Jamie Skipper

English 2- Block 2

Ms. Mckoy

2 September 2013

Jujitsu, Is It Appropriate For Your Child?

            Is Jujitsu an appropriate sport for young children?  Well, I was 12 years old when I began my first class of Jujitsu and my brother was 5.  Now, some people might say why start so young.  The main reason I began so young was because I needed to learn self defense.  I was the one who got picked on in middle school.  Every time I told my parents they would say do not let them do anything to you and take up for yourself.  Fortunately my situation never turned physical, but my parents being concerned by school bullying decided to enroll me into jujitsu classes.  When I first began I remember wondering what it was going to be like or if I was going to get hurt.  I never did get hurt and I still take it to this day.  A recent trend that I see happening more often now is that a lot of parents are enrolling their children at younger ages such as four and five years old.  Some parents, however, do not agree with this trend.   I believe that young kids should take Jujitsu so they will be introduced to anti-bullying techniques that will teach them self defense, discipline, and gain self confidence.

            The source I used to look up the information about my topic was Ebscohost.  This is a dependable source due to the fact that its use is suggested by our school systems.  Did you know that jujitsu is “very good for helping kids with attention-deficit or hyperactivity disorder focus?”  (Hennen)  Jujitsu is great for people “who lack in confidence.”(Hennen)  It also helps with learning “respect and strict self-discipline.”(Hennen)  The importance of these quotes is to show you the good jujitsu has done for kids, although, there are still some parents who are “overly protective parents who shelter their children from experiences that might harm them” (Little Warriors) that will disagree.  “Whether you agree or disagree with this approach, the fact is that the world does seem a more dangerous place for this generation” (Little Warriors) which proves the need for our young generation to learn self defense. The initial research that I have done has provided my topic to be more helpful to children than harmful to children.

I would like to research father into children and Jujitsu to see if many kids actually get severely injured during practice and uncover possible preventative measures that should be taken to prevent these injuries.  The essential research question that will drive my research will be is there ways to prevent children from getting injuries while performing jujitsu.  I can say that my experience in performing Jujitsu has been injury free for three years now.  I feel that thus far I have gathered enough research to say that most parents would agree that jujitsu is an appropriate activity for young children in today’s society.  What would you chose for your child?