If you are simply repeating the “Bully-Proof” program your instructor taught you, then you are perpetuating weak information.
No one can be bully proof. Any can be bullied.
We see it every day on the news. If someone doesn’t like the political views of another, they hit them in the head with a padlock in a sock or pepper spray them.
Many of the victims are prominent figures. Wouldn’t you think a congressman would have the resources to be bully-proof? If he can’t, how can your 7-year-old student be bully-proof?
Who deals with bullies every day of the year? Street cops and prison guards that’s who. I’m sure there are others, but I use this example because the bully program MATA uses and endorses comes straight from a former street cop and prison guard.
Here is why that is important. As a cop and a maximum-security prison guard, Chris dealt with the worst of the worst of bullies.
Here is the important part. He would have to write a report on each incident.
After a decade ofdocumenting the setup, motivation, actions, and reactions of countless bullies and victims, he started to see predictable patterns that were based in reality, not academic theory.
The program is proactive and prevention-focused, but it also has powerful actions to end bullying quickly once it starts.
There is a new law in Missouri that has moved what may have been misdemeanor assaults to felonies for kids. Students could face jail time if convicted.
A bully victim who defends himself and hurts the attacker with one well trained shot, could be facing four years in jail and massive legal fees.
What if a victim’s parents decides to sue the kids karate instructor for teaching that technique? Or, some other reason related to the incident?
If so, what kind of insurance for martial arts schools would cover such a claim?
This is very important information to get out to you martial arts instructors. It is going to be imperative for all martial arts teachers to make sure they carry Professional Liability Insurance to protect themselves from any claims that could arise from what they say and do teaching their students.
Martial arts instructors should document that their instruction is defensive in nature rather than offensive when working with kids. Teaching the character traits that are valued in traditional martial arts will continue to be a very important element of the curriculum for martial arts schools to help their students understand when and how to use their self-defense training.
All schools need to check that their insurance plan includes the Professional Liability. Individual teachers who do not own their own school but teach in other facilities need to make sure they have Professional Liability coverage that travels with them wherever they go.
Get your martial arts school insurance reviewed at http://MATAInsurance.com.
Get a great resource for teaching bully prevention seminars at http://AntiBullyPlan.com
When I was a school owner, I was high profile in my area. I had a cable TV show. I was a returning guest on local talk shows, and local reporters would call me on a regular basis to see if I had anything going on. As you can imagine, when a bullying situation made the headlines, I was called for interviews and comments. Of course, always hungry to be the best, I would always schedule an anti-bully/anti-abduction seminar for the community.
These events were packed. In fact, one time, I had to do three back-to-back seminars in one day because over 200 people had enrolled.
There was one problem though. I had no idea what I was talking about. You couldn’t Google “anti-bullying skills.” You had to go to the library or bookstore and even then, there was little material.
So I did what most instructors did then and do now. I simply taught, what I thought were, basic self-defense techniques. There was no plan for the family to follow. There was no strategy for the students to implement. There was no substance to what I was teaching. It was a basic defense against a push and a get to the groin along with a wrist escape or two.
Because I was the local martial arts star, no one questioned it because they had nothing to compare it with. So, I was able to scoot by. Don’t be that guy.
Today, it’s a different world. If you are doing anything remotely similar to what I just described you should be beaten with a shinai.
With resources like COBRA-Defense, there is no excuse for not being the smartest person in the room on the topics of anti-bullying and anti-abduction.
So, let’s take a moment to help you evaluate your bully program.
What is your program’s source of information? Is it based on YouTube videos? Yelling, “Get back!”? Martial arts techniques? You have to ask yourself, “Who deals with bullies day-in and day-out? Teachers? They mostly defer responsibility. Black belts? I’ve met plenty of black belt bullies, but having a black belt has nothing to do with dealing with bullies.
Law enforcement and prison guards deal with bullies of the worst kind daily; Adult bullies who are merciless. Chris Sutton, the founder of COBRA was a street cop, sheriff, and maximum security prison guard for juveniles.
These are bad people. Not only did Chris have to deal with these people, but he had to write out reports on each incident. In time, he started to notice some patterns and solutions that he has included in the COBRA Anti-Bully Program.
That is a solid source of information.
Is the program realistic?
If the title is, “Bully Proof”then you know the program is not realistic. Anyone can be bullied. No one can be bully-proof. You can teach people to become bully resistant, but not bully-proof.
Does the program have specific strategies and tactics on how to inform the school, teacher, and/or workplace employer of the situation in a manner that motivates them to help bring the situation to an end?
If your program just suggests, “Tell the teacher,” that’s not enough. Nor is it helpful.
I could go on but, you get the idea. In today’s world, if you teach a “mouthful of nothing” anti-bully seminar, it’s going viral. People love nothing more than pointing out false and misleading advertising.
You can get a free copy of my book, How to Stop a Bully Without Violence or Confrontation at AntiBullyPlan.com. It’s the COBRA system with my own contributions.
If you want your school to stand out and integrate deeper into your community, you must become a master of hosting, promoting, and teaching great seminars year-round. This is one of the early steps I take clients through in our coaching program.
Why events? Because they work. A well promoted and presented seminar or interactive workshop creates buzz for your school like nothing else. Events can attract high-quality traffic into your school including community leaders, friends of your current students, and even the media. They also generate school pride.
With the targeting power of Facebook, it’s never been easier to promote events in your school. In some cases, you will be the instructor, in others, it’s best to have a special guest instructor. Why? Because guest instructors create excitement among your student body and the media.
For instance, on October 15th, I’m teaching an Anti-Bullying Seminar in St. Pete for one of our coaching clients. He could teach it, but by promoting me as the teacher it makes the event seem more exciting. We’re promoting the event in his school and on Facebook to all former students and prospects plus people who “look like” them in his zip codes. That’s the power of Facebook. We’re enrolling people every day.
Looking at a calendar, it’s not hard to plan to host and teach a seminar every six weeks or so. Look for National Days, Weeks, and Months that you can tie your event to.
Here are some examples for the first four months of 2017.
January – Free Fitness Kickboxing Workout Day
Help people kick off the New Year.
February 8th – National Boy Scouts Day
Host a special self-defense seminar for Boy and Girl Scouts
March – National Nutrition Month
Invite some local nutritionist, weight loss, chiropractic clinics etc.. to come in and make short presentations. Have a best tasting healthy recipe contest.
April – Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Promote an anti-sexual assault seminar. Bring in a local counselor or someone to add some weight to the presentation.
Walk America. Get your students participating in Walk America.
The Official Anti-Bullying Program of the Martial Arts Teachers’ Association is: AntiBullyPlan.com
October is Bully Prevention Month. Save $20 off the How to Teach an Anti-Bullying Seminar package. All you have to do is share your purchase on Facebook to get an instant $20 discount.
Seven things to look for in an Anti-Bullying Program
1. The program is protocol based. You need a step-by-step program, not something you have to patch together yourself.
2. The program law enforcement based. Who has more real world experience than street cops in dealing with bullies?
3. The program has real testimonials / endorsements from parents and police.
4. The program isolates the bully as the problem rather than the victim’s response.
5. The program focuses on how to prevent and deal with bullying for your family, not the entire school.
6. A practical, proven program that is reality based, not academic theory based.
7. The program spends 90% of the time on on non-violent or non-confrontational strategies.
Learn how to Teach the MATAOfficial Anti-Bullying Program
Seven RED FLAGS in an Anti-Bullying Program to Avoid
1. Any claim to Bully Proof your child. That’s impossible. Anyone can be bullied.
2. Any program suggesting you make a friend of the bully or joke your way out.
3. A program that is self defense centric. “Just kick him in the ding ding!” is not a solution.
4. Any program suggesting you ignore the bully. This is called “denial.”
5. Psychology based on ivory tower theory from psychologists or counselors. Professors love to study bullying and try to use their conclusions as a strategy for dealing with bully. The real world does not work like that.
6. Any program suggesting the bully is weak or cowardly and is actually “crying out” for a friend or lacks self-esteem. It doesn’t matter or help.
7. Programs that seek to prevent bullying on a school wide basis aka a whole-school approach. Our program is about your family. That’s it. We have no fantasy of ending bullying school wide, but we know how to end it for your family.
