JIU JITSU LIBRE
Jiu Jitsu Libre Curriculum: The Fight Before the Fight
We have developed a 12-week curriculum that focuses on the "fight before the fight." Each lesson will also include a segment on how the participants can apply what they have learned in the real world to increase positive outcomes and improve well-being. Examples may include using Jiu Jitsu techniques to de-escalate a conflict, applying Jiu Jitsu principles to problem-solving, or using Jiu Jitsu as a tool for stress management. By providing this additional context, the participants will be able to fully appreciate the benefits of Jiu Jitsu beyond the physical techniques learned on the mat.
When developing our curriculum, we discovered that there is no single best pedagogy for youth-oriented martial arts programs. Different practitioners and organizations have developed their approaches with varying degrees and definitions of successful outcomes. Two widely accepted and respected pedagogical approaches that informed our curriculum are the experiential learning model and the right to play learning model.
Experiential learning is often described as the process of learning through experience, but it should more accurately be described as "learning through reflection on doing." The modern theory of experiential learning was developed in the early 1970s by David A. Kolb, building on the earlier work of John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, and Jean Piaget. Applied to martial arts-based youth development programs, the experiential learning model focuses mainly on the learning experience of the individual. Participants are asked to share their experience practicing the sport, reflect on it, and then recommence the activity. They are expected to connect their observations with self-identified themes, problems, and opportunities. All significant learnings during the activity, such as "I felt stronger and more confident," should be connected to future real-life experiences where the lesson can be applied to a non-sport related activity.
The international play-based NGO dedicated to helping improve the lives of children through sport, Right to Play (RTP), uses a simplified version of experiential education called Reflect-Connect-Apply. The right to play model argues that for play to be an effective teaching tool, children must understand the activity being delivered along with the associated life-lesson, and be able to relate it to their own life experiences. At the end of games, mentors lead children through a three-step discussion. The Reflect-Connect-Apply model encourages children to connect the sport-based activity to a similar experience in their own lives and contemplate how they will apply what they have learned from participating in the sport to their daily lives.
Effective mental training is a vital component of Jiu-Jitsu, and our curriculum encompasses important skills such as anxiety reduction, emotional control, concentration, re-focusing, and multi-sensory visualization of desired future actions. All of these skills lead directly to greater emotional control and can be crucial in helping youth plan and practice a course of action to execute when faced with a future stressful situation. Effective mental training also contributes to individuals' feelings of competence and confidence.
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