Matt D’Aquino is a 4th degree Judoka and also a BJJ black belt in his own right. The Australian grappler recently released a kids BJJ book named ‘My First Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Competition’. The book involves children competing in BJJ which is a fairly common sight these days. Whether you’re at a local or an international competition, it’s often filled with kids who seem to focus on competition far more than adults in the art.
According to D’Aquino, the book is aged for those 5-10 years old and is about “Thousands of young BJJ practitioners all over the world worry about competing in their first BJJ tournament. Often they have to compete with negative thoughts as the competition draws closer. Thoughts such as: “What if I lose in ten seconds?”, “What if I embarrass myself?”, “What if the other kids are better than me?”
Interestingly, these are not just commonly asked questions for kids, they also apply to adults. In brief, it’s designed to address anxiety and doubt and how to use BJJ to overcome it. It also has some beautifully illustrated artwork too so if you’re thinking of a BJJ gift for you child then it may be ideal. The book can be purchased here.
