Does My Kid Have to Compete to Join Competition Prep?

No. At Flow Academy BJJ Riverside, Youth BJJ Competition Prep is a Saturday 9:00 AM class in Riverside for kids and youth jiu-jitsu students ages 7 and up, and competing is optional. It meets Saturdays at 9:00 AM once our new Riverside home at 10081 Indiana Ave, Suite A-1 opens in mid-November 2026.

It is the question we hear most at the front desk about Saturday mornings, usually from a parent who loves the idea but doesn’t want a child pushed into a tournament. Here is what the class is for, and how to tell whether your child is ready.

What Happens on a Saturday

Students practice tournament-style rounds, learn how matches are scored and what the rules allow, and work on a simple game plan for each match. There is conditioning too, so a child stays sharp from the first round to the last. Professor Carlos Miller and Professor Zaide Oropesa teach it, and every student works at their own level.

The other half of the class has nothing to do with a scoreboard. Kids practice handling pressure, setting goals, showing good sportsmanship and bouncing back when a round doesn’t go their way.

Why Some Kids Come and Never Compete

Some students join Saturday class just for the extra mat time. They get the same confidence, habits and steady progress as every class at Flow, with no tournament on the calendar. Nobody here has to compete, and a coach will help your family decide when, or whether, a first tournament makes sense.

How to Tell If Your Child Is Ready

Some jiu-jitsu experience helps, but there is no test to pass. Before you sign up, talk over a few things with a coach:

• How long your child has trained in our weekday youth classes
• Whether your child wants to try it, or you are the one hoping
• How they handle a hard round with a partner in a normal class

Then call and ask. A coach will give you an honest answer about readiness, even if the answer is “not yet.”

Nerves Are Normal

Nerves are part of competing. Saturday rounds give kids practice feeling nervous and performing anyway, and coaches teach simple ways to breathe and reset. Rounds are supervised, partners are matched by size and experience, and the moment someone taps, everyone stops.

Losing is part of it too. Every competitor loses sometimes. Coaches help kids pick one thing to work on and get back to training, and effort and sportsmanship are celebrated, win or lose.

Where It Fits With Weekday Classes

Most Saturday students already train in our Kids Jiu-Jitsu class (ages 6–9, Monday and Wednesday at 4:30 PM) or our Youth Jiu-Jitsu class (ages 10–14, Monday and Wednesday at 5:30 PM). Weekdays build the technique; Saturday is where students practice using it the way a tournament asks. See the full schedule. If your family would rather not wait for Riverside to reopen, our Indio academy is training now.

Questions Parents Ask

What should my child bring to Saturday Competition Prep?

The gear they already use in weekday classes, plus a water bottle and sandals or slides for walking off the mat. Students train barefoot, with trimmed nails, hair tied back and jewelry off.

Will my child get hurt in tournament-style rounds?

Safety comes first. Coaches supervise every round, partners are matched by size and experience, and when someone taps, everyone stops.

Who do we talk to about whether our child is ready?

Call or text (951) 337-3781 and a coach will talk it through with you. Your first class is free.

Our new Riverside home at 10081 Indiana Ave, Suite A-1 opens in mid-November 2026. Classes are paused during the remodel. Call or text (951) 337-3781.