Logic Jiu Jitsu
    The Complete Parent Guide

    Kids
    Jiu Jitsu.
    Philadelphia. Built for the kid who doesn't want to hit anyone.

    What kids BJJ actually is. Age groups. What a class looks like. Safety. Bullying — the honest answer. BJJ vs karate vs wrestling. Who teaches. How to start. One page. Every answer.

    By Dennis Pressey Jr.···Ages 4–13·~12 min read
    Start Reading Or skip to: How to start

    In this guide — 14 sections

    1. 01 — What is kids BJJ?
    2. 02 — Age groups
    3. 03 — A class, minute by minute
    4. 04 — Is it safe?
    5. 05 — The no-bench rule
    6. 06 — Real benefits
    7. 07 — BJJ vs other kids activities
    8. 08 — The honest answer on bullying
    9. 09 — Who teaches the room
    10. 10 — Uniform, hygiene & parent rules
    11. 11 — Watch a class
    12. 12 — Philly neighborhoods
    13. 13 — How to start
    14. 14 — Every question, answered

    Chapter 01

    What is kids jiu jitsu?

    Kids Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a grappling-based martial art for ages 4–13. The goal is not to hit harder. It's to control a person — no matter their size — using leverage, position, and timing.

    There are no strikes to the head. No headers. No tackles. Every position has a tap. That single rule is why pediatricians and orthopedists send families to BJJ instead of contact striking sports.

    The class itself is structured: warm-up, technique, partner drilling, position-specific games, cool-down. Coaches lead. Kids listen, drill, lose, reset, and try again. The mat does what nothing else in a kid's week does — it asks for their full attention.

    4–13

    Age groups we accept

    0

    Strikes to the head in class

    Lower

    Injury rate than youth soccer

    50

    Minute structured classes

    Chapter 02

    Four age groups. One promise.

    A four-year-old should not be lost in a room built for ten-year-olds. We split kids by age and pace so every child gets the version of jiu jitsu that fits where they are.

    01 / 04Ages 4–6

    Tiny Tigers

    Listening before locks.

    Class is built around the things a four-year-old has never been asked to do: follow directions, wait their turn, control their body, lose without melting down. Jiu jitsu is the vehicle — discipline is the lesson. No live sparring. Lots of games.

    Why it matters

    We split this group from the older kids. A six-year-old should not be lost in a room built for ten-year-olds.

    Chapter 03

    A class, minute by minute

    Every kids class at Logic runs 50 minutes. Here's exactly how those 50 minutes break down — the same way a brand-new student walks through them on day one.

    01 / 040–10min

    Arrive, bow in, warm-up

    Kids line up, bow in, and run coach-led movement: shrimps, breakfalls, animal walks, partner tag. The body wakes up. The room sets the tone.

    02 / 0410–25min

    Technique block

    A black belt instructor breaks down one specific position — usually an escape or a basic control. Slow demo, partner drilling at low intensity, individual corrections from the coach.

    03 / 0425–45min

    Partner work + games

    Position-specific games (king of the mountain, capture the flag, no-arms guard retention). The kids think they're playing. They're drilling jiu jitsu reps for 20 straight minutes.

    04 / 0445–50min

    Cool-down, bow out, parents in

    Stretching, a short coach talk about the day's lesson, bow out. Parents are welcome on the floor for the final five minutes to ask the coach anything.

    Kids jiu jitsu class lined up at Logic Philadelphia

    Chapter 04

    Is kids BJJ safe?

    The short answer: it has one of the lowest injury rates of any organized youth activity. Lower than soccer. Lower than football. Lower than gymnastics.

    Kids jiu jitsu has no strikes to the head. No headers, no tackles, no repeated impact. The dominant injury mechanism in contact youth sports — collisions and head trauma — barely exists in our program.

    The few injuries that do happen are usually finger jams or mat burns. Every position has a tap that ends a round instantly. A coach is on the floor every minute of every class.

    For Tiny Tigers (4–6), there is no live sparring at all. Juniors (7–9) do position-specific games. Live, supervised rounds are earned — not handed out on day one.

    Every instructor on our kids mats is SafeSport Certified — the U.S. Olympic child-safety standard. Our team is IBJJF Registered and background checked before they ever coach your child. Most gyms don't do this. We won't operate any other way.

    0

    Strikes to the head

    1:1

    Coach attention during class

    100%

    Mats disinfected after every class

    Every

    Position has a tap

    Kids lined up before jiu jitsu class

    Chapter 05

    The no-bench rule.

    Every kid trains. Every kid has a partner. Every kid drills. No one sits out for being small, slow, new, or quiet.

    This sounds basic until you watch a youth soccer practice where the same three kids touch the ball every drill. On our mat, the worst kid in the room gets the same coaching minutes as the best one. That's the deal.

    Chapter 06

    What it actually changes.

    Not the marketing version. The version parents tell us about at the front desk after six weeks.

    Focus

    They learn to listen, wait their turn, follow directions, and solve problems under pressure. Teachers notice it at school.

    Confidence

    Confidence here is earned through skill — not given. Quiet kids start to walk differently inside a few months.

    Regulation

    Kids with ADHD, anxiety, or sensory needs often thrive on the mat. Predictable rules, immediate feedback, physical pressure — exactly what their nervous system needs.

    Resilience

    They lose. They reset. They try again. Then they stop crying about losing anywhere in life. The mat is the safest place to learn this.

    Chapter 07

    BJJ vs every other kids activity.

    An honest comparison — including the activities BJJ doesn't beat on every metric. You can make an informed choice instead of a marketed one.

    SportContact levelInjury rateDiscipline built inBullying resilience
    Kids BJJ
    Grappling + control
    		No strikes to the headVery low (lower than soccer)High — built into every classStrongest record — control without violence
    Karate
    Striking + forms
    		Light contact strikesLowHigh (varies by school)Good for confidence, weaker for de-escalation
    Taekwondo
    Kicking + forms
    		Light to moderate strikesLow to moderateHigh in traditional schoolsGood for confidence
    Wrestling
    Takedowns + pins
    		High impact, no submissionsModerateHighStrong — similar to BJJ
    Soccer
    Team sport
    		Collisions, headersHigher than BJJ for kidsTeam-basedIndirect (team dynamics)
    Football
    Contact team sport
    		Repeated high-impact collisionsHigh (head impact concerns)Team-basedMixed
    Gymnastics
    Body control
    		No contactModerate (overuse)Very highIndirect

    Chapter 08

    The honest answer on bullying.

    Bullies pick targets they can dominate. A kid who can quietly control any peer on the ground — without striking, without escalation — stops being a target. We've watched it happen hundreds of times.

    But the deeper truth is this: jiu jitsu kids don't become bullies either. The kids who bully are the ones who feel powerless. Jiu jitsu solves the powerlessness without ever needing to use it.

    They learn control. They learn that getting tapped is fine. They learn that winning quietly is more powerful than winning loudly. Then they go to school and just… don't get pulled into the drama.

    "He came home and told me a kid pushed him at recess. He said, 'It's fine, Mom. I knew I could handle him, so I just walked away.'"

    — Parent of a 9-year-old Logic student

    Chapter 09

    Who teaches the room.

    Kids are not handed to random helpers. The room is run by black belts with adult supervision on the floor every class.

    Dennis Pressey Jr. coaching kids jiu jitsu at Logic Philadelphia

    Dennis Pressey Jr.

    Black Belt · Head Instructor & Owner

    Black Belt under Kristian Woodmansee, co-awarded with JT Torres. Built the kids program from scratch so kids get the same standard the adults do — no babysitting, no bench.

    Read more
    Markee McCrimmon coaching kids jiu jitsu at Logic Philadelphia

    Markee McCrimmon

    Black Belt · Kids Lead

    Lost 60 lbs and earned his black belt at Logic. Kids gravitate to him because he leads with patience, not volume.

    Read more
    Matt Rong coaching kids jiu jitsu at Logic Philadelphia

    Matt Rong

    Black Belt · Kids Lead

    Breaks complex movement into pieces a six-year-old absorbs without losing technical integrity. Parents notice the confidence shift within weeks.

    Kids program assistant coaches

    Shavana Jones

    Purple Belt

    Jamal Hughes

    Blue Belt

    Phil Sawicki

    Blue Belt

    Pat Hilley

    Blue Belt

    Chapter 10

    Uniform, hygiene & parent rules.

    • No uniform required during the 14-Day Foundations Program. If your child continues, the gi is Kingz brand, black or white only.
    • Nails trimmed. Long hair tied back. No jewelry on the mat.
    • Showers on site. Kids wash hands before class. Mats disinfected after every class.
    • Skin conditions (ringworm, staph, impetigo) require sitting out until cleared. IBJJF hygiene standards.
    • Parents welcome on the viewing bench for the entire class, and on the floor for the last five minutes.
    Young student smiling in a Kingz gi after class at Logic Jiu Jitsu Philadelphia

    Chapter 11

    Watch a class.

    Real footage from the Logic kids room. No actors. No edits to hide the unpolished moments — those are the point.

    Kids jiu jitsu training at Logic PhiladelphiaKids jiu jitsu training at Logic PhiladelphiaKids jiu jitsu training at Logic PhiladelphiaKids jiu jitsu training at Logic Philadelphia

    Chapter 12

    Kids jiu jitsu in Philadelphia.

    Logic is at 1360 N American St, Philadelphia, PA 19122. Free on-site parking. Convenient to every kid-dense neighborhood in North and Center Philadelphia.

    Fishtown

    5 min

    South Kensington

    Walk

    Northern Liberties

    5 min

    Old City

    8 min

    Port Richmond

    10 min

    Brewerytown

    12 min

    Center City

    12 min

    Fairmount

    12 min

    Chapter 13

    How to start your child.

    We don't run free trial classes for kids. One trial class is mostly nerves and tells you nothing. The 14-Day Foundations Program — $99, no contracts, no uniform required — is the only way to start.

    1. 01Read the program pageFull details of the 14-Day Foundations Program — schedule, what's included, the exact next step.
    2. 02Reserve their spot — $99Fourteen days of coached kids classes. No uniform required. No auto-renew. Cohorts start every two weeks.
    3. 03Decide together at day 14If it's a fit, your child moves into the ongoing kids program with a real foundation already built. If it's not, you've lost two weeks — not a year.

    14-Day Foundations Program

    $99 · 14 days · No uniform required · Coached by black belts. Cohorts every two weeks.

    Go to Kids Program Page

    Chapter 14

    Every question, answered.

    28 questions across safety, behavior, logistics, and how kids BJJ compares to other activities. If your question isn't here, it should be — tell us.

    Safety

    Yes — when it's coached correctly. Kids BJJ has one of the lowest injury rates of any organized youth activity, below soccer, football, and even gymnastics. There are no strikes to the head, and every position has a tap that ends a round instantly.

    Tap. Loudly, verbally, or by tapping the mat or their partner. The round ends instantly. A coach is on the floor for every minute of every class — that's not optional.

    Kids BJJ has effectively no concussion risk in our program. There are no strikes to the head, no headers, no tackles. This is the single biggest reason pediatricians and orthopedists send families to grappling instead of contact striking sports.

    No. Live sparring is introduced gradually and supervised at all times. Tiny Tigers (4–6) don't spar. Juniors (7–9) do position-specific games. Preteens (10+) earn into live rounds when coaches feel they're ready.

    Mats are disinfected after every class. Kids wash hands before class and shower immediately after — we have showers on site. Any visible skin condition (ringworm, staph, impetigo, herpes) requires sitting out until cleared. We follow IBJJF hygiene standards.

    These kids often thrive in jiu jitsu — sometimes more than neurotypical kids. The clear structure, physical pressure, predictable rules, and immediate feedback are exactly what a dysregulated nervous system needs. Tell the coach before class so we know how to support them.

    Yes. Most classes have at least 3–6 coaches present on the mat. Parents are welcome to watch the entire class from the viewing area.

    Every coach on our kids mats is SafeSport Certified — the same child-safety standard required by the U.S. Olympic Committee. Our team is IBJJF Registered and background checked before their first class. No exceptions.

    Behavior & discipline

    The opposite. Trained grapplers are the least aggressive kids in the room because they know they don't have to prove anything. The kids who become bullies are the ones who feel powerless. Jiu jitsu solves the powerlessness.

    It's the single best martial art for it. Bullies pick targets they can dominate. A kid who can control any peer on the ground — quietly, without striking — stops being a target. We've watched it happen hundreds of times.

    No. The first thing we teach is that jiu jitsu is for the mat. We talk openly about when grappling is appropriate (in class, in self-defense) and when it isn't (everywhere else). Coaches reinforce this every week.

    Yes — most parents notice it within 4–8 weeks. Kids show up to class, line up, listen, drill, lose, reset, and try again. That loop transfers. Teachers and parents see the change at school and the dinner table.

    Quietly, yes. Confidence in jiu jitsu is earned through skill — not through being told they're special. Shy kids tend to find their footing here because nobody asks them to perform. They just train, get better, and start to walk differently.

    Jiu jitsu humbles them — in the best way. Getting tapped by a smaller, more skilled training partner is a productive ego check. They learn to lose well, which is one of the most valuable skills a strong-willed kid can develop.

    It's actually the cure. Kids cry the first few times they get tapped. Then they cry less. Then they tap and reset and try again. Then they stop crying about losing anywhere in life. The mat is the safest place to learn this.

    Logistics

    We accept ages 4–13 in the kids program. Ages 14+ train in the teen track under supervision in the adult fundamentals room.

    Every new kid starts with the 14-Day Foundations Program — $99 for 14 days of coached kids classes. No drop-in trials, no chaos. A structured cohort so they actually learn jiu jitsu — not just try it once.

    Because a single trial class is a terrible way to judge a martial art and a worse way to start a kid. One class is mostly nerves. Fourteen days is enough time for them to actually feel what it's like. That's how we know it's a real fit.

    No. The 14-Day Foundations Program does not require a uniform. Athletic clothes are fine. If your child continues after the program, we'll sort out the gi at that point.

    Two to three classes per week is the sweet spot. One is maintenance. Four or more is unnecessary for kids — recovery and other activities matter too.

    Kids classes run 50 minutes. Long enough to learn, short enough to keep them engaged.

    Just themselves and a water bottle. We provide the gi, the mat, the coaches, and the locker room. Free parking is on-site at 1360 N American St.

    Comparisons

    It depends on the goal. Karate is great for striking discipline and traditional forms. Jiu jitsu is unmatched for control, leverage, and real-world conflict resolution — most schoolyard altercations end on the ground, and that's where a BJJ kid is at home.

    Wrestling is excellent — explosive, physical, deeply technical. BJJ adds submissions and ground control, has a lower impact level, and is a year-round sport instead of a season. Many wrestlers cross-train BJJ in the off-season.

    Taekwondo emphasizes kicks, forms, and discipline through repetition. BJJ emphasizes problem-solving against a resisting partner. Both build discipline. BJJ tends to translate more directly to handling a real conflict.

    Four is the youngest age that consistently does well in a structured class. Most kids start between 5 and 10. There is no upper age limit — teens entering the sport at 14 still build real skill and confidence.

    Yes — arguably better than for boys. Girls who train BJJ from a young age grow up knowing they can physically control situations that would otherwise scare them. That changes how they move through the world as teenagers and adults.

    No. Jiu jitsu is the equalizer. The whole point of the sport is that size, strength, and athleticism are not prerequisites. We've watched the least athletic kid in the room become one of the sharpest grapplers in the program within a year.

    Logic Jiu Jitsu is at 1360 N American St, Philadelphia, PA 19122, serving South Kensington, Fishtown, Northern Liberties, Old City, Port Richmond, and greater Philadelphia. Free on-site parking is available.

    Send them somewhere that demands more from them.

    The full 14-Day Foundations Program lives on the kids program page. That's where you start.

    View the Kids Foundations Program