Teen Violence And Self Defense?
Should children learn self defense?
The rise of violence in our schools and the crimes committed on our streets by juveniles has hit a disgusting peak and I’m here to say YES…kids need to learn how to defend themselves!
What really pissed me off this week was the burning of a 15-year old, Michael Brewer, at the hands of a group of gang members who had been terrorizing him for some time.
Here’s a link to the full story: Michael Brewer – Burned By Gang Members
Michael Brewer, 15, couldn’t get away from his attackers despite not going to school. His mother said the boy was so afraid of the gang of boys - all 15-years old or younger - that he refused to go to school on Monday and they had set up a conference with school administration for Tuesday.
That proved to be too late. Brewer was attacked by five other students from Deerfield Beach Middle School and badly burned after the boys held him down, doused him with rubbing alcohol and then set him on fire. Police believe it was all retaliation over a bicycle.
Brewer suffered second- and third-degree burns over 65 percent of his body and is expected to take more than a year of intense physical therapy to recover from his injuries.
“It’s a complete nightmare,” Valerie Brewer said.
The vengeful attack follows several other instances of school and teen violence that have made national headlines.
Locally, Coral Gables High School turned into a bloody murder scene after Juan Carlos Rivera was stabbed to death by classmate Andy Rodriguez.
In Chicago, the school violence issue came to a head after video footage surfaced of a student beaten to death during a brawl at a school bus stop.
This news story really pissed me off and broke my heart at the same time. To the point that I can’t HELP but do something! In fact, our ISCQC organization will be making a contribution to the boy’s recovery to show him that we feel for his misfortune and that the world is pulling for him. If you’d like to do the same, you may do so using the information at the bottom of this news story about Michael.
Unfortunately, Michael is not the only one victimized in today’s schools. Having consulted with many schools in areas infested by gang violence and witnessing initiations and retaliations first hand, the group mind-set of ruthless gang members feeds on more and more violence and they become conditioned to care less and less about the consequences to their victims.
Frankly, I don’t care whether a kid learns Tae Kwon Do or WWII combatives…ANYTHING that will help a teen learn how to punch and give them practice in how to hit someone could mean the difference between life or death. Of course, I’m partial to learning how to remove someone’s eyesight for the rest of their life or kick their balls so far up into their body they’ll come out their mouth if they’re trying to hold me down while dousing me or my loved ones with alcohol to set us on fire.
The choice is a personal one. I remember my 9 year old son watching me train with a self defense DVD and the next day we got a phone call from his school principal that he had struck someone in the neck during recess while “practicing” self defense. Ok, I get it…there’s a responsibility that comes with training in particularly brutal tactics. But we don’t live in “Gangland, USA” either. If we did, I’d have to say that I’d be showing him a hell of a lot more!
Your thoughts? Share your comments below…
boys and girls both should know how to defend themselves
Every kid should know how to defend themselves and when to use deadly force. When scumbags get the shit kicked out of them sometimes they learn. The ones that don’t, need to be planted in the ground.
You betcha! But schools are more interested in being disiplinarians that teachers. So it’s often – who gets caught. They are more interested in ‘those poor misguided boys,’ than protecting the innocents. All bullies are cowards, so a little taste of their own violence might do more good than mollycoddling.
dude that is such bullshit and those kids that did that need an ass whoopin
Certainly every person needs to have the skills to protect themselves – but, the skills in question are not always physical. Physical skills are a critical “set” to have, but there is much to be said about self-confidence ( the ability to make good choices in spite of the fear factor), networking (the ability to build and maintain a good support system), knowledge (understanding the mentality of the adversary in order to implement preventative and reactive actions), and more.
No responsible person wants to see another person bullied or hurt – it sickens us. However, as is always the case, the physical option should be the last option.
I get so pissed off when I hear about bullying and kids getting seriously injured. Now especially since I have 2 young girls. I used to get bullied when I was in Kindergarden and Grade 1 and 2. Everyday, the same group would gang up on me but not like how the kids nowadays do it. Kids these days are out to mame and murder. Fighting back helps a lot and knowing how to implement specific countermeasures could save lives.
I fully agree, I did grow up in gang land for a while, and I learned Kempo. I has saved my ass more then a few times. I remember being jumped as a kid and fighting back, then the neighbor, about 4 years older got worked over by the same group of guys.
Anyways people need to learn that to so many bad influences they are nothing but sheep waiting to be attacked. You need to learn how to defend yourself from people like this. It does not matter if your 6 or 160 you should at least know enough to stop them from progressing there attack, make yourself a hard victim.
I feel a person should do what ever it takes to defend themselfs. The school should have done more to stop this. It seems like the law has its hands tied. We have the right to defend ourselfs. I wonder how many more horrible stories like this we have to hear before we can get crimes like this stopped!
yes I truly believe that every young law-abiding person should know how to defend themselves in a crisis situation. This goes for both boys and girls.
It’s a difficult problem. On one hand I truly believe that every child should learn martial arts. I’d like to see it as part of the school curriculum.
However, that is only a small part of the answer. Society (not just the government) needs to look at how come so many children grow up with such limited or twisted moral values. We need to decide on what are the causes of this sort of behaviour and find a way to fix things.
Easy, no. Short term answer, definitely no. But probably the only real solution.
I am a retired marine and former Black Belt in Yin Chaun and want to learn more about new and different techniques of self-defense. I have stopped training due to an illness. However my grand-daughter at 5 years of age is going into public school from private because of the bright idea of my son-in-law saving a buck. However I have been sneaking off with her in the garage to show her some defensive stances that would help deflect kicks or punches. My daughter is pissed that she will know these as she is a pasivist and blind to the new world. I am still unrelentless is opening up her mind to defend first and attack only if necessary. Goddamn Kids.
Jeff, hope this finds you well–Semper Fi
Kids need to learn self defense. The challenge is for them to learn to be responsible so that self defense doesn’t become unnecessary offense. That’s true for adults too.
I agree that its a horrible thing to happen to anyone so young. A distant relative of mine was tied up and tortured in his own basement by school gang bullies. But I disagree with teaching kids deadly techniques and I will tell you why. First, truth is not even the most highly trained martial artist can prevail 100% of the time against multiple attackers. And that is what we’re talking about here. Even with one on one the kids carry weapons these days and we all know the score when sealing with weapon defenses. So, what does this mean? It goes back to the parents. Parents must not only be educated on what to look for but also how to deal with it, whether their kid is being bullied or is the bully. Parents must also be held accountable for the actions of their minor children. They decided to have a child and they must be responsible for the actions of that child. A kid’s behavior is a direct reflection of how it was raised. Secondly, if we fight how we train and we DO, then a kid with trainings first response will be those deadly tactics. Besides, how do we know we aren’t training the gang members? That’s my two cents for whatever its worth.
I agree with Charles about using skill sets other than physical as well, but you also have to remember that these are kids and teens who have enough issues with self confidence and trying to be part of the clique and all that other bs.
Kids also need to use common sense and learn to avoid certain situations as a measure of self preservation.
I agree that children, young adults and older people should learn and know self defense. As others have said bullies usually just need to see that you aren’t going to be taken advantage of and they will look for other easier targets
dear friends ,the problem will not be solved by learning martial arts or self defense. you are kidding yourself. its a cultural problem. democracy, freedom of speech,expression, equil rights ,etc,have brought this all about.
the only way to stop it is to censor movies,t.v.,radio ,internet,newspapers magazines, all media. violence, sex, immorality in general, are the norm today.
if this is what people see day in and day out, read about all the time this is what they will think and it becomes a part of the culture.. its only a natural consequence of the input which enters the mind. look at society.narcotics, corruption in government leaders,pornography,four letter words are perfectly acceptable. what do you expect? the whole cuture has to be changed other wise it will eventually lead to mass destruction. civilizations in history have disappeared because of immorality. wake up friends before its too late.
As a Vietnam vet and father of two grown men (30+), I’ve always taught them don’t be defensive if someone is bothering you. By learning to go on the offense when someone tries to “bully” that guy gets put in his place and quick. A bully or gang don’t understand anything except don’t mess with someone who fights back and kicks ass in the process.
Peace and love to all,
Walt
Here’s my atory and $00.02 worth:
My first home was in a very bad section of a southern town. Many of the youths in that neighborhood had criminal records by the time they were 14, and a significant number had dropped out of school by age 16.
By age 5 and 6 I was getting picked on and beaten up regularly by these guys. Tired of seeing me come home black, blue, and bloody, my father, a former Army Ranger (WWII – ETO)gave me a stick about 14 inches long and taught me exactly what to do with it if attacked. It worked, and the bullies learned to steer away from me.
One day, however, I was caught out in the open playing with another little guy (who was, btw, crippled from birth)and had left my stick a good 50 feet away from where we were playing. Three of the older delinquents came along and jumped us. My friend couldn’t fend for himself so I did for both of us. Mad as hell, I was putting up a good fight…perhaps too good at the time. The ringleader pulled out a makeshift knife and stabbed me in the neck, barely missing my jugular vein.
Dad then decided to get serious, and Army hand-to-hand lessons became a part of our daily/weekly schedule. My two uncles, one a Navy NCO and another an Air Force judo competitor, also lended their assistance when they could.
To briefly summarize the results — I never lost another fight.
I am now a former Army Special Forces h-t-h instructor and spent 20+ years teaching Okinawan karate and judo, but now devote my time to teaching my two sons (ages 8 and 5) how to defend themselves, as well as a few others who are very concerned about the society and culture we live in. Most of the methods/techniques I use are the same I learned from my dear old Dad.
Two types of training I think are CRUCIAL to our young people today: 1 – Morals, ethics, traditional values; and 2 – Self defense.
I grew up in the mean streets of Philadelphia 70 years ago. Fighting and rough play were the norm where I lived. When dealing with bullies you soon learn to back them off by fighting with whatever is available. I was never the biggest kid then but I had heart and it was not fun to pick on me. If bullies can’t be backed off then they need to be discouraged by inflicting maximum fear and pain so they’ll not want to repeat the experience. Main thing is you have to be willing to fight. It’s an attitude…not cocky or macho, just confidence that if you come at me you’re going to pay a price. Works in world diplomacy too. Our current enemies are laughing at us while our leaders are more worried about what other countries think of us instead of protecting our interest. But, don’t get me started.
Jeff that story with Brewer pissed me off, i punched the wall since my knucles where bleeding! Im NOT a violent person BUT i just can stand hearing or reading about idiots and worms! Honestly i am afraid to attack peopole because of a little story i had : I do powerlifting and bodybuilding and im pretty strong, last time i was brawling i sluged one of this gang members in the blackboard so bad that he stayed down for 30 minutes and went he woked up his skull was hurting bad! I codnt even look at his head when he went up because i was sure i did something really bad. Then i promised that i will never hit annyone again, i could have killed the guy!
soory about the first sentence i wish to say, i punched the wall “UNTIL” not “since”!
I have a 2 year old and I already have planned to teach him myself plus secure outside assistance. I guess that already tells you my opinion. The truth of the matter is that EVERYONE needs to know how to take care of themselves. In doing so, they will, WHEN (not if) confronted be able to first know they have a literal fighting chance to come out in one piece and hopefully unharmed but even more importantly; be able to think first and perhaps avoid conflict all-together. The last altercation I had was being rear-ended by a drunk who then, more-or-less, started to threaten me and actually did by hitting my car AGAIN, while I was in it making a 911 call, and pushing me into the intersection of a 50 mph highway (yikes!). He had actually told me he had killed someone. I thought it was the booze talking but that turned out to NOT be the case. In fact, this guy was up for a “death sentence” review at one point. How in the world he made it back out in the street is beyond me, but what I tell you is 100% true. Here is what I didn’t do: I did not take him down and possibly injure him or more importantly myself. I came home safe to my family and let the authorities deal with him (of which they did a P.P. job of it…and I’ll let it go at that).
The point of the matter is that everyone should know how to take care of themselves and the best time to start is when someone is young.
Best to everyone who reads this and I sincerely hope this has a positive impact.
GREAT COMMENTS EVERYONE! Working with the schools infested by gangs, I often fought to have kids expelled from school following repeated violations (including bringing a gun to school).
I was frustrated with a Superintendent and School Board reluctant to take any kid out of school because some parent would throw a fit. Fact is, it’s hard to get a kid kicked out of school…even these days.
A main cause of the problem area I worked in was a high unemployment rate and alcohol abuse by the PARENTS. When a kid has no functional family to turn to, they turn to their “street family” to feel a sense of belonging. They find their “new home” and follow the “rules” of that home to fit in.
Personally don’t care. Bad home or not, if anyone goes near my son with a bottle for burning, he’s going to have Gerald’s stick coming his way. But kids certainly need to learn WHEN it’s appropriate to use force as well (just as we do). I don’t want my son to be spending his days growing up in Juvenile Hall because he took a stick to some kid who tried to give him a wedgie and accidentally killed him, you know?
Keep up the great comments guys!
YES kids need indeed to learn, but learn how to do it with death risk lile i personaly did!
My fellings about teaching kids to fight. It should be mandatory to graduate high school to have hand 2 hand combat training and be able to quialify with both rifle and sidearm.
These are the basics that should be tought before basic training. Turn 18 you serve 2-4 years before being allowed to attend collage.
WHAT THE HECK????? I want to say how do do it WITHOUT death danger like i personaly did, typed that once it seems my keyboard does what it wishes!
I think boys and girls should learn because the world is getting pretty bad i’ve been teaching family martial arts. IT’s REALLY freakin SAD about that kid
Jeff i honestly think strenght matters as well because you can do it way easyer and not have to worry about pain, i took the right way of going weight training so i can be stronger than stupid gangers!
johnk2633 (comment #2) said it best.
Just another word Jeff can you lower the price on MUSCLE SPECIALIZATION please? even ONE musclegroup guide is way to expensive for me! We dont get paid in dollars here in romania you know?
I agree that self defense, especially in these times is important. However, just as important is discipline and self-control. Without them self-defense becomes aggression very easily.
Should children learn self-defense?
This is a tricky question, with many answers each varying according to the situation. In a perfect world, where parents instill their children with proper morals (love, compassion, consideration, caring, etc) no one would need to learn self-defense.
Fighting is resistance, resistance only leads to further resistance / retaliation, or at the very least, hate, all of which can have bad repercussions for all sides.
Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world.
My suggestion for this generation: one month of theory on WHEN to use self-defense, HOW to avoid needing to use self-defense, and neutral language. (non-aggressive form of speaking that does not insult other people needlessly) After that mandatory month, they can learn to throw a punch. This sort of training would give the majority of students of such a system a good capacity for learning how to avoid conflict. Of course, when all fails, (because let’s face it, in this violent (albeit less violent than the medieval age) generation, some people will go out of their way to start trouble, the student will know how to defend himself in such a manner as too not to needlessly injure the assailant, causing more repercussions.
Most actions have a cause and a reaction. Law of Cause and Effect. Nobody starts a fight without a reason. Proper behavior + surrounding yourself only with people of similar behavior + avoiding people and places of exessive violence will lower the chances of a violent encounter.
I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. Every neighborhood was different. You knew which lines you could cross and which you’d invite challenge. Nowadays it’s different. Teenagers travel more than my generation. They are unaware of the dangers and unwritten codes of each neighborhood. To train youngsters in combative techniques is a family decision and one I would hope would involve close listening to the child. Personally, I agree that youngsters should be trained in self defense within a martial arts environ in order to reduce the , “look what I learned’ demonstrations which can cause very real damage to unsuspecting targets. If the environment is composed of gangs and thugs, then combat techniques should be inserted into their training and if being ganged up upon, a no holds barred mind set should be implemented.
hello JEFF !!!! I believe that any child,above the age of 6 years,should begin martial art’s training,and follow through till it is finshed -1yr -5yrs what ever .at 61 yrs I still do “katas”,practice my “in-fighting “,and go through “group-denial training”.I am a retired sub-contractor and a trained sniper[private-not mil].All these skills require time&commitment,they are just another form of education-which will help them&me survive life’s lil mishaps.I am a true fan of training and applaud your site ,for caring enough to put ink to paper.remember “the only easyday,was,yesterday”
I think it is a good idea to teach combatives to young people, as one of the other commentors said, morals and character also need to be taught. The only problem is though, how do you screen out the decent kids from those who would use it to cause trouble/
We wouldn’t want to empower the enemy.
i think children should learn for the reason being that the gang violence is at an all time high and we need to be able to defend ourselves, any way possible! so yes i do believe we should be able to defend ourselves shouldn’t we all.
MOST CERTAINLY KIDS SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO DEFEND THEMSELVES!
As a cop, I know this. Not just from bullies but from creepy adults. Poor kids and other kids minority neighborhoods who are “street smart” will tell you that their tough upbringing was important. As a kid I had to learn to fight and it wasnt anything fancy.
I know when I have kids, I am going to enroll them in the most realistic martial arts training I can get and if they are teaching some baby ninja competition stuff, I think I will quit wasting my money. I will teach them what they need to know. I am not saying they need to know chokes and kill shots but they should know how to untilize their smaller bodies for maximum advantage and to have offensive mindset if it really has to come to violence. They should be taught how to avoid a confrontation first and foremost and looking for danger signs. They need to some basic rules of defense and use of force which isnt hard to understand or articulate but every age has different challenges. The most important part is to know when they are no longer defending themselves and are now attacking a losing opponent. The main thing you never see now is kids giving any kind of verbal cue to an attacker. They should learn to tell a bully what they want the bully to do as he starts to lose the fight. The simple thought of what wow this kid is serious could be all it takes. One good punch or kick and a verbal command could save him from being bullied.
Children would use their martial arts techniques to
hurt others. I have seen this a few times.
Children should not learn martial arts.
Children would use their martial arts techniques to hurt
people.
They should not learn martial arts techniques.
To answer John Field, there are two good methods to go about this. Observation of the child during the theory period + simple lack of screening mentality. In other words, you are hoping to be able to teach the rotten apples higher morals. There is nothing more that one can do, because if one wants to start trouble, he is not going let a lack of martial arts stop him. The amount of damage a single bad apple can do with martial arts before armed security / police officers arrive on the scene is limited.
I think ALL people at ANY age should learn and use self defense measures to the fullest. I am firm believer in self preservation and preservation of your loved ones even if it means lethal force is required. I did my 4 years on a manslaughter beef which was clearly self defense and I feel no remorse. I was in danger, I fought back, I lived. So be it.
The fact is this, SOME people do not deserve the breath god gives them. if they dishonor their own lives by endangering yours….take the breath away and move on and live happily.
i think kids should learn to defend themselves. it may save their lives.
i think people of all ages should learn to defend themselves,this includes
children. it may save their lives.
Hi Jeff:
Every child, or grown-up if missed the chance in childhood, should learn some type/s of martial/self-defence art. I believe when the teacher presents and teaches properly, nine times out of ten the learner will not need to use the skills learned. The resulting poise and the air of confidence will tell the bullies to beware. Bullies, as a rule, prey on those they consider wimps and nerds. They usually, as in Michael’s case, don’t even have the balls to go one on one but in a group. I suppose it’s a form of insurance just in case the victim can hit back effectively.
Bullies who make mistakes get really pissed off. I used to live on the West Coast of Canada. A few years ago a court case gave us quite a chuckle. a punk in his twenties thought that an old guy working on his car presented an easy target. The 80+ year old just gave the punk a lesson. The punk sued the old man. Unfortunately the judge didn’t have a sense of humor. He just threw out the case; he should have asked for a reenactment first.
I Think the above coments cover it well. I feel we all feel this way. Keep up the good work.
People, get real. We all know, or at least suspect that these bullies are usually products of their upbringing, but face facts.Bullying IS real, and it IS happening, and kids need a defense against it RIGHT NOW, not in some magical future, when these poor mis-guided children are helped to work through their anger issues to become a valued member of society.Bullying has been around for millions of years, and will continue to prevail, as long as they think they can get away with it. Its obvious to me the people who have never been bullied keep saying that kids shouldn’t learn to protect themselves. Well sorry, but most of us live in the real world. i have lived this myself, and the only way I stopped the bullying, was to learn how to fight. This was enough to make these cowards look elsewhere for their thrills, and to their detriment at the time,almost all the other kids who were being bullied also learned how to fight to some degree as well. Just to end, I think self protection is MOSTLY mental conditioning, but kids still need to know the physical moves as well.
I saw what one person said about we should realize what causes bullies to do these things,To a certain point! I agree,but when someone is trying to hurt ,or kill you,and nobody is around do you think the goverment is going to help you,or the police? They have fixed it to were a person is afraid to defend themselfs.I dont think innocent people should have to be victoms!I hate that liberal garbage! nothing personal to the writer,but how will we protect ourselfs if we dont do it ourselfs!
I was in the 5th grade at La Cienaga and Bully was in the 6th. I had never been in a fight just victimized on rare occassions. It was Halloween and I came dressed in a Skeleton costume with skull mask and I thought it was TOO NEAT for words. Recess and out on the school yard the Upper class Bully showed no class at all by pulling on my rubber band anchored mask and letting it snap back. Thought it was great fun he did and after the 3rd time and with malice aforethought I brought one from somewhere near my right shoe and caught him just above the jaw pivot and the laughing stopped. The fight was over.
In the principals office I sat scared to death as Bully was sent to the Hospital and I heard it said he had not regained consciousnous yet. Life as I
knew it WAS OVER! Nobody was talking to me and Jeff,,, I was worried. Soon however a large Puerto Rican women came in and walked past all the dignitaries and put her hands on my shoulders and told me not to worry that her boy had
just woken up at the hospital and all witnesses said it was not my fault and that he was just doing his usual Bully stuff. This was Mrs. Bully the Mom, who in retrospect seemed very wise and told me not to be upset. The school principal was not so generous and I was banished from the Holloween Parade. I tell you Jeff that while severe, it was still better than Life Imprisonment that I expected.
When my BS (beloved son) was 5 I told him this story and said it was the reason he would be trained by Sensei MATSON at the KODAKON Annex in Yokosuka in the gentle art of Judo. 6 weeks later he was competing under the name BLUE
EYED GEIJIN and was champion of 2 Japanese cities in his weight group(38lbs?).Does the name GRASSHOPPER ring a bell here? It soon became apparent that his technique was near perfect but the real reason he was winning was that he had the fastest BOW IN THE FAR EAST and used it to strategic advantage over his adversaries. John Paul Jones (I have yet not begun to fight.)would have lost to “Young Blue Eyed…” in a heartbeat. I tell you this because BS has never had to go through the terror that I went through that Holloween day and with
great pride I have watched him tuck an opponents head into his chest as he is falling from about 12 feet onto the Judo mat and in one case onto a neighbors grass apprehending a felon.
This does not always win a tournament for him but his winning attitude and smile helped him train the American Olympics Team and help Capt. Muriyama bring them to many Victories in Los Angeles. All because a 10 year old was terrified he had done something terrible.
And what about BS himself? The Commandment says for a long life “Honor Thy Father and Mother”! I suspect he will outlive Methuselah.
Diversivy shipmates,,, learn some skills and take them with you. Don’t be afraid like that 10 year old boy used to be. regards, Thomas Pendlebury
Master Chief USN
It’s interesting to read through some of these responses. On the one hand, you have someone arguing that you can’t prevail 100% of the time against multiple attackers. This might be true, but we’re talking gangs of fundamental cowards here…and sometimes, bashing up the leader gets the others thinking that maybe they don’t want to get their heads shoved up their rectum.
Then there’s the person arguing that “the problem will not be solved by learning… self-defense”. Now there’s a good deviation from the point for you. You never indicated that this was the “solution” to the problem. The question was “should kids learn to defend themselves?”. The obvious answer is yes, but the ostriches will always dig their heads in the sand and avoid or deny that the problem exists.
Then there’s the argument that “democracy, free speech, equal rights, etc.” have brought this about. That’s laughable at best. It’s also a way to direct attention away from our responsibility as a people to take responsibility for our actions and the actions of our offspring. While I can sympathize with those who are fed up, as I am, with the string of stupid, idiotic and “politically correct” decisions that America’s socialist insist on pushing down our throats, I find that returning to those “inalienable rights” that our founding fathers identified and codified for our Constitution is more conducive to the improvement of our society than the twisted interpretation of those rights by socialist liberals. So abandoning free speech, etc. is not a solution. That will just lead us into a darker pit than the one we’re in now.
So I have take my hat off to folks like the former SF soldier who hit the nail on the head when he says we need to teach our kids morals, ethics, traditional values AND self-defense. He got it right (not surprising for an SF soldier). And it is the LACK of this type of teaching by many of our fellow citizens that has led to the sorry situation the country is in.
Obviously, teaching self-defense implies teaching responsibility in its use. Properly taught kids can do a lot to defend him/herself. Naïve and somewhat ridiculous generalizations such as “children would use their martial arts techniques to hurt people” used to justify NOT teaching techniques are also foolish. If a kid is being abused or ganged up on, you bet he/she should be hurting the people doing the abusing. That’s the point! (Duh!) But implying that teaching martial arts or self defense leads to wanton unprovoked violence is – again – ridiculous and indicative of a particular narrow mindedness which I will not describe further here.
Another person commented on the cowardice, lack of character and ineptness of school leadership. Another nail hit on the head. We put education in the hands of bureaucrats who learned that if they “kept their nose clean” (meaning –avoided ticking off obnoxious parents with savage, undisciplined kids), they could retire with their pensions – even if it was at the cost of seeing lives disrupted by their inaction, lack of moral fiber and general stupidity. These bureaucrats are fundamentally worthless and part of the problem we have as a nation – and definitely NOT part of the solution.
So… you asked a question and you said “don’t be shy”. Well, I wasn’t. The answer to your question is a definite YES.
YES, we need to teach our kids martial arts.
YES, we know that this includes teaching the responsible use of their skills.
YES, our children need to learn to protect themselves from the predators that increasingly populate our streets.
And YES, we have to increasingly confront those who would snivel and squirm as they try to defend the indefensible and as they try to justify the unjustifiable.
YES, we have to confront those who live by the “political correctness” code and abandon pure common sense.
And YES, we have to be wary of the spineless fools in the educational system who will blame our kids for defending themselves while pitying and justifying the salivating, rabid dogs masquerading as humans who attack them.
As to WHAT we teach the kids… well, that will depend on the circumstances. In environments where the roving gangs kill and maim, then the kids have to be taught to defend themselves at ALL costs – doing WHATEVER THEY NEED TO DO to stay alive and get home safe. And if there are whining liberals out there who are “appalled” at this – - – TOUGH!
We need to get real. This is not the “good ol’ USA” anymore. Socialist politics has created an amoral “gimme” environment that many find too attractive. In such an environment, our kids need to protect themselves.
There’s a lot of things we need to do to right our wrongs as a society. But in the short term, YES, the kids need to know how to protect themselves.
I agree that ALL of kids should learn “some form” of Self-defense, Remember however… then ALL kids will know it won’t they! including the scum-bags.
“My kids, (which are my grand kids), are being taught CQC techniques and AGGRESSIVE techniques, AND… I repeat AND… when to use them and when NOT to!
I want my grand kids to Survive and WIN after all other choices, scenarios and possibilities have been exhausted.