Identifying and Stopping Bullying at School Through Martial Arts
Bullying has become a national concern. Barely a day goes by without a tragic incident making national news. Quite frankly, it’s a scary topic for both parents and children alike.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Any child can learn how to defend himself and learn conflict resolution techniques through martial arts.
Shocking Bullying Statistics
Unfortunately, statistics show that your kids will likely experience at least some form of bullying at some point – statistics show that one out of every three kids between grades 6-10 experience some form of bullying and that nearly 3 out of four kids have witnessed bullying at school. And the bullying isn’t just limited to actual face to face physical encounters any more. It’s much more difficult to hide when bullies who attack kids through text, social media and online.
Even some of the best schools in the Coral Springs area have difficulty identifying and squashing bullying (and this isn’t just a local problem – surveys show that students and parents across the U.S. don’t feel as though bullying is handled effectively in schools). You can’t be with your kids every minute of the day to protect them, but you can provide them with the necessary skills to handle bullies that approach them (or their friends) at the schoolyard or in cyberspace.
How Taekwondo Can Help
If your kids have any issues with confidence, focus or even with weight (all things that bullies tend to look for and target), enrolling in a Taekwondo class may be the answer. In a Taekwondo class, your child will not only learn the physical aspect of protecting himself from an attack (the punches, kicks and blocks), he will also learn how to identify a potential attack and how to diffuse the situation before any physical action is necessary.
While a Taekwondo class will undoubtedly make your kids sweat and will teach them the proper mechanics for a physical fight, they will walk away with much more than just the ability to throw a powerful punch. Taekwondo classes also teach discipline, they build mental strength and focus, and the classes breed self-confidence (all things that will fully prepare them for handling a bullying situation properly).
Benefits Beyond Prevention
The self-confidence and focus your kids pick up from being involved in martial arts will not only help them diffuse bullying situations, it will also spill over into other areas of their lives as well. A huge part of martial arts revolves around discipline (both mental and physical), which can help with studying and completing school work.
Taekwondo also serves as a great workout and supplement to other sports – it effectively builds strength, improves flexibility and burns calories. If you kids play soccer, basketball or other organized sports, Taekwondo can keep them to stay in great shape in the offseason, or it can serve as a fun and effective method of getting kids who aren’t active enough up off the couch.
The new school year is loaded with excitement, nerves and new challenges. Give your kids the skills they need to handle it all effectively with the tools they’ll learn from Taekwondo.
