Willy and Susanne Peters were looking for a jiu-jitsu academy for their kids, but the first school they tried seemed too aggressive and pressured them to enroll. That’s when they contacted Kingdom Jiu-Jitu and spoke to owner Cristina Saenz.
“Right away, the way she handled the conversation and how pleasant she was on the phone—just very open about everything was huge for us,” Susanne says. “We said, ‘OK, we’re gonna try this.’ We tried a couple trials. We wanted a Christian atmosphere or a very open atmosphere. Everybody was very welcoming, and the kids made friends right away.”
“Everybody was very welcoming, and the kids made friends right away.”
Today, five of the Peters’ six kids are part of the Kingdom Jiu-Jitsu Kids Bully Defense or Kids Gi classes. And it’s not without time sacrifice since the family lives roughly 30 miles from Kingdom’s Garland, Texas, location. “Jiu-jitsu is something that you can always keep improving,” Susanne says. “It’s an exercise and it’s beneficial in real life in more than one area. We love the people there. Even though it’s a drive for us, it’s worth it.”
Their oldest daughter, Selina, is 18. Since she’s now going out on her own, they wanted her to learn self-defense and situational awareness. Susanne says jiu-jitsu is a terrific martial art for girls since it focuses on controlling a larger opponent.
“I know if somebody does get to them, they're not going to go down easy, that's for sure,” she says. “Being able to take someone down, or even just at least keeping yourself safe, because a lot of thieves or attackers are opportunists. So, if you’re being loud and telling them to get away, that alone is going to scare off a big number of them. With jiu-jitsu, I definitely feel they are much safer knowing it when they go out.”
“We could just see how she just blossomed. She just took off and she’s loving it.”
Angela, 15, is naturally more introverted, but Susanne says being part of Kingdom Jiu-Jitsu has helped her communicate better and make new friends. She has also competed in jiu-jitsu tournaments and won first place, despite never competing in sports before. “We could just see how she just blossomed. She just took off and she’s loving it.”
Logan, 13, and Rihanna, 10, have graduated the Kids Bully Defense class into the kids gi class. Logan is now a lot more social, making friends, and has learned self-control. “He’s learned how to think through things that's helped him in school a lot just taking the time to not bulldoze over stuff.”
“The coaches make that culture."
Susanne says she’s most impressed with the coaches and the culture at Kingdom. Parents are encouraged to watch class, and many parents get to know each other and their kids. “The coaches make that culture,” she says. “That’s huge for us, and we wouldn’t go anywhere else because we love the coaches.”