Confidence Through Contact: What Grappling Gives Teenagers

Can a contact sport really build your teenager's confidence? From nine papers, the honest answer is: often yes for resilience and self-belief, and sport goes along with a better mood. We found no randomized trial of jiu-jitsu in teenagers. Most of this research used judo, wrestling, taekwondo, karate or school martial arts programs, and we name the sport every time.

What the studies found

Does Grappling Build Confidence in Teenagers?

Possibly, though the best evidence comes from school martial arts programs and wrestling rather than jiu-jitsu. In an Australian trial, 283 students aged 12 to 14 took a 10-week martial arts program, and they came out more resilient than before.^[1] They also believed more strongly that they could handle a challenge, and that belief was still higher months later.^[2]

A newer trial looked at boys who did no sport at all. Thirty inactive boys aged 12 to 15 were split by chance: 15 did six weeks of supervised, non-competitive wrestling, three times a week. Compared with boys who did nothing, they felt better, bounced back more easily and worried less about sport.^[3] Wrestling is not jiu-jitsu, but it is also a sport where you work against a partner, body to body.

Here is what we see in class, not a study result: confidence on the mat is earned, not handed out as praise. A teenager gets stuck under a heavier partner, stays calm, finds the way out, and does it again next week. The studies measured the result, not the reason.

Is It Good for a Teen's Mood and Sleep?

Probably, though most of this evidence shows a link rather than a cause. A review of 189 studies of young people aged 5 to 17 found that kids in organized sport tended to like themselves more, enjoy life more, show fewer signs of depression and anxiety, and get along better with others.^[4] The experiments inside it hinted that sport may really help with handling emotions, bouncing back and helping others.

Sleep follows the same pattern. In a survey of 6,642 students in Chinese schools, those who did more martial arts said they slept better, even after the researchers allowed for gender, grade, age and parents' education.^[5] The sports were wushu, sanda, tai chi, taekwondo and karate, not grappling, and the link was small.

And depression? Researchers screened 108 young mixed martial arts athletes aged 8 to 17 at a national event, and fewer than 4 in 100 showed signs of it.^[9] That is reassuring, but it was a survey with no comparison group, so it cannot show that training protects anyone.

What we see in class is only a picture, not evidence: teenagers arrive tired from school, spend an hour working hard with a partner, and leave lighter. If you wonder how that feels for your teen, the free trial is the easiest way to find out.

Does Having a Team Behind Them Matter?

Probably, yes. In a survey of 207 judo athletes aged 14 to 33, the ones who felt supported by their team and family were more resilient, and the link ran mostly through lower depression.^[6]

The big review above adds a twist: team sports did a little better than individual ones.^[4] Jiu-jitsu is one-on-one, yet nobody learns it alone, because every drill needs a partner. Picture the mat: your teenager is never working alone. No study has tested whether partner work gives the same lift as a team sport.

Can It Help a Teen Who Struggles With Self-Control or Temper?

It may, though the evidence is small. Some at-risk teenage boys took six months of karate, ju-jitsu and judo, while others kept their regular sport lessons. The martial arts group got better at controlling themselves, switching between tasks and thinking quickly.^[7] It was a small study of boys only, and it was not randomized.

The researchers also tracked two body chemicals. Boys whose oxytocin (the bonding hormone) reacted more became less aggressive, and boys whose cortisol (the stress hormone) reacted more gained self-esteem.^[7]

The one jiu-jitsu study we found followed 113 young people in Sweden for 5 months. Those who trained jiu-jitsu and those who trained MMA both reported more self-control and more helpful behavior, but aggression went down in the jiu-jitsu group and up in the MMA group.^[8] The young people picked their own sport, and the MMA starters were more aggressive to begin with, so this cannot tell us which sport causes what.

What About Teens Who Train in the Adult Class?

We found no study of 14- to 17-year-olds in a jiu-jitsu adult class, so we can only read across from nearby ages. The trials above cover ages 12 to 15, and the sleep survey is mostly 16 to 18.

At Gracie Laval, teens aged 9 to 13 have their own class, and from 14 they train in the Adults 14+ class (times below). For the adult side of the research, read what the research says for adults.

What the Research Does Not Show

Here is what these studies cannot tell you, so you can weigh them fairly.

• We found no randomized trial of jiu-jitsu in teens, and the one jiu-jitsu study of young people we found is small and not randomized.^[8]
• The trials are small and short. The wrestling trial had 30 boys and lasted 6 weeks,^[3] and the school program's boost to resilience was weaker 12 weeks later.^[1]
• Two of the studies included only boys,^[3][7] and several results come from surveys, which can show a link but not a cause.^[5][6][9]
• In the big review, team sports did slightly better than individual sports.^[4]
• No study here shows that training prevents bullying or treats anxiety or depression. If your teenager is struggling with their mood, talk to a doctor: a class is a good habit, not a treatment.

Keep Reading

• Martial Arts and Kids' Confidence: What 12 Studies Show: the wider overview, from focus to fitness to bullying.
• What Jiu-Jitsu Does for Your Child at 3-4, 5-8 and 9-13: the research split by the academy's age groups, from the years before the teens.
• How Jiu-Jitsu Raises Calmer, More Confident Kids in Laval: the day-to-day changes families notice.

When Are Classes?

Kids and teens classes start right after school, and every group also trains on Saturday morning. Classes are taught in French and English. We can lend your child a gi for the first 2 weeks, so you can try a few classes before buying one. First time? Here is what to expect at a first kids class, and how to tell if your child is ready.

Ready to join? Register online in a few minutes. Thinking of training too? Read what the research says for adults.

References

We chose randomized trials and reviews first, and we kept the results that do not go our way. Each link opens the study's official summary in its journal or in PubMed.

1. Moore B, Woodcock S, Dudley D (2021). Well-being warriors: A randomized controlled trial examining the effects of martial arts training on secondary students' resilience. British Journal of Educational Psychology 91(4):1369-1394. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33990939/
2. Moore B, Dudley D, Woodcock S (2023). The Effects of a Martial Arts-Based Intervention on Secondary School Students' Self-Efficacy: A Randomised Controlled Trial. Philosophies 8(3):43. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies8030043
3. Özkan R, Yılmaz C, Uzun RN, et al. (2026). Effects of wrestling training on psychological well-being, anxiety, and resilience in adolescent boys. BMC Psychology 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-03962-3
4. Wade L, Eime R, Pankowiak A, et al. (2026). The impact of sports participation on psychological health and social outcomes in children and adolescents: a systematic review and update to the "Mental Health through Sport" conceptual model. Systematic Reviews 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-026-03104-1
5. Yang M, Ge X, Zhang D (2026). Is martial arts participation associated with sleep quality among Chinese adolescents? A cross-sectional baseline survey. Frontiers in Medicine 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1898748
6. Chen W, Wang H, Liu Z, et al. (2025). The relationship between perceived social support and psychological resilience in Chinese adolescent Judo athletes. Frontiers in Psychiatry 16:1558351. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1558351
7. Harwood-Gross A, Lambez B, Feldman R, et al. (2021). The effect of martial arts training on cognitive and psychological functions in at-risk youths. Frontiers in Pediatrics 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2021.707047
8. Blomqvist Mickelsson T (2020). Modern unexplored martial arts: what can mixed martial arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu do for youth development? European Journal of Sport Science 20(3):386-393. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31167632/
9. Fujimoto J, Boyd AY, Ladnier K, Uquillas C (2026). Depression and Resilience in Youth Mixed Martial Arts Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Analysis. Cureus 18(1):e101625. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.101625