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Why are more and more parents enrolling their children in martial arts classes? Because more and more children are being victimized by bullies.
Juveniles compose one-tenth of the U.S. population, but they are victims in one out of every four violent crimes.
Martial Arts if properly taught, has the best opportunity to address this urgent social concern of children's welfare.
Teaching only physical skills can be dangerous because young students think that by themselves these skills can end conflict, when in fact, they can all too often escalate it. All they know is how to end fighting by fighting.
The method of teaching children non-violent alternatives is role-playing, a skill in which the modern Martial Arts Educator needs to be trained.
Does your school offer this approach? Here is an excellent website for parents that have concerns about bullying and their child http://www.martialartsforpeace.com/
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Tae Kwon Do is practiced by 70 million people in 180 different countries. If everyone who studied Tae Kwon Do joined hands, they could form a line that would stretch around the globe 1.25 times!
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Long story short.. No.
Our school does not use role playing. Instead, we spend a lot of time asking questions. Sitting in a group, no ranks, and just discuss issues like bullying, drugs, self defense, stanger danger, etc. I have always encouraged the kids to discuss anything they want with me.
I was bullied, as I am sure most of us were, and I learned a lot. My son goes to an inner-city school and he is the minority. I teach him how to handle verbal bullying. He hasn't run into the physical bullying but he enters middle school next year so he will.
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Old enough to know better; Dumb enough to keep going!
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yeah in TKD there isn't a whole lot of teaching the values. At my dojang we have say "I will bring honour to my nation family and school" before and after every class. That's about as far as I know. As for bullying, yeah i was bullied pretty badly as a kid because I had a stuttering problem. I still stutter from time to time today when I get nervous. But out of all that bullying came my passion for martial arts.
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Training in the wilderness...
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| POSTED BY: Danni on 02/28/2008 23:45:09 |
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I was never bullied. I think it's because all the other kids knew I was in TKD. My school doesn't use role-playing or really any kind of bully training. I don't really see a need for it, at least yet, where I live.
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simplify
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Yes, we have bullying in elementary and high school systems. We teach our students to tell an adult (whether it be a teacher, principal, or one of the instructors). If it escalates to a full out physical attack, then they are to call one of the instructors after it has happened (they're told that if the instructors hear of it, then they could be disciplined). We have had some of our students bully other students and they were kicked out of the dojang. The school principals have called our instructors if the students were involved in a fight (that's why the instructor told our students to call right away so we can get their side of the story). Our school teaches that to fight in defense only and the best defense is to walk away without fighting (if possible).
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NEVER GIVE UP & learn one new thing each day!
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My school doesn't offer role playing but my master will talk with us especially the kids classes about everything from respect, drugs, bulling. how to stand up and say i don't like it and its not for me attitude basically just doing the right thing and being a good person. I don't think that role playing is the only way to teach how to self defend, i don't agree w/ your comment on violence against violence The first way to avoid a bully is self confidence!!! that is the first thing you get when you start tkd,( everyone knows a bully bullies because he/she is lacking something most times self esteem and really is just scared) and we are taught that to defend oneself is your right!!! It isn't always about fighting, people who can kick butt usually don't want to!! therefore they find other ways of fixing the problem, but once it did come down to a physical altercation and you get into fighting stance your "bully" or oppenet will probly be thinking twice about fighting w/you. my son is 13 now and started when he was 8, due partially because of bullies, people don't bully him anymore just because of the way he carries himself, and that is because of taekwondo!!!!! we are also taught self defense at our school not just sparring. these of course are my oppinions and every school and situtation are different no offense intended. 
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no sacrifice no victory
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taekwondojunkie wrote:
I don't think that role playing is the only way to teach how to self defend, i don't agree w/ your comment on violence against violence
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It isn't the only way but teaching only physical skills can be dangerous because young students think that by themselves these skills can end the bullying, when in fact, they can all too often escalate it. All they know is how to end fighting by fighting. ... violence against violaence. In today's world of fighting, with kids having easy access to weapons, what would be thought of as a relatively simple and harmless physical fight in my day is now met with knives and guns, ending up not just with serious injury but death.
So it is important that we teach the martial arts both physically and mentally, which is precisely the way they were originally taught. Role-playing makes the kids use their "mental self defense" . Self confidence is important but if we want to help our children to successfully cope with conflict we must begin to train our students at the levels of avoiding and resolving conflict to balance their current training in the physical level.
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Tae Kwon Do is practiced by 70 million people in 180 different countries. If everyone who studied Tae Kwon Do joined hands, they could form a line that would stretch around the globe 1.25 times!
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The whole landscape of the schoolyard has changed dramatically. One of the problems that I see is that kids are always told to get a teacher for pretty much everything and little to no effort is provided in terms of teaching conflict resolution outside of the home. If a student is attacked in a Montgomery county school, should they defend themselves, guess what? Both the attacker and the victim who dared to stick up for themselves get suspended. Honestly, that is the most idiotic approach to the problem that I can think of.
KC is right; access to weapons, gangs in schools, and todays climate in general is not conducive to any unnecessary physical force. I also agree that role playing is effective. I see role playing in the same light that I see self defense training; you practice and prepare mentally for the situation before it occurs. I have done considerable role playing with my kids, in everything from violence to social skills to drugs. It is effective to a great extent, but there can come a time when the only alternative given is to physically defend one's self.
One caveat: kids must be taught the difference between self defense and a punitive beat down. Defending one's self without attempting to escalate the altercation goes a long way with teachers and law enforcement. Turning the tables on your attacker and then mercilessly punnishing them with physical force generally gets one in nearly as much trouble as their attacker.
Daniel
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교사 Yidan kumdo, Ildan taekwondo
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| POSTED BY: DireWolf on 03/31/2008 11:48:01 |
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Our schools have bullying but it doesn't sound as bad as some of you have mentioned. It may be because my son is in TKD that I don't hear about it that much.
What I have noticed is sort of a "pecking order" for lack of a better term. Naturally the jocks are at the top of the order. My son is the shortest kid in his grade and is not a jock. He sometimes gets teased about his height but he has learned to stick up for himself. in one case one of the big kids was teasing him and picked up my son. my son told him he didn't like it and to put him down. naturally the big kid didn't listen, so my son kicked him. not hard enough to injure, but hard enough to convice the big kid that lifting my son was no longer funny. This kid even asked "what did you do that for?!" My son just stated "I told you, I didn't want to be picked up."
This confidence came from TKD and my son's action resolved the situation better than going to a teacher would've--he earned some respect that day.
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