“I don’t like bullies. I don’t care where they’re from”…When Steve Rogers aka Captain America, uttered those words, he was talking about enemies during at wartime, but he could have easily been talking about how kids feel about those who torment them at school and cause them verbal or physical harm. Thankfully, there is a game plan that you and your child can devise to end bullying or better yet, prevent it from ever starting. It all begins, as Captain America might have put it, by finding the right partner.
Muay Thai is a Martial Art born in ancient Thailand that emphasizes the mind-body connection, self-defense and stamina. The instructor is called Kru and your child’s Kru and their Muay Thai classmates ARE the right partners to put space between a bully’s influence and your child. When someone is victimized by a bully, and there is no intervention, a negative pattern can emerge-the bully abuses the victim, the victim feels fear. A type of ‘dance’ develops between the two and the pattern repeats in a vacuum. But what if the training your child receives to learn it, and the conditioning they receive to live it-was the opposite? Imagine if your child was faced with physical and mental challenges, but in a supportive atmosphere and a controlled setting – they could learn to develop the strength, confidence and skills to become resilient and create a barrier that would be bully-proof! The playing field would be leveled because the bully’s ability to control, intimidate or harm would be eliminated.
The strength that comes from practicing Muay Thai is multi-faceted. Students participating in this sport gain physical, mental and emotional power. They gain physical command over their bodies and learn that they are capable of so much more than they ever thought possible. They learn Muay Thai’s lessons of self-restraint and self-discipline, which serve as counterbalance to the pull their generation feels towards immediate gratification. Steeling the body, mind and spirit while promoting kinship with classmates and respect for themselves and each other creates a force to be reckoned with.
Confidence comes from having the ability and knowledge that you can defend yourself. Bullies often pick on the weak, and the confidence of others is their enemy. Confidence also comes in learning the lessons of situational awareness, balance and reaction time that the sport teaches. Self-confidence is an important character trait for anyone to have and practice in Muay Thai can help your kids start planting that seed right NOW.
The skills that a student of Muay Thai acquires do not happen overnight. The investment of time and dedication pays off in ways that you’ll be able to see and others you won’t, such as your child’s growing ability to process stress, welcome challenges or make decisions faster and more clearly. This maturity carries over into learning how to evaluate dangerous situations and determine when and how to act if a bully attempts to hurt them or others. The sport ratchets up your child’s physical and emotional intelligence and teaches them to physically protect themselves, diffuse dangerous situations quickly and understand that true power comes from within-lessons that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. As Captain America’s fellow superhero Falcon would be inspired to say, “When do we start?” Sign your child up for Muay Thai class at Thornton Martial Arts TODAY!