Hanover Park BJJ for Older Kids and Their Parents
Hanover Park families spend summer afternoons at Seafari Springs on Greenbrook Blvd, fish and walk the trails at Mallard Lake Forest Preserve, and sign kids up for programs through the Hanover Park Park District Community Center on Walnut Ave. As kids get older, many parents start looking for something that asks more of them: show up on time, listen to the coach, keep trying when it gets hard.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu does that without yelling or drill-sergeant routines. Every class has a bow-in, a lesson, partner drills and rules that everyone follows, from the newest white belt to the black belts. Brazil 021 is an Arlington Heights BJJ academy founded by world champion Hannette Staack and 6th-degree black belt Andre “Negão” Terencio, northeast of Hanover Park off IL-53. See the full lineup of jiu-jitsu classes for kids and adults.
How to Get Here From Hanover Park
From the north side of the village, take Barrington Rd north to I-90 east, then follow the exit for IL-53 north. Get off at Euclid Ave, turn left onto Rohlwing Rd and right onto Salt Creek Ln.
From the DuPage County side, near Mallard Lake or the Ontarioville neighborhood around the Hanover Park Metra station, the Elgin-O’Hare Tollway (IL-390) east connects to I-290 north. I-290 continues as IL-53 past I-90, and the Euclid Ave exit brings you to the academy.
Jiu-Jitsu Near Hanover Park for Kids 7 to 11
Kids Class 2 is for ages 7 to 11. This is where kids move past games and start real jiu-jitsu: holding a position, escaping from the bottom, and sparring with a partner while a coach watches. They learn to lose a round, shake hands and try again. Parents tell us that patience and focus start to show up at school and at home. Kids also learn how to get out of a grab and hold their ground without throwing a punch, so a bully stops being such a big deal. Younger brothers and sisters, ages 3 to 6, have their own class right before. See the Kids Jiu-Jitsu program for details.
Have a teenager? Teens train in our adult classes, and most start in Fundamentals on Monday and Wednesday at 6:30 PM.
- Kids Class 2, All Levels (ages 7–11): Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri 5:15–6:15 PM
- Kids Class 2, No-Gi (ages 7–11): Sat 10:30–11:30 AM
- Kids Class 1, Beginners (ages 3–6): Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri 4:15–5:00 PM
- Adults Fundamentals (Gi): Mon & Wed 6:30–7:30 PM
- Adults All Levels (Gi): Tue 6:30–7:30 PM
- Adults Advanced No-Gi: Thu 6:30–7:30 PM and Sat 11:30 AM–12:30 PM
When Parents Train Too
One of our black belts, Patrick Mullen, started jiu-jitsu in 2017 by training alongside his teenage daughter. Today he teaches our fundamentals classes. That kind of shared goal is common here. Adults Fundamentals (Gi) meets Monday and Wednesday at 6:30 PM, right after Kids Class 2 ends, so a parent can drop a child off at 5:15 PM and step onto the mat an hour later. If you would rather start with Jiu-Jitsu Fundamentals on your own, that works too.
Discipline is easier to teach when the whole family is learning it. Brazil 021 has 4.9 stars from 32 Google reviews. Book a free first class for your child, yourself or both.
From our blog: Why Train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?.
