ravenofthewood
Yellow Belt
I'm looking for advice regarding a situation I'm dealing with with one of my students (we'll call him Johnny).
Johnny has been coming to taekwondo for about two years. He comes from a very difficult background (broken family, etc.), and is very emotionally sensitive and lacks confidence and self-esteem as a result. Last year, he was always talking about how he didn't have any friends at school. This year, he changed schools, and I just found out yesterday there has been a gang of about four boys bullying him and trying to beat him up. The situation has reached the point where he is scared to go to school. His dad says, while Johnny is telling authorities about what's happening, he doesn't have the self-confidence to do anything to try to protect himself. The school won't do anything about the situation and claims it can only give warnings right now.
Johnny needs more confidence, not so he can become a fighter, but so that he can at least protect himself against the bullies. Typically, learning a martial art gives a child the confidence they need to not be a victim. Unfortunately, the instructor who taught at this location before me (I have been at this location about 6 months) did nothing to build up his confidence, and, I suspect, a lot to tear it down. For most of his martial arts journey, therefore, taekwondo has not been a place to build up his confidence.
Basically, I'm looking for suggestions of things I can specifically do in class to help build up Johnny's confidence. Also, what do you tell your students to do when they're dealing with a gang of bullies, rather than a single bully?
Johnny has been coming to taekwondo for about two years. He comes from a very difficult background (broken family, etc.), and is very emotionally sensitive and lacks confidence and self-esteem as a result. Last year, he was always talking about how he didn't have any friends at school. This year, he changed schools, and I just found out yesterday there has been a gang of about four boys bullying him and trying to beat him up. The situation has reached the point where he is scared to go to school. His dad says, while Johnny is telling authorities about what's happening, he doesn't have the self-confidence to do anything to try to protect himself. The school won't do anything about the situation and claims it can only give warnings right now.
Johnny needs more confidence, not so he can become a fighter, but so that he can at least protect himself against the bullies. Typically, learning a martial art gives a child the confidence they need to not be a victim. Unfortunately, the instructor who taught at this location before me (I have been at this location about 6 months) did nothing to build up his confidence, and, I suspect, a lot to tear it down. For most of his martial arts journey, therefore, taekwondo has not been a place to build up his confidence.
Basically, I'm looking for suggestions of things I can specifically do in class to help build up Johnny's confidence. Also, what do you tell your students to do when they're dealing with a gang of bullies, rather than a single bully?