{"id":36228,"date":"2015-10-01T07:45:43","date_gmt":"2015-10-01T11:45:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemom.com\/?p=36228"},"modified":"2015-09-30T18:14:34","modified_gmt":"2015-09-30T22:14:34","slug":"bully-proof-kids-kids-jiu-jitsu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemom.com\/in-around-jax\/things-to-do\/bully-proof-kids-kids-jiu-jitsu\/","title":{"rendered":"Bully Proof your Kids with Kids Jiu-Jitsu"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JacksonvilleJiuJitsu1\"<\/a>Kids today will have to deal with many challenges ahead. Bullying at school and outside of school, bullying online, negative peer pressure, the pressure to conform, and these only scratch the surface. Unfortunately, we can\u2019t always be there for our kids, we can\u2019t shield them from these external influences. But as a parent there is something we can do. Although we can\u2019t shield them, we can prepare them to be more confident; to be more resilient and to be better prepared to make decisions. This is where Kids Jiu-Jitsu<\/a> comes in.<\/p>\n

When my kids were invited to try a class at TOTAL Defense & Jacksonville Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Training Center<\/a>, I jumped at the opportunity but was very unsure of what to expect. No stranger to extracurricular activities, my kids have participated in sports, dance, even after school art classes; but the world of Jiu-Jitsu was new to us. The truth is that as a mom I constantly worry about\u00a0my children being bullied, particularly my 9-year-old son, who is often quiet and soft spoken. In fact, when I mentioned the class to him, his first response was \u201cI don\u2019t have to hit anyone, do I?\u201d Since I wasn\u2019t sure exactly what the Kids Jiu-Jitsu program entailed, I reached out to Professor Larry Shealy with a few questions about what exactly Jiu-Jitsu was and what his philosophy was for the Kids Jiu-Jitsu program.<\/p>\n

\"JacksonvilleJiuJitsu2\"<\/a>Professor Larry opened his Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Jacksonville 10 years ago. Since then he has made it his mission to work with kids to develop not only physical strength, but to also assisting parents to build well rounded, respectful and humble kids. The by-product is that they are great kids and they can fend for themselves in a bullying situation. Life skills are embedded into the program to help prepare children for life ahead. Every Kid Jiu-Jitsu<\/a> class starts with a warm-up, and skills work, but it also includes a character development component where the children and instructors discuss a different character trait each week.<\/p>\n

\"JacksonvilleJiuJitsu3\"<\/a>Empowered with my new knowledge about what exactly Kid Jiu-Jitsu was, we headed to class. The first thing I noticed about the Jiu-Jitsu Academy was that there were many instructors ready to work with my kids. Kids Jiu-Jitsu isn\u2019t a one-size-fits-all program. There were teachers working with all the kids based on their ability. Professor Larry makes the Kid Jiu-Jitsu class fun while teaching the kids skills at the same time. They participated in team relay races, worked in pairs to develop self-defense skills, and discussed the character trait of \u201cresponsibility\u201d as a group. I was impressed with how smoothly the class ran and how self-disciplined all the students were.<\/p>\n

\"JacksonvilleJiuJitsu4\"<\/a>So what did my no-experience-with-martial-arts kids think? They loved it! After just two\u00a0classes, I\u2019ve already seen a change in their confidence level and they\u2019ve learned several skills that could help them escape and neutralized the situation if another kid, or even an adult grabbed them. In addition, the Kid Jiu-Jitsu class has taught them how to deal with a bully, both mentally as well as physically. Remember my soft-spoken 9 year old? He\u2019s even asking when his next class will be. I can\u2019t think of a better way to prepare my kids to be more confident and secure than with the discipline and skills taught at TOTAL Defense &Jacksonville Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Training Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

TOTAL Defense & Jacksonville Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Training Center<\/a> is located in Neptune Beach and offers classes for kids and adults of all ages and abilities. In addition to their Kid Jiu-Jitsu program, they also offer a FREE Kids on Guard workshop one Saturday a month. The Kids on Guard workshop covers stranger danger, basic escape techniques, and bully prevention. Their evening and weekend classes offer a wide range of convenient times to accommodate any afterschool schedule.<\/p>\n

October is Bully Prevention Awareness Month, and I encourage all parents to talk with your kids about bullying and consider trying a class at TOTAL Defense & Jacksonville Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Training Center<\/a>. They will be offering a FREE Kids on Guard Workshop on Saturday, October 17th<\/sup> from 10-11:30 am.<\/p>\n

Thank you TOTAL Defense & Jacksonville Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Training Center for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.<\/em><\/p>\n

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