Hey y'all. My son is 8 and has not shown much interest in sports but today he asked me about starting martial arts.

Does anyone have recommendations of specific locations or even just what style is best for his age. He is a big and strong kid. 8 years old/ second grade

My main priority at this point is with finding a good spot for him that will keep his interest more so than becoming the best competitor.

Thanks!

I would definitely put him in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) before anything else. A strong grappling foundation should be the basis of any self defense. Also, BJJ is typically not a "McDojo" type operation like Thai Kwon Do or Karate places that promotes based on showing up or time spent. Belts must be earned. (Not saying they all are like that, but that was our experience)

Your son will be allowed to grapple at 100% speed & effort ensuring that should he get in a real fight, he'll know what to do.

I'm not familiar with North Austin, but I think there is a Gracie Barra up there that would be respectable.

There are a ton of BJJ places along Ben White between 35 & Mopac if that is close. I recommend trying a few places before settling.

Renzo Gracia on 43rd has a good crowd and our neighbors love it. We are going to put our 4 year old in it

There is a krav maga place by El dorado cafe off Anderson. Looks popular

My buddy used to roll at Aces Jiu Jitsu and at 10th planet, he loved both of them.

Thanks for the suggestions!

What are y'all's thoughts on judo vs bjj?

Quote:

---

What are y'all's thoughts on judo vs bjj?

---

Judo & BJJ both developed from the original Japanese Jiu Jitsu.
Judo is much heaver on stand up techniques of throwing/tripping while retaining some ground work.
When a person successfully "throws" a person to the ground in Judo & scores, the match is over. There are also options for grappling, but it isn't as common as in BJJ.

BJJ is more focused on ground based techniques of the original jiu jitsu. You'll learn some Judo techniques for throwing (as well as wrestling takedowns such as single & double legs)
The heaviest emphasis will be on submission holds such as chokes & various joint locks, plus escapes from pins & submission attempts, and sweeps. A BJJ match ends when one person submits OR time runs out & the person who has the most points wins. (Points are awarded for various pins, submission attempts, guard passing etc.) A good BJJ place will also teach some basic self defense (escapes from bear hugs, head locks, grip escapes)

Strictly from a self defense standpoint, IMO BJJ is better as fights will typically devolve into a grappling struggle on the ground. When it gets to that point, a person trained in BJJ will almost always completely overwhelm any person not specifically trained in grappling.

Just to add to this great explanation, usually in BJJ they have a Gi vs no Gi option. Using a Gi also incorporates using someone's clothes against them as well.

cityagboy said:

---

Thanks for the suggestions!

What are y'all's thoughts on judo vs bjj?

---

That's a can of worms question. I got a 12-13 year background on both (Mostly bjj).

1. BJJ is more trendy these days so you'll have more options with regards to schools to choose from. There are more competition tournaments with a lot more competitors.

2. Judo is not for the timid and had a tendency to spit students out the first day. BJJ can be this way also but I've seen a lot more one and dones in Judo than BJJ. The constant getting thrown down on the mats tends create a good bit of soreness for several weeks that you will have to get accustomed to.

3. As for self defense: take down and grappling are only part of the equation. You'll need to learn a bit of striking as well. A lot of these BJJ gyms offer Muy Thai or boxing as well. Judo requires a high level of proficiency in order to be effective for self defense. BJJ has it's caveats as well given a fight on the mat is much different than a fight on the hard ground. Lesson is don't get into a fight at all cost.