Exercise for Kids and Adults: Why Training Together as a Family Is a Lifestyle (Philadelphia)

Most families know the routine. Drive the kids to practice, find a seat, scroll your phone for an hour, drive home.

There's another way to do it. At The Garden, a lot of parents have stopped watching from the side and started training too. Kids have their class, parents have theirs, and the whole family ends up sharing something: the same mats, the same community, and the same language of shrimps, sweeps and teeps at the dinner table.

This isn't a workout plan. It's a way of living where moving, learning and building confidence is something your family does together.

Exercise for kids that doesn't feel like exercise

Ask a kid to do a set of push-ups and you'll get a sigh. Ask them to escape from under a training partner and they'll try it twenty times. That's the trick with martial arts: it's a full kids workout disguised as a game they actually want to win.

Here's what kids tend to get out of it:

Coordination and body awareness. Rolling, falling safely, balancing, moving in every direction. Kids learn to control their bodies in ways most sports never ask of them.

Focus. A class has structure: listen, watch, try, try again. Kids learn to pay attention because the technique doesn't work if they don't.

Confidence. Earning a stripe, landing a technique for the first time, getting back up after a tough round. Real confidence comes from doing hard things, and martial arts gives kids hard things to do every class.

Respect. Bowing onto the mat, shaking hands, looking after training partners. Respect is built into every class, not added on as a lecture.

Anti-bullying and self-defence. Jiu-jitsu teaches kids to stay calm under pressure and control a situation without throwing punches. Kids who know they can handle themselves are less likely to be targeted, and less likely to need to prove anything.

A healthy place to put all that energy. Kids who've spent the day sitting still need to move. A class full of drills, games and live rolling burns energy in a way that leaves them happy and tired, not wired.

Why it's great exercise for parents too

Kids martial arts gets most of the attention, but the parents who train with us often say they get just as much out of it.

Real fitness. Jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai build strength, cardio and mobility while you learn a skill. It's hard to get bored when every class gives you a new problem to solve.

Stress relief. It's very difficult to think about work emails while someone is trying to pass your guard. An hour on the mats pulls you into the present, and most people leave calmer than they arrived.

Modelling healthy habits. Kids copy what we do far more than what we say. When they see you show up, get tapped, laugh about it and come back next week, that's a lesson about effort and resilience no speech can match.

Doing something together instead of only watching. You'll understand what your kid is learning because you're learning it too. Car rides home turn into "show me that move" instead of "how was practice?"

A family workout that fits your week

The Garden runs kids Jiu-Jitsu for ages 4–12 and adult Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Gi and No-Gi) and Muay Thai. Several days are set up so that kids and parents can train back to back on the same visit.

Kids classes (current schedule):

• Monday & Wednesday: Seeds & Sprouts No-Gi (ages 4–9) 4:30–5:15pm · Buds No-Gi (ages 10–12) 5:30–6:15pm
• Tuesday & Thursday: Kids Gi Jiu-Jitsu (ages 5–12) 5:30–6:15pm
• Saturday: Seeds, Sprouts & Buds (all kids, ages 4–12) 9:15–10:00am

Kid trains, then parent trains:

• Monday & Wednesday: Buds finish at 6:15pm and adult Muay Thai starts at 6:30pm, followed by adult No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu at 7:15pm.
• Tuesday & Thursday: Kids Gi finishes at 6:15pm and adult Gi Jiu-Jitsu starts at 6:30pm.
• Saturday: Kids class runs 9:15–10:00am. Adult Gi Jiu-Jitsu is at 11:00am, followed by Open Mat from 12:00 to 1:30pm.

Early birds can also train before work: adult No-Gi, Gi and Muay Thai classes run at 6:00am and 7:00am on weekdays.

Times can change, so always check the live class schedule before you come in.

Kids martial arts in Philadelphia: what to expect

Our kids program is split into three age groups, so your child trains with peers:

• Seeds (ages 4–5): movement games, coordination, balance and mat etiquette.
• Sprouts (ages 6–9): foundational jiu-jitsu positions and escapes, light controlled sparring and character development.
• Buds (ages 10–12): more advanced technique, leadership roles and competition opportunities for the kids who want them.

Safety comes first. Kids learn to fall safely before anything else, techniques are age-appropriate, and coaches supervise every round. Parents are welcome to watch, especially in the first few classes. You can read more about our approach to BJJ for kids in Philadelphia on the kids program page.

Family memberships and pricing

Kids memberships currently start at $80 every two weeks (6-month commitment), or $99 a month for Saturday-only training. Adult All-Access memberships, which include Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, open mats and the traditional sauna, start at $90 every two weeks. See every option on the membership page.

Training as a whole family? Ask us about family memberships. One family account keeps every child and parent on one bill, with waivers and bookings managed in one place. Contact us and we'll help you set it up.

Start with a trial

The easiest way to find out if it works for your family is a trial class. It's $35, there's no commitment, and you'll get to meet the coaches and the community before deciding anything. Book one for your kid, one for yourself, or one each.

Book your $35 trial →

Or explore the kids program, browse the class schedule, or see membership options.

See you on the mats.