Over the past two weeks Professor Erik taught two separate Bully Safe Workshops to the Level Up Youth students in both West Los Angeles and Woodland Hills. The Bully Safe Workshop is held biannually at each Level Up academy.
The workshops cover the Level Up Bully Safe System, designed with thirty years of martial arts experience in mind, the bully safe system hinges on the Level Up “Triangle of Confidence”
Confidence is the key when it comes to being a victim of bullying. A child displaying low confidence will often be signaled out when targeted by a bully. The triangle of confidence is made up of three, easy to understand concepts for children as young as two years old to use in order to prevent bullying.
The first point of the triangle is Eye Contact: All communication begins with the eyes. If a child is being bullied and not looking their bully in the eyes it will only show a lack of confidence and submission to the bullying that is taking place. No eye contact will only instigate the bully further, giving them more confidence in their actions. Proper eye contact will relay to the bully that what they are doing is wrong. It will show them that the child they are attempting to bully is confident and willing to stand up to them.
The second point of the Triangle of Confidence is Posture: Poor posture; sagging shoulders, chin down, head hanging low would signal to a bully that their victim is not displaying confidence and is being accepting of their actions. Proper posture is integral for a child to display confidence in themselves.
The last point of the Triangle of Confidence is Loud Voice: Using a loud, confident voice to tell a bully to ‘Stop’ or ‘Leave me alone’ will go a long way in such situations. Focusing on using a loud voice can also be helpful when a child needs to call for help.
Using actual self-defense techniques should be a last resort for a child being bullied. The Triangle of Confidence will give your child a method to deter any bully and make the possibility of a physical confrontation much less likely.
Contact your local Level Up academy today to set up a personal introductory lesson where your child can learn more about the Triangle of Confidence and bully safe martial arts!