Benefits of Joining our GBKids BJJ Program

• Improve children’s social skills
• Enhance self-confidence
• A better understanding of goal-setting and working towards them
• Learn the GB Self-Defense System and how to deal with Bullies
• Increase focus, energy and concentration
• Enjoy significant gains in overall fitness level
• Train in over 30 locations in Australia and over 800 globally
• Free access to the school’s events and special classes

The first time you come to our academy, our staff will welcome you. Please arrive 15 minutes before class so you and your children have enough time to prepare for practice. The class will start on time, and your child will be asked to walk to the training area, where the instructor will be waiting for him or her. One of the assistant instructors or a senior student will be assigned as a helper to assist your child in performing the drills and activities. Parents are encouraged to stay and watch the entire practice.

"There is no losing in Jiu-Jitsu. You either win or you learn."

- Carlos Gracie Jr.

GB Hoppers Crossing Kids Competition Team

Teaching Jiu-Jitsu to children offers a unique and exciting challenge to help them grow and develop.  We are aligned with parents who would like to take up the GB Hoppers Crossing Kids Competition team, and below is an overview of the requirements and why this may be worth considering for your child/ren. 

As a parent, you may notice that some select students are already training/competing or ready to train/compete at a higher level. These students are generally dedicated, focused, and seeking out something more, and usually, this is stepping up to be part of the GB Hoppers Crossing Competition Team.  As you probably know, the intensity and preparation in training for a competition team requires dedication from us as instructors, you, the parent, and your child/ren.

What is the Value of being part of our Competition Team?

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Competitions can be important for children for several reasons, as they offer various benefits for their personal, social, and cognitive development.

Here are some reasons why being part of our Competition Team can be valuable for children:

1. Skill Development: Competitions provide children with opportunities to hone and showcase their skills and talents, which can motivate them to work hard, set goals, and improve their abilities.
2. Goal Setting: Competing in BJJ gives children clear goals to strive for. This goal-setting process can teach them about ambition, perseverance, and the rewards of hard work. It also helps them understand that success requires effort and dedication.
3. Building Confidence: Competing and achieving success can boost a child's self-esteem and self-confidence. Winning or just participating and giving their best can help children believe in themselves and their abilities.
4. Handling Pressure: Competing in a controlled and supportive environment can teach children how to handle pressure and stress. This is an important life skill that can be valuable in various situations throughout their lives.
5. Time Management: Preparing for competitions often requires time management and discipline. Children learn to balance their time between practising, studying, and other activities, which can benefit their organisation and time management skills.
6. Learning to Lose: Competitions also teach children about losing and disappointment, essential life lessons. Learning to cope with defeat gracefully and bounce back from setbacks is a valuable skill that can help them develop resilience.
7. Social Skills: Competitions allow children to interact with peers, coaches, and mentors. They can make friends, build social skills, and learn about teamwork and collaboration if the competition involves group activities.
8. Healthy Competition: Engaging in competition teaches children the importance of sportsmanship, fairness, and respect for others. It can help them understand that winning is not the only goal; how they play the game and treat their competitors matters, too.
9. Motivation and Drive: Competitions can be motivating for children. Knowing that they have a competition coming up can give them a reason to work hard and stay focused on their goals.
10. Recognition and Rewards: Winning or performing well in competitions can lead to recognition and rewards, motivating and affirming for children. It can also open doors to future opportunities, such as GB Ambassador Programs and more.

It's important to note that not all children may thrive in competitive environments. Parents should also ensure that the competitive atmosphere remains optimistic and doesn't become overly stressful or detrimental to a child's well-being. We will keep reinforcing this in our training/competitions. Ultimately, the benefits of competition can be significant, but they should be balanced with the child's needs and preferences. Our GB Kids Competition Team is not about an empty shelf waiting to be filled with medals and trophies. It is about what it takes to get to those moments. These students must dedicate extra time and energy for more practice, learn to work at more intense levels, put in the time on the mats with their fellow teammates, be willing to get up more times than they fall, and finally, compete more often. The goal is not to win the medals. Winning medals is the byproduct of training hard, and committing to the process and development to progress takes time.

Interested?  Here is what is required:

 Training

1. Private Training for those interested - there are some timeslots available for semi-private training 2-kids of similar age in each session focussed on their specific game plan for competing.
2. Ongoing competition training camps – attend the preparation sessions for the overall team that are generally offered for all competing team members. 
3. Attendance to the weekly GB Kids Competition Team Class –  child/ren must attend and train at the weekly GB Kids Competition Class
4. Attendance to general GBKids classes – we suggest your child/ren train at least two general GBKids classes, ideally a class A (Monday or Wednesday) and a class B (Tuesday or Thursday) for the week.  This will give them a good coverage of positions, techniques, escapes, and submissions.

Competitions

There will be mandatory and recommended competitions, which will be published in a specific Facebook Group set up for the GB Hoppers Crossing Competition Team.

1. Mandatory competitions are generally those where a GB Hoppers Crossing coach will be available to coach and support the students and are well organised with qualified medics, certified referees and judges, a scheduling/ranking system, safe mats and crowd control. Examples of these competitions include:
   1. IBJJF/AFBJJ accredited competitions
      1. Any other state championships
      2. Victoria State Championship in Melbourne is generally held in April each year
      3. Australia National Championships in Melbourne generally held in August each year
      4. GB Compnet competition in Sydney is generally held in September each year
      5. Pan Pacific Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Melbourne is generally held in October/November each year
2. Recommended competitions are those we recommend the student can attend; however, please ensure that you are comfortable with the competition, the rules, the medics and referees, crowd control etc.  Some of the smaller competitions do not have these elements in place and will be at your own risk.
3. Depending on the number of competitions, every year, the Australia Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation publishes the annual calendar of events, and when this gets published for 2024, we will sit down with you to see which ones are of interest.  The remaining competitions for the year are listed here: Event Calendar - Smoothcomp.

 The profile requirements for potential competitors include:

1. 6+ years of age and older
2. White belt three stripes or higher
3. Current coach/professor approval
4. Exemplar attitude in class
5. High levels of self-discipline
6. Possession of fundamental curriculum, point system, and Jiu-Jitsu history knowledge
7. Willingness to compete
8. For the above, if not already, your child needs to be upgraded to ideally 3/more sessions a week or needs to be discussed with the GB Program Director to organise this
9. We will need to work with your child to develop a game plan