Gracie BullySafe

Saving children in Watford. One child at a time.

Critical confidence

Studies suggest bullying may be the leading cause of low self-esteem in children, and according to some surveys fewer than 15% of children actually report acts of bullying. A child's inability to stand up to a bully is rooted in profound fear for their personal safety. Ironically, the victims know they must confront the bully and would like nothing more than to stand up to them, but they simply can't follow through for fear of the physical harm that backs the bully's every action. Therein lies the challenge: how do you instil in a victim of bullying the confidence to face the tormentor, look them in the eye and back them down? The answer is simple: teach the victims to defend themselves against physical attack, and the rest follows.

Fighting fire with water

Most martial arts programmes rely on striking the attacker with violent punches, kicks, knees and elbows. In Gracie BullySafe we take a different approach: all the techniques are purely defensive and use no strikes. We teach children how to defuse confrontations with words and never to initiate physical aggression. If attacked, we give them techniques to non-violently neutralise the threat and gain control until help arrives. We teach children to fight fire with water, so you never have to worry about your child becoming a bully under our guidance. The programme prepares your child with a three-pronged approach:

• Increased awareness. Harassment comes in many forms, and a victim often doesn't take a stand because they can't tell "joking" from "bullying". We teach your child to differentiate harmless play from harmful harassment, so they know precisely when and how to act.
• Unshakable confidence. A confident child is a BullySafe child. Bullies seek easy targets, those who will tolerate their abuse. We arm your child with the tools to overcome physical, verbal and psychological harassment, so that no bully will try.
• Total responsibility. We prepare your child to deal with bullies without turning them into one. We emphasise discipline, responsibility and respect throughout, and teach five Rules of Engagement to ensure they never abuse their power.

Perfect programmes for every age

Nearly all Jiu-Jitsu schools bunch all their youth students into one class, and a few separate them by age. Gracie BullySafe is one of the only youth programmes that separates children by age and experience level, so every child gets the perfect balance of fun and challenge in their weekly classes. All children begin in super-playful entry-level programmes for their age group and are promoted to the next programme as soon as they reach a certain level of maturity.

Programme	Ages	Description
Tiny Titans	3-4	Parents join their little ones on the mat for specially designed parent-child games that build bonds while introducing foundational self-defence concepts. Children advance to Little Grapplers once they show they understand the games.
Little Grapplers	5-7	Using our time-tested Gracie Games, children learn basic self-defence techniques and the principles of leverage and control, all through fun that keeps them coming back. Children advance to Junior Grapplers after mastering all ten Gracie Games.
Junior Grapplers	8-13	33 non-violent self-defence techniques that teach children to "neutralise and negotiate" with bullies. Verbal assertiveness is a major part of the curriculum. No experience needed, and a noticeable increase in confidence within a few weeks.
Black Belt Club	Invitation	Our most advanced youth programme, open to Junior Grapplers who excel and demonstrate the traits of a future black belt: discipline, respect, courage, leadership, loyalty and compassion. Joining is the highest honour for any young Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioner.

Tiny Titans: our class for 3 to 5 year olds

Tiny Titans runs on Saturdays from 2.00pm to 2.30pm. This 30-minute class is full of fun games and simple techniques, with the objective of building your child's confidence while getting them excited and ready for the transition into the Little Grapplers (ages 5-7) classes.

Each child must be accompanied by a parent, since the children only do the techniques and games with grown-ups. The parent does not need to pay for the class or enrol in a separate membership, but does need their own uniform (Gi).

The cost is £35 per month (one class per week). Like all of our programmes, your child can try the class for 10 calendar days (two consecutive classes) for free before deciding whether to continue.

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Junior Grapplers: the class guide

Class	Ground	Standing
1	Low Mount Control	Double Leg (Trip)
2	Americana Armlock	Clinch & Trip
3	High Mount Control	Single Hand Grab Defence
4	Twisted Arm Control - TAC Back Lift	Standing Rear Choke Defence (Arm Slip)
5	Side Mount Control - Americana (Side)	Double Leg (Trip)
6	Scissor Sweep - Chop Base	Rear Bear Hug Defence (Under Arms)
7	Modified Mount (Back - Armlock)	Rear Takedown
8	Headlock Escapes (Frame & Roll)	Distance Management
9	Mount Escape (First Leg - Back Take)	Front Choke Defence (Two Hands)
10	Triangle Choke (Solo - Finish - Entry)	-
11	Guard Stage 1 - Double Ankle Hook Sweep	Double Leg Trip
12	(Mount) Take the Back - RNC (Negotiate)	Power Push
13	Re-Mount	Verbal Jiu-Jitsu - Double Leg Trip
14	Take the Back (Guard)	Pull Guard
15	Release Head - Armbar	Standing Headlock Defence (Fall Back)
16	Guard Pass - Break Guard	Guillotine Defence - Head Slip
17	Tripod Sweep	Rear Bear Hug Defence (Over Arms)
18	Side Mount Escape - Guard	Clinch & Trip
19	Kimura Armlock (Guard) - Sit-up Sweep	Double Leg (Trip)
20	Guard Punch Block Stages 1 & 2	Wrist Grab Defence

Rules of Engagement

Just as much as they fear school punishment, your child fears the punishment they will receive from you, their parents. Only if your child knows they will not get in trouble at home for defending themselves will they embrace and use the Rules of Engagement as their own. The best way to show your child that you support the rules is to have casual conversations with them on the topic. The goal isn't to give your child permission to fight, but to make it clear that if they are being bullied they have your permission to follow the appropriate steps and take a stand. When discussing the rules, remind your child that their goal, if they ever get into a fight, is to control the bully and gain cooperation without causing any unnecessary harm.

Even after learning the self-defence techniques in the Gracie BullySafe programme, there is a very good chance your child will not take a stand against bullies. Fear of punishment, from school and from parents, is so strong that most children do nothing in response to verbal or physical harassment from a persistent bully. By teaching your child the Rules of Engagement you give them a step-by-step plan to follow whenever they are targeted, and, more importantly, the assurance that you will support them if they are compelled to stand up for themselves.

Bullying is such a widespread problem in the United Kingdom that most schools have a zero-tolerance policy. Although this has reduced physical abuse, it has done little for the ever-increasing problem of verbal harassment. Verbal harassment can be hard to detect, but studies suggest it can cause even greater long-term damage than physical aggression. If a persistent bully harasses your child verbally, the Three T-Steps let them take control of the situation and end the torment:

1. Talk. If a bully harasses you, confidently ask them to leave you alone.
2. Tell. If the bully doesn't leave you alone, notify your teachers and ask your parents for help.
3. Tackle. If the bully persists even after the grown-ups have intervened, you must take matters into your own hands. First you tackle the bully mentally, using Verbal Jiu-Jitsu, and if they become physically aggressive you tackle them physically with Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

Once your child understands the Three T-Steps, it is essential that they learn the five basic rules for using the techniques:

Rule	Guideline
1	Avoid the fight if possible.
2	If physically attacked, defend yourself.
3	If verbally attacked, follow the Three T-Steps.
4	Never punch or kick the bully: establish control and negotiate.
5	When applying submissions, use minimal force and negotiate.

Verbal Jiu-Jitsu training

One of the most pervasive and damaging forms of bullying is verbal harassment. Gracie BullySafe is the only children's Jiu-Jitsu programme that makes verbal assertiveness training, or as we call it "Verbal Jiu-Jitsu", part of the regular curriculum. We use a series of role-playing exercises to teach children how to identify and manage the common threats of verbal harassment and relational bullying. Students learn to tell "bullying" from "joking", and not only how to speak assertively when necessary but also how to use direct eye contact and confident posture to deter bullies from targeting them in the first place.

"Push" teaching versus "pull" teaching

Above all else, the teaching method used in Gracie BullySafe is unlike anything else in the Jiu-Jitsu community. All the entry-level techniques are presented as Jiu-Jitsu games so children are excited to learn them, and we use "push teaching" rather than "pull teaching": when a child makes a mistake we don't focus on the error, we emphasise the parts of the move they did correctly. Through this carefully layered positive reinforcement we help children reach their full potential without jeopardising their love for the art.

Bonus programmes

In addition to preparing your child to protect themselves from bullies, we also teach three other programmes. Gracie KidSafe and Character Development are included in the Little Grapplers and Junior Grapplers classes.