At El Dorado Hills Jiu Jitsu, our monthly mat chats are an opportunity to teach valuable life skills that go beyond the techniques and physical training on the mat. This September, our focus is on safety, a key principle both in and out of the gym.
Why Safety Matters in Jiu Jitsu
Safety is the foundation of successful training. When practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), we trust our training partners and instructors to create an environment where we can push ourselves without unnecessary risk. This principle applies to every roll, every drill, and every technique. Proper safety habits ensure that we can continue to grow and train, free from injury.
Key Concepts of Safety in BJJ
- Respect for Your Partner
A core part of safety is having respect for your training partner. We encourage our students, from Peewee to Juniors, to communicate with their partners—whether it’s tapping out when necessary or discussing how to practice a new technique. By understanding each other’s limits, we create an environment of mutual trust. - Controlled Movements
Learning to control your movements is essential to preventing injuries. This month, we’ll discuss the importance of practicing with precision rather than relying on force. Whether you’re going for a takedown or an armbar, control ensures that you’re not accidentally putting your partner in danger. - Awareness and Listening
Awareness is a critical aspect of safety. In September’s mat chat, we’ll talk about listening to your body, understanding when to ease off during a drill, and being mindful of your surroundings. We also remind our students to listen to their coaches, whose experience helps guide them in safely navigating their training.
Safety Beyond the Mat
The lessons we learn about safety in Jiu Jitsu apply to our daily lives as well. Whether it’s crossing the street, riding a bike, or playing a sport, staying safe requires awareness, communication, and control. We want our students to take these lessons and apply them at home, at school, and in their communities. Our goal is to instill a sense of responsibility for both personal safety and the well-being of those around them.
As we discuss this important life skill in our youth classes throughout September, we encourage parents to engage in conversations with their children about how they can stay safe in different aspects of life. Through the practice of BJJ and these vital life skills, we are developing strong, aware, and responsible individuals.
Let’s have a safe and productive month on and off the mat!
Individual sports and martial arts are unique in that they often require an immense amount of teamwork to build a successful individual performance or development. This concept is unique in individual sports because in the heat of the moment only one person is responsible for the success and failure of the battle. However, to prepare and execute in battle it takes an entire team to do so. In life, just like in these individual sports, there are individual responsibilities that contribute to the success of the entire group. The ability to recognize your individual responsibility and contribute to the team is essential. This contribution might come in the form of being a leader, a follower, a silent voice of action, or mustering people together with your words and action. Needless to say we work on both of these skills on the mat at edh 
Only those that work together can be the strongest! Here, we aren’t just building grip and leg strength. At our martial arts academy in El Dorado Hills we don’t just teach technical and physical skills, we also teach skills of collaboration and working with others. This is a skill that is important on the mat but even more important in life off of the mat. One example of teamwork being taught is t