7 Self-Defense Strategies to Counter Bullying
Unfortunately, many children at school have to endure bullying and intimidation behaviors from other children. Parents need to be aware that bullying can happen at any time. Your children must be prepared to deal with these situations healthily, no matter how uncomfortable they may be.
Nobody wants their kids to be helpless when it comes to bullying. If you don’t prepare your children in advance, they will not know how to do it. On the other hand, if you do prepare them, they will know how to deal with different situations.
First of all, you must talk to your children about bullying because in this way they will know that what happens to them is not something individual, they are not to blame for it happening to them, and thus they will understand that it is a widespread problem. They are not alone, and they will have to tell you what happens from the moment it starts to happen to find solutions as soon as possible.
This is important, so they know how to deal with bullying even before it happens. Talk to your children about how to deal with bullies, how to be safe in other circumstances, and deal with these uncomfortable situations. If you also know self-defense techniques, it will be much better.
When people think of self-defense, they only think of how to respond to an attack, that is, learn to take action. In reality, self-defense has nothing to do with hitting or hurting another. It only implies being aware of the environment, listening to instinct and before a problem arises, knowing how to behave with confidence and control the situation correctly.
1. Self-defense techniques
Encouraging fights is never a good idea, but some self-defense techniques can be used to protect yourself from certain attacks. Some techniques serve to block blows in attacks towards oneself, to free oneself from blows, to withdraw the hand of the aggressor during an attack, and techniques on how to defend oneself in attacks by more than one person, that is group attacks. All of this can be learned in self-defense classes.
First of all, you have to talk with your children so that they understand that self-defense skills are not to start fights, it is simply for when there is no choice but to use them. Before starting a fight, it is necessary to remove yourself from the situation using a firm tone of voice. Also, some schools have zero tolerance for physical violence and can expel both the aggressor and the victim of bullying when these situations occur. Your child should understand exactly what self-defense techniques are for and have a lot of discipline before using them.
2. Correct body language
One of the best ways to prevent bullying is to ensure that children have good self-esteem and are confident in themselves. When a child is confident, they will be able to have good posture, walk confidently and maintain eye contact with those around them. Otherwise, if the children do not look at the eyes, they stay behind in the group, they try never to speak. They will seem weak and easy points of attack.
You need to work at home, role-playing these techniques. Remind your children that even when they don’t feel safe, they should walk confidently and greet others who greet them by looking into the eyes and with confidence.
3. Go in group
Bullies are not usually attracted to attack children who are in groups or who have many friends. Your child knows that it is best to go to places with more people or go with a group of friends. If your child does not have a group of friends to take refuge with, then you need to work with her skills so that she has friends. Friendship can protect against bullying. Even a single friend can help prevent bullying.
4. Trust your instinct
The instinct of people is wise. Children have to learn to understand the environment and the danger signs to get out of the situation. If there are any toxic groups of children nearby, it is better to leave the place. Certain circumstances can cause alarms to go off, such as when someone looks at you strangely on the street.
The pit of the stomach warns us of dangers, and we have to listen to it. It is a very important vital skill because it helps to be aware of what is happening around and that children can avoid attacks. This is also important in adults!
5. Better to leave than fight
Self-defense techniques are good to know to have better self-confidence, but they should not be used unjustifiably. You need to focus first on leaving the situation rather than dealing directly with what is happening.
Children must learn that sometimes when things start to go awry, they have to turn around and walk away. Tell your children that this is not being a coward; it is smart. It takes courage and bravery to walk away from a situation that is getting too tense. Emphasize to your children that it is necessary to leave a situation before it gets out of hand. If not, the situation could get worse, and the bullying begins.
6. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu as a self-defense practice is highly advocated by Prof. David Adiv, an Israeli-American Martial Scientist, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu expert, 6th Degree Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, and an MMA coach.
“Most self-defense programs suggest hitting the attacker with punches, kicks, knees, and elbows. The Gracie Jiu-Jitsu takes a different approach. All techniques are defensive non-attacking in nature. Therefore, there is no encouragement on strikes. To this end, children are taught to defend themselves with words and never be the ones who initiate physical attacks. In case of being attacked, the techniques learned will serve to neutralize the threat through control positions until the help of adults arrives. In the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu programs, most trainers teach children how to fight fire with water, so parents never have to worry about their children becoming the bully,” shares Prof. Adiv.
7. A firm tone of voice
When a child is in a moment of bullying, they will experience nerves and even fear. But even with these feelings, it is necessary to practice a safe tone of voice and work on assertiveness to dilute the situation. Often bullies are just looking for an easy target, and if a child shows self-confidence, bullies may back off and stop bothering.
Practice with your children at home, a firm and strong tone of voice. Thus, when they are faced with an uncomfortable or complicated situation, they can put it on naturally, without it sounding forced and they will not forget to put it on because of the situation and their nerves.
