As Real As It Gets: Bullying Victims Can Fight Back With Help From Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Royalty
Wednesday, August 24, 2011 1:17 am
FC 134 in Rio de Janeiro this weekend will rightly include homage to the iconic Gracie family, creators of Brazilian jiu-jitsu nearly 100 years ago, creators of the Ultimate Fighting Championship nearly 20 years ago, creators of legendary family fighting figures and jiu-jitsu instructors that span the globe.
But the Gracies' most positive impact might be felt at a middle school in a Denver suburb where a seventh grader is unafraid of bullies for the first time since he can remember.
Martin Hendricks, 12, spent a week this summer at the Gracie Academy in Torrance, Calif., in an intensive program designed to make him "Bullyproof." He learned as many jiu-jitsu self-defense techniques as a kid can absorb in five days, he memorized a blueprint for dealing with a bully fairly and squarely, and he gained self-confidence. The first week of school he put the lessons into practice.
"I'm still a little nervous but it all went well," Hendricks said quietly in a phone call to Rener Gracie, his personal instructor at the academy. "He'll never bother me again. Let me tell you about it."
Interesting! I hadn't heard of bjj being used specifically for school self defense.
ReplyDeleteI bet any martial art could be used if the student was coached appropriately.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I really like the simple 1-2-3 step approaches to dealing with things. Children need something like that to get them to take action and for them to remember it. What I'm surprised about is that the third 'T' is about tackling the bully. This must surely be for physical bullying. Or is this applicable to emotional and cyber bullying too? Did you read Dr Bruce Clayton's submission? And are you going to update this submission with the carnival's button? Cheers, Colin
ReplyDeleteI've reposted on 4/15/12 with an introduction and the button.
ReplyDelete