Kid’s martial arts and family

Kid’s martial arts and family

When it comes to martial arts families and kid’s martial arts I often wonder how it gets started. Who is the one that takes the family to the next level? Who are the ones that support the leisure activity that becomes a habit and then becomes a lifestyle? I wish I could speak from experience…I am a novice at best and my daughter has been training longer than I have but not quite a year. What I see where we train is families really trying to support each other in their training. That doesn’t mean that all spouses train but they help drop the kids off, pick them up, attend events, and train themselves. It’s really an impressive feat when you consider the logistics. 

Kid’s martial arts and other activities

When you think of all the different opportunities to be active families have to pinpoint what they want to do and how they can achieve the time and consistency to reap the benefits. It’s the same if it’s kid’s martial arts or piano lessons-we have to make time. I’m certainly of the mind that children should have as much fun as possible. They need to experience a lot of different activities. When family members train or actively participate with kid’s it bonds them. I know it’s helped me in my relationship with my daughter. I’ve seen parents, wives and husbands all take part in each others training at the gym. I’ve seen younger siblings watch their older siblings in the kid’s martial arts class and want to join. I’ve seen the same young children model what is happening in class as they watch their older siblings. It’s fun and it’s cute to see that kind of participation. 

Kid’s martial arts family spotlight

In the coming weeks I will be talking to and interviewing some of the parents and children that train to find out their stories. I will be asking to see how they found out about Brazilian jiu jitsu, if they trained in any other disciplines, and how they got their children in the kid’s martial arts class.

I don’t have too much to offer personally just yet. Over time as I train, my daughter trains, and her younger brother eventually starts to train in kid’s martial arts I may have more stories. However, I can share an actual conversation that took place between my daughter and I one evening after her homework was done and she was going to bed:

Me: Great job with your homework! Now lay down, it’s time to go to sleep.

Daughter: Can I jump on the bed?

Me: No. You can lay down and get ready to go to sleep.

Daughter: (pointing to her 3yo younger brother) Can I do jiu jitsu on him?

Me: (chuckling and trying not to laugh) No. You have to get ready to go to sleep.

Maybe that’s how it starts…

Dad plays before kid’s martial arts class

By Luis T.