To the Parents, From Professor Gabriel. When we place our loved ones into sports, we want them to succeed. One thing we cannot forget is at the end of the day they are kids in the process of learning and exploring life. They are discovering what they really want to do and who they want to become. When they decide to do Jiu Jitsu, they are taking a step towards exploring new challenges both mentally and physically. Jiu Jitsu is an intimidating sport where you must hug your friends aggressively and can be quite competitive at times. When we don’t see our children succeed, it can be easy to become frustrated. What are you looking for with martial arts in general? For them to be competitive and “win”? That’s great, Jiu Jitsu can give them that, but it also provides so much more. Kids have their own timeline to process and learn, some of them might progress quickly while others may seem to not be catching on or getting any better. This can be found in anything in life, every person has a unique rate of progression and their own journey. I say this to remind you of the benefits Jiu Jitsu offers at its core. Your child is learning not only how to fight, but a skillset to protect themselves against bullies, and the biggest bully of them all is life. Life is full of many different fights, but your child will be a fighter. He or she will know how to fight for what is better for them, they will learn to be resilient when life’s struggles inevitably arrive. The time and effort your child put in now will develop skills that will translate on and off the mat. Jiu Jitsu is more than just self-defense, it is empowering your child with self-confidence, self-discipline, self-respect, and an understanding that when met with adversity they have what it takes to push through. Be patient with your child as they learn, motivate them daily to empower themselves to keep going and keep fighting for what they want to do. Champions in life.
