Why Jiu Jitsu Stops Bullying
- Ian Lashley
- May 9, 2018
- 3 min read
Why Jiu Jitsu Stops bullying
Jiu Jitsu which stems from Japan is described as a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an opponent. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu does the very similar concept but is just a slightly different style. The central martial arts system focuses on grappling and ground fighting. It promotes the idea that no matter the size or strength of the opponent with a technique you can overcome them. There are many ways Jiu Jitsu helps bring a stop to bullying as well as many other martial arts.
There are several different types of a bully, emotional and physical usually being the most common. Being very common among kids in schools and afterschool programs. What children of young age to older age receive from jiu-jitsu is Discipline, Self Esteem, Confidence, respect, dealing with stress, increased cognitive ability, better physical fitness, and the ability to defend themselves.
There is one way especially with being physically bullied to put a stop to it. Most people don’t like this answer, especially when it comes to getting physically bullied. That is… you stand up to the bully tell them to stop and then put the hammer to them. Everyone should be able to defend themselves when it comes down to it. If someone grabs hold of you, pushes you, punches you, or anything else, it’s simple. Do what is necessary to stop it. I had personal experience with this when I was young around 4th or 5th grade. I had someone trying to bully one of my friends and me. My friend was also deaf the bully was pulling his hearing aid off and pushing us. I stepped up and punched him in the face... We were no longer bothered by the kid.
Fighting isn’t always the answer. What Jiu Jitsu does for kids even more than being able to use proper techniques to defend themselves is give them discipline, self-esteem, confidence, respect, and dealing with stress. Jiu-jitsu will provide these skills so they can be taken and used in life off the jiu-jitsu mats.
First real quick there's a big misconception with discipline. For kids, discipline is done by their parents at home. No program is going to teach kids discipline that is needed from a parent to behave appropriately. What kind of discipline it does give kids is, showing up for practice, listening to the instructor, discipline in accomplishing a move instead of goofy around, discipline to get their grades where they need to be so they can do jiu-jitsu.
The most significant thing I’ve observed is jiu-jitsu will improve for kids is their confidence, self-esteem, respect, and the ability to deal with stress. Jiu-jitsu gives kids the ability to believe in themselves and their skills. You get the confidence you need and the ability to fight so you don’t have to fight. It gives them a better look at themselves and who they are. Every kid I’ve observed go through our program has had a 100% increase in their confidence and self-esteem whether they realize it or not. Jiu Jitsu makes them learn how to respect one another and their authority/coach. They must show respect every class to their teammates with a fist bump and handshake before they spare. At the end of class as we bow out all the students are expected to shake everyone's hand and tell them something positive like “good job today.”
The ability to deal with stress is a big deal. What jiu-jitsu does is puts you in the most uncomfortable situations possible sometimes. Then you must get out of it! Just like in life stuff is going to suck and you must get out of it. You learn how to deal with stress and overcome obstacles. Overcoming obstacles on the mat can be translated into a huge life lesson for everybody off the mats.
All of these reasons are why I believe Jiu Jitsu is fantastic for kids. It will help them become leaders, believers, shoot for the stars, and then accomplish anything they want to.
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