Ways to Stop Bullying
By: Ben Gilbert
What we already know
We’ve all heard about bullying, many of us feel we have been bullied at some point in our lives. More often, we have witnessed others being bullied. If you have children in school, no doubt that they also have been informed about what bullying is, and what to do if they see it.
Who is at Risk?
-Kids that are…”perceived as different from their peers, such as being overweight or underweight, wearing glasses or different clothing, being new to a school, or being unable to afford what kids consider “cool”. (StopBullying.gov)
Experience Required for Success
It is one thing to educate others about “what is bullying.” You can teach them about ways to stop it. However, teaching should require training, just like martial arts is not taught by demonstration and verbal teaching alone. Ideally, we want to gently expose our children to different forms of bullying so something significant will come to mind when they experience it firsthand.
Fear Factor
How do you get a kid to stop being scared? The answer to this question is not so simple. We want to give each child the necessary confidence it takes to stand up to bullying and make a smart decision. You can’t simply wish fear away, just like you cannot hand over some confidence from your own pocket. At Trident Academy of Martial Arts, we have witnessed the majority of our students increase in levels of self-confidence that rival the intensity of the common bully, only in the positive, not the negative, respectfully. Our mission here primarily serves every one of our kids and adults in this manner.
Again, martial art training is undoubtedly one of the ways to stop bullying, by the prevention method. Here are a couple of quotes from StopBullying.gov;
“…adults often don’t know how to respond when they do recognize bullying.”
“Bystanders who intervene on behalf of young people being bullied make a huge difference.”
It is our desire to develop strong character traits in our kids that will carry out into their lives in school and into every endeavor they will go on to be successful in.
Student Creed
Lastly, we’ll quote from the third part of our Student Creed. “I intend to use what I learn in class constructively and defensively, to help myself and my fellow man, and never to be abusive or offensive.”
Reference:
1. Effects of Bullying http://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/effects/index.html
2. Risk Factors http://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/factors/index.html
We'd like to get your thoughts.
Every child should do enroll in a martial art. Ideally many. However, if one, do jiu jitsu.
P. S. The best school on the east coast is Trident
Awesome article. Bullying takes many forms whether physical or verbal and Trident instills the discipline and training needed for both. My two sons and I can attest to that.
How do you get a child to not be scared, the article asks….just let them get their first submission after some hard work on the mat. Now there's some confidence increasing, and some fear decreasing.
Violence begets violence or peace. For kids, studying a martial art can be fun and life altering. In certain ways, all life is influenced by conflict. In self-defense, Martial Arts are used as a tool for survival and, with bullying, provides the wielder with the ability to instill empathy. We can never assume a 100% knowledge of the person we face but, if we escape intact, they will hopefully learn from the mistake they made assaulting another. Not all people change in a positive way, but I hope that I may influence a few.