Last Updated on December 1, 2014.
Every parent fears the thought of their child coming home from school with a Black Eye, but how bad would you feel if that child held a Black Belt.
I was the victim of bullying as a kid. I had a big mouth and little self-confidence, a brutal combination for a middle school-er. The confidence that was robbed from me by bullying took a toll on me socially, caused my grades to plummet, and affected nearly every aspect of my life.
It wasn’t until my late twenties that I really started to confront some of those issues and be able to overcome them.
A large part of that was due to my involvement in Tiger Schulmann’s Mixed Martial Arts.
So it pained me a few weeks ago when I heard the story of an 11 year old boy from one of my fellow instructors.
Tiger Schulmann’s was providing a free Bully Shield seminar for local parents and at one of our locations a young boy showed up who really needed what was being taught. As my peer shared the story, the kid in question kept moving closer and closer to the front of the room, continually raising his hand to share how he had fallen victim to all the various forms of bullying that were being covered in the seminar. From the testing phase of being bossed around, to being called names, harrassed in the hallways and bathrooms all the way to blatant physical bullying.
The Sensei leading the seminar related how as the young boy began to share his story their wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
In the immortal words of Paul Harvey, now for the rest of the story:
The young 11 year old holds a Black Belt from the second largest martial arts organization in the Philadelphia area. With schools throughout Bucks County, Montgomery County, Philadelphia and South Jersey they have a very recognizable logo that adorns the windshields of many local vehicles.
What they don’t have is a reputation for teaching student how to actually defend themselves. The 11 year old’s story is unfortunately not unique. Many martial arts schools have built their business on marketing and fancy presentation. It looks really cool when your child can twirl a bo staff, or swing nunchukus in a prepared “kata” with 11 other kids.
A Tiger Schulmann’s Black Belt Will Never Be Bullied
Unfortunately that remnant of Karate from five centuries ago does nothing for a kid being bullied in the school bathroom or on the back of the bus. Nor is it a true reflection of that which Karate was originally intended.
Tiger Schulmann’s has cemented their reputation by providing the highest quality of training for your children. While our competitors instructors are out flyering their local supermarkets, gyms and superstores, we are training to make sure our curriculum is the best. Each instructor is required to make a trip to Elmwood Park, New Jersey twice a week for ongoing training directly under Tiger Schulmann.
Our level of professionalism allows us to offer six hours of classes a day for six days a week. Each instructor is required to follow the curriculum developed by Tiger Schulmann and his brother Ron Schulmann. Those two have over 40 years experience in martial arts each and have run the most successful organization in the world since they opened in 1984.
You will never hear a story of a Tiger Schulmann’s Black Belt being bullied. That’s because we do not sell black belts. Paying for training does not earn you the right to get a new belt. Instead we have a strict standard at each belt level for technique, strength and discipline. While you may hear stories from parents who feel their child hasn’t been promoted fast enough, you will never hear of a child whose parents feel he was given a belt too fast.
We also require our students to prove they can stand up for themselves by participating in sparring and close range defense classes that closely resemble what an actual bullying situation would look like.
Students are placed into those classes at the proper time by instructors with an average of 15 years teaching experience. They are not “thrown to the wolves”, but rather taught slowly and helped by more experienced students to face their fears, rather than avoid them. This builds the self-confidence needed to confront a bully.
When you are looking for a martial arts school for your child choose wisely. A flyer in your kids backpack may look cool, but understand what you actually want from their training. A true martial arts school should be the perfect union of self-discipline and self-defense. Your child will learn focus, perseverance and a positive attitude all while gaining the real self-defense skills to stop bullying dead in its tracks.
That is what has made Tiger Schulmann’s the place for martial arts training for the last three decades. While cheaper substitutes pop up all the time, their is a reason no other school has come close to providing the level of instruction TSMMA is known for!
Call your nearest Tiger Schulmann’s with schools serving Abington, Bensalem, Chalfont, Cherry Hill,Feasterville, Holland, Philadelphia, Willow Grove, and your local community. You can also register online for a FREE Trial Class and see what has made TSMMA number one.
