The Sioux City martial arts community is working to help bullied children regain their power. They’re teaching a class called “Bully Proof” a new national program that teaches jiu-jitsu, and how to use leverage and technique rather than fist fighting. Bully Proof is designed to stop a bully, and to instill confidence and discipline, and how to diffuse a situation. Every Saturday morning, students of different ages and sizes put on their martial arts gis strapped shut with white belts and line up for jiu-jitsu training.
Ryan Johnson who runs the program wants kids to be able to defend themselves without having to break any school rules. With jiu-jitsu a child can learn to use locks and choke holds instead of injuring their assailant with punches and kicks.
“If you punch them in self-defense, they’re just going to go to the teacher and say you’re the bully,” said Johnson to his class. “Bullies are expert liars — don’t give them any excuse.”
Instilling confidence and discipline is an important part of the Bully Proof program.
“Bullies can see through false bravado,” Johnson said. “When a bully sees that you have confidence, that you’re not afraid anymore, it takes the fun out of it for them.”
Sioux City Schools received a figurative black eye back in 2011 when the international film “Bully” showed Sioux City’s East Middle School student Alex Libby being tormented by fellow students. The film also portrayed bullying incidents in other parts of the country and gained international acclaim for its harshly candid portrayal of the prolific problem in schools across the world. Since the airing of this film, Sioux City has created an intensive program to fight the problem called the Bully Prevention Community Coalition.
When SiouxFighter appeared before a meeting of the Coalition, it brought to many minds the image associated with SiouxFighter of violent battles from the 1990s and their bloody outcomes. However, SiouxFighter co-founder Nick Rogers, himself a professional fighter, assured the Coalition that SiouxFighter wants to take a stand against violence and show how mixed martial arts has changed, implementing new rules and weight limits, so that their athletes are no different than athletes in any other sport. They want to instill discipline and respect in their students, and to stop the bullying associated with their organization.
“We’re kind of the anti-violence, no fighting group,” chairwoman Sandy Nation responded. “But bullying is so much more than fighting, and ultimately, we invite anyone who has the same goals against bullying.”
One of the most important lessons of every martial arts class is respect. It’s the first thing a student learns to do: to bow with respect to their teacher and to their fellow students. With all the excitement over technique, martial arts students often forget the importance of respect.
“Respect comes before anything physical, before learning techniques,” said SiouxFighter’s Nick Rogers. “I think respect is lacking in society today. Respect for parents, elders, law enforcement and each other.”
Martial arts is now a respected professional sport, and mixed martial arts employs varieties of fighting styles including wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and boxing.
Back to the jiu-jitsu training at the Bully Proof program, students take time out from technique training to show respect to one another by listening to each other’s stories on how they have been bullied. They then hold a discussion on how each situation could have been handled better.
Read the full article here:
Sioux City students turning to martial arts to stem bullying – Sioux City Journal
Ryan Johnson who runs the program wants kids to be able to defend themselves without having to break any school rules. With jiu-jitsu a child can learn to use locks and choke holds instead of injuring their assailant with punches and kicks.
“If you punch them in self-defense, they’re just going to go to the teacher and say you’re the bully,” said Johnson to his class. “Bullies are expert liars — don’t give them any excuse.”
Instilling confidence and discipline is an important part of the Bully Proof program.
“Bullies can see through false bravado,” Johnson said. “When a bully sees that you have confidence, that you’re not afraid anymore, it takes the fun out of it for them.”
Sioux City Schools received a figurative black eye back in 2011 when the international film “Bully” showed Sioux City’s East Middle School student Alex Libby being tormented by fellow students. The film also portrayed bullying incidents in other parts of the country and gained international acclaim for its harshly candid portrayal of the prolific problem in schools across the world. Since the airing of this film, Sioux City has created an intensive program to fight the problem called the Bully Prevention Community Coalition.
When SiouxFighter appeared before a meeting of the Coalition, it brought to many minds the image associated with SiouxFighter of violent battles from the 1990s and their bloody outcomes. However, SiouxFighter co-founder Nick Rogers, himself a professional fighter, assured the Coalition that SiouxFighter wants to take a stand against violence and show how mixed martial arts has changed, implementing new rules and weight limits, so that their athletes are no different than athletes in any other sport. They want to instill discipline and respect in their students, and to stop the bullying associated with their organization.
“We’re kind of the anti-violence, no fighting group,” chairwoman Sandy Nation responded. “But bullying is so much more than fighting, and ultimately, we invite anyone who has the same goals against bullying.”
One of the most important lessons of every martial arts class is respect. It’s the first thing a student learns to do: to bow with respect to their teacher and to their fellow students. With all the excitement over technique, martial arts students often forget the importance of respect.
“Respect comes before anything physical, before learning techniques,” said SiouxFighter’s Nick Rogers. “I think respect is lacking in society today. Respect for parents, elders, law enforcement and each other.”
Martial arts is now a respected professional sport, and mixed martial arts employs varieties of fighting styles including wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and boxing.
Back to the jiu-jitsu training at the Bully Proof program, students take time out from technique training to show respect to one another by listening to each other’s stories on how they have been bullied. They then hold a discussion on how each situation could have been handled better.
Read the full article here:
Sioux City students turning to martial arts to stem bullying – Sioux City Journal
