How Not to Get Beat Up: Larchmont's Excel Martial Arts Teaches Kids Bully Avoidance Skills

Remember that person that would steal your lunch money as a kid or wait for you after school so he or she could beat you up? Encountering a bully as a kid can be a frightening and anxiety-ridden experience (remember A Christmas Story?) but there are ways to fight back.

This Saturday, Excel Martial Arts and Stephanie's Kloset will present "Anti-Bullying Day" at Excel Martial Arts in Larchmont, where trained martial arts' instructors will teach kids non-violent solutions to bully avoidance.

The owners of Excel passed along some of the skills that will be taught at this weekend's workshop as follows:

1. Self Esteem - Keep in mind that self esteem is even more important but harder to attain. You are a very important person. You matter! You matter to your parents, teachers and relatives. Self-confidence may be the only thing that separates you from the most popular kid in school.
2. Ignoring the Comeback - Do not attempt to throw back comebacks unless you are incredibly adept. Bullies practice their comebacks on other kids all day everyday. You probably don't and you will merely say something that they will use against you. When ridiculed, say nothing, and stare them viciously in the eye like a hungry animal. This may be difficult at first but you won't be giving them the reaction they want. They want you to give in and try to fight them so they can beat you. If you don't fight, they can't win.
3. Tell Someone - You should always tell a parent, teacher or principal if you are bullied. Remember, it is NOT YOUR FAULT. If you are being bullied, your legal rights are being violated. Do not keep quiet. Tell your school counselor, parents, teacher, and continue to tell them if it does not stop.
4. You Are Important - You do not deserve to be bullied. Nothing you have done and nothing that you are caused you to be bullied. Bullies are people who have low self-esteem and a great need for power - a bad combination. Thousands of kids who are perfectly nice get bullied every single day. But you have to take action against it. Don't start a fight, but don't let bullying continue.

Excel Martial Arts' goal is to discourage bullies by providing them with less of an emotional pay-off and, to bolster the victim's self-esteem by teaching them to take back some control over the situation. Included are avoidance, selective ignoring, appropriate verbal exchanges, neutral/confident body language and facial expressions, and self control.

Some kids don't know how to respond to being teased and bullied and show the embarrassment and anger on their faces.  This is what bullies and teasers want! They want to SEE it bother you!  Once they see it bother you they will do it again and again to see the same reaction over and over again.

Anti-abduction skills
Our self-defense expert, Shihan Joseph Rivera, will show you some techniques that every parent should have their children learn in the event of a kidnapping attempt. The voice is one of the most powerful things you have to prevent abductions, use it.

Anti-bullying day will be held at Excel Martial Arts, 2097 Palmer Ave., Larchmont on Saturday, April 20. Sessions for kids ages 3-6 will be held at 2:30 p.m.; ages 7-11, 3:30 p.m.; ages 12 and older, 4:30 p.m. Refreshments and snacks will be provided.