By Mike “Spider-Ninja” Bidwell, a BJJ Black Belt under Phil Migliarese and Ken Kronenberg (Team Tai-Kai / Balance). Mike is a full time Jiu-Jitsuka, blogger (check out his great blog BJJafter40 and ‘Like’ his Facebook page), freelance writer, content provider, teacher and Ninja-for-hire!

I’ve been teaching kids martial and especially BJJ for a long time now.  Let’s put it this way, I started martial arts in the very early 80’s when Jean Claude Van Damme was king and “The Last Dragon” was the dopest movie ever!  (still is)  Anyway in that time I’ve seen kids that I’ve taught have their own kids who train BJJ!  My point is that I guess I have taught a lot of kids (including my own two who train and compete).  

So I guess I may know a thing or two about teaching kids BJJ (with slight sarcasm at the thought of being the oldest guy in the room)…  In particular I have mainly taught kids as young as 3 1/2 to 7 years.  In my experience, the closer you can get to four years old the better the chance your child will have a positive experience starting BJJ.  There are a few key areas parents should consider when starting a BJJ class.  First does your child have enough verbal communication skills that they can communicate their needs and desires to the instructor?  For example:  they need to be able to ask and answer basic questions during class.  This will also include basic communication with others students and coaches as well. Bathroom Trained:  Most BJJ classes are 45 minutes to one hour long.  Most instructors will require your child be bathroom trained enough to successfully finish an hour class.  Classroom participation:  Being shy or outgoing is okay.  It only becomes a challenge if your child is so shy they refuse to participate or if they are so “high energy” that they cannot focus enough to participate in learning.  BJJ is a “contact sport” so your child needs to be somewhat prepared to wrestle and have physical contact with other children.  A great instructor will introduce grappling and contact over time.  But nevertheless, there will be contact.

Remember, there’s no real perfect way to figure out if your child is ready but to give it a try.  The best way to get started is to call a school and schedule an appointment for a trial class (most schools offer a free trial class).

A Parents Guide to BJJ for Kids

This video answers the most common BJJ questions parents ask me everyday: How to deal with stripes / belts (progress), How to talk to your child after BJJ class, What to do when my child wants to quit BJJ and MUCH MORE!