Help your children develop confidence, skills and fitness to serve them a lifetime.
Our martial arts academy has been servicing the Hawkesbury since 2015 and is part of the Gracie Barra Association, the #1 ranked Brazilian Jiu Jitsu team in the World. Our instructors have more than 25 years combined experience teaching kids martial arts. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a fantastic activity for children looking to learn self defence build self confidence. Additionally, BJJ is a fantastic sport in it's own right and our kids compete regularly in tournaments.
Our programs emphasize the development of :
Our kids head instructors are husband and wife team, Prof David Jenkinson and Coach Sinem Jenkinson. Prof. David is an experienced BJJ competitor , and as such excels in coaching kids to reach their potential in tournaments. Coach Sinem has over 18 years experience teaching kids martial arts, holds a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood from the University of Western Sydney and is a part-time primary school teacher. Coach Sinem has a deep understanding of children's behavior and knows how to get the most out of a child. She is a true expert in this field. Our instructor's are certified to teach BJJ, hold current first aid and CPR certificates and have completed working with kids checks.
Each age group's program is designed to cater specifically for that period in your child's physical and emotional development.
Tiny Champs: 4 Years Little Champs: 5 - 6 Years Juniors: 7 - 12 Years Teens: 13 - 17 Years
The Gracie Barra Red Shield is one of the most recognized symbols in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The garment is specifically designed to cope with the rigorous gripping used in BJJ. Our uniform promotes a team spirit whilst also promoting a child's individuality by providing 3 colour choices (white, blue and pink) and design options. All uniforms come with the jacket, belt, pants and patches embroidered.
Gracie Barra Hawkesbury is a member of the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), and as such we follow the belt grading guidelines of the IBJJF. The children's belt system is designed so that a child who is attending 2x per week is eligible for either a stripe or belt promotion each month. This is a great way to keep kids motivated and engaged with BJJ. We do not hold formal testing, instead promotions are based on a minimum attendance, effort and behaviour. Instructors may also have have specific goals for individual children to aim for in order to be promoted. We believe that every child is different, and will not be judged against other kids rather judged based on their own potential.
Our GB Kids curriculum is 16 weeks and runs continuously throughout the year, meaning children can start at any point of it's rotation. Every week we focus on a different aspect of BJJ, but a typical class generally looks like this:
Kids can progress to more advanced techniques when they are moved into the next age group or can be invited to attend advanced training classes.
Our school has produced many champions and encourages kids who show an interest to engage in BJJ competitions. We run special training sessions for our competitors at our school and at HQ in Brookvale with kids from other GB school. Competitions tend to be run in Sydney on a monthly basis, additionally Gracie Barra runs an internal competion with other GB schools which is a great way for kids to get a taste of competing in a supportive and friendly environment.
We have several choices for memberships and uniforms, so prices can vary. The fee structure is designed to encourage attendance, and provides the most value when a child is training often. Our school accepts Active Kids vouchers towards fees and we also have Afterpay for uniform and merchandise purchases. Family discounts are available. For more information on fees and uniforms costs we recommend abooking a free trial for your child, at the conclusion of the class one of our friendly staff can take you through our packages.