In a shock move, this week saw Brazilian Jiu Jitsu added to the official GCSE curriculum as part of PE (physical education classes). This was announced on the UKBJJA website, which announced that it could be trained by kids in a pilot scheme (with their parents consenting of course).
The UK won’t be the first part of the world that teaches BJJ in schools either, as in 2021 it was announced that it would be part of the curriculum in the UAE. This is similar to how wrestling is taught in US schools, or Judo in France.
Overall, it also marks a significant social and cultural shift and shows just how mainstream BJJ has become. Just 10 years ago in the UK, BJJ was still relatively unknown outside of its own bubble – now it is part of everyday school life.
On a final note, it will be interesting to see how it is taught. For instance, you would imagine that you would need a teacher with at least a blue belt to be able to teach it to kids. With this in mind, it may not become that mainstream just yet and probably has a way to go.
