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Jiu Jitsu to improve confidence
ABU DHABI - Jiu Jitsu is becoming more and more popular among public school students with over 21,000 students from Grades 6 to 12 currently enrolled in the programme.
- PUBLISHED: Sun 25 Nov 2012, 12:49 AM UPDATED: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 1:29 PM
Jiu Jitsu is part of the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s (Adec’s) commitment in encouraging students to become physically active from a young age.
Jiu Jitsu, known as ‘Soft Art’, originated from the ancient martial art of the Samurai in Japan several centuries ago and was adopted by Brazil in the early 1900s. Jiu Jitsu does not rely on punches or kicks, but on grappling techniques such as throws, control positions and locks.
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“The sport not only helps improve one’s muscular endurance but is also an invaluable form of self-defense. We look forward to witnessing the transformation process experienced by our Jiu Jitsu students,” said Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, Adec’s executive director of School Operations.
The sport is known to help promote self-confidence, discipline and perseverance, self esteem, respect for peers and adults, fair play, cooperation, interaction and teamwork, as well as self-control.
School Jiu Jitsu (SJJ) was introduced by the Adec to 12 public schools in 2008 and has now reached 60 with a total enrolment of 21,694. The after-school programme is being offered for both Emirati boys and girls.
Each year, each of the SJJ schools competes internally. There are also competitions among zones, school teams and a national final. At the World Cup for Kids in April 2012, 53 students won — 10 gold, 15 silver and 28 bronze medals.