The Essentials to Stop Bullying, Why Karate is the Key.
Stop Bullying! I’m sure you have seen multiple initiatives being introduced to schools nationwide. Either Yourself or your children have been told one way or another, how to handle a bully. These traditional methods like getting your parents involved or running and tattling to the teacher, don’t necessarily work, in fact they can make circumstances for your child or even yourself much worse. Although, We do suggest taking action using this article as your guide.
Talk with Someone: This may or may not help but in the rare cases it does and the bulling stops dead with adult intervention, Great! Even if it doesn’t stop completely, at least it does let you know that you are not alone, which is essential.
Avoiding your Tormentor: In Essence, this tactic prevents the bully from getting you alone. Steering clear of his path, only gives the bully power and he “Wins” because it is letting him control your life, which gives him exactly what he wants, Right?
Make Friends: At least try to hang out with others, so you have a support system. Bully mentality states; that you won’t be as likely of a target if you have the appearance of “Back up”. They prefer to have the upper hand, and don’t like an even fight.
Raise your Self-Esteem: Bullies tend to pick on people they have the perception as being ‘weak’. These individuals often are adults or children with low self-esteem or personal perception. Have you ever seen a confident child at school that got picked on? Raising your level of confidence in yourself may not be easy and will not happen in a flash but you CAN do it. This is especially true if you join a Karate school. Where you learn to feel good about yourself, gain knowledge of self-defense without becoming the aggressor yourself.
Now this next technique is probably the Most important in any encounter with a bully and especially the 1st encounter with someone who threatens you.
Stand your Ground: Even if they tower over you. Don’t run or cry, Show them you do not fear them. We mentioned before bullies feed off of fear. If you stand tall, he may think again about harassing you. If you are able to calmly walk away from an encounter please take that road. Remember it takes the bigger person to stay calm and not allow the situation to escalate
Last but not least…
Fight Back: This needs to be clear. Here at Hughes Karate-Do we are generally against violence and always encourage our students to avoid physically violence if at all possible. But if a bully does physically assault you, you have no choice but to defend your life. This is a right to all humans. In self-defense it is ok to use physical force to end the attack and avoid the immediate threat. When you learn Karate, you will have a new skill set: control of mind body and spirit (self-esteem) and be able to disable your attacker and get away. This can be done in a few moves that will stop a bully and ensure that they leave you alone going forward.
If you are a kid who already holds Karate skills and have a high level of self-esteem, look out for your fellow children. If you see Bullying happening around you, it is your duty to do something. You may even make a friend in the process. We also ask that you recommend Karate to them. So they have a chance to stand tall and confident.