{"id":4051,"date":"2015-10-02T21:24:32","date_gmt":"2015-10-03T02:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.activityhero.com\/blog\/?p=4051"},"modified":"2021-02-09T21:57:11","modified_gmt":"2021-02-10T05:57:11","slug":"how-martial-arts-training-breaks-the-cycle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahblog.activityhero.com\/how-martial-arts-training-breaks-the-cycle\/","title":{"rendered":"How Martial Arts Training Breaks the Cycle of Bullying"},"content":{"rendered":"

Parents expect that learning\u00a0self-defense techniques will keep their kids safe from bullying. But that\u2019s only one of the benefits of martial arts.<\/h2>\n

By Laura Quaglio<\/h3>\n

\"Martial
\nLearning self-defense techniques in martial arts class can certainly help kids feel stronger and more confident, while providing them with the skills to protect themselves if need be. But this type of after school activity can also help kids who are not typically the targets of bullying. First, martial arts training often includes life-changing skills that can help the bullies themselves transform into \u201cgood citizens.” And it can help kids who may be bystanders (observing others being bullied) by teaching them how to react when they see someone else being targeted.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how two ActivityHero providers say today\u2019s martial arts programs are tackling the topic of bullying \u2014 and why all kids can benefit from this type of after school activity.<\/p>\n

Parents who feel their kids are \u201cbully-magnets\u201d have long sought the martial arts to help their children gain the skills and self-confidence they need to stand up for themselves. And with good reason. \u201cWhether on the bus, in the playground, or at school, bullies pick on kids that look like easy targets,\u201d says Victoria \u201cTori\u201d Navarrete, an instructor and co-owner of Navarrete\u2019s Black Belt Academy in San Francisco, California<\/a>. Tori and her husband, Master Fernando Navarrete, have more than 30 years of experience in martial arts, are members of the American Taekwondo Association, and are certified in the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. \u201cWe believe that teaching kids the skills needed to defend themselves both physically and verbally will make them a less likely target, and help them act when they see bullying going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill Soto (\u201cMr. Soto\u201d to his students) — who has been owner and chief instructor at Soto\u2019s Martial Arts in Appleton, Wisconsin<\/a>, for more than 28 years \u2013 agrees. Further, he asserts that kids are often first taught one of the least effective strategies for preventing bullying: avoidance. \u201cIn my experience, trying to avoid a bully doesn\u2019t solve anything,\u201d says this fifth-degree black belt in American Martial Arts. In bullying situations at school, he explains, the kids are showing up at the same place as the bully every day. \u201cSo the bully usually continues to track them down,\u201d he says. To help combat this very real problem in a more effective way, Bill\u2019s school hosts free bully-prevention seminars for both his students and the local community. \u201cSome martial arts schools focus on what to do during a fight,\u201d he says. \u201cBut we need to talk about what kids can do beforehand to prevent the fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here, some details on how these ActivityHero providers are enabling kids to stop bullying in its tracks.<\/p>\n

Shop for martial arts classes & camps near you > ><\/a><\/h4>\n

They\u2019re Building Physical Strength<\/h3>\n

Training in martial arts typically involves a variety of exercise, including cardio and strength-training. Students also build endurance by participating in class. Perhaps just as important, though, martial arts students learn how to carry themselves in a way that discourages bullying. \u201cThe bully will prey on the child that seems to be walking with their head down, shoulders slumped,\u201d says Mr. Soto. \u201cPutting a child in a martial arts program where they can be constantly encouraged and in a place where they can achieve success \u2013 this can help them hold their head high outside the martial arts program,\u201d says Mr. Soto.<\/p>\n

The Navarretes agree: In fact, they begin by teaching students to make strong eye contact and walk \u201ctall and strong\u201d before they progress to showing kids how to respond to verbal, then physical attacks. \u201cTaekwondo teaches you to be strong in your body and your mind, and this gives students a certain air of confidence that is evident to those who would mean them harm,\u201d says Tori.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re Learning How to Be Good Citizens<\/h3>\n

\u201cIn our school, you are expected to treat others with kindness and respect, help those in need, and do the right thing, no matter what,\u201d says Tori. She\u2019s proud to report that one of their students recently stepped through a circle of kids to put her arm around a boy with physical disabilities who was being bullied. \u201cShe told them that he was her friend and not to pick on him, and then led him away,\u201d says Tori. \u201cHe told her this was the first time that anyone stood up for him. We could not be more proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Soto refers to this type of intervention as being an \u201cupstander\u201d instead of a \u201cbystander.\u201d \u201cThe problem with a being a bystander is that you\u2019re standing by, doing nothing,\u201d he explains. Instead, kids need to know how to recognize bullying and report it to an adult. But telling kids is not enough, he says. That\u2019s why, during bully-prevention workshops, Bill has two kids role-play a verbal bullying situation, then instructs another child to stand up and tell the bully to stop. Then he has another do the same. And another. \u201cSaying those words can be harder than throwing a punch or a kick,\u201d he says. \u201cKids have to role play this over and over so they will be able do it when necessary. Knowing what to do isn\u2019t enough: It\u2019s not in the knowing, it\u2019s in the doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019re Learning to Be Good Leaders<\/h3>\n

\"erase-bullying\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest misconception is that martial arts training will make students more aggressive and more likely to engage in physical fights,\u201d says Tori. \u201cWhile it may seem counter-intuitive, the opposite has been true in our experience.\u201d In fact, Tori says that counselors have referred many \u201cphysically aggressive\u201d kids to their school to help the kids channel their energy in a positive way. What\u2019s more, martial arts instructors pride themselves on showing former bullies how to become a positive role model and leader. \u201cWe actually have several black belts who were once bullies who now help teach the younger kids,\u201d says Tori.<\/p>\n

In fact, a big focus of the curriculum at Soto\u2019s Martial Arts is on \u201cleadership life skills.\u201d \u201cWhether it\u2019s discipline, confidence, courage, focus \u2026 those are skills that kids can use every day,\u201d says Bill. \u201cSometimes people ask me if martial arts is a seasonal sport. I say, \u2018Is confidence seasonal? Is attitude?\u2019 Kids are not going to use their self-defense moves every day, but the leadership skills, they will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shop for martial arts classes & camps near you > ><\/a><\/h4>\n

Start Bully-Proofing Your Kids Today!<\/h3>\n

Find a martial arts or bully prevention program in your area.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Parents expect that learning self-defense techniques will keep their kids safe from bullying. But that\u2019s only one of the benefits of martial arts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":4157,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"templates\/template-cover.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[757],"tags":[778],"class_list":["post-4051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-martial-arts","tag-martial-arts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.activityhero.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.activityhero.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.activityhero.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.activityhero.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.activityhero.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4051"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.activityhero.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7946,"href":"https:\/\/www.activityhero.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4051\/revisions\/7946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.activityhero.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.activityhero.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.activityhero.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.activityhero.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}