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Principles We Follow at Miller’s Dojo

February 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I have certain principles I believe in and follow that I expect my students to follow as well.  It’s easy at times to stray from our path and become easily influenced by negative things.  By reciting the principles below every day we can keep them fresh in our minds so that we don’t let the power of negative influence take over our lives and hinder the process of the ultimate goals of our journey in life.  Life is precious and we are on this earth for a reason.  I challenge everyone reading this to learn to follow these principles and I can assure you that your life will be healthier and happier.

-         You can be anything you want to be – how bad do you want it?

-         Never, EVER, give up. Nothing is ever accomplished by quitting.

-         Give 100 percent effort, 100 percent of the time.

-         Be realistic, but push yourself

-         Strive for progress, not perfection.  You will always fall short of perfection, but you can always make progress each day.

-         Be a better person today than you were yesterday

-         Be kind and humble, but have a warrior mindset

-         You are your toughest opponent

-         Train hard and enjoy the benefits

-         Be a good winner and a good loser – you always learn something

-         Set a good example by being a good role model

-         Make each day your masterpiece

-         Try to resolve conflicts without fighting – fight in the ring

 

I’m not saying you will never slip up here and there.  We are not perfect and never will be, but if you sincerely try your best to follow these principles they will help you become all you are capable of becoming. 

TCB…

Filed Under: Adult Kenpo Program, Blog/Articles, Junior Program, Kenpo Kids Program, Little Dragons, Member Articles, Parents

Our Mission at Miller’s Kenpo Karate

January 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

At Miller’s Kenpo Karate we believe in providing the best methods possible to succeed in all aspects of life.  We genuinly care about every student and the progress that the student makes.   We will do whatever we can to help every student reach his or her full potential and accomplish the goals he or she sets.  At our school it’s about the students, not the instructors.  Any martial arts studio that focuses on the instructors’s accomplishments or the instructors pocket book is a place where a student will be limited and will receive nothing more than a false sense of security.  An instructor with an ego, boasting about how great he or she is while strutting around with his or her arms crossed barking orders is a sure sign of a poor instructor who produces poor quality students and gives away belts to keep students coming and paying.   Instructors who are focused on themselves cannot help others become all they are capable of becoming.  As a student you are much more concerned with what an instructor can do for you, rather than what the instructor has accomplished.  With that said, we wanted to share our mission at our school as a reminder. 

 

Our Mission:

 

The Objective

To teach students how to think and become self – correcting through learning concepts, principles, and theories that are practical in thought and action with realistic modern training modalities to better their lives on all levels, while creating a Kenpo mindset allowing logical and practical thinking through personal interpretation, analyzing, dissecting, and creating to become the best they are capable of becoming at their personal style of Kenpo by always remaining a student who is humble, loyal, respectful, disciplined, motivated, and leads by example through appropriate behaviors and character.

The Purpose

To improve the lives of every student who walks through the studio door by teaching proper values as well as high impact drills to help build better balance, coordination, agility, flexibility, stamina, strength, cardiovascular health, and muscular endurance to create a much happier and healthier student who is motivated to set goals, and stay on course to achieving those goals while being focused and disciplined, creating self-confidence and a healthy self-esteem. Also, to teach students to learn to be optimistic and take personal responsibility for their own lives while learning a modern practical system of self-defense and personal protection based on logic and reason, not tradition, while molding their own personal style of Kenpo tailored to them, eventually becoming fully qualified black belts who are role models for our community.

The Plan

To teach quality classes that focus on improving every student each class, as well as to get on a personal level with each student so that the student can be properly taught according to his or her ability, desires, needs, thoughts, personality and body type to produce a student who has reached his or her full potential and looks forward to a continued journey of success. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Adult Kenpo Program, Blog/Articles, Junior Program, Kenpo Kids Program, Latest news, Little Dragons, Member Articles, Parents

Stomp the Bullying

May 13, 2011 By 1 Comment

Bullying is one of the biggest epidemics we face in our society.  Although it’s a major problem for children and young adults, adults also deal with bullying behavior.  The act of bullying encompasses aggressive behavior that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power or strength. Typically, it’s repeated over time.

 

There are many forms of bullying including: hitting, punching, kicking, pushing, etc. (physical bullying); teasing or name calling (verbal bullying); intimidation using gestures or social exclusion (non-verbal bullying or emotional bullying); and sending insulting messages through e-mail, text messages, facebook, etc. (cyber bullying).

 

Are you aware of this on-going problem?  It’s in the news regularly.  We hear of teenagers committing suicide because of bullying.  Children are haunted by bullying daily and many times it goes unnoticed by parents, teachers, and other authorities.  Other times, it may be noticed, but nothing is done about it.  Only 20% of children who are bullied actually tell their parents.  Parents, I’m sure you have found out that nobody does anything to help your bullied child.  They say they do, but they don’t.  I’ve talked with some parents whose children are being bullied.  They’ve gone through all the proper channels of the school system and nothing is being done.

 

Pennsylvania is among the top five states where bullying is at its highest peak.  The other four include California, New York, Illinois, and Washington.  Statistics show that 160,000 children fear attending school each day because of intimidation and humiliation suffered at the hands of bullies. Bullying causes psychological harm, self-esteem damage and other lasting effects for victims.

 

I, too, have been a victim of bullying.  As a child in Jr. High and High school I was a victim of bullies on some occasions.  I was small and quiet so I had a few bullies pick on me, call me names and sometimes even push me around.  They thought it was funny.  I took a lot of it and I never told anybody at the time.

 

What got me through those bullying situations was my martial arts training.  Most people have a false perception of martial arts.  They think it’s about fighting and teaching kids to fight.  Wrong.  It’s about not fighting.  Yes, we teach children to stand up for themselves and to stand up for what’s right, but we teach them to be kind, to have self-control, self-discipline, respect, focus, and to always do the right thing.  We teach them how to talk themselves out of bullying situations.  Getting physical is ALWAYS last resort and we teach children how to go about that.

 

Because of my martial arts training, I had self-confidence and a healthy self-esteem, so I didn’t let the bullying damage that.  It made me see the situations in a logical frame of mind and not a fantasy frame of mind that produces a distorted perception.  With that said, I was able to ignore it at times and walk away from it at times without it bothering me.  Other times I was able to use verbal Judo to diffuse the situations.  Many bullies went on to someone else because they saw that it wasn’t bothering me.  Bullies look for people who are vulnerable, who are weak.  When they see they are getting to the victim the bullies feel power.  They don’t want to bully people who aren’t bothered by it and who are going to stand up for themselves. There were times where I had to physically protect myself against bullies, but it was always last resort.  When I stood up for myself the bullies left me alone.

 

Since bullying is becoming worse and worse I am stepping up in my community by creating a Stomp the Bullying campaign under the direction of my instructor Sean Kelley (www.seankelley.com) and the Guardian Angels (www.guardianangels.org) where my school Miller’s Kenpo Karate Dojo (www.millersdojo.com) has now become a “martial arts safe place” and official Guardian Angels training facility.  I am creating a volunteer community service program called The Guardian Angels Anti-Bullying Leadership program where I will teach members of our community the importance of servicing our community, how to be good citizens, and how to be good role models.  I will also educate students of this program about all aspects of bullying, and how to handle bullying situations whether they themselves are being bullied or they witness somebody else being bullied.

 

They will learn what bullying really entails, the warning signs of both a bully and someone being bullied, the risk factors, how not to be a target of a bully, common myths about bullying, statistics, and what they can do as citizens to “Stomp the Bullying.”  Also a part of the program will be some self-defense training including awareness, having a logical mindset, verbal Judo, and some physical restraint holds and personal protection methods.

 

This program is a four month program that children ages 7 and up can participate in along with their parents, as well as any adult community member, whether a parent or not.  This program is for children, young adults (teenagers) and adults.  Even if you are an adult who is already well educated in servicing our community we still want you.  The child requirements are to meet during the scheduled times (once per week) at my school Miller’s Kenpo Karate Dojo, do in house community service projects, march in parades, and be good youth role models for members of the society.  You must maintain good grades in school as well.  For adults, your requirements are to meet during the same scheduled times, do local community service projects when we get the opportunity, and be positive role models in our community.  Once the four months is up we will have a graduation ceremony where the children will become Jr. Angels and the adults will become Guardian Angels. Once you become a Guardian Angel you will become leaders for the program, and I will start it all over with new people.

 

My instructor Sean Kelley from Florida who is a 25 year veteran of the Guardian Angels, an International martial arts and self-defense instructor, bodyguard, and is heavy into the security business, will be at my school along with self-defense and tactical firearms instructor Buddy Morrison from Tennessee to assist me with a FREE bullying seminar open to anybody in the community.  This will be held on Friday, May 20, 2011 at Miller’s Kenpo Karate Dojo located at 443 East Main Street in Bradford, Pa from 6:00 – 6:45pm.  We will talk about the program during the seminar for those who are interested.  If you are unable to attend the seminar, but are interested in the program call me at 814-368-3725 or e-mail me at michael.miller@millersdojo.com.

 

About the Author:

 

Michael Miller is a self-defense and personal protection expert who holds a 4th degree black belt in American Kenpo – a modern practical self-defense system, and also teaches boxing, kickboxing, Joe Lewis Fighting Systems, and Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu.  He’s an ex caseworker for McKean County Children and Youth Services where he worked with child development, child abuse and neglect, assessing risk, and became certified in the state of Pennsylvania as a Child Welfare Direct Service Worker.  He’s an authority on bullying and how to prevent it and has been featured in Inside Kung-fu and Black Belt magazines numerous times as an expert in his field.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Adult Kenpo Program, Blog/Articles, Junior Helpers, Junior Program, Kenpo Kids Program, Latest news, Member Articles, Parents

The 12 Rules of Practice

February 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

To become good at something it requires an extreme amount of practice.  To become great it requires even more.  Practice can be viewed in many ways, but ultimately it is the repetition of becoming all that you are capable of becoming.  Notice that the professional athletes practice much more than the amateur ones!  It’s vital.  Without proper practice you will not progress in what it is you are trying to achieve. You will never be perfect, but you can make progress everyday.  If you strive for perfection you will fall short.  If you strive for progress you can achieve it.  Give 100 percent effort 100 percent of the time.  No exceptions.

Since I am a martial arts instructor this is what I firmly believe in.  I follow the same code of conduct that I expect out of my students.  I follow everything mentioned above and my students are required to do the same.  Wynton Marsalis wrote the 12 Rules of Practice and I figured for this article I would share that with you.

The 12 Rules of Practice by Wynton Marsalis

1. Seek out private instruction. It could take years to figure out what a good teacher can show you quickly.

2. Write out a Schedule. Include fundamentals always.

3. Set Goals. Chart your development. Challenge yourself.

4. Concentrate. Develop the ability to FOCUS. Do not just ‘go through the motions’.

5. Relax. Practice Slowly.

6. Practice the Hard parts Longer. Confront your deficiencies.

7. Play with Expression. Give yourself over to what you are doing. Do everything with the proper attitude. Do not be a cynic. The attitude you play with is your style.

8. Learn from your Mistakes. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Resolve to improve each day.

9. Don’t Show Off. Expression, not tricks and gimmicks. Showing off misses the point of group playing.

10. Think for Yourself. Respect your teacher, but think things through for yourself.

11. Be Optimistic. How you feel about living is who you are.

12. Look for Connections. The more you find similarities in things that seem different, the greater the world you can participate in.

Filed Under: Adult Kenpo Program, Blog/Articles, Junior Helpers, Junior Program, Kenpo Kids Program, Member Articles, Mixed Martial Arts, Storm Team

Kindness – A Deviant Trait?

February 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I’m sure you all know what kindness means.  If not, here is the definition from dictionary.com:

- the state or quality of being kind: kindness to animals.

- a kind act; favor: his many kindnesses to me.

- kind behavior: I will never forget your kindness.

- friendly feeling; liking.

Some synonyms to kindness include: thoughtfulness, consideration, understanding, benevolence, and forbearance.

Deviant is defined as being different, unique or strange.

This article is about kindness and how it seems to be a deviant trait in today’s society.  I do realize that there are some really great people still out there, but due to my personal experiences, it seems that kindness has become odd in today’s world. Being kind should not even be thought about.  It should just be done.  We should be kind to everybody.  It’s obvious that not everybody is going to be kind to us, but it’s important for us to not allow somebody else’s lack of character hinder our own.

As a martial arts instructor, kindness is extremely important in my book.  Although I was always brought up to be kind and thoughtful, the martial arts have assisted me on my journey through life to accomplish that task.  To me, it’s a part of me.  I also want that in my students.  Kindness means everything.  My students learn to be kind verbally, and to due random acts of kindness.

I will share two personal stories with you that shocked me.  The first one occurred several months ago.  I was walking into the local country fair.  As I approached the glass door I could see that a woman–probably in her mid-forties–was approaching the door from the inside, which immediately told me that she was on her way out.  As a normal thing that I do everyday, I pulled the door open for her and waited for her to come out before I went in.  She walked through the door with a smile on her face and said, “Thank-You!” I said, “You’re Welcome!”

After she walked through the door and I was about to head in, she stopped walking, turned around and said, “You know, there aren’t very many people around like you!”  I said, “Isn’t it sad?”  She agreed.  Just the simple kind act of holding a door for this woman really made her day.  I was shocked.  It was just a simple act of kindness.

My second story has to do with another normal act of kindness on my part.  At least three times per week I go to my favorite place to eat lunch in my hometown (Bradford, Pa), Togi’s restaurant.  Togi’s has great people, great service, and awesome food.  The best soups I have ever tasted.  While there about two months ago, this distraught couple came into the place.  They had to be upper thirties, lower forties in age.  They came from out of town and needed to make an emergency phone call.  Because Togi’s doesn’t have long distance, they couldn’t use the phone their.  This couple was clearly stressed and didn’t know what to do.

I told them that they could use my cell phone.  They could not believe that I was going to do that for them.  They thanked me profusely, made the call, and offered to buy me a drink.  I told them no thank you.  They asked if they could at least pay me a few dollars for doing this.  Once again, I declined.  I told them that I was just doing what everybody else in the world should do–help out someone in need.  They then ate lunch and as they were eating, my phone rang.  The person they had called needed to talk with them so I walked over handed them the phone and after a five minute conversation, the fellow gave me my phone back and apologized for that person calling my phone.  I told him it was not an issue and to have a great day.  They still insisted on doing something for me, even to the point to where they were trying to get the waitress to convince me to allow them to do something.

I look at this situation as being sad, because clearly, they arenot used to kind people.  They did tell me that they asked three different people to help them and they were all rude.  I offered–they didn’t ask.  I think it’s pathetic that everybody automatically feels obligated to give something in return when a kind deed is done.  I know it’s natural to feel that way, but true kindness comes from not wanting anything in return.

I challenge you to open your heart to being kind all the time, if you are not already.  Kindness can change the world, but it starts with you.

“If you haven’t any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.”  ~Bob Hope

“Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping him up.”  ~Jesse Jackson

“It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”  ~Author Unknown

“Today, give a stranger one of your smiles.  It might be the only sunshine he sees all day. ” ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

“Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are.”  ~Author Unknown

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.  If you want to be happy, practice compassion.  ~Dalai Lama

About the Author:

Michael Miller is an expert in self-defense, personal protection, personal development, and fitness.  He currently holds a 4th degree black belt in American Kenpo (one of the leading systems of self-defense), and also studies and teaches boxing, kickboxing, Joe Lewis Fighting Systems and Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu.  He has been featured several times in Inside Kung-fu and Black Belt magazines as an authority in his field.  He can be reached through his web site at www.millersdojo.com, through e-mail at michael.miller@millersodjo.com or phone at 814-368-3725.

Filed Under: Adult Kenpo Program, Junior Program, Kenpo Kids Program, Little Dragons, Member Articles, Parents, Storm Team, Uncategorized

Building Self-Confidence

February 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Self-confidence is vital in our lives.  Our confidence in ourselves dictates how we walk, talk, and act.  It is an important element to our success in life.  Self-confidence deals with whether or not we believe in ourselves.  Do we believe we CAN accomplish the things we are out to accomplish, or do we have doubts for some reason or another?

“Recent studies (Peixe, 2009) show that self confidence is something you act on, not something you learn. There are a number of practical exercises that are said to help anyone achieve the level of belief that allows them to take action and pursue their objectives.”  — wikopedia site

Building self-confidence is about action, as stated in the above paragraph.  If you feel you need better confidence in yourself, this article will help you.  Here is a little write up from the site: www.confidencemanual.com

People who are self confident are those who acknowledge their capacity to do something and then proceed to do these things. They do not rely on the approval of other people in order to affirm their existence. It is enough that they know they have the capacity and the potential to do something, and the guts to do it no matter what others may say. People who are self confident take advantage of the opportunities that comes their way.

Lack of self confidence is not proportional to a person’s abilities. In fact, there are people who are extremely talented and able but they lack self confidence to show these abilities.

If you are wanting in self confidence, then you must continuously do things that will help you gain confidence.

Identify your strengths and weaknesses and capitalize on that. Make full use of your strength and gather positive points. This will help you gain self confidence. Do not expect everything to be perfect because you are bound to do something wrong along the way. Nobody is perfect and everyone is culpable of making mistakes.

Acknowledge your abilities and talent and take stock of them. Do not under estimate yourself. Try to recognize every little thing you have done which has become successful. Try to learn a new skill, and try to learn new things as this will make you a better person.

Look for things that make you feel good about yourself. It can be photos of past achievements like when you won a race or won a debate; it can be a poem you wrote which was published in a book. Concentrate on things that you have achieved and take it from there. This will give you more confidence to do other things in life.

Developing self confidence is not easy especially if you do not think highly of yourself. If you want to be self confident, avoid things that will discourage you from gaining confidence. Do not dwell on past mistakes or failures because it will make you feel insignificant. Being a defeatist will not give your confidence a boost.

Better yet, concentrate on the positive things that you have done and accomplished and make them your inspiration. In time, you will have more faith in yourself, and hopefully, more confidence.

Here is a great article I found on pickthebrain.com.  It’s written by the editor.

10 Ways to Instantly Build Self-Confidence

1. Dress Sharp

Although clothes don’t make the man, they certainly affect the way he feels about himself. No one is more conscious of your physical appearance than you are. When you don’t look good, it changes the way you carry yourself and interact with other people. Use this to your advantage by taking care of your personal appearance. In most cases, significant improvements can be made by bathing and shaving frequently, wearing clean clothes, and being cognizant of the latest styles.

This doesn’t mean you need to spend a lot on clothes. One great rule to follow is “spend twice as much, buy half as much”. Rather than buying a bunch of cheap clothes, buy half as many select, high quality items. In long run this decreases spending because expensive clothes wear out less easily and stay in style longer than cheap clothes. Buying less also helps reduce the clutter in your closet.

2. Walk Faster

One of the easiest ways to tell how a person feels about herself is to examine her walk. Is it slow? tired? painful? Or is it energetic and purposeful? People with confidence walk quickly. They have places to go, people to see, and important work to do. Even if you aren’t in a hurry, you can increase your self confidence by putting some pep in your step. Walking 25% faster will make to you look and feel more important.

3. Good Posture

Similarly, the way a person carries herself tells a story. People with slumped shoulders and lethargic movements display a lack of self confidence. They aren’t enthusiastic about what they’re doing and they don’t consider themselves important. By practicing good posture, you’ll automatically feel more confident. Stand up straight, keep your head up, and make eye contact. You’ll make a positive impression on others and instantly feel more alert and empowered.

4. Personal Commercial

One of the best ways to build confidence is listening to a motivational speech. Unfortunately, opportunities to listen to a great speaker are few and far between. You can fill this need by creating a personal commercial. Write a 30-60 second speech that highlights your strengths and goals. Then recite it in front of the mirror aloud (or inside your head if you prefer) whenever you need a confidence boost.

5. Gratitude

When you focus too much on what you want, the mind creates reasons why you can’t have it. This leads you to dwell on your weaknesses. The best way to avoid this is consciously focusing on gratitude. Set aside time each day to mentally list everything you have to be grateful for. Recall your past successes, unique skills, loving relationships, and positive momentum. You’ll be amazed how much you have going for you and motivated to take that next step towards success.

6. Compliment other people

When we think negatively about ourselves, we often project that feeling on to others in the form of insults and gossip. To break this cycle of negativity, get in the habit of praising other people. Refuse to engage in backstabbing gossip and make an effort to compliment those around you. In the process, you’ll become well liked and build self confidence. By looking for the best in others, you indirectly bring out the best in yourself.

7. Sit in the front row

In schools, offices, and public assemblies around the world, people constantly strive to sit at the back of the room. Most people prefer the back because they’re afraid of being noticed. This reflects a lack of self confidence. By deciding to sit in the front row, you can get over this irrational fear and build your self confidence. You’ll also be more visible to the important people talking from the front of the room.

8. Speak up

During group discussions many people never speak up because they’re afraid that people will judge them for saying something stupid. This fear isn’t really justified. Generally, people are much more accepting than we imagine. In fact most people are dealing with the exact same fears. By making an effort to speak up at least once in every group discussion, you’ll become a better public speaker, more confident in your own thoughts, and recognized as a leader by your peers.

9. Work out

Along the same lines as personal appearance, physical fitness has a huge effect on self confidence. If you’re out of shape, you’ll feel insecure, unattractive, and less energetic. By working out, you improve your physcial appearance, energize yourself, and accomplish something positive. Having the discipline to work out not only makes you feel better, it creates positive momentum that you can build on the rest of the day.

10. Focus on contribution

Too often we get caught up in our own desires. We focus too much on ourselves and not enough on the needs of other people. If you stop thinking about yourself and concentrate on the contribution you’re making to the rest of the world, you won’t worry as much about you own flaws. This will increase self confidence and allow you to contribute with maximum efficiency. The more you contribute to the world the more you’ll be rewarded with personal success and recognition.

[end article]

Follow these steps and you will build your self-confidence instantly and can enjoy a healthier, happier life.  Keep in mind that children need to be confident so be sure to educate your children in how to do so.  One of the things to build confidence mentioned in the article was working out.  One of the best forms of working out is martial arts.  Martial Arts build confidence quicker and better than anything else.  It’s been proven time and time again.

Remember, actions produce confidence!

Michael Miller

www.millersdojo.com

michael.miller@millersdojo.com

Filed Under: Adult Kenpo Program, Junior Helpers, Junior Program, Kenpo Kids Program, Little Dragons, Member Articles, Parents, Storm Team, Uncategorized

2009 Bullying Statistics

February 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Bullying is a major problem throughout the U.S.  This is an addendum to my first article about bullying.   You will also find many future articles about this topic, since bullying has lead to several young suicides and, for others, severe depression.

Some people believe that it won’t happen to them or their child.  Honestly, bullying is extremely common and I guarantee it will happen to your child.  I am certain it has happened to you several times.  I know it has happened to me more than I can count; even as an adult.  The good news is I knew how to handle it.

First off, there are things you can do to prevent yourself from being bullied in the first place.  Confidence is the main ingredient to making bullies turn the other way.  Your body language, attitude, and how you conduct yourself all play a role.  The problem is many people don’t have that confidence and conduct themselves in such a way that they become victimized.  So how do you get that kind of confidence?  It’s simple: learn how to protect yourself.  It’s a great feeling walking around knowing you don’t have to worry about being attacked.  Bullies can read this.

Although you might not be a target for a bully it still doesn’t guarantee that you won’t become bullied.  So your second step is knowing how to deal with bullies.  You need to know how to diffuse the verbal harassment and how to physically handle a bully if he attacks you.  If you learn the three T’s of dealing with verbal harassment, you will be able to implement them and will put a stop to the bully.  You must also understand the rules of engagement when dealing with bullies.

At Miller’s Kenpo Karate we teach children and adults all of these things.  They learn the three T’s to verbal harassment and also learn the rules of engagement (five steps to take).  We instill real confidence by teaching effective training methods and movements, along with the proper mindset.

To prove how bad bullying is, I have included the statistics of 2009 for bullying, which were mentioned in an article written by researcher John W. Sheridan.

Here are some School Bullying Statistics from 2009 Surveys:

*Over 75% of our students are subjected to harassment by a bully or Cyber-Bully and experience physical, psychological and/or emotional abuse.

*Over 20% of our kids admit to being a bully or participating in bully-like activities.

*Over one half of bullying & Cyber-Bullying events go unreported to authorities or parents.

*In 2009 surveys showed over 100,000 children carried guns to school as a result of being bullied.

*28% of students who carry weapons in school have witnessed violence in their homes.

*On a daily average 160,000 children miss school because they fear they will be bullied if they attend classes.

*On a monthly average 282,000 students are physically attacked by a bully each month.

*Every seven minutes a child is bullied on a school playground with over 85% of those instances occurring without any intervention.

*46% of males and 26% of females admit to having been involved in physical fights as a result of being bullied.

*Over 85% of our teenagers say that revenge as an aftermath of being bullied is the leading cause for school shootings and homicide.

*The top 5 states in regards to reported incidents of bullying and Cyber-Bullying are California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

*A child commits suicide as a direct result of being bullied once every half hour with 19,000 bullied children attempting to commit suicide over the course of one year.

As you can see from the school bullying statistics listed above it is indeed a serious problem that must be addressed whenever discovered.

Unfortunately, as indicated above, most instances of school bully activity go unreported by the student victims.

This makes it very difficult for teachers or parents to intervene on behalf of the victim and provide the proper counseling needed for the victim as well as the bully.

A relatively new type of bully, the Cyber-Bully, is relevant in schools as well as home and is a growing concern for parents when trying to protect their kids from this form of abuse.

Cyber-Bullying is the harassment of kids through the use of the internet and filters into the schools when kids return to classes.

It is so serious that over one third of our kids who frequent the internet are victims of the Cyber-Bully.

[end statistics]

I will have a separate article in the future about Cyber-bullying.  Notice that Pennsylvania is one of the top 5 states for bullying.  You CAN do something about it.  Although most school systems have adapted the zero tolerance rule, meaning that any students who get into a physical confrontation both parties will be suspended.  That’s good in one way that it prevents some physical bullying from happening, but not so good in other ways.  It still doesn’t prevent all of it, and it doesn’t stop any of the verbal harassment.

Michael Miller (Reality based self-defense expert)

www.millersdojo.com

814-368-3725

michael.miller@millersdojo.com

Filed Under: Junior Helpers, Junior Program, Kenpo Kids Program, Member Articles, Parents, Storm Team, Uncategorized