THE Covid-19 pandemic has done a number on contact sports, but Cuki Alvarez and Trench Tech continue to find ways to keep the Kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or BJJ class alive while following social distancing protocols.
Cuki Alvarez and his students perform ground drills during a Kids BJJ class at the Trench Tech Gym on Tuesday.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
“Our Kids BJJ program has been very good,” he said. “Despite the pandemic, numbers have been good. Many parents are just so happy to get their kids out of the house and do some physical activity.”
Although BJJ is a full contact sport, its techniques could still be learned individually, Alvarez said.
“Our kids have been engaging in solo drills and techniques. As a BJJ instructor, it is my responsibility to teach them how to move efficiently on the ground and show them lots of body movements and exercises.”
However, because there cannot be any physical contact, and students cannot perform drills with partners, Alvarez is showing them ways to move and to position their bodies on the mat.
“We use animal movements such as the seal crawl, the bear walk, the crab walk, leap frogs, spider crawls, the shrimp and even the turtle. We also do lots of forward and back rolls and break falls. All techniques they can use and apply to BJJ,” Alvarez said.
Cuki Alvarez speaks into a mini-megaphone as he conducts a Kids BJJ class at the Trench Tech Gym on Tuesday.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
BJJ has a learning curve but with children, Alvarez has found ways to keep them entertained while they learn and hone their skills.
“We make it fun for them to learn and we play lots of games,” he added.
He said the games involve body movements that help the children become strong and flexible while also teaching them balance.
“Because we make the exercises fun, kids tend to learn fast because they enjoy it,” Alvarez said.
He added that the students can earn belt promotions, but “at the moment, all kids will remain at the white belt level until we can start doing partner drilling and actual rolling and sparring so we can base their progress on a more realistic scenario. Until then, although all the kids are improving, we will keep them at white belt.”
