How to Build a Bully-Proof Forcefield

Bullying has become a severe problem in San Diego for children and adults, and bullying should not be taken lightly. This severe issue must be addressed by everyone, especially children.

As parents, martial arts teachers, caregivers, and community members, it is our responsibility as caregivers to provide guidance and advice to our children. What guidance? What advice can we give them about bullying?

Although it is impossible to bully-proof all children, some essential skills, such as martial arts training, can be taught to children to reduce the impact of bullies on their lives.

1. Create a positive social network

Connect with caring friends.

Social connection is an essential factor in happiness overall.

2. Prioritize the parent-child relationship

Children need to feel secure confiding in you,

3. Make positive connections wherever possible

Children need to be taught “how” to make friends

Bully-Proof Force Field members must have friends and social skills to build friendships.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence refers to our ability to recognize and manage emotions and to better relate to others.

Although it may sound a little extreme for a young child to say, developing emotional intelligence helps children recognize different emotions, such as anger, sadness, and fear. A confident child will be better equipped to handle bullying situations because they can identify the feelings and give them a name.

It is difficult to identify a bully or bullying behavior. There is often a right and a wrong for both. By teaching children acceptable behavior, we want to end the bullying epidemic.

I usually say that bullying is mostly, but not exclusively, due to jealousy. This example shows me what I mean. Recently, I was told about an incident at a local school that involved one of my younger karate students with two of her friends. Child A, my karate student, is a girl who likes Child B (a guy), and they often play together. Child C (a girl) intervened at lunchtime to encourage child B to play with her and exclude child A. Child A was furious and forced Child C to leave.

Before you knew it, there was a bit more to the game, with many other children joining in. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but I chatted with child A, my karate student, and her parents. I learned that child C is often very mean to child A and frequently excludes her from playground games.

Part of developing emotional intelligence is teaching children problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills. The above example shows seven children. Perhaps the playground teacher was unaware of what was happening, or there should have been multiple teachers.

Bullies are known to prey on children and victims they can intimidate. This can be stopped by adopting an assertive attitude. A confident child can assert their rights and voice their feelings without being passive or aggressive. There are many reports.

My favorite drill in karate is the “Backoff! Leave me alone!” drill. The children create scenarios and then role-play. They end with a loud “Backoff!” Then, they take two steps back, holding their hands open and putting them up.

This stance provides our students a tactical advantage because their hands are up, elbows tucked, and they have a quasi-fighting/protective perspective. This will let anyone watching know they are trying to de-escalate the situation.

The James Martial Arts Academy Kids program helps children to deal with bullying and confidence.

Have you ever tried to find “Kids Martial Arts Classes Near Me”? I encourage you to take our three free trial classes. I guarantee you’ll leave the first class with something that can help you protect your health.