Want Your Child To Be a Leader? See How Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Classes for Kids Make All the Difference in Children’s Leadership

Want Your Child To Be a Leader?

Brazilian jiu jitsu classes for kids are about so much more than just self defense. We say it all the time, but it’s completely true. It’s a really special sport with a lot to offer kids (and adults too!), but right now we’re just going to focus on one little-known benefit of BJJ classes- leadership!

Kids Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Classes Foster Discipline

Kids Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brooklyn

It all starts with discipline. Think of some of the greatest athletes of all time- their best advice is always “never give up”, “stay with it,” “don’t quit.” That perseverance that they’re talking about doesn’t come naturally to us as humans, otherwise known as “master procrastinators.” Often in life, we want to give something up after a while, especially when it’s hard, and find something new.

But the best leaders that have changed the world and their communities have the discipline to do things they don’t want to do in order to get results no one else can. That discipline is what makes them the greatest of all time.

So how do we teach our students discipline? Simple. Every time your child comes to their BJJ classes with Glory Martial Arts Center, they’re not just learning self defense moves.

They’re also playing games and doing different activities to build their character and life skills without them even realizing it, courtesy of our awesome instructors. Even better, we use positive reinforcement to help those good habits stick and stay effective.

For discipline, for example, we’ll positively reward them for listening to their instructor and sitting still. As you’ve probably seen in your own children, kids nowadays have very short attention spans and get bored quickly … So we also use disguised repetition to keep students interested and engaged.

We’ll play games where they have to repeat different moves a bunch of times, and over time this format helps them develop their discipline muscle to succeed to their fullest potential.

One of the coolest things about BJJ is that these habits that we teach them every class, actually stick. There comes a time when we don’t have to discipline our students, and they naturally discipline themselves. They absorb that self-discipline and strive for excellence, not giving up when things are tough, going above and beyond to reach their full potential, using positive self talk…

These are amazing transformations for us to witness, and it’s how lasting leadership is fostered in our classes.

Better Grades for a Better Future

BJJ Classes

It’s not too much of a jump to see how better discipline can create better grades, right? Think of it this way- if your child just can’t get those grades up, it could be because they’re just not focusing.

Things are distracting them in the classroom, they’re fidgety, they’d much rather be on their devices… That discipline they learn in Brazilian jiu jitsu class is going to keep them focused on their schoolwork until it’s done, even when they would reeeeally rather be doing something else.

Once discipline is down pat, another tool we use in Brazilian jiu jitsu to help with better grades is focus. Just like with discipline, we’ll play different games that positively reward focused attention in the right places – on the instructor and on the task at hand.

Because we have rules in BJJ, and those rules are reinforced by the environment (uniform, instructors, etc.), your child is more likely to listen up and respect those rules here in our studio. One of these rules is that they pay attention to their instructor or a peer when he or she is talking, just as a simple form of respect.

No phones or electronic devices are allowed during class – it’s only your child, their instructor, and their friends, all having fun as they learn these awesome skills. Once your child has learned that focus and released some of that desire for instant gratification, they’ll mentally link focus with positive emotions (I learned how to kick the paddle by focusing really hard! That was awesome!) and then apply it to all aspects of their life, including their grades.

That positive association will help them wield their attention in the proper direction- their homework. And then focusing on their homework means better homework scores, higher absorption of the material, and voila- better grades!

How Better Grades Makes Your Child a Leader

Makes Your Child a Leader

It’s also easy to see the connection between better grades and leadership. Even if your child’s grades improved just the slightest bit, it would be because of their success skills that they’re implementing all on their own. That’s the sign of a leader- self-leadership first.

When your child is making progress thanks to their own efforts, their teachers will start to notice. They’ll receive more positive attention and praise, which will just motivate them even more to lead themselves and build those habits of success. The rest just comes naturally!

Whether they’re captain of a sports team, president of their student council or volunteering in their community, your child’s discipline skills (and all the other skills they learn in BJJ, like respect, perseverance, and focus) will help them become the absolute best version of themselves. What else could a parent want?

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Classes Help Kids with Their Mindset

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Classes

So now that we understand that discipline and focus can have a massive impact on your child’s success, let’s talk about mindset. Mindset is essentially just the way that you talk to yourself, so it’s also known as self-talk.

When you’re a child, everyone around you is talking to you, and you learn to internalize what they’re saying. If you constantly hear that you’re dumb, you’re going to believe that you’re dumb and then grow up telling yourself that you’re dumb. If you constantly hear that you have all the tools you need to be an outstanding leader, which is what we teach in our BJJ classes, you’re going to go ahead and be outstanding. Our instructors are really amazing when it comes to mindset, and they make sure that each child knows exactly what they’re capable of- which is anything they put their mind to!

A perseverant mindset is really what sets a good and great leader apart, and that’s what we teach in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. These moves and the way that you coordinate your body to do BJJ is NOT easy. Ask any student, new or old- getting a grip on yourself and learning the moves can be pretty tricky. When a student isn’t getting something, it’s the difference in their mindset that will determine their outcome.

The student who tells themselves that they’re dumb and can’t do it, won’t get it. The student who tells themselves to keep going and never give up, will. And that’s what makes Brazilian jiu jitsu classes for kids so different from any other sport- it’s an individual sport in a group setting, so they have the space to learn these life skills. We make sure our students know that they’re capable of success on and off the mat, and this creates leaders of them all.

Help Your Child Be Their Best- Join Us!

Discipline, focus, perseverance, mindset- these are just a handful of life lessons that kids learn in Brazilian jiu jitsu classes to help them become true leaders. If you want your child to be the best version of themselves they can possibly be for years to come, join our Brooklyn Brazilian jiu jitsu classes for kids risk-free and see for yourself what our Glory Martial Arts Center Child Greatness program can do! Your child will LOVE it!

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