child is paired with, and how techniques are applied. Come watch a class before your child joins one. Your child's first class is free.