GET A FREE CLASS!
MMA Classes For Kids
MMA Classes For Kids O’Fallon, MO. Are you looking for a great way to keep your kids active and help them build character skills for all aspects of life? Look no further than MMA classes for kids at Gracie Barra O’Fallon.
Our MMA classes for kids, which we divide into groups for ages 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12, set your children up for success with hands-on training and a focus on vital tools like bully prevention, self-confidence, and well-rounded athleticism. Signing your child up for MMA classes for kids at Gracie Barra O’Fallon is one of the most rewarding decisions you can make. It’s a fun hobby that also provides a positive way for kids to release stress, learn the importance of physical fitness, and feel accomplishment after achieving goals. We concentrate on building a positive attitude, discipline, and respect in our students so that they not only become better in the cage or on the mats, but better in life.
Gracie Barra is home to the world’s best MMA team, featuring over 400 gyms in North America and 900 worldwide. Your membership gets you and your kids into any of them. Call us now to get started in Gracie Barra O’Fallon MMA classes for kids at 636-544-3655 or contact us online.
MMA Classes For Kids: What Exactly is MMA?
MMA (mixed martial arts) is a full-contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques and skills from a conglomerate of other combat sports to be used in competition. The rules allow usage of both striking and grappling techniques while standing and/or on the ground. Competitions allow athletes of different disciplines of martial arts to compete under a set of unified rules. It’s the blend of attacks, the mixture of martial arts that constantly keep fighters on their toes. The various fighting styles the MMA discipline borrows from include:
- Boxing
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- Jiu-Jitsu
- Judo
- Karate
- Kickboxing
- Kung Fu
- Taekwondo
- Wrestling
- Leadership and teamwork skills
- Courage and perseverance
- Unwavering self-confidence
- Respect and discipline in all aspects of life
The skill of fighting with the fists, usually with padded leather gloves. Referred to as the “sweet science,” boxers use elaborate foot maneuvers and quick jabs for offense.
Our namesake Carlos Gracie opened the original Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1925. He taught the skills he learned from Japanese judo master Mitsuyo Esai Maeda. Those skills were later modified to use less strength and to be more effective against larger opponents, an obvious advantageous adaptation for MMA. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s reputation spread because of the success of its practitioners in no-holds-barred competitions.
Ancient Japanese martial art that encompasses throwing, joint locks, striking, and weapons training.
Japanese martial art founded in 1882 by Jigoro Kano and derived from jiu jitsu. Judo is now an Olympic sport emphasizing throws. Striking is prohibited, which is great as a practical teaching tool in our Gracie Barra MMA classes for kids.
Name used to identify many Japanese and Okinawan martial arts. While known for powerful, linear techniques — a lot of which have been adapted into MMA fighting — many karate styles also incorporate softer, circular styles beneficial in our MMA classes for kids. Some of the popular styles of karate include:
Sportive martial art combining boxing punches and martial arts kicks. Many different styles with differing rules exist, such as Muay Thai, full-contact karate, and Lethwei.
Also referred to as Gung Fu, Chinese Boxing, and Wu Shu. There are hundreds of styles of Kung Fu, many of which are patterned after movements of animals.
One of the most practiced martial arts in the world, Taekwondo is a Korean style known for its flashy kicking techniques.
Regarded as the world’s oldest sport, the basis of wrestling is a contestant battles hand-to-hand, attempting to throw or take down their opponent without striking blows. Some wrestling styles include freestyle, Greco-Roman, and catch-as-catch-can.
Gracie Barra O’Fallon: What Are the Benefits of MMA Classes For Kids?
The physical benefits of Gracie Barra O’Fallon MMA classes for kids include improved flexibility, a leaner physique, improved cardiovascular endurance, and a stronger immune system. Give us a call to get your children signed up for MMA classes for kids at 636-544-3655 or contact us. Some of the other benefits of the classes include:
Lowers Stress Levels
From homework to after-school responsibilities to dealing with bullies, your children deal with stress in virtually all aspects of their lives. Stress affects the body, weakening the immune system and making your kids more vulnerable to various illnesses, and, quite simply, leaving them feeling stagnant. MMA classes for kids help lower stress in multiple ways. For starters, the kids get intense physical exercise, leading to the release of dopamine in their brains.
Gracie Barra MMA classes for kids also serve as a great form of destructive therapy, getting to punch and kick all their frustrations away during classes. This can go a long way for kids who might not have quite developed the communication skills needed to express things that are bothering them.
Maintain Healthy Weight
MMA classes for kids provide a fun activity that also just so happens to burn up to 1,000 calories for every hour spent training. Getting your children to break a sweat is even more critical these days, given how many electronic distractions they are exposed to, not to mention a general overarching proclivity to lead sedentary lives.
Research shows that people who are overweight often have weakened immune systems. Obesity restricts the immune response at a cellular level and alters leucocyte counts. MMA classes for kids significantly reduce your kids’ risk of becoming overweight, teaching the children the importance of making physical exercise a routine. Call us at 636-544-3655 or contact us.
Improves Sleep Quality
Children sometimes seem to have an endless supply of energy, and that can make bedtime a challenge. Children who do not have a way to channel their restless energy are more likely to develop sleep disorders. MMA classes for kids are an excellent way to channel all that energy. Gracie Barra O’Fallon classes give your kids all the physical activity they can handle, and it leads to the release of relaxing, feel-good hormones in their brain.
Promotes Detoxification
Children love unhealthy junk foods that can be harmful to their bodies and immune systems. MMA classes for kids provide a great mix of anaerobic and aerobic exercise that gets kids’ hearts pumping, blood flowing, and sweat pouring. Drinking lots of water and sweating the fluids out helps to flush toxins, waste, and fats trapped in the body.
Promotes a Healthy Lifestyle
MMA classes for kids at Gracie Barra O’Fallon can lead to children making their personal fitness and health a priority for the rest of their lives. Kids get a full-body workout, and improve their coordination, reflexes, flexibility, balance, endurance, and agility. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily for children aged 6-17, plus at least three days of muscle- and bone-strengthening activity per week. When your child takes three Gracie Barra MMA classes for kids a week, they meet the recommendation. Staying fit and active also helps your kids feel better in their day-to-day lives as they have more energy for school and other activities.
Improves Social Skills
Children figure out social cues at a very early age. MMA classes for kids provide a positive, safe environment that promotes communication. Gracie Barra O’Fallon does not allow teasing or bullying. Children will be respectful to their peers and instructors at all times, creating an ideal environment for making friends.
Call us at 636-544-3655 or contact us.
Gracie Barra O’Fallon: Are MMA Classes For Kids Safe?
MMA as a sport has a bad reputation when it comes to injuries, probably due to the fact that most people just instantly associate fighting with blood and gore, or that the blood we do see in MMA matches on TV is literally on the mat in front of us for the duration of the fight. However, the statistics show MMA is a lot safer than most people think, particularly for children.
Our MMA classes for kids, along with all of our kids’ classes, require proper protective gear. Hits to the head, and other potentially dangerous maneuvers, are absolutely forbidden in our gym. We do not accept hostility or intimidation. Of course there is potential for injury, which is true of any contact sport children choose to participate in. But if the correct rules and safety equipment and guidelines are adopted, MMA is just as safe as any of the other martial arts that are practiced by millions of children around the world.
MMA Classes For Kids | Gracie Barra O’Fallon
We know how much our students love challenging themselves and learning new skills. But we also know how important it is for them to be prepared for all aspects of life. That’s why our MMA classes for kids surround students with positive role models, like our instructors, and help them build the best blend of mental, physical, and emotional strength. Our team at Gracie Barra O’Fallon is committed to helping your kids, and every kid in our community, find success.
From day one, we’ll challenge, yet help, your kids to take on and develop:
Give your kids the best chance to thrive with the help of our MMA classes for kids. We’re working hard to help our students learn new skills every day and stay motivated to train like never before.
Call us to get started in MMA classes for kids today at 636-544-3655 or contact us online.