Most families don't need one more activity to shuttle kids to while parents wait in a parking lot. They need something everyone can actually do together, on one trip, without the schedule turning into a second job. That's the idea behind Family Training at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Warwick: age-appropriate classes for every member of the family, scheduled so one visit covers all of you.
What it actually looks like
This isn't a single class where a 6-year-old and a grown adult are grappling with each other — that wouldn't be safe or useful for either of them. It's age-banded classes timed to run back-to-back: your child trains in Mat Munchkins®, Little Champs®, or Jr. Grapplers® depending on their age, while you train in Gracie Combatives or Master Cycle right before or after. One trip to the mat. Two people getting real instruction, each on the track built for them.
Why training together actually matters
Kids notice what their parents actually do, not just what they're told to do. A child is far more likely to stick with something long-term when a parent isn't just dropping them off, but visibly doing the same hard thing themselves that night. It also gives a family something rare: a shared skill and a shared language, instead of two schedules that never intersect.
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend children get 60 minutes or more of activity daily, and public health guidance consistently notes that kids are more likely to stay active long-term when a parent models the behavior rather than just enforcing it.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
It solves a real logistics problem
The single biggest reason families quit an activity isn't lack of interest — it's the schedule. Two kids in two different sports, at two different gyms, at two different times, is not sustainable for most parents. Training together collapses that down to one location, one evening, one drive. If your family also needs coverage around a school schedule, our after-school program can anchor the earlier part of that same evening.
You don't need experience — either of you
Neither you nor your child needs any background to start. Every track begins with the same beginner-safe, cooperative curriculum, whether you're 4 or 40. You're not expected to keep up with your kid, and they're not expected to keep up with you — you're each progressing on your own track, together.
Try it as a family
The best way to know if this fits your family's week is to actually do it once. Start a free 10-day trial for your whole family, browse the full program list to see every age track, and find the one evening that works for everyone.
Frequently asked questions
Can parents and kids train Jiu-Jitsu at the same time?
Yes. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Warwick schedules kids' classes and adult classes back-to-back, so a parent can train their own class right before or after their child's, in a single trip to the academy.
What ages can train together as a family?
Kids can start as young as 3 in Mat Munchkins, with tracks at every age up through Jr. Grapplers (7–12), while parents train in Combatives or Master Cycle. Everyone is on an age-appropriate track, but everyone is training under the same roof, the same evening.
Is Family Training its own separate class?
It's less a single class and more a scheduling philosophy: age-banded classes are timed so one family trip covers everyone, without a parent sitting in the lobby while their kid trains alone.
Why train together instead of just enrolling my kid?
Kids are more likely to stick with a physical activity long-term when a parent is visibly doing it too, not just dropping them off. Training together also gives your family a shared skill and a shared conversation, instead of two separate, disconnected schedules.
