Youth Martial Arts Update – September 2026

Periods of transition are always great opportunities to hit a big reset and adjust our sails accordingly.  I want to take a few moments to address some policies moving forward that will help us all have a more successful and productive training experience here at the Academy.

I have a pretty comprehensive e-mail here, and all of it is pretty important.  Please set aside a few minutes to read it in its entirety so we can get the Fall training season off to a great start!

First, as parents we consider you part of the coaching staff.  Although we here are responsible for the on-the-mat training and curriculum, we cannot accomplish our job without the full support of everyone involved.  Please help us with the following:

1. Ensure your child has the proper equipment and clean apparel for each class.  Specifically, they will need:

• For grappling: BJJ uniform (gi) + belt, freshly washed before use.  Dirty uniforms will not be allowed on the mats.  Shirts under the gi must be plain (no textures).
• For Muay Thai: tight fitting top, shorts above the knee, and full training gear (shinguards + gloves).  Baggy shirts and baggy shorts/pants are not allowed.
• Replacement gis, belts, and striking gear is available at the pro shop for purchase.

Students without the proper apparel or gear place a strain on the class that can create dangerous situations (dirty equipment/apparel can spread serious infectious agents like MRSA, ringworm, and so on!) and make training difficult for the student him/herself and/or their partner.  Our equipment and apparel policies are established for good reason, and diverting from them an create real and serious issues.

2. Do your best to stick to a training schedule and regiment.  Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai are extremely difficult martial arts to master, and can be just as difficult to become comfortable with.  Infrequent or sporadic training will add an additional obstacle for your child to overcome as our lesson plans are structured with continuity — i.e. what we learn on a Monday will be referenced on a Wednesday, and so on down the line for the entire month.

3. Be supportive, not critical.  This one is tough!  Kids will be kids, and it can be difficult to see your child struggle on the mats.  Training and especially live sparring can look simple from the outside, but it is incredibly difficult to successfully read the situation, make the right decision, and execute the proper technique under intense pressure.  We all learn at different paces, but what’s important is that we build a training environment that encourages students to try their best, make mistakes, and grow.

One difficult ride home from practice can be more damaging than an extremely difficult practice!

Also, parents, we would love to have you jump on the mats with us to train a bit and understand exactly what your children are learning and experiencing.  We provide free trial passes and would gladly roll out the red carpet for you!

Next, I want to address our expectations for the students in class.  We understand that kids are kids, and we don’t expect the same level of focus or maturity in the youth classes as we do in our adult classes.  However, we do believe that martial arts training is most beneficial for young students when a baseline of focus, discipline, and effort are met.   As such I want to review the following guidelines and rules for class.

Students are expected to pay attention to instruction during class at all times.  Students not paying attention during instructive periods will be unable to participate in the drill, game, or activity.  We will draw a very bold line on this as our flexibility has moved the goalposts too far beyond what’s fair to the other students in class.  Frequent, or flagrant infractions will result in a child being removed from a given class entirely and potentially from the program in full.

I expect some serious growing pains with this and ask for your patience, understanding, and support as we redefine this baseline.  There will absolutely be students over the coming weeks who are unable to participate in various games, drills, or activities due to a lack of attention or focus and who will be upset, but we do believe that by enforcing this policy it will have an overall positive improvement on students learning, development, and overall enjoyment of class.  Please help us reinforce why this is important and necessary.

Obviously, our tolerance will be much more generous for the younger kids.  However, in our older programs, we do expect that students will be locked in and ready to participate in all aspects of class.  If they can build entire civilizations in Minecraft, they can learn how to tie a Jiu Jitsu belt 🙂

Lastly, and spekaing of which, in accordance with the above, we are instituting a new policy in our Junior Samurai BJJ class.  Students must be able to tie their own belt in order to participate in class.  There will be a one week grace period for new students.

Students unable (or unwilling) to tie their own belt will spend practice working on this skill until it is met to our satisfaction.

There are numerous ways to tie a belt, so no one particular method is “right” — however here is a short video with instructions on tying the belt: How to Tie a BJJ Belt

Alternative methods can be learned online as well!

Thanks for being a part of this program and journey with us.  If you have any questions about the above, or anything else, just ask!

–Coach J

p.s. I’ll follow up soon with a preview of this month’s stripe challenges and any special events!