The other night in class, I asked the parents and grandparents in attendance to close their eyes as the youth teammates faced them. I then asked the adults to raise their hand if they were ever bullied when they were at school, college or at any of the places that they had worked.
Not surprisingly, they all held up their hands.
It's October 2022 and we are still dealing with bullies in society. Sadly, bullying will still be an issue decades from now.I train jiu jitsu because I love that I get a great workout and I’ve met a lot of great people with different backgrounds and beliefs than mine. I know I am more relaxed, and I don’t have knee jerk reactions when something goes wrong – something I couldn’t say about myself before I started training martial arts at the age of 18.
Frequency Martial Arts offers jiu jitsu classes to children because I know that the hard work that they put in on the mats will help build their character and prepare them for the adversities that is out in the world. It's something that I wish I would had available to me when I was 5.
We don’t teach children how to fight. Instead, we help build their confidence so they can avoid the verbal and physical altercations. However, there will be times when a bully won’t stop when they are requested to do so – even if that request comes from an authority figure.
As a parent, I’ve told my daughters since they were 4, that their number one job every day is to come home safe. If they cannot use their words or seek out an adult to avoid a physical confrontation, they are to defend themselves to ensure that they come home safe.
The other night, I received the following email from one of the parents of our youth teammates:
As you know, we have been dealing with bullying situations at school. This has been a huge detriment to him. We have noticed changes in his behavior at school, at home, and in class, and they haven't always been positive. This week, he stepped out of his comfort zone. He raised his hand, he offered to teach a move. He has been so hard on himself and his own self-worth has been so low lately that this threw me. The amount of pride he showed in himself that day is everything I could have asked for. He shared with me after class that BJJ is his is safe place. He knows the coaches will help him when he faulters, and he trusts them. He decided in that moment to do one brave thing because he knew the coaches wouldn’t let him fail and he felt comfortable enough to try something new. So thank you for providing the safe space for him to try things and help build his confidence during a time where he is really struggling.
Today at school there was another incident where a child scratched him pretty aggressively. He used what you taught him, defended himself and got away to get a teacher. In fact, now that I think about it, the pencil stab wound is on his hand because he was keeping his hands up to block, just like you taught him.
I could sit here and gush all day, but the impact you have made in his life is everything to me.
At home we have seen waves of things, and although we are horrible about remembering the job list to turn in, he has taken it upon himself to gather his laundry because Coach Ed says he has to wash his gis. He is more helpful around the house, completing tasks without prompting. He has always been a kid that listens well (most of the time), but the taking initiative is something new I have noticed.
I could go on and share with you numerous links to various stats and benefits your child would receive from training martial arts but having one of our parents share the impact we have made on their child’s life and they entire family is more important to me.It’s easy to compare prices from the comfort of your home, but until you and your child experience what we have to offer in person, you’ll never truly know the positive impact we will have on your family.
What would you like for your child?
✅Improved Confidence
✅Strong Character
✅Self-Defense Skills
✅Break From Electronics
✅Dedicated Time For Physical Activity
✅Improved Public Speaking Skills
✅Better Sleep
✅Opportunity To Socialize
✅Goal Setting
✅Perseverance
Contact us to set up a free trial class.