Jiu Jitsu for Kids with Disabilities: Promoting Inclusion and Empowerment
Posted: July 06, 2023
Jiu jitsu is a martial arts form that can benefit so many kids, even those living with a disability. At Ellis Academy of Self Defence, we work hard to promote inclusion and empowerment in our dojo, inviting a variety of people, no matter their age, ability or background to take part in our classes, learning martial arts skills and being part of our community. Kids with disabilities, especially developmental disabilities such as autism can reap tremendous rewards from martial arts practices such as jiu-jitsu.
In this Ellis Academy blog, we aim to explore how jiu jitsu can promote inclusion and empowerment and how it may benefit kids with disabilities.
Benefits Of Jiu Jitsu For Kids With Disabilities
For kids with disabilities, jiu jitsu can offer many benefits. Let’s explore.
Communication
Children with disabilities, depending on what condition they live with, may have challenges to communicate, whether it is down to their speech or their ability to understand social languages and cues.
Jiu jitsu not only allows kids to socialise with one another in an open and accepting environment, consistently improving their communication skills but there are also opportunities for kids to get one to one social interactions with their teacher.
In comparison to other forms of martial arts, jiu jitsu is regarded as a practice that promotes individual expression - encouraging kids with disabilities.
Sensitive To Senses
For children with disabilities such as autism, sensory overload can be something they experience every day. This often makes it difficult for them to find hobbies that aren’t overstimulating. Jiu-jitsu is a great way to support these children when they are learning to cope with difficult and uncomfortable situations.
Jiu jitsu introduces kids to different types of challenges. Learning to deal with these challenges and overcome hurdles in martial arts can have a knock on effect for the child in managing their own sensory challenges.
Self Confidence
This blog is aiming to share how jiu jitsu encourages empowerment, and one of the key ways in which jiu jitsu does that is by increasing self confidence. This is applicable to kids who live with or without a disability. To learn self defence, over time, transforms to learning self confidence - continuously breaking through barriers and achieving.
For children with disabilities, they may face knockbacks in terms of their social interactions but also academically. This may result in a loss of self confidence. Jiu jitsu is a practice that children of any ability can take part in, thus building self confidence.
Social Relationships
Making friends and maintaining social relationships can be a real challenge for kids with disabilities, especially in environments where they may not feel included or empowered. Jiu jitsu allows kids with disabilities to make friends with other children, building on a common interest.
Teamwork
This draws us nicely onto our next, and final, point. Kids with disabilities, due to the challenge of making friends, may struggle to feel part of a team - again due to the lack of inclusion and empowerment. Jiu jitsu and specifically the dojo in which it is taught should be a space where inclusion and being part of a team is a foundation of the school.
The practice of jiu jitsu itself promotes working as part of a team. The child is part of a team in the greater sense of the academy or club but at the same time works as an individual, focusing on their own development and progression.
Training At Ellis Academy Of Self Defence
There are so many ways in which kids with disabilities can train in jiu jitsu, but step one of finding that feeling of inclusion and empowerment, is finding the right academy!
At Ellis Academy, we take on children as young as 3, no matter their ability, and welcome them into our dojo. As explored in this blog, jiu jitsu can offer so many benefits for kids with disabilities, which is why our kid's classes are aimed at varying ages and abilities, in order to create that all-important sense of inclusivity.
If you would like to learn more about jiu jitsu for kids with disabilities or learn about our classes, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
You can reach our team by calling 01737761999.