Eduardo de Lima

Dear Parents,

While my “job” is to teach martial arts, my desire is to help children (and adults) improve their lives and reach greater levels of health and happiness. This is why I am concerned about today’s youth. As a parent, you may share many of these same worries.

Today I see too many children in schools that try to cram their heads full of facts and figures so they can pass tests but never teaching them how to use what they are learning. The importance of physical education is undervalued and PE classes are being removed from schools.

When the kid gets home, they are planted in front of TVs, computers and videos games, staring at flashing screens for hours instead of spending time doing healthy activities like playing outside with friends, spending time with the family, playing imaginatively, reading, doing homework or doing chores. The average kid watches 3 hours of TV per day and sees tens of thousands of advertisements each year (mostly for junk food).[1. Your Child | Television | University of Michigan Health System]

America is facing an obesity epidemic unimagined in times before mass production and marketing of junk food. The percentage of overweight and obese children has more than doubled in the last 30 years,[2. Childhood Obesity Statistics and Facts, National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions] contributing to a rise in type 2 diabetes.[3. Type 2 diabetes, MayoClinic.com, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research]

These factors—too much TV, lack of exercise and poor diet—have been proven to increase the risk of serious health issues such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke and cancer as a child matures. There is also growing evidence of their role in depression, social anxiety, trouble sleeping, attention deficit disorders and developmental, behavioral and learning problems.[3. Your Child | Obesity | University of Michigan Health System]

I will tell you what I tell my all parents. Ultimately, I don’t care whether or not your child does Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. What I want is for them to find a passion that excites them and makes them happier and healthier. It could be anything, from playing piano to swimming to skateboarding or spelling bees.

But I have to say that in my two decades of practicing and teaching the art, I have come to see Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as an almost unmatched means of self-improvement. It offers all of the benefits of traditional sports, but as a martial art is also has a culture that encourages emotional and mental development.

On a physical level, the benefits of regular exercise include increased muscle and bone strength, increased lean muscle mass and decreased body fat and helps maintain weight.[4. Physical Activities in Children and Adolescents, Bright Futures at Georgetown]

Researchers are finding strong positive relationships between physical activity and improved academic performance. Regular exercise aids in brain development and improves concentration, motor skills and coordination and builds self-esteem. Studies have even found cases where devoting more time to physical activities and less to academic studies has lead to better scores in math and reading than study alone.[5. Does Physical Activity Influence Academic Performance?, American Heart Association]

Sports and martial arts have also been shown to improve critical thinking and problem solving, promote social interaction, cooperation and friendship and build self-discipline, trust, leadership and respect for others.[6. Sports and kids: Pathway to healthy development or to unhealthy competition?, NYU Child Study Center]

Sincerely,
Eduardo de Lima
Head Instructor
Third Degree Black Belt
Gracie Barra Clearwater

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0. Meet the Instructor and Sign a Waiver

Before class starts, you’ll want to meet with the instructor. He can tell you about the school and answer any questions. If you want to join the class, you’ll need to fill out a waiver and you be lent a gi and shown how to tie a belt.

1. Line Up and Bow In

The instructor will call everyone on to the mats to line up by belt rank and experience level. He’ll make any announcements then everyone bows to start class and warm-ups.

2. Warm-Ups and Conditioning

To prevent injury and build endurance, the class will do warm-ups that usually consist of running, push ups, sit ups, body weight exercises and BJJ-specific movements like breakfalls and shrimping. You’ll have a minute to get a drink then get back on the mats before the next part of class.

3. Instruction, Demonstration and Drilling of Techniques

Each night you’ll learn 3-4 related techniques from standing and on the ground (e.g. defending a standing headlock and three ways to escape a headlock on the ground that work in combination). Students will line up around the instructor as he demonstrates and explains a technique and answers questions. You’ll pair up with a training partner and drill the technique. The instructor will go around and fix any mistakes and tell you when to switch and let the other person drill. After drilling, you’ll have a chance to get another sip of water.

4. Live Positional Sparring

The instructor will arrange the students for a group drill. People will be told to hold certain positions on each other and be given goals. For example, you may be told to lay down and have someone pin you. Your goal is to escape using the techniques you learned that night; their goal is to stop you while trying to improve their position and get armlocks and chokes. If either of you succeed, you go back to the starting position and try again. The instructor will be running a timer and telling people when to switch and who to partner with so everyone has a chance to do both sides of the drill. (In advanced classes this positional sparring is followed by free sparring.)

5. Line up and Bow Out

When live drilling ends, the class lines up one more time and the instructor will make any more announcements and award promotions, then you bow out and shake hands with your training partners.

6. Sign Up for Membership

If you enjoyed class and want to join Gracie Barra Clearwater, now is the time to talk to instructor again and get the paperwork filled out to enroll in classes.

Still have concerns?

Contact us with any questions you have about Gracie Barra Clearwater or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

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Self-discipline and Focus

To master the martial art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a student must pay attention and train diligently to perfect their technique.

Respect For Their Teachers and Friends

Martial arts instructors are in a unique position to teach children about respect and honor. Students must follow instructions and orders. A martial artist understands that training partners are there to learn and improve alongside them.

Leadership and Team Spirit

Training at Gracie Barra Clearwater, a child finds himself joining a team of successful martial artists, and as they move up the belt ranks they’ll find newest students looking to them for help and guidance.

Responsibility and Self Control

With the ability to fight and defend themselves comes the responsibility of using their knowledge wisely. In class, students learn how to apply techniques with control to ensure their training partners’ safety.

Determination and a Will to Succeed

There is no easy road to black belt. We can show them the way and encourage them, but your child must make the journey on their own two legs. Along the way, they will experience what it’s like to be tested and pushed to perform. Sparring and tournaments will expose your child to healthy competition and bring out the champion in them.

A Clear, Uncluttered Mind

The modern world bombards kids from every angle. TV, video games and the internet are all vying for their attention, each eager to fill your child’s head with their special agendas, ad campaigns and nonsense. Give your child a chance to unplug and really interact with fellow human beings.

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