At several schools across Shanghai and Suzhou, students are no longer choosing whether or not they want to train martial arts – they are required to.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo have officially become part of the academic curriculum at a growing number of institutions, where students are graded on their progress the same way they are in subjects like mathematics or science.

The initiative is being led by TJ, owner of the EFL Gym in Shanghai, who recently explained the project:

We put the Jiu-Jitsu curriculum as a mandatory course in school from kindergarten all the way to the university.

What makes the system unique is that martial arts are treated like a core academic subject, not an extracurricular activity:

It’s just like the other subjects. You have to fulfill all the grades every year, and then you can level up to the next grade…

The only contact sport that we think is pretty safe is Jiu-Jitsu, and maybe wrestling also.

According to him, roughly 90 percent of the students involved will never become competitors. The goal instead is character development, discipline, fitness, and confidence.
Because enrollment is mandatory, each class is staffed with multiple instructors to handle varying levels of enthusiasm and ability:

I check every class the lowest level kids.
If the lowest level kids are pretty okay, then I think the whole class is okay.

The scale of the initiative is believed to be almost unprecedented outside of places like Abu Dhabi, where martial arts programs have also been integrated into schools.
And TJ hopes the idea continues spreading globally:

If somebody listening to this wants to introduce Jiu-Jitsu in your school, just contact us.

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