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We as parents may not realize what’s really going on when our children are not under our watch. Of course, we have complete confidence in our educators, the hard-working men and women who are responsible for teaching our children the ins and outs of society. But the shocking truth of the matter is, the times we aren’t watching is when some of the most horrible things happen.
School bullying has been a problem for decades. While we have made great strides to eradicate bullying in our educational establishments, the reality is that bullying still exists in this day and age, and it’s as big of a problem as it has ever been.
In a recent video that went viral on social media, a helpless child is seen being beaten by two class bullies. The child has neither the ability to escape nor defend himself, and tries his best to push the bullies away. The video was allegedly taken by another fellow student who does nothing to stop what is happening.
Man who watched St. Hilda's Secondary School students fight is…
Man who watched St. Hilda's Secondary School students fight is an intern, not trained to manage situation http://bit.ly/2xzVqlq
Posted by Stomp on Wednesday, September 13, 2017
What if this was your child? Are you confident in your child’s ability to defend himself or herself?
Singapore has the third highest rate of school bullying in the world, behind only Latvia and New Zealand. This is particularly worrying if you are living in Singapore and your children go to school here.
We as parents have the power to end school bullying by developing our children’s essential social interaction skills. Any given child can be a bully or a bully target. There are many ways to solve this problem once and for all. One way is martial arts.
Martial arts helps children develop self-esteem, discipline, and respect — all traits that work against bullying. It also helps in many other ways too. Empower your children with martial arts and witness the immediate positive effect it has on their lives.
Today, Evolve Daily shares five reasons why martial arts will help solve the school bullying epidemic once and for all.
1) Martial arts breeds confidence and self-esteem
One of the most important traits your children will develop as soon as they begin training in martial arts is self-esteem. With confidence and belief in ourselves, we are able to walk with a sense of pride and power. This is perhaps the single-most important factor in getting rid of school bullying forever.
An effective way to protect against bullying is possessing the knowledge of martial arts and the confidence that comes with it.
Martial arts teaches your child the values of hard work, perseverance, persistence, and discipline. Through the study of self-defense, children are empowered with the confidence in knowing that they are indeed bully-proof. This also gives them a sense of responsibility, not only to protect themselves, but also to protect others.
2) It empowers children with the knowledge of self-defense
In times when bullying cannot be avoided and physical confrontation is imminent, your children would be better suited with the knowledge of martial arts. Equipped to defend themselves as well as their peers, martial arts is essential to children at an early age. Knowing how to defend themselves makes children effectively bully-proof.
There is a common misconception that martial arts is just violence. In fact, one of the most important things martial arts teaches is to avoid physical conflict whenever possible. Fighting is always the last option, and resolving conflicts through peaceful means always takes precedence.
But when it is in fact unavoidable, it is best that your children know how to properly defend themselves. Martial arts provides a breadth of options in teaching self-defense, from hand-to-hand combat disciplines like Muay Thai, to gentle arts of self-defense like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Any which way, martial arts will certainly empower your children with the ability to defend themselves.
3) It develops essential social interaction skills
More often than not, bullies in school inhibit various insecurities and often turn to violence as an outlet or a release of pent-up emotion and tension. Science explains that bullying comes about as a means to dictate social pecking order. However, there is no one particular thing that makes a child a target for bullying. It can happen to any child, on any given day.
One of the factors that is directly involved in the bullying epidemic is the lack of social interaction skills in children today. In this day and age, children spend more time on their tablets and smartphones than they do playing outside or interacting with their peers. This leads to social awkwardness and a lack of social development.
Since martial arts is taught in a classroom environment that has students working with one another, helping each other along during training, it will no doubt enhance your children’s social interaction skills. It is not uncommon in a martial arts class for children to work together to achieve certain goals, and it is often encouraged to learn techniques from one another.
4) It teaches respect and honor
Among the biggest lessons martial arts teaches is that of respect and honor. In order to become the best version of ourselves, we must exhibit humility and the willingness to be responsible for our own mistakes. Students are taught to respect their superiors, as well as their peers and to maintain honor and integrity at all times.
It is only with respect and honor that we are able to learn to the best of our capabilities. Children learning this at a young age will be able to apply these lessons in all areas of life. Respect and honor are not exclusive to the martial arts gym, they are also useful attributes in school and as your children grow up to be model citizens.
The more respect children have for each other, the less bullying becomes a problem. And of course, as the saying goes, respect begets respect.
5) It gives children an outlet for their energy
Sports and fitness give children an avenue to expend their energy, which with youth comes in abundance. Furthermore, it leaves them feeling generally happier, healthier, and enriched. Martial arts is the ultimate fitness and sports program to introduce to children at an early age because not only does it give them something fun to do, it also helps them build camaraderie with their peers.
Contrary to popular belief, martial arts isn’t just physical exercise, it is also a way to enhance multiple aspects of a practitioner’s life. With its added benefits, martial arts becomes the perfect training program for any individual.
Start them young, enroll your children in martial arts class today and see the changes that will develop within them. It will also undoubtedly start a chain reaction as your child begins to positively influence his/her peers, changing lives for the better.
So tell us, are you going to bully-proof your children? Kickstart their martial arts journey by signing them up for a class today!
