How to Stay on Track With Jiu Jitsu Over the Holidays (For You and Your Child)

If you train Jiu Jitsu – or your child does – you probably feel the same tension every December:

You want to enjoy the holidays, see family, eat good food, maybe sleep in.
You also don’t want to throw away all the progress you’ve made on the mats.

Short answer:
You don’t need a “perfect” holiday. You just need a simple plan that keeps you and/or your child consistent enough that January doesn’t feel like starting over.

In this post, I’ll walk you through:

• Why it’s so hard to stay on track in December (and why that’s normal)
• What “good enough” training looks like over the holidays
• Practical ideas for kids
• Practical ideas for adults
• What to do if you really can’t make it to the gym for a bit

This is written with Calgary families and adults in mind, but the principles apply anywhere.

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Why It’s So Hard to Stay on Track Over the Holidays

Let’s be honest about what you’re up against:

• Schedules explode – school concerts, work parties, travel, visitors
• Routines disappear – bedtimes shift, meals are random, kids are wired
• Energy crashes – more sugar, less sleep, more “just a quick show”
• Guilt kicks in – “We should be at class,” “I should be training,” “We’re wasting money”

You’re not “bad at discipline.”
The environment just changed.

The solution is not to pretend December is a normal month.
The solution is to adapt the plan so you and your child keep moving forward without losing your mind.

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How Much Training Is “Enough” Over the Holidays?

Short answer:

• For kids: aim for 1–2 classes per week if possible.
• For adults: aim for 2 classes per week and don’t stress if some weeks drop to 1.

If you normally train more than that, great. If not, that’s your minimum viable dose. View the class timetable to choose your times.

What matters most:

• You keep the habit alive
• You don’t vanish for 3–4 weeks straight
• January doesn’t feel like “back to zero”

Even reduced training + a bit of movement at home is miles better than stopping entirely.

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Keeping Your Child on Track Over the Holidays

1. Decide your “holiday minimum” and tell your child

Sit down and decide, as a family, what the goal is:

• “Over the holidays, we’ll hit one class per week no matter what.”
• Or: “We’ll hit two classes per week if the schedule allows.”

Tell your child that plan in simple language:

“We’re going to enjoy the holidays, but Jiu Jitsu is still part of our life. Our goal is one class every week, even if the schedule is crazy.”

Now it’s a shared agreement, not a “maybe.”

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2. Use Jiu Jitsu to anchor the week

When the schedule is chaos, use training as an anchor:

• “No matter what else is going on, Wednesday after school is Jiu Jitsu.”
• Or: “We’re busy all week, but Saturday morning class is non-negotiable.”

Kids handle disruption better when one or two things stay consistent. Jiu Jitsu can be one of those things.

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3. Talk about effort, not perfection

December can be messy:

• Maybe they’re tired.
• Maybe they’re full of sugar.
• Maybe they’re distracted.

That’s fine. Still go.

After class, ask questions like:

• “What was hard today?”
• “What did you push through?”
• “What’s one thing you tried your best on?”

You’re teaching them:

“We keep showing up, even when the conditions aren’t perfect.”

That lesson is worth more than having the most technical armbar in the room.

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4. Add simple “at home” habits (not full workouts)

If you miss a class because of family events, keep it light:

• 5–10 minutes of shrimping, bridging, and technical stand-ups in the living room
• A quick “show me your three favourite Jiu Jitsu moves” session
• Movement games with siblings or parents (bear crawls, crab walks, sticky monkey)

The goal is not to “replace” class.
The goal is to remind their body and brain: “Jiu Jitsu is still part of my life.”

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5. Use holiday downtime to build identity, not just skill

Confidence doesn’t just come from reps. It comes from how kids see themselves.

Use holiday conversations to reinforce that:

• “I’m proud of how you keep trying in class, even when it’s hard.”
• “You’re becoming someone who doesn’t give up easily.”
• “I noticed you used your Jiu Jitsu calm when your cousin annoyed you.”

Link Jiu Jitsu to identity:

“I do Jiu Jitsu” → “I’m someone who can handle hard things.”

That sticks long after the holidays are over.

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Keeping Yourself on Track Over the Holidays

Now let’s talk about you.

1. Accept that December is not “peak performance” season

Stop pretending you’re going to suddenly:

• Train 5x a week
• Eat perfectly
• Do a full strength program on top

You won’t. And that’s fine.

Set a realistic standard:

• 2 classes per week is a win
• 1 class per week is still better than dropping off the map
• Extra training is a bonus, not the baseline

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2. Block training into the calendar first

Before you say yes to every invitation:

• Look at the month.
• Mark the classes you know you can make (e.g. “Mon/Thu nights,” “Sat mornings”).
• Treat those like appointments, not “if nothing else comes up.”

If something genuinely important hits, fine.
But most holiday stuff is optional noise. Training is your anchor.

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3. Change your goal from “crushing it” to “showing up”

Over the holidays, your only Jiu Jitsu goal can be:

“Show up and move.”

That’s it.

If you’re:

• Tired
• Bloated
• A bit hungover
• Mentally fried

…still show up. You don’t need to win every round. You just need to keep the habit alive until the world calms down.

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4. Adjust your expectations for nutrition and sleep

You’re going to:

• Eat more
• Sleep weird
• Maybe drink more than usual at events

Don’t make that a moral failure. Just:

• Drink water
• Get to bed at a reasonable time most nights
• Avoid turning one “off” day into a 3-week “nothing counts” binge

Most adults don’t lose progress because of one big meal.
They lose progress because they give up after one big meal.

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5. Use Jiu Jitsu as your holiday “reset button”

When the schedule and food are chaos, training can be:

• Your stress relief
• Your reminder that you still have standards
• Your way of not feeling like a complete mess come January

Walk in, sweat, fight for a few rounds, breathe hard, leave feeling human again.

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What If You Really Can’t Make It to the Gym?

Sometimes life wins:

• You’re travelling
• The gym is closed for a stretch
• Weather is brutal
• Family plans lock you down

Short answer: Don’t panic.
The goal shifts from “training” to “keeping your body and brain moving.”

Ideas:

• 10–15 minutes of solo drills (shrimping, bridging, technical stand-ups, sprawls)
• Basic strength: squats, lunges, push-ups (even inclined), planks
• Watching instructionals or revisiting class notes with intention (not just scrolling)
• Shadow grappling / position visualization (yes, it works better than nothing)

When you come back, don’t try to “make up” everything in one week. Just slide back into your normal 2–3 classes and let your body catch up.

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FAQ: Staying on Track With Jiu Jitsu Over the Holidays

Final Thoughts

Holidays are messy. That’s normal.

If you and your child can:

• Keep showing up (even less often)
• Do a little bit at home when needed
• See yourselves as “people who train,” not “people who only train when life is perfect”

…you’ll hit January miles ahead of everyone who quit for a month and then tried to restart from zero.

How We’re Making It Easier at Straight Blast Gym Calgary

Around the holidays, we build extra structure and fun into the schedule so it’s easier for you to stay on track:

• Buddy Week – bring a friend to train with you or your child, which makes showing up a lot easier.
• Family Fun Day – parents join kids on the mats so training becomes a family event, not just another item on the calendar.
• Potluck Feast – a relaxed way to stay connected to the tribe even if you’re training a bit less.
• Bingo Challenge – a holiday bingo card with fun training, home, and community tasks that keep everyone moving.

These kinds of events keep you coming through the doors, even when life gets busy, so you don’t feel like you’re starting from zero in January.

If you’re in Calgary and you want this to be the year you don’t fall off over the holidays, we can help.

At Straight Blast Gym Calgary, we’ve built our schedule and events so kids, teens, and adults can enjoy the season without losing all their momentum on the mats.

👉 Click here to book a New Student Intro Program or talk to us about a simple holiday training plan for you or your child.