Study Finds Kids in Martial Arts Less Likely to Bully, Be Bullied

(Source: Greg Moody, Arizona Republic, August 22, 2012)

Bullying affects as many as one in three children.

Bullying isn’t just “kids being kids” but is a form of torture that can have the same long-lasting effect on kids as sexual and physical abuse. Bullied kids are three times as likely to develop headaches and eight times as likely to get seriously depressed.

Arizona law requires schools to have procedures in place to reduce bullying, but having procedures in place does not mean that they are working.

As a bullying prevention trainer, I get calls all the time from parents who want me to help them. I hate hearing from a mom or dad whose child is receiving daily, relentless physical and psychological abuse at a school where there seems to be no support for kids and their families.

Bullying is a national epidemic, and finding ways to keep our kids safe and protected is difficult for parents, teachers and caregivers. 

Where do we start?

For years martial arts schools have been touted as a solution for kids who are bullied. If we teach our kids to respect and protect themselves, they will be better able to deal with other kids at school, bullies or not. Unfortunately, we have never had data to back this up.

So, along with Arizona State University, we initiated research to find out whether karate helps, doesn’t help or makes the problem worse.  More than 200 kids and parents at American Taekwondo Association schools in 17 states were surveyed.

The results are both conclusive and exciting.

We found that kids who train in martial arts for an extended period get bulled at a staggering 64 percent less than those who just got started. This is a better reduction than most programs that schools implement.

In addition, it appears that karate kids bully others less, and 98 percent of the parents reported improvement in their child’s self-esteem, making them better able to respond to the pressures of the classroom and the playground.

The ATA martial arts schools surveyed participate in a bullying-prevention training developed by the ATA in consultation with the No. 1 school-based bullying prevention program in the world, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.  Kids learn tools and skills to avoid bullying without violence.

As the father of a 10-year old and a karate instructor for more than 20 years, I wanted to share this research.  We as parents need to take the initiative to keep our kids safe and happy.

We need to be proactive and do something even if our kids are not being bullied yet.  If you are thinking of protecting your child, martial arts has proven to be a great idea.