Too many of our children are being bullied and we sometimesdon’t even know it’s happening. Children who are bullied are often scared orembarrassed and don’t want their parents or teachers to know. Or, maybe thebully is threatening the child with physical harm if they tell anyone aboutwhat is happening. When a child is bullied, their self-esteem is challenged. Itmay be the first time in their lives that someone is being mean to them andthey are confused. They will feel fearful and vulnerable when they should beenjoying their childhood.
Many parents have discovered the advantages of martial arts training to keeptheir children safe from bullying. While it will teach your child how to defendthemselves, the training is really more about building self-esteem andinstilling the values of respect and limits. Here are just some of the waysthat this far eastern method of discipline training can help your child dealwith bullies.
The training teaches respect.
Every training class is structured around respect. The children are taught thebasics of the mutual respect that this ancient Japanese art form is based on. The simple bow that begins every class is just one example of applied respect. The instructor earns the respect of their students and the students then earnthe respect of the instructor. They learn that everyone deserves to berespected and not bullied. Respect is only one of the values that a bully doesnot understand which explains a part of why they think that their behavior isacceptable.
It builds confidence.
Each class teaches a different skill, whether it be a self-defense move or a sociological lesson. As your child masters each skill, their confidence builds enabling them to realize that they do not deserve to be bullied. It can also give them a mental perspective to see the actual weakness of the bully in the first place.
The training teaches discipline.
Discipline teaches your child about limits. It also helps them to realize their own limits as well as helping them to control their behavior. If they are being bullied, they may be unwittingly sending out signals of helplessness which is exactly what a bully is looking for. Since a bully will rarely pick on someone who they think will defend themselves, they will be seeking someone who looks like they won’t put up any resistance. Discipline can teach your children that it is to their best advantage to exude self-esteem and confidence whenever they might be in the presence of a bully.
It teaches the value of sportsmanship.
The classes also focus on the honor of the challenge. It’s not about teams or popular athletes. It’s about your child developing their own potential talent. Your child will learn that, while winning is important, winning the right way is the key. And, they learn that even when they lose, they still learn. So, as long as they are learning, they are never losing. They take the lessons that they learn from losing and apply them in ways to improve themselves. It teaches them how to learn from one another and makes them see how unimportant a bully really is.
The classes reinforce good social skills
Your child will establish relationships with their classmates as well as their instructors as they all work towards and achieve a common goal. The structure of the training allows them to realize the positive aspects of social interaction. As they are learning this skill, they are attracting more positively minded people to surround them making them less likely to find themselves in situations where bullying might be an issue.
It teaches them responsibility.
The structure of the training is all about teaching your child ways to improve themselves and the way they deal with other people. As they celebrate their wins and learn from their losses, they develop a sense of how to use their own personal resources to teach themselves the skills to be better. They are taught the ancient wisdom of self-control as they are learning their skills of self-defense and will learn how to responsibly use their discipline when dealing with a bully.
They will learn to defend themselves.
This is a skill that will not only help your children deal with bullies as children, but it is also a valuable life-skill that will always protect them. Whether they are training for judo, karate, or any of the other ancient arts, their focus is on defending themselves and not on attacking. Your child will also learn the importance of self-control in stressful situations enabling them to avoid physical conflicts. As their training progresses, your child’s mental composure will portray an aura of control and discipline that won’t allow a bully’s actions to be threatening.
The training will make your child happy.
All of the camaraderie your child is a part of during the training classes will allow them to discover their true self. As they learn the value of their true self, they begin to see the value of everyone else’s inner self. Realizing the value of everyone’s differences will bring about a peaceful, happy demeanor in your child. Not only will they be happy and engaged during their training, but that same positive mentality will spill over into every area of their lives.Bullies will often target children who are withdrawn or sad. Their basic modeof attack wouldn’t trigger the reaction that they are looking for in your childbecause their positive sense of self-esteem gained through martial artstraining will not allow them to recognize the threat of a bully.
Our children deserve the right to grow up without worrying about bulliesthreatening their well-being. Martial arts training, in its many differentforms, can enable your child to develop the inner strength, self-esteem, anddiscipline to be able to effectively deal with any situation involving a bully.
