“A teacher’s job is to take a bunch of live wires and see that they are well-grounded.”
Darwin D. Martin
Welcome!
Thank you for taking the time to navigate to our kid’s page. We are very excited you are interested in enrolling your kiddos into our program and giving us the opportunity to introduce them into the martial art world. Tom is a phenomenal martial artist with a plethora of knowledge beneficial to all ages. If you haven’t yet, please navigate back to our Instructor Page link below to read up on his bio.
What makes us special?
At Blue Ridge, we believe that Jiu Jitsu and Judo work hand in hand. We are able to offer this extra benefit because of Tom. Tom is a Judo black belt and a Jiu Jitsu purple belt. He has competed (and still does) in both martial arts. His self-tested and obtained knowledge allows him to select his curriculum based off both. When you enroll your kid with us, you are getting the best of both worlds. We believe this offers an authentic edge.
What is our class structure?
Our classes are JUDO oriented. At the beginning of class, they will bow in Judo-style and will also learn to count to 10 in Judo (warmups!), and every throw has a Japanese name as well. Judo has a separate belt system than Jiu-Jitsu, and that is how their hard work will be reflected.
The cool thing about Judo, is that the “groundwork” involved is parallelled to jiu-jitsu. Since we are so lucky to have Coach Tom with his versatility; he teaches moves conducive and easily applicable to both martial arts.
It is important to know that martial arts are an acquired skill. It takes mat time and repetitions to ensure safety and proper technique. Our sport has a long endgame, but if your child sticks with it the end results are irreplicable to any other sport. It is something they can continue to do and carry with them their entire lives contrary to sports that end with schooling. If you talk to any one of us…our first regret is that we didn’t start sooner. It will give them confidence and character; the ability to thrive in situations most individuals flee from.
We hope to bring out the best attributes and always praise characteristics associated with good sportsmanship:
Fair Play
Respect
Friendship
Responsibility
Knowledge
Discipline
The average class time is 45 minutes. It starts with warmups to promote coordination, drills to ensure technique/safety, introduction of new (or previously learned) techniques, and a game at the end of class. On Thursdays, they will Randori, which means they will put their techniques and knowledge to test against each other.
Are there rules?
Yes, like any recreation…learning Judo and Jiu Jitsu requires concentration. It is not easy, but at the same time, that is what makes it so fun. Distractions are minimally tolerated, and our class functions on reliability of discipline. At times, if one of the kiddos are being too disruptive, they will be asked to take a pause off of the mats. Once they have a reset, they will be allowed back on. If, for any reason the disruption continues they will need to remain off the mats for the day. We want everyone to have an opportunity to experience this amazing art; but we also have to ensure the best learning environment possible in order for them to do so.
What is the belt system?
Hard work does pay off. Once your kiddo has been putting in the work and improving; They will be “promoted” either by stripes on their current belt or gifted a new belt entirely.
What is the schedule?
Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5pm.
How do we sign up?
We like for you to bring your little in to try the classes out. If they are a good fit, we will direct you to our membership page on this website accessed by password to sign up.
