BJJ for Kids?

[Coach Couzo]

I went to a BJJ tournament recently and, while waiting for my matches, watched the children

 

[guardpasser]

greg thompson has acadamies all over that area, not sure about the kids program though
teamroc.com i think

 

[swiftman]

What do you guys think about submissions at kids tournaments? For me it was a bit disturbing to hear a coach yelling "fucking break it" when a 12 year old is armbarring another 12 year old...

 

[alexgncw]

i think they can allow subs for kids but the ref should call the match if they get to a position where something is about to break or they should have some different rules for kids

 

[judogido]

What do you guys think about submissions at kids tournaments? For me it was a bit disturbing to hear a coach yelling "fucking break it" when a 12 year old is armbarring another 12 year old...

Aside from these sorts of inappropriate comments from a coach, I dont personally like the idea of kids doing submissions and joint submissions in particular.

At this age they are still growing and developing - I dont know whether I like the idea of having submissions applied to these "developing" joints. However - I'm not basing this opinion on any concrete evidence or studies - it is just a general feeling of unease about it.

There's also the concern about whether we should be teaching kids at this level of maturity techniques that can cause some serious injury to others if applied in a situation where there is no supervision. Ie; kid learns choke under supervision at a club, goes to school & gets into a fight (or is mucking around with mates) and uses choke in a dangerous manner (ie; applies for too long - whatever).

In Australian Judo, kids dont get taught subs until after the age of 16 (or just before - in preparation). I'm sure there must be many kids BJJ comps that are geared more towards points for takedowns/pins/guardpasses/turnovers from guard/transitions/KOB etc.

 

[Coach Couzo]

I agree with 'judogido' - kids should NOT be allowed to apply submissions. I believe instructors should introduce submissions to their students when they reach teenage years. As for competition, BJJ should run similar to wrestling - points for control. Refs should award points for maintaining dominante positions (mount, rear-mount, knee-on-belly), sweeping, passing the guard, and takedowns. In this manner, children will develop great positioning (half of the Jiu-Jitsu game) and endurance. The emphasis on positioning will also allow children to control a school bully, without unintentionally causing severe harm.

Does anyone know of any tournaments that maintain these rules for children?

 

[Coach Couzo]

greg thompson has acadamies all over that area, not sure about the kids program though
teamroc.com i think

Thank you. Team ROC did have a school in Greensboro, but the instructor left for Iraq. I'll look into the surrounding area for Judo or wrestling.

 

[b0b]

Do Kids Judo. It is always fun to watch the wimpy, undersized kid pin a much bigger kid.

 

[DKM76]

What do you guys think about submissions at kids tournaments? For me it was a bit disturbing to hear a coach yelling "fucking break it" when a 12 year old is armbarring another 12 year old...

I've even heard parents yelling such things as "kill him".

 

[Mark Allen]

Some parents ruin it by trying to live their lives through thier kids, you see it in all youth sports.
No joint locks for kids twelve and under, we have been teaching since 1968 and stuck by this rule since then. The ends of the bones at the joint is where growth is occuring and are suseptable to damage.

 

[stephensharp]

Yeah, I like the concept of a positional dominance and takedown game being worked for the kids. Imagine how nasty they'll be at control when they become adults. They'll be working the other blues (the first belt they should get when they come of age if they've been training for several years) NASTY.

You could start to work in certain subs at 14, more at 16, then open up their game at 18 and have them owning folks.

 

[bigest]

Some BBJ coaches like to play more games than actualy teach techniques, others will do half games having to do with jiujitsu and half technique, but in my opinion if you are paying for an hour of jiujitsu you should at least get half an hour of technique, also not all black belts know how to teach children you nead a lot of patience. So when looking for a school ask all the questions.