Is Three Years Old Too Young For Martial Arts?
When people decide to enroll their child in some sort of sport or activity, it usually isn’t until they are at least in grade school. Most likely, parents prefer to enroll their child into a team sport like soccer or football where the kid can disappear behind the other team members.. An unusual option to engage your child in is Brazilian jiu-jitsu which can start as young as three years old!
Jiu-jitsu is a type of martial arts which involves primary ground work fighting. Children work with instructors to learn simple take downs, choke holds, and joint locks. When people think of martial arts and a three year old, they probably jump right to thinking it’s dangerous and teaching violence to young children, but it is quite the opposite. Brazilian jiu-jitsu teaches children many core moral values. At my Columbia Jiu Jitsu school, important values such as perseverance, self-discipline, respect, and confidence are stressed in matside chats that occur at the end of class.
Martial arts is something you have to show dedication to in order to advance and progress. To enroll a child into kids martial arts will teach them perseverance because they are coming to regularly scheduled classes and showing continuous effort. Children also learn self-discipline and respect by interacting with instructors and other children. They need to show respect to the instructor during class and follow instructions when they are given, but also need to respect other students they work with.
This training can start as young as three because instructors go over basic movements and go slowly and step by step. In addition, children are very receptive at such a young age and since they are so young they have no prior experience to draw on which is a plus. This is a positive thing because they don’t have something to draw upon and mix into what they are learning, which would interfere with their learning.
Starting a child so young in a contact sport such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu may seem unusual to you, but it’s happening and helping children in more ways than one. At my Columbia Martial Arts training center, children grow physically, socially, and mentally through martial arts training, and it’s never to soon to start.
