“What is Respect”
By Tyler Grubin

Tyler Grubin

Respect is an important way of being kind and good to other people. Respect means not making fun of others. Respect means thinking of how somebody else feels. Respect is treating another person the same way you’d want to be treated yourself! There are lots of easy ways to show respect! You show respect when you are polite, saying things like “please” and “thank you.”

You show respect by appreciating people’s differences, like seeing someone as unique for the outfits they wear, rather than thinking they’re weird for dressing differently. You also show respect by not making people feel uncomfortable, like not pressuring another kid to play on the big slide if they say they’re scared of being so high up.

You even show respect when you lend a helping hand “Please” and “thank you” are both often referred to as “the magic words,” and there are lots of reasons why saying these things is so important. Both terms are polite ways of showing someone that you respect them for what you did. If you’d like someone to hold the door open for you, saying “Hold the door!” sounds like a rough demand, while saying “Please hold the door” makes the same thing into a polite and its showing respect.

It’s important to give respect to everyone. Do you think it would feel good if someone teased you because you wore glasses, or called you stupid for saying you liked a certain movie? No way! Chatty, shy, blue-eyed, brown-eyed, girl, boy, young, old – the world is full of special people, and they all deserve your equal respect!

What is the required personality of a black belt?
By David Arlen

To work on your black belt you must practice. 

You get to learn hard things. A black belt trains hard because if you don’t train hard you will fail the test. I will train hard so I can get my black belt.

You must show respect to your karate instructors.

I will not fool around on my advanced belt test. I will not make fart noises on the advanced belt test. I will respect my teacher.

You must be a black belt student.

How do I be a black belt student? I can respect my teacher and my friends. I can do my homework without screaming and yelling.

You must be able to handle frustration. 

You must calm down and do not use anger. How do I control my anger? You must take deep breaths and do something to take your mind of your anger. I can go to my room and calm down.

You must respect your parents. 

You must listen to your parents when they ask you to do something. For example, when they ask you to take a shower I don’t stall. Also, when it is time to do homework I will not scream.

I will also respect mom’s office and computer! I will not cough in mom’s face.

You must help others.

You can help deliver food for the poor. I can help Jacob feel better. Jacob has leukemia. If I can get my red advanced red belt I will dedicate it to him.

No parent wants to discover that his or her child is harming others or is the victim of harm. Luckily, there is a lot you can do at home to prepare your child to resist bullying. There is even a lot you can do with a child who has been a bully.

1. You can introduce them to the world of Karate. Karate not only boosts a child’s self-esteem, it also teaches them to stand up for themselves and gives them the tools to avoid unwanted attention. Click here to read an article by Master Samane, founder of Pro Martial Arts, about the benefits of enrolling your kids in Karate classes.
2. Talk to your kids about what’s going on in school, talk to their teachers and some of their friends from school. Make sure you have a clear understanding of what’s going on and any potential problems as they arise.
3. Monitor their online presence. A lot of bullying takes place online, especially with the teenage demographic.

Here are some additional online resources to better understand why kids bully and why it’s hard to tell if your kid is being bullied.

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AJ with instructor Master Jones

AJ Schneider has been bullied ever since first grade. At first it happened about twice a month and then progressed to about twice a week. It finally stopped about six weeks ago. So what changed?

He started taking martial arts classes at Pro Martial Arts in Thornton, Colorado.

It all started one day when AJ’s grandfather John brought him to the open house at Pro Martial Arts. What’s interesting about AJ is he’s not the typical bully target— he’s tall for his age, bigger than many kids in his class. The reality is, there isn’t a typical bully target; they will single out anyone. Bullies prey on those they perceive as having low self-confidence. Once a child is bullied on a consistent basis, it’s easy for his or her sense of self-esteem, self-worth and self-confidence to plummet. The victims feel trapped in a cycle of abuse and don’t know how to escape the situation.

Once AJ walked through the Pro Martial Arts doors, the instructors began providing him the emotional, educational and physical tools he needed to take back control.

AJ had developed a habit, as is the case with many bully victims, of walking around school with his eyes downcast. He was frequently taken by surprise, finding himself surrounded by a group of four or five bullies. One of the first lessons he learned at Pro Martial Arts was “situational awareness” which means learning to constantly be aware of what’s going on around you. He then learned how to defend himself without physically harming another child.

After attending just two classes AJ had an encounter with one of his tormentors.  He was outside at recess when he saw the bully approaching. The bully came up to AJ and threw a punch intending to hit AJ in the face. AJ quickly executed a high block, effectively deflecting the punch. The bully then grabbed AJ’s wrist in an effort to throw him to the ground. AJ then countered with a wrist release maneuver catching the bully completely by surprise. AJ then looked the bully in the eye and in a firm voice said, “get away from me!” The flabbergasted bully took one last look at AJ and ran away. 

Since this experience about six weeks ago, AJ has not been bothered or threatened by any of the bullies that had been harming him on a weekly basis since the first grade.  AJ is now able go to school without fear of being hurt or ridiculed; he has confidence and is able to defend himself. He’s become more disciplined, more respectful and even nicer to his sister.