Support your child for success in jiu jitsu with these helpful tips! Getting your child started in jiu jitsu is just the beginning of the battle, because once they are there, what do you do to support and encourage them throughout the experience? It can be intimidating for some parents, especially if they aren’t familiar with jiu jitsu themselves. Here we go over actionable tips for parents to support their child’s success in jiu jitsu.

1. Understand the Basics of Jiu Jitsu

Jiu jitsu can be an intimidating sport for those who aren’t familiar with it. By educating yourself through basic concepts and ideas of what the sport is about, you can help support your child’s learning experience. You don’t have to teach them, because that is the instructors’ job, but understanding the basics can help you know when to encourage them through a difficult time, or celebrate when they did something really well!

1. Let the Instructors Do Their Job

Just as you are an expert in parenting your child, the instructors are experts in teaching jiu jitsu. A common mistake that parents sometimes make is crowding their child while in class and coaching their kids throughout the class. This can be distracting not only for your child, but for the entire class. Please, leave the coaching and leading of the class to the instructors. If you have questions or concerns for the instructors, we are always available to talk it through outside of class.

1. Create a Consistent Training Routine

Balancing school, sports and everything else life has can be exhausting. But setting a consistent training routine will help support your child’s learning and help you get the most out of the program. Most classes are structured to build upon each other, so it helps to train consistently throughout the week. Training consistently also allows your child to practice, drill and apply the moves more often. With repetition, your child will be able to grasp the concepts quicker. Being consistent, being on time, and sticking to a routine are great lessons for children to learn as well!

1. Supporting Their Training and Learning Outside Of The Class

Supporting their learning outside of class can also help support their experience. Ask questions about what they learned on the drive home or when you’re out around town, perhaps there  is something you can connect to a lesson they learned in class. You can also ask the instructor for some simple drills or exercises they can practice at home. It would also be helpful to encourage healthy lifestyle practices such as nutrition, hydration, and sleep. A healthy lifestyle helps set up for a more successful experience on the mat (this goes for both kids, and adults!).

1. Promoting Good Sportsmanship

Something that is helpful to encourage before stepping into class is good sportsmanship. This could be reminding your child to respect their teammates, instructors and opponents. Respecting their instructors could look like bowing and shaking their hands at the beginning and ending of class. And with their teammates, it could look like helping one another out during the drills. It’s also helpful to emphasize humility and grace in both victory and defeat. Kids have so many emotions that they are still learning how to handle, and walking them through how to manage those emotions after class is done can go a long way!

In this post, we talked about 5 ways to support your child for success in jiu jitsu. We know it can be a lot for parents to juggle everything you do, but these little ways of providing support and encouragement will help your child succeed in jiu jitsu. At Hybrid Jiu Jitsu, we are proud of our kids programs and enjoy watching our kids excel, so we hope you found these tips helpful as we collectively build our future generations!