August 23, 2023

Introduction

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a set of skills and processes that enable learners to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. (CASEL, 2023) SEL is a “learner-centered” development strategy, focusing on the personal growth and development of the child or learner rather than the accumulation of discipline—or career-advancing information. (Schiro, 2013) As progressive education viewpoints, such as learner-centered ideology, have become more popular and mainstream in United States schooling, SEL programs are being more widely implemented throughout United States schools, with more than 90 percent of schools and districts reporting a focus on SEL development as of 2020, backed by a wide base of research. (Gagnier, Okawa, & Jones-Manson, 2022) 

One organization, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), divides essential SEL competencies into five categories: self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness. CASEL analyzes many in-school SEL programs to determine their effectiveness and adherence to a wide-ranging view of SEL for their students, teachers, and infrastructure. In CASEL’s framework, skill development does not just happen inside a single classroom. Development is further supported by wider school infrastructure, family and caregiver ties, and community partnerships. In an increasingly digitally connected world, schools have had increased opportunities to create bridges to community institutions, enabling learning to be further supported outside of the classroom. (Auerbach, 2012) These community partnerships often allow learners to practice their SEL skills in non-academic settings, and in many cases, engage in new types of learning to develop them further.

Martial arts gyms are one of the most effective types of non-academic venues that present the opportunity for the further development of SEL skills. Involvement in martial arts is proven to reduce anxiety and aggression, and many martial arts practices allow for alignment with CASEL’s subsidiary skills for SEL competencies, such as problem-solving and goal-setting skills. (Croom, 2014) SEL programs centered around martial arts already exist, though many of them are centered around learners with self-regulation disabilities, specifically intended as a replacement for formalized therapeutic activities with the intention of developing mindfulness skills. (Milligan, Badali, & Spiroiu, 2015)

While martial arts SEL programs already exist, most focus on striking martial arts such as karate or taekwondo, while others focus on meditative arts similar to yoga, such as tai chi. As a result, one martial art that is frequently overlooked for its SEL development properties is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), a grappling-centered art with no strikes. There are many elements of BJJ that align it with CASEL SEL principles, more so than other martial arts like taekwondo and tai chi.

Personal Narrative

I decided to investigate the connections between progressive education skills and martial arts because of my own experience developing as a martial arts practitioner. I began taking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes in the summer of 2022 and found it incredibly challenging. Not a natural athlete, I found many of the movements difficult to execute. However, I was intrigued and did not want to give up, and thus persevered. After a few months of consistent training, it was easier to engage in activities that had previously intimidated me or made me anxious. I grew more comfortable in social situations. My approach to work had become more organized and flexible when unexpected situations arose. I then understood that I had been developing these habits in BJJ training and was bringing them into other facets of my life. I experienced something similar while training in taekwondo as a young student, but with my new perspective as an educator and a researcher, I wanted to explore the connections between BJJ and social-emotional learning development in a more exhaustive way. I observed several lessons at three BJJ gyms and interviewed instructors, students, and parents to identify the key SEL benefits that students were gaining from their training.

However, before exploring these correlations, it is important to understand what jiu-jitsu actually is and what goes on in a typical class. Working with a head instructor at Gracie Barra, an international group of jiu-jitsu gyms, here are the essential elements of practice to aid in the development of connections between BJJ and SEL.

Background

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or BJJ, is a martial art originally adapted from Japanese Judo by Carlos Gracie Jr. and Helio Gracie. BJJ, like Judo, incorporates throws and grappling from a standing position. However, Judo competitors attempt to win their matches by completing a throw to the ground, while BJJ focuses on ground fighting. In BJJ, competitors aim to force their opponent to surrender through the use of various submission holds such as chokes, joint manipulation like armbars and shoulder locks, and muscle attacks like bicep and calf slicers. 

Alignment with SEL Competencies

In BJJ, there are several elements that closely align with the CASEL framework, but the areas with the most overlap are the competencies of self-management, relationship skills, and self-awareness. With each of these competencies are subsidiary skills that are reinforced over the course of typical BJJ training. 

Self-Management

Self-management is perhaps the CASEL competency with the most inherent overlap with BJJ due to the high number of skills that students encounter during typical practice. 

Exhibiting Self-Discipline and Self-Motivation

One of the most applicable skills is “exhibiting self-discipline and self-motivation”. The development of self-discipline and self-motivation is especially important for advancement in BJJ due to the optional nature of some of the elements of training that are both the most difficult and most conducive to growth. These elements are post-class sparring and competition, giving students the chance to apply the skills they practice and learn in class. The techniques learned in class are wide-ranging and might not be useful to every learner. It is the responsibility of the individual learner to identify techniques that they find most useful and to thread those techniques together to create a plan for every situation on the mat, referred to as a learner’s “game”. The process of creating a game is one of trial and error, meaning that students will likely be defeated in practice rounds many times before identifying and refining a new technique to add to their game. This gives students the opportunity to experience low-stakes failure, creating the resilience necessary to navigate higher-stakes situations, like a standardized test or a college application. (Edmunds and Leggett, 2023) Students must practice self-discipline and self-motivation not only to continue building their game but also to participate in sparring, to begin with, which can be a daunting concept for an inexperienced athlete. 

Goal-Setting

Intersecting heavily with the above skills is another self-management skill in CASEL’s framework: setting personal and collective goals. Goal-setting is an important academic and personal skill, but BJJ provides a unique framework for personal goal-setting through the belt and stripe system. This is the feature that definitively elevates martial arts ahead of other athletic pursuits in terms of SEL development. (Croom, 2014) When a student first begins training in martial arts and receives a white belt, they will most likely aspire to become a black belt, to reach a visible level of mastery in the discipline. This goal takes a long time, especially in BJJ where reaching the black belt level can sometimes take over 12 years of consistent training. Students must set intermediary goals at the short- and long-term levels to ensure their success. (Höchli, Brügger, & Messner, 2018) There are three different levels at which students are encouraged to set goals: the belt level, the stripe level, and the technique level. 

Relationship Skills

CASEL’s “relationship skills” competency also overlaps with BJJ given the importance of community and trust when practicing BJJ. In some martial arts, like taekwondo or tai chi, there is little to no risk of injury in typical practice. However, in BJJ, takedowns and submission holds carry a significant risk of injury if done improperly or with a lack of restraint. As a result, the maintenance of trust and relationships with training partners is essential, and there are many opportunities within BJJ practice to develop skills that reinforce this competency. 

Communicating Effectively

Communication is essential when participating in BJJ, as poor communication can lead to a lack of trust among team members or even injury. In a sparring match, students must “tap out” when they are placed in a submission hold from which they cannot escape. It is important to note that younger learners do not have to tap out and are instead instructed to release a submission as soon as they get in position, supervised by instructors to prevent injury. Child learners begin to use the rules around “tapping out” around the age of 12. Tapping out is a simple, yet challenging form of communication for students to master. Learning to tap is essential for preventing injury, but some students struggle to tap at the beginning of their training because it is difficult to admit defeat. In a single practice session, students will have opportunities to tap out between 20-40 times depending on what type of technique is being demonstrated and how many rounds of sparring they participate in. As students continue to become more comfortable with tapping out when appropriate and responding to the taps of others (releasing submission holds as soon as requested), they are practicing their ability to communicate their boundaries and limits as well as respecting the boundaries and limits of others.

Practicing Teamwork and Collaborative Problem-Solving

While training, learners have ample opportunities to practice collaborative problem-solving skills in both the technique practice after a move has been demonstrated by the instructor as well as in sparring rounds. During the technique practice section, learners can provide each other with feedback to enhance their effectiveness with a technique or answer each others’ questions. For example, “Try putting your weight on me before going for the armbar, it’ll help get your hips lower.” or “Neither of us can make this choke work. Maybe try moving your collar grip a little higher to see if that makes it more effective?” In a sparring round, the same types of interactions can occur, but usually after the round has concluded. For example, “I noticed you were having trouble pulling off that kimura bump sweep. Have you tried trapping the arm so I can’t rebalance myself?” Through these exchanges, learners help each other improve and develop trusting, stable relationships in their gym.

Self-Awareness

The third CASEL competency with a high degree of overlap with BJJ skill development is self-awareness. While many training habits for jiu-jitsu are external, managing mindset is essential for a competitor to grow in skill. Several subsidiary skills listed by CASEL as a part of the self-awareness competency are naturally developed by many elements of BJJ training.

Having a Growth Mindset

The development of a growth mindset is both essential to and aided by the continued practice of BJJ. It takes months of practice before students will see any consistent success in sparring, and even then, they will be defeated with some degree of regularity. Students must push past an unfavorable outcome and continue developing their skills. Once again, the benefit of these defeats is that they are very low-stakes. Students are not penalized for losing a sparring match. Sparring is constantly reinforced as a formative assessment, allowing students to learn how to improve for the next training session. As students become more flexible in accepting the possibility of defeat because of the boon of skill development it will bring them, they are manifesting characteristics of a growth mindset. This resilience allows them to continue training, developing their skills and perhaps engaging with even more intimidating obstacles like entering an organized competition. (Yeager and Dweck, 2012)

Experiencing Self-Efficacy

Connecting self-belief to the execution of techniques is essential in BJJ. If a student has mastered a submission hold, perhaps a triangle choke from closed guard, but they do not have faith in their ability to execute it or they believe their opponent will escape, their execution of the hold will be negatively impacted. This can lead to the opponent escaping the hold and can further damage the student’s belief in their ability to execute the hold. This same phenomenon applies to sparring altogether. If a student enters into a match against an opponent who they feel they cannot defeat, they will struggle to use their game and might fight more defensively, creating more openings for their opponent.

Conclusion

Frequent training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is both a way to increase physical health and also a mechanism for the development of social-emotional learning skills. Due to significant overlap with CASEL’s framework, students who regularly practice BJJ develop SEL skills to use in furthering their mastery of the martial art as well as tackling difficult areas in school and in life.

Unfortunately, due to many instructors’ lack of formal SEL training, these leaps in skill development are not as significant as they could be if approached with intentionality. Some schools and instructors are completely unaware of the personal development benefits that are associated with BJJ, focusing entirely on the sport and self-defense elements of the martial art. With intentionally-constructed strategies to bolster SEL development in BJJ students, the natural elements that already exist could be transformed into an exceptional skill development framework for a diverse student base.

Many thanks to Professor Rafael Dos Santos and Professor Alex Costa at Gracie Barra Boston as well as Bruno Braz at Submit Your Friend Academy for instructing me and permitting me to observe classes and interview students.

References

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