As parents, we always strive to provide our children with the best opportunities for growth and development. One such avenue gaining popularity is martial arts, particularly Jiu-Jitsu. At El Dorado Hills BJJ, we believe in not only teaching the art of Jiu-Jitsu to our youth but also fostering a supportive environment where parents play a crucial role in their child’s journey. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the significance of parent participation in our Youth Jiu-Jitsu Program and how it enhances the overall experience for both the child and the family.

Why Parent Participation Matters:

• Support and Encouragement: When parents actively participate in their child’s Jiu-Jitsu journey, it sends a powerful message of support and encouragement. Children thrive when they know their parents are invested in their activities and achievements.
• Building Trust and Bonding: Engaging in activities together fosters trust and bonding between parents and children. By attending classes, encouraging them before and after class, and sharing in their victories and setbacks, parents strengthen their relationship with their child.
• Setting a Positive Example: Children learn by example, and when parents demonstrate a commitment to health, fitness, and personal growth through Jiu-Jitsu, they instill valuable life lessons about dedication, discipline, and perseverance.
• Creating a Supportive Community: Parent participation cultivates a sense of community within the Jiu-Jitsu academy. It allows families to connect, share experiences, and provide mutual support, creating a positive and inclusive environment for everyone involved.

How Parents Can Get Involved:

• Attend Classes: Make it a point to attend your child’s Jiu-Jitsu classes regularly. Your presence alone can be a source of motivation and reassurance for them.
• Practice Together: Take the time to practice Jiu-Jitsu techniques with your child. Not only does this reinforce their learning, but it also strengthens your bond and allows for quality time together.
• Stay Informed: Stay updated on your child’s progress and the curriculum covered in class. Ask questions, provide feedback, and communicate with the instructors to ensure you’re actively involved in your child’s development.
• Support Events and Competitions: Attend tournaments and events hosted by the academy to cheer on your child and their teammates. Your presence and encouragement can make a significant difference in their confidence and performance.

Parent participation plays a strong role in shaping the Jiu-Jitsu journey of children enrolled in our Youth Program at El Dorado Hills BJJ. By actively engaging in their child’s training, parents not only support their physical and emotional development but also contribute to the creation of a thriving and supportive community within the academy. Together, let’s empower our children to excel on and off the mats, one technique at a time.

EDH Jiu Jitsu and Self Defense is a martial arts school established in 2009. When we first started, we had once class a night with only adults. Fast forward to 2022 we have morning, noon and evening classes. In the evening we have 4 different age groups; peewee (age 4-6) kids (age 7-9) juniors (age 10-15) and adults (age 15+). Dividing the classes into different age groups allows us to create an age appropriate learning situation and the older more experienced students a chance to mentor the younger less experienced students.

While there is a technical focus on learning and developing skills in the art of Brazilian jiu jitsu, we are very conscious about emphasizing more than just technical skills in all of our classes. Three skills outside the development of jiujitsu we emphasize are: communication, team work, and growth mindset. We strongly believe (and know through evidence based sports psychology research) sports teams or martial arts schools that emphasize the development of skills related to life, lead to better performers in their sport. We make an emphasis to emphasize and teach these skills in our lessons.

The first skill we emphasize as students join our program is communication. Communication isn’t easy. People communicate differently and are receptive to different styles of communication. There is athlete to athlete communication, coach to athlete communication, coach to coach communication… There is also the often over looked, coach to family communication, family to athlete communication as well. Communication is often a continuous process. This requires people checking in, clarification, repetition and reminders, forgetting and confirming. The most important is probably making sure people know they can and should speak up while keeping the line of communication open. The famous martial artist, Yuki Nakai, famously coined his jiu jitsu teams motto, “martial arts communication.”

As students develop skills in communication, team work becomes more possible. While jiujitus is an individual practice, it requires the team to collaborate and build off one another. Team work requires leadership and ability to follow leaders, problem solving skills, communication, an understanding of expectations, and more. We develop these skills in our athletes by creating practice scenarios that require them to use and practice these ideas through the duration of practice. The better they are as a team the better they are as individuals.

The ability to communicate and work as a team are a direct contribution to the practice of a growth mindset. In a growth mindset, talents, abilities, and intelligence are viewed as learnable and capable of being improved through effort. As athletes see and experience their development in jiujitsu, communication, and team work, we look to help them recognize the importance of maintaining a growth mindset.

As we train our skills on the mat in jiujitsu at our academy, EDH BJJ, we look to also train our skills off the mat. Communication, teamwork, and growth mindset are such skills we encourage and emphasize in our lessons. Doing this not only helps athletes be better people off the mat but also helps the athletes be better performers in jiujitsu.

Eliot

This weekend was the JJWL Stockton tournament. The American Jiu Jitsu Syndicate team finished with a few team trophies. In the youth gi division the team finished in 2nd place, a few points shy of 1st. In the adult and masters gi division the team finished in 1st place by a margin over 150 points. Congratulations!

From EDH BJJ there were 11 youth competitors, Ryder, Dailan, George, Drake, Marco, Jack F, Jack J, Colin, Hunter, Ella, and Emma. There were also 3 adult and master competitors, Danny, Joe, and Johnathan. Each competitor made improvements from match to match, showing a great display of ability to learn and improve their instincts. It’s very exciting to see competitors get out there and compete. The lessons learned in the short minutes of competition are incredibly valuable.

As the opportunity to compete grows it’s important to keep a few things in mind. Tournament experiences are a multi part process of training and preparation, the tournament performance, and the post tournament review and reflection. We can’t stress enough the importance of coaches and competitors connecting the dots and making the most of their competition experience through reflection.

EDH Jiu-Jitsu