Bullies

[Hardball]

How many of you got started in martial arts because of bullies? How about your students; for those of you who teach? How bad is the bully problem? Is martial arts a viable alternative to the "Columbine Solution"? Do you address the bully situation in class?

[Tant01]

Bully is a mentality that comes in all shapes and sizes.

It's too bad you can only vote for one...

I got started in MA because it was Co-Ed. Judo girls knocked me off my feet!

There are so many victims of the bully in society, lets start with child abuse...

I vote multiple because Bullies are often cowards that need a buddy or a group to add courage or provoke the intent.

[Hardball]

Yea, it's a shame when a child gets bullied by their parents. Discipline is one thing but sometimes parents take it too far. Yea I always wondered, If I'm such a Wuss, then why do my foes come in groups of 4 and 5. Good post Tant01

[muaythaiguy15]

In todays age, its not the same as when our parents or some of you went to school. Theres not many big buff jacked guys pushing you in lockers and stealing lunch money. Its more like a group of people pushing one kid around or jumping them. Thats what its like in my town anyways. Martial arts cant help you sadly. Fights arent one on one nor all fists and feet. Weapons are used without thinking. I try to avoid fights in my school, but if someone does try to mess with me, Im dropping one of them before they can try to jump in.

I always try to help people and it gets me in trouble sometimes. Ive been in more then a few fights and most have been against a few people or me and my friends against a few guys.

"Are you training hard enough to keep you alive on the streets? Admit it, you dont know!"

[Sagacious Lu]

Well, I guess the worst bully is the one that's likely to cause you problems so by that logic I voted for multiple attackers, and I would have voted for "armed attacker" if it were an option. That's my personal worry- none of the others apply to me but it's not hard to imagine a bunch of guys or a guy with a knife trying to take my wallet. In reality though the bullies that piss me off the most are the homeless people that will try to intimidate you into giving them money. They don't try that crap with me because I'm obviously not a victim but they are the reason that my some of my family memebers and friends (especially women) are afraid of the city I live in. That is def. a big part of the reason I train; they never bother me because I know they aren't a threat to me, and they can tell that I know it so they go after someone that appears to be an easier target.

[blitz]

I started martial arts simply because i found it interesting. I was never bullied. But I voted The worst bully scenario is older male vs younger male victim because usually some of them end up in big fights and usually the younger male gets hurt. And I've heard of a few stories where the guy getting bullied gets hit in a wrong place causing death. Usually the male vs female bullying dosen't involve hitting unless its the abusing which is involved in some marriages. Younger males can get bullied either by the elder males ( parents) or older male which is basically at school. Multiple attack situations usually happen because one member of a "group" bullies someone and the rest start to gang on him.

[Hardball]

Well, I guess the worst bully is the one that's likely to cause you problems so by that logic I voted for multiple attackers, and I would have voted for "armed attacker" if it were an option.

Thanks for writing in "Other" I normally include "other" in my polls. I really appreciate your input and didn't realize that Bullies with "Weapons" are so prevalent.

[foofies]

I started taking MA classes when I changed my school and got my a$$ kicked by a bully and his ''friends''.

I vote multiple Bullies, because they are common in schools hunting for fresh pray.

[Hardball]

I started taking MA classes when I changed my school and got my a$$ kicked by a bully and his ''friends''.

I vote multiple Bullies, because they are common in schools hunting for fresh pray.

Did your MA classes help the situation?

[foofies]

It sure did. it gave me confidence and courage to stand up for my self. No bully whant to miss with a strong confident guy/girl . So I never had to fight him again.

[blitz]

What kind of MA do you take?

[foofies]

Tkd

My main art is Taekwondo .-- Now I saw some post here on this forum bashing about Taekwondo, but I just want to say not all Taekwondo Dojang are the same.-- we also take street fight, and some judo all mixed togther in our classes. but thats happens like once in 2 weeks.

[Hardball]

My main art is JJJ

[Memnoch1207]

I was bullied in Junior High (Middle School) but only because people found out I was doing martial arts (TKD).
These guys would walk by me and punch me in the stomach or get in my face and say "You think your tough? come on!", etc...

Over summer vacation between 8th and 9th grade, I was working as a lifeguard at our neighborhood swimming pool and one of the guys, (he actually lived a couple of blocks from me, but never bothered me except at school when he was with his friends) confronted me while I was taking a break and swimming in the pool.

He swam up from behind me and got me in a bear hug and started dunking me under the water, he did it about 10-15 times, I was starting to get scared and finally he let go of me and started laughing at me. One of my friends came over and asked me if I was okay, I said "Yes" and swam to the edge and got out of the pool.

Mind you I was small for my age, I didn't get my growth spurt until after I graduated from High School. I was only 5' 5" and maybe 120 lbs. at the time, I'm 6' 2" 205 now.

So anyway, because I was much smaller than they were they thrived on picking on me. A couple of minutes later I dried off and started to leave the pool to head home. I was stopped by this guy and 2 of his friends outside the gate of the pool and received the usual "Think your tough", etc... taunts.

As I walked away I said something to the effect of "I don't have to be tough to kick your ass.", which I wasn't sure how he/they would react, but I said it anyway.

His two friends start saying "Are you gonna let him talk to you like that??", so he runs up behind me and tackles me and starts hitting me in the back of the head. I ended up just taking it and left laughing with his friends.

I wasn't much of a fighter and didn't like to fight cause I wasn't much on confrontation. The only person I never minded fighting was my older brother, because I knew he would stop when I screamed/cried/begged, but I was afraid to fight anyone else because I thought they would just keep attacking me until I was dead.

Anyway, a couple of months later I was at school and it was still common talk that I got my ass kicked by this guy. So while I was walking down the hallway, this guy and his buddies were coming from the other end towards me. I knew the "Confrontation" was coming and I could feel the lump growing in my throat, I really wanted to duck into the nearest classroom, but for some reason decided to keep walking.

Once I reached them I tried to walk out and around them, but Mark (this was the guys name) skirted one of his friends and slammed me into a locker, started laughing and walked on by.

Then something happened, I don't know how to explain it but it just did. I just attacked him, tackled him and started ponding his head into the tile floor. I must have done it quite a few times because when the teachers pulled me off of him he had a nice gash in the back of his head and blood was everywhere.

Needless to say, I was suspended from school and never got picked on by him or his friends again. I actually ran into one of the guys many years later at a mutual friends party and he was like "Hey, how have you been I haven't seen you in forever, etc..", I was thinking..."I would love to kick your ass!"

Nowadays, I choose to walk away, simply because I am more confident in my abilities and not so concerned with proving myself, although I sometimes feel much smaller than I really am. I know I could hurt someone, just as much as they could hurt me, so I prefer just to avoid trouble. I take out my rage in the ring and in training.

[Sagacious Lu]

Thanks for writing in "Other" I normally include "other" in my polls. I really appreciate your input and didn't realize that Bullies with "Weapons" are so prevalent.

I guess that depends on what type of bully you mean. When I was in school my roommate and I both worked in an Italian restaurant in New Orleans in the French Quarter. It was right across the street from Armstrong Park and the Basin Street projects. One day his girl friend came to drop something off for him at the restaurant and as she was walking back to her car she was surrounded by a bunch of kids (I'd guess they were12-15 years old) from the projects. One of them pulled out a can of mace and gave her a good dose of it. They didn't rob her and as far as I can tell they just did it to be mean. That was the first example that sprang to my mind when I read this thread.