After School Karate in Georgia Against Bullying

The National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that over 282,000 students report being physically bullied every month. 90% of students report they’ve experienced some form of bullying and over 70.6% of students have witnessed bullying and say it’s a problem at their school.  We’re halfway through the school year and bullying has likely already started. We don’t like these statistics and we’re doing something about it.

We have many parents who send their child to us because they are part of the 90% who have experienced bullying. Parents come to us to teach their children self-defense. If a parent tells us that their child(ren) has experienced it, we work with that a child a little more closely to ensure he/she gains the skills needed to defend themselves.

Child Self-Defense Curriculum

All of our after-school karate programs include curriculum instruction and at the end, hands-on technique training that includes Muay Thai, BJJ, and wrestling. If you ever watch one of our classes, all of our instructors mention self-defense at some point. Our students get hands-on experience to safely practice child self-defense techniques.

Zero Tolerance Bullying Policy

We take bullying of any kind very seriously. It’s not permitted at any of our locations and we deal with it immediately. Our students treat each other with respect and kindness.

Fun Fact: Tom Sommerville, who runs our after-school program in Braselton, is an active member of the Guardian Angels, a nonprofit unarmed, safety organization known for safety patrols. Bullying is something they take a stand against. Having experienced bullying as a child, he takes it very seriously, as do the rest of our instructors.

A Confident Child

Martial arts is known for producing more confidence in students. A child who knows how to defend him/herself is more confident when faced with bullying. Our Kenpo Karate program teaches students to not use force unless forced to defend him/herself. Parents see a difference in how children handle conflict. They become aware of their strength and hesitate to use it. Our students are less involved in fights and physical altercations. At the same time, they prepare themselves in case they do need to defend themselves. Parents tell us that students voluntarily explain what they will do, the technique they’ll use, should they have to defend themselves.