Jiu-jitsu Times: There is no definitive answer to this question as children of the same age can vary widely in their physical and mental maturity.
To my knowledge no studies have been done on this specific question but we can look at some similar information that might help.
1) Gracie Barra the world’s largest brazilian jiu-jitsu organization starts childrens programs at ages 3-4.
The Tiny Champions program is 2 x week for kids 3 and 4 years old.
“The difference in learning needs for children of different ages is more prevalent than between children with different
levels of experience.”
The classes are brief and focus more on movements and positions than submissions.
Gracie Barra notes: “It is unsafe to teach submission to children under five years old.”
2) According to the American College of Sports Medicine,
American College of Sports Medicine supports the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which aim to increase the number of children who regularly participate in “muscle- and bone-strengthening” activities.
Children and adolescents can participate in strength training programs provided that they have the emotional maturity to accept and follow directions.
Many seven and eight year-old boys and girls have benefited from strength training, and there is no reason why younger children could not participate in strength-related activities,
such as push-ups and sit-ups, if they can safely perform the exercises and follow instructions.”
When can children start “training”?
“The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
recommends children and youth engage in a
minimum of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous
physical activity daily, including vigorous-intensity activity on at least 3 days per week, see Figure 2
[15]. These 60 minutes should also include muscle-
and bone-strengthening activities at least 3 days
per week. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
includes activities, which make you sweat or breathe
hard, such as running, swimming, and bicycling.
Muscle-strengthening activities include exercises
that make your muscles work harder than during
daily life, such as doing push-ups, playing tug-of-
war, or climbing monkey bars. Bone-strengthening
exercises produce force on the bones to promote
bone growth and strength, such as when your feet
make contact with the ground when playing sports
or jumping rope.”
3) Olympic Judo Guidelines
As judo is an Olympic sport and has governemnt financial support, they have some well established guidelines for children.
According to the Judo Canada website: http://www.judocanada.org
“The U7 JUDO program is oriented towards beginner judokas four to six years of age.
For children this young, judo exercises are used as tools in development of athletic abilities.
Learning judo techniques can not be the priority of the program.”
The short answer to your question seems to be about the age of 4.
A Reader Question: “Instructor holding me back from randori because I’m not 3 stripes yet.”
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