Kids Martial Arts in Takoma Park: A Parent's Guide to Getting Started

If you're a parent in Takoma Park looking at martial arts for your child, you probably have the same questions every parent asks us: What actually happens in class? Is it safe? Will my child be grouped with kids their own age? And how does the free trial really work? This guide answers all of it, the way we'd answer it at the door of our academy at 720 Erie Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912.

WDC BJJ is a family-owned Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy — we've been part of this neighborhood since 2015, and we're part of GFTeam, one of the most respected jiu-jitsu teams in the world. Our kids program is taught under Professor Deivid Dias, a GFTeam black belt and IBJJF Pan American Champion. But titles aren't what matters on your child's first day. What matters is that classes are organized, supervised, and built for the exact age group your child is in.

What Brazilian jiu-jitsu is — for kids

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a grappling martial art. There is no punching or kicking. Instead, kids learn how to control their own body and a partner's body using leverage and technique rather than strength: how to fall safely, how to escape from a bad position, how to hold a good position, and how to stay calm while someone bigger is putting pressure on them. Because the art is built on leverage, a smaller child can learn to handle a bigger partner — technique does the work that size can't.

For kids, that translates into very practical skills: balance, coordination, body awareness, and the habit of staying composed under pressure. Classes are active from start to finish — warm-ups, movement drills, technique, and supervised partner practice — so children get real exercise while they learn, without a single strike thrown.

Three age groups, three different classes

Children are not small adults, and a five-year-old does not learn the way a fifteen-year-old does. That's why our program is split into three age groups, and why your child always trains with their own group.

Little Grapplers (ages 4–6). The youngest group is built around movement first: games, drills, balance and coordination work, and listening skills, taught in short, clear bursts that match a young child's attention span. On top of that foundation, coaches introduce simple jiu-jitsu movements in small, clear steps. Nobody expects a five-year-old to sit through a lecture — they learn by moving.

Kids Jiu-Jitsu (ages 7–12). This is where real technique takes shape. Classes follow a steady rhythm: a warm-up with the group, one technique taught step by step, then partner practice at a controlled pace with a coach watching every group. Kids in this band train weekdays at 5:00 PM, and the older group — ages 10–12 — also has a 6:00 PM class, Monday through Thursday. Saturday offers a 9:00 AM class for younger and smaller kids, and a new Saturday 10:00 AM kids class starts November 7, 2026.

Teens Jiu-Jitsu (ages 13–17). Teenagers get their own dedicated program — they are not folded into an adult class. Teens train Monday through Thursday, 6:00–7:00 PM, learning the full fundamentals of jiu-jitsu with a group built for their age. Most teens start as complete beginners, and with four sessions a week, most build a rhythm of two or three classes around school and other sports.

How we keep it safe

Safety in a kids' class is mostly about structure, and ours is deliberate. Technique is age-appropriate: young children learn movements and games, not submissions meant for older athletes. Coaches supervise constantly — they are on the floor with every group, matching partners by age, size, and experience, and setting the pace of every drill.

Above all, there is one rule every child learns on day one: tapping out stops everything, instantly, every time. The moment a child taps — or says stop — the technique ends and both partners reset. There are no exceptions and no teasing about it. That single rule is the foundation of the room's culture, and it's why kids can practice a contact sport at a controlled pace with confidence.

Class times at a glance

• Weekday kids classes: 5:00 PM, Monday–Thursday (Little Grapplers grouped inside by age and size)
• Ages 10–12 group: 6:00 PM, Monday–Thursday
• Saturday: 9:00 AM for younger and smaller kids
• New from November 7, 2026: a second Saturday kids class at 10:00 AM
• Teens (13–17): 6:00–7:00 PM, Monday–Thursday

How the free trial works

The best way to know if jiu-jitsu fits your child is for them to try a real class — so that's exactly what the free trial is. It's a real group class with our regular students, not a private sales session, and no experience is needed. Most of our students had never done any martial art when they started.

It works in three steps. First, book the free trial and tell us who is training. Second, we confirm the right class for your child's age and your schedule. Third, arrive 15 minutes early in comfortable athletic clothes with a water bottle, check in at the door, and your child joins the class. After class, we'll answer every question you have and, only if you want, walk you through how enrollment works. A trial involves no payment and no contract.

One more practical note: enrollment includes a free uniform for kids, youth, and adults, so there's no separate gear purchase to get started.

You can see the full class breakdown, meet the coaches, and read the common parent questions on our Kids Jiu-Jitsu program page. When you're ready, book the free trial — we'll confirm the class, and your child can find out the way every student here did: by training.