Last Updated on September 2, 2014.
Teaching a child or young adult self defense has much more importance than simply toughening them up. At a young age most kids do not have the necessary tools to become confident or stand up to bullies, mainly because parents overlook the importance of these tools. When a parent enrolls his/her child into school for the first time they are usually confident that the morals and values which they have raised their child up to that point would be enough for a positive school experience. Most of these parents are right, as a matter of fact 9/10 of these children go to school with respect and kindness to their fellow students. However, it only takes that 1/10 outlier to negatively affect the lives of countless students who never meant any harm. Self defense does not just teach a child how to defend himself/herself, it teaches a sense of pride and confidence, which in turn allows for a better overall learning environment.
The following excerpt is from a testimonial which came directly from an Anti-Bullying Specialist in Bergen County New Jersey who enrolled his son into Tiger Schulmann’s in Elmwood Park:
Approximately two weeks ago at Summer Recreation Camp a boy slapped, punched, and choked Brandon. Brandon responded to each (attack) with an effective move. He did so with confidence and backed the boy down. The boy is physically about 20 pounds heavier than Brandon and is a good athlete. Brandon defended himself with confidence and matched the level of aggression than the boy was demonstrating. This is exactly the lesson that you have taught him in your daily discussions as well as your Anti-Bullying seminars. The following day the boy moved on to verbally mock another child and Brandon stepped in and backed him down. The willingness to defend others and not being a bystander demonstrates Brandon’s leadership qualities and is the ultimate demonstration of confidence.
… The testimonial ends with the words:
Thank you for your dedication, wisdom, and your passion to teach. Thank you for the lessons and self-confidence you have instilled in our son.
This powerful testimonial came from a man who has witnessed bullying in schools for years, and was shocked to learn it was even happening to his own child. Self defense is much more than physical defense as this testimonial demonstrates, it is a defense against all types of bullying. Bullies attack weak children lacking confidence, in order to compensate for their own lack of confidence. Attacks can come in the form of physical torment, verbal abuse, and now lately virtual (online) attacks. Children can learn different skills to better prepare themselves for these inevitable bullies, but none compare to skills learned in the highest level of competition which is martial arts. Tiger Schulmann’s in Elmwood Park taught Brandon the self defense he needed to protect himself and those around him, and if more parents realized the amount of bullying which goes on day to day they would not hesitate to entrust a location like Tiger Schulmann’s to teach their child self defense.