Page 30 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 62

30 January 2018 Issue #62
To Fight or Not to Fight?
By Jorge Luis
i folks…so your child is in
Hboxing or MMA or karate. If
someone bullies them or attacks
them physically should they defend
themselves and fight back? Or should
they take it and hope the system works
and does its job and justice prevails
for all? Let the controversy begin.
I say if your child is trained in a
combat art and is attacked physically
with the intent to do harm I say fight
back and defend yourself. This by
no means implies your trained child
or athlete should misuse their skills
and training and start fights.
they should not be targets or victims
of bullying. Nor should they be
instigators or bullies themselves. A
student of the combat arts should
never attack others unless it’s in self- or in sports, the fight would end and
defence or to defend someone else
who cannot defend themselves.
Recently one of my students who
is a young female teenager was
attacked by a boy in school. An
argument took place over a seat,
there was teasing and name calling,
things heated up, tempers flared, the
boy took exception to the young girl
talking back and according to several
eye witnesses grabbed the girl by the
collar and slapped her not once but
twice. The young girl reacted with 3
or 4 punches, knocking the boy down
and the boy ran off. As a result the
girl was told her hands were weapons
and she was suspended for 3 days and
was profiled and labeled because she
is after all a boxer (the boy happens
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to be a practitioner of tae kwon do). be in authority positions. My son was skills. They don’t need to fight, they
The boy originally got no suspension once told by a former employer that he don’t seek to fight because they know
until the father of the girl went to the did not want him there and did not like they can fight and can cause injury,
school and protested at which time him there and would do everything in they are respectful to the art. But it
the boy received a 1 day suspension. his power to get rid of my son from does not mean they should stand there
Ok…no you did not read this wrong. that particular establishment. This, and take a beating. Or stand idly by
A boy attacks a girl, the girl defends the first week of the job. Is this not while a weaker person such as an
herself, she gets reprimanded and bullying? In the end he found a way elderly person or a smaller younger
suspended and he gets a small slap to fire my son which led to my son kid gets beaten. I say empathically
on the wrist. The attacker became getting a better job in a much better No. We have a responsibility to
the victim because the defender is place and environment. My son ourselves and to others.
a boxer and caused injury. She was
learned at a young age to never give No one has the right to beat
also kicked off the volleyball team by up never stop trying and to stand up
her teacher. So my question is what for himself. someone else up. But no one has the
if the defender did not train and box? right to hurt you or lay hands on you.
What would be her fate? Think about It appalls me to see a system that I think just as citizens of the US have
it carefully. What if this was your passes kids from one grade to another the right to bear arms everyone has
daughter? Or your wife or sister or even if they fail. Making our kids the right to defend themselves if they
mother? Since when is it ok to attack Teflon everybody has to feel good. are violently attacked.
someone. Since when is it ok for And I don’t blame our teachers; I had another female student years
a boy to hit a girl? Hello? Is it just their hands are tied by a system that ago that thwarted an attempted rape
me, what if this was a sexual assault? is creating a generation X. Our kids by simply fighting back and not giving
Should the young girl being assaulted don’t learn to struggle and overcome. up. The perpetrator ran away and
They learn they have rights, they learn
retaliate or just take it? they don’t have to do their best; they gave up. The young woman kept her
I will go on record that I am not learn the system will take care of dignity. Should she have just taken it?
a fan of the anti-bullying system in them. Then they go in the competitive Would that have been better? Think
place in our school system today. work world and learn that it doesn’t about it my friends.
Often this system in fact protects work that way in the real world. I truly hope the young man who
But and empowers the bullies more. The attacked my student learned a valuable
system does not work. Back in the Sooner or later you must take lesson. Shame on a system that
day many a bully learned a good responsibility for yourself and punished a girl for defending herself
lesson with a punch in the nose. your actions. Think about it, my accordingly and more shame on the
Fights would occur in the school yard friends. What kind of a society are school and system for profiling and
we producing for our future? Some labeling and stereotyping a young girl
it usually ended. Sometimes violence lessons are hard but have to be who refused to be a victim and stood
does breed violence. However I have learned. If you play with fire you will up for herself. This young lady is a
seen kids too often be afraid to go get burned and sometimes the best champion in the ring and in life. She
way to fight fire is with fire. Fighting
to school and nothing could be done is not the solution but a means to an is a straight A student and walks with
about the harassment, verbal abuse, end. You cannot resolve every matter pride. This young lady refuses to give
and constant threats. It’s the nature of with your fists and by fighting. If you in and will make her own choices and
the beast as they say and boys will be live by the sword you will die by the not be dictated too. In this case she
boys. It’s almost a right of passage. sword because the sword is limited. has my heartfelt approval and P.S. to
The way I see it the good side is But sometimes the sword has to be the volleyball coach who kicked her
kids need to deal with adversity and drawn and the axe must be swung. The off the team and told her she should
challenges and overcome obstacles goal of any combat arts practitioner is be ashamed of herself, I ask this coach
such as bullies. They learn how to not to go out and fight but to be able what if it was your daughter who was
deal with bullies in life. Who has to defend yourself and empower an struck and attacked. Would you tell
not encountered bullies in the work individual. The individual gains in her to take it? Shame on you as a
school, the workplace, or public? I self-esteem and confidence. And coach.
have seen people who because of usually as a result has no need to Yours in Youth and Sport and the
their position of authority bully others fight. Something happens to most Combat Arts
just because they can. Some people individuals who develop fighting
cannot handle power and should not Jorge Luis