Kid Wants to Quit? Try These 5 Things First.

Kid Wants to Quit Jiu Jitsu?

Before You Pull Them Out… Try These 5 Things First.

Every parent who’s had a kid in Jiu Jitsu long enough eventually hears it:

“I don’t want to go anymore.”

That doesn’t automatically mean Jiu Jitsu is the wrong fit.

Sometimes it means your kid is tired.
Sometimes they’re frustrated.
Sometimes they had a rough class, got stuck with a tough training partner, lost confidence, or simply don’t feel like doing hard things that day.

That’s normal.

The truth is: almost every successful kid in Jiu Jitsu has gone through phases where they wanted to quit.

The difference is often what happened next.

Before you cancel their membership, we’d encourage you to try these 5 things first:

1. Find Out Why They Want to Quit

“Because I don’t want to” usually isn’t the real reason.

Ask gentle questions:

• “What’s been hard lately?”
• “Did something happen in class?”
• “Are you bored, frustrated, nervous, embarrassed?”
• “Do you feel like you’re not improving?”

Sometimes kids are struggling socially.
Sometimes they’re comparing themselves to others.
Sometimes they’re simply uncomfortable being challenged.

That discomfort is often where growth starts.

Try to listen without immediately trying to fix the problem. You may learn a lot.

2. Don’t Make Big Decisions After a Bad Day

A tough class should not decide the future.

Kids are emotional. One frustrating round, one difficult Coach correction, one moment of exhaustion, or one bad performance can suddenly become:

“I hate Jiu Jitsu.”

Imagine if adults quit the gym, work, marriage, or life goals every time we had a bad day.

Consistency matters more than motivation.

A good rule:

• Don’t quit on the drive home.
• Don’t quit after a bad class.
• Don’t quit during an emotional moment.

Give it time.

3. Remember: The Goal Isn’t Just Jiu Jitsu

Most parents don’t actually enroll their kid because they dream of raising a world champion.

They enroll because they want their kid to become:

• More confident
• More disciplined
• More resilient
• More respectful
• More capable under pressure
• Less glued to screens
• Stronger mentally and physically

The hard part?

Those qualities are usually built through challenge — not comfort.

Jiu Jitsu teaches kids how to keep going when things are difficult. That lesson matters far beyond the mats.

4. Help Them Push Through One More Month

Instead of asking:

“Do you want to quit forever?”

Try:

“Let’s commit to one more month and give it our best.”

Kids often want to escape temporary discomfort.
But many times, confidence returns once they:

• reconnect with friends,
• start improving again,
• gain momentum,
• or simply rebuild consistency.

You’d be surprised how many kids are grateful later that their parents didn’t let them quit during a temporary rough patch.

5. Talk to the Coaches

You are not alone in this.

A good coaching team wants to help your kid succeed — not pressure them.

Sometimes we can:

• pair them with different partners,
• help rebuild confidence,
• encourage them differently,
• identify what’s going on,
• or simply give them a fresh reset mentally.

We’ve seen kids go from:

“I want to quit.”

to:

“I love Jiu Jitsu.”

And often, the turning point happened right after the hard season.

One Final Thought

There’s a big difference between:

• a kid truly needing a break…

and…

• a kid learning how to push through difficulty.

Only you can decide what’s best for your family.

But in a world where most kids are taught to quit things the moment they become uncomfortable, Jiu Jitsu can become one of the few places where they learn:

• resilience,
• grit,
• patience,
• humility,
• and confidence earned through effort.

Those lessons last forever.

And sometimes, the moment they wanted to quit… was actually the moment they needed Jiu Jitsu the most.

— Lake Arrowhead Jiu Jitsu
🗺️ 28949 Hook Creek Rd, Cedar Glen
🌐 lakearrowheadjiujitsu.com
📞 (909) 744-4614