October is National Bullying Prevention Month. At Elite Martial Arts Academy, we are committed to empowering our students and chidren in our community, so in this article we will cover some tips to empower your child with additional tactics to avoid confrontation and improve their confidence. We teach these coping strategies in our martial arts school and our students find them very useful.
At this time of year, children have to deal with many new stressful situations, like new classmates, new teachers, new schools, and the last thing we want for them is to deal with bullying situations that can happen.
ANTI BULLY tip # 1: Teach your child the IMPORTANCE of presence
The very first skill we will discuss is to teach your child how important your presence is. It can make a difference if you are chosen as a possible victim rather than projecting an image of trust, which makes you less vulnerable.
What do we mean by”Presence”?
By “presence” we mean how your child is doing and how they look.
As parents, it is our responsibility to ensure that our children are bathed and wear suitable clothes for school, which will not be the goal for other children. Well, I’m not suggesting buying designer clothes or spending them beyond your means, but if your child insists on not wearing clothes at school because he doesn’t find “cool” or says “ugly,” you can have an open mind about why he can tell you and don’t insist on forcing him to wear it.
Another important factor in your child’s presence is how they are doing and how they interact with peers and adults. One of the factors that we attach great importance to in our martial arts classes is to teach children how to make eye contact correctly. When talking with or while talking with peers and adults, we always want you to make eye contact with the person you are communicating with. Even if we simply walk through the hallways of the school, we teach our martial arts students that they do not have their heads down, but go straight into an upright position, because it is a well-known fact that bullies are looking for children who portray themselves as potential victims and aim to be picked up. One thing we encourage parents to make their children get used to interacting with others is that they speak for themselves; for example, if you are in a restaurant instead of ordering food for your child, ask him to order his own food and teach him that it is polite to look people in the eye when he addresses you. Especially if you know that your child has more difficulties than his friends who interact with peers and adults, this is a great exercise in developing his social skills.
ANTI BULLY TIP # 2: AVOID BULLIES AND CONFRONTATIONS
Our second advice may seem obvious and nevertheless contradicts the general perception of the martial arts of the Menschen.es it is simply to avoid intimidation and situations that could provoke confrontation. We ask our students to move away from bullies, take another path to avoid them, whatever it takes to not have to engage them. People often think that martial art is to fight, but it is absolutely not; it is about teaching confidence. Yes, there are obvious advantages to knowing how to defend yourself when the situation escalates, but the ability to do so leads to the initial confidence needed to get out of a tyrant’s situation. Bullies don’t choose confident kids.
ANTI BULLY TIP # 3: TEACH YOUR CHILD THE VERBAL SKILLS TO
The third skill we use to strengthen our students in martial arts is to teach them verbal skills. This is a fundamental concept! Unfortunately, bullies have always existed and will continue to exist, but it is very important to know how your child can communicate with someone who welcomes them without becoming a victim or aggravating the situation in confrontation. Bullies can initiate the relationship by picking up clothes, weight or anything they consider a vulnerability.
We teach our martial arts students these 3 sets of verbal skills among others:
* How to use humor to distract the insult;
* How to change the theme when you are selected;
* How to make friends with the person who picks you (turn a bully into a friend).
ANTI BULLY TIP # 4: IF ATTACKED, VISUALLY COMMUNICATE THAT THEY ARE BEING ATTACKED
In the unfortunate situation, a physical confrontation may occur, your child must know how to defend himself. Participating in combat classes gives them these self-defense skills, but we also teach blocking attitudes that visually communicate with adults or teachers and observe that they do not initiate combat, but only try to defend themselves. This sends a signal that your child is not looking for problems while defending himself from an attack.
CONCLUSION
I hope you liked these 4 quick tips to strengthen your child against bullies.
Summarize:
Teach your child the Importance of presence;
Avoid bullies and Confrontations;
Teach your child verbal skills;
When you are attacked, visually communicate that you are being attacked while using simple blocks.
It’s easier said than done to tell your child to ask the bullies to leave her alone, especially when facing a bigger child. Martial arts classes intimidate your children by giving them the skills to deal with difficult situations.
I hope you found these tips helpful! For more information, please check our website and if you want your child to learn not only self-confidence and self-defense, but also adult respect and concentration skills that lead to better grades, please use our website:
Give your child the gift of life! When I was a child, martial arts changed my life and I am convinced that you can do the same for your child and your family.
Remember… We teach the same values that you teach at home!
I hope your child has an excellent autumn season and I will see you in class!