Hey there,
It's your friendly neighborhood
martial arts instructor here.
As you can imagine, our school
deals a LOT with bullies.
You could say we're experts on the
subject ;-)
Well, this is the biggest bully
deterrent out there. Hint: It's NOT
knowing how to punch or kick really
hard.
No, it's something that's a bit
harder to teach: confidence.
Bullies prey on the weak. They can
sense lack-of-confidence like a
hawk can spot a wounded animal.
And then they pounce.
But they back away from confidence.
Why? Well, they're scared
themselves. Fear is all they know.
Pride? Self-respect? These are
foreign concepts to the bully.
Sadly, many of them have poor home
lives.
They're victims themselves.
Confidence is a delicate thing to
teach a child though. However,
these things seem to help quite a
bit:
- Encouraging their passions.
- Positive, kind words and praise.
- Listening to your child (really
listening)
Self-defense skills help a lot,
too. When kids feel safe,
confidence is a natural
side-effect.
If nothing else, parents sleep
better knowing their kids can beat
up any bully who comes their way
;-)
If you're interested in a program
that'll teach your kids
self-defense, and positive life
skills like goal-setting &
