Why Martial Arts Must Always Adapt to Counter Bullying
by Black Belt Training Group- Tags:
- Bullying
Bullying is an epidemic which has been present in the learning experience for many years. However, bullying has also evolved over time and with particular intensity over the last 20 years or so with the invention of mobile phones, the internet, and social media. In fact, bullying has gotten way out of control across schools and online, becoming almost intolerable. Each year, thousands of kids worry about going to school in the morning because they fear a bully. Many children cannot even escape the bullying when they leave school as the bully can now easily reach them online.
The psychology of a bullied child, however, remains the same as it has always been throughout the years. Many children who are bullied either in school or online are afraid to tell their parents or a teacher for fear of reprisal from the bully, because they are ashamed, or simply because the feel an adult will not be able to help. It is, therefore, imperative for kids to develop confidence in themselves which will enable them to counter bullying and deal with being bullied in a healthier way. Martial arts has long been cited as an excellent way to combat bullying, for many years due to the self-defense aspect of the sport. However, as bullying has become more psychological in recent times, martial arts is adapting to teach kids much more than simply how to defend themselves.
The Evolution of Bullying
There are three different types of bullying which have been experienced by children in schools for many years – social, verbal, and physical. However, in today’s modern society children must also deal with a fourth type of bullying – online. Each type of bullying has detrimental effects on the child who is experiencing it:
•Social – Every school has groups, clicks, gangs, or whatever you wish to call them, of kids who can often be quite cruel when going with the group. These groups can torment and tease a classmate by starting rumors or mocking an aspect of their appearance. This can result in the bullied child withdrawing from social activities and events and even lead to depression.
•Verbal – While verbal bullying is not tolerated in schools, bullies can still verbally abuse a victim without an adult hearing or knowing about it. By calling a child names and assaulting them with words in the hallway, bathroom, or other places teachers cannot hear them, the bullied child can suffer regarding their grades and self-confidence, often dreading going to school.
•Physical – The worst form of bullying is a physical assault. Getting punched, kicked, or hit leaves a physical reminder of what the victim is going through and in the worst cases can lead to serious bodily harm to the bullied child.
•Online – The newest form of bullying takes places online via instant messaging, social media, and other forms of online communication. It can be tough to know if a child is being bullied online as they often keep their messages and social media private, however, this form of bullying can seriously damage a child’s ability to socialize and have confidence in themselves.
These forms of bullying display the evolution in how a bully targets their victims. Bullies are very adaptive and will use one or all of these methods to achieve their goals. For instance, just ignoring taunts in the hallway of school could lead to the bully seeking retribution by bullying a child online. If they continue to be ignored, a bully might even turn to physical assault. For these reasons, it is essential martial arts evolves with bullying and does not become outdated when providing kids with the skills to counter bullies.
How Martial Arts Counters Bullying
Beyond the core training, martial arts equips children to deal with all forms of bullying. The way in which martial arts is taught to kids adapts with the times and provides them with skills such as:
•Development of self-esteem. Children who have high self-esteem are less likely to become the victim of bullying and will learn not to be afraid to stand up for themselves.
•Self-control. While bullies are often hot-tempered and dominant, martial arts teaches self-control, discipline, and respect, which can lead to them being a better person.
•Faster thinking. Martial arts also develops thinking skills which will help a child to respond quicker in troublesome situations.
•Physical fitness. Kids who train in martial arts will gain a better physique, leading to them not being the attention of bullies anymore.
These essential skills develop both the body and mind to help children counter bullies whatever way they try to attack. However, bullies will always evolve new ways of targeting their victims, and it is important that martial arts continue to develop techniques which will help children counter these methods and reduce bullying.
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