5 Questions to Ask Before Enrolling Your Child in a Martial Arts Program
A Guide for Parents Exploring Kids Jiu Jitsu in Brighton, CO
When it comes to choosing a martial arts school for your child, the options can feel overwhelming. You want something structured, safe, and serious about helping kids grow. If you’re considering kids jiu jitsu in Brighton, this guide will give you the clarity you need.
At Lionheart Jiu Jitsu, we meet families every week who ask, “How do I know this is the right place?” That’s a smart question—and one that deserves more than a canned sales pitch. Here are five real questions every parent should ask before enrolling their child in any martial arts program.
And keep in mind, we’re not trying to sell you on our academy here. This is applicable no matter where you are or what academy you’re looking at. These are just some standards we consider to be very important.
1. Who’s Actually Teaching the Class?
It’s not enough to know someone wears a particular belt. That isn’t what qualifies someone to teach a kids class. Parents need to ask: Is this instructor certified? Background-checked? Good with kids? Safety trained?
One of the huge problems in martial arts is that almost no academies do background checks on their instructors. We do, all of them. We’re fully accredited through Academy Safe.
You must ensure that the academy background checks their instructors. There have been far too many stories recently of abuse in martial arts, and it almost always happens because the academy owner didn’t want to spend the money on background checks (they’re honestly not that expensive) or didn’t believe it was necessary. If they’d done so they would have seen that that person had problems in the past.
The instructors should also be certified in specific training for kids, like US SafeSport, and learning how to recognize concussions. These are important pieces of the puzzle and they rarely get done.
To be honest, the very last thing to ask is “is the coach a black belt?” Yes, our head instructor is, of course. Yes, we have black belts coach some of the kids classes. Due to the length of time required to get belts in BJJ however, brown belts and purple belts are perfectly capable of teaching both kids and beginner adults, as well as some advanced blue belts. There are so many other things that matter before you ask “is the program ran by a black belt?”
You wouldn’t trust just anyone to coach your child’s soccer team. Don’t settle for less in martial arts.
2. Is There a Structured Curriculum?
Kids thrive on routine and measurable progress. Yet many martial arts gyms run kids’ classes like organized chaos—games, drills, a few push-ups, and then belts handed out with little explanation.
That’s not how lasting confidence is built.
Ask if the school has a structured curriculum that they use to teach with. Ours is a rotating set of classes, with each week having a specific goal that we want to impart to students. Whether it’s how to escape from under an opponent, a submission, getting away from a kidnapper, or dealing with bullies – we always have a goal and it’s written down and planned ahead of time. Our coaches discuss amongst themselves how to best implement it and then they execute.
If there is no structured curriculum and the coach just decides haphazardly what to teach, then children never become well rounded students. Instead they’ll be a reflection of what the coach enjoys teaching, and not necessarily learn what they actually need to know.
3. How Is Discipline Handled?
Parents often ask if we ever sit kids out during class. The answer is yes—and it works. Sitting out isn’t a punishment, it’s a pause. Sometimes children need time to simply reflect on their actions, and realize they’d rather be enjoying things with the rest of the class instead of sitting on the side of the mat. We always invite them back after a suitable period of time.
This protects the culture of the class and reinforces expectations. When they’re ready to rejoin respectfully, we bring them back in. Kids leave understanding that standards are real—and that they’re capable of meeting them. That’s a very important thing for them to learn – that they are capable of what we request. That’s a big part of their martial arts journey as well, learning that they are capable of new and bigger things.
In our kids jiu jitsu in Brighton program, we’ve seen this build not only better students but stronger leaders.
4. Is Safety a Priority?
This might seem like a given, but you’d be surprised how many schools don’t emphasize safety until something goes wrong and the instructor starts thinking about what could happen in a lawsuit. Better late than never, but that’s the wrong time to be thinking about it.
You should never have to wonder about things like:
– Are the mats cleaned daily?
– Are partners chosen well and safety enforced during training?
– Are coaches First Aid/CPR/AED trained, and does the gym have the required medical equipment and AED to take care of an emergency?
At Lionheart Jiu Jitsu, safety is part of every class. From how we teach takedowns to how we structure sparring, our systems prioritize injury prevention and long-term growth.
Always ask how an academy deals with these things. If they don’t have real certifications in place, a daily cleaning regimen, proper medical supplies, and an AED then they’re taking shortcuts on their students health and wellbeing. We have all of these things, and it’s proven in our Academy Safe accreditation.
5. What Values Are Being Reinforced?
Technique matters—but so does character. The values of an academy are usually obvious right up front.
It starts with the sales process. Is it the car salesman type “hard sell” where they try to bully you into signing a contract? Or is it laid back and they let you decide if you’d like to come back? The contract is always an indicator that the school isn’t sure they have what it takes to maintain a student base and just wants to use you for money. Beware the contract and sign up fees.
Look at how they interact with the kids on the mat as well. What do the instructors encourage or reward? If the answer is only “winning” or “who rolls the hardest,” it’s a red flag. Kids jiu jitsu should build more than just athletes. It should shape confident, respectful young people who know how to handle adversity.
You should see the coaches helping the kids who are having a tougher time, not consistently praising those who clearly excel. Yes, acknowledgement of a job well done is important, but helping out the children who still have to find their path should be the aim of the coach.
We praise effort, respect, and personal responsibility. Sometimes those kids become very good athletes and dominate the tournament mats, and sometimes they don’t. Neither matters to us. It’s their personal growth that matters and that is what you should be seeing from coaches at a good academy.
Final Thoughts
Finding the right kids jiu jitsu program doesn’t need to be complicated. Ask the right questions, look beyond the surface, and choose a school that shares your values. Hopefully this gives you some insights from “behind the curtain,” if you will.
If you want to see how we do things firsthand, we offer a 2-week free trial for new students. No contracts. No pressure. Best pricing in Colorado. Come see kids jiu jitsu in Brighton done properly.
Try it out here.
See more about our kids program here.
See our schedule here.
