No school will admit to having a bullying problem, but we know it happens. Since 2005, Tring Martial Arts has been working with the after effects of bullying and it is sadly very common both in school and outside. Bullying doesn’t always stop at childhood though, we know many adults that are bullied in the work place or in their homes. TMA is committed to empowering our students, here is a selection of just some of the strategies we cover in our classes. 1. Ignore the bully. Listen to threats, but don’t react. Tell yourself that you don’t have to get back at the bully and you can ignore the threats! 2. Agree with the bully. If the bully calls you names, agree! Let the bully’s insults go and don’t fight back. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never harm you! 3. Be nice to the bully. Treat the bully as a friend not an enemy, you can turn a threatening situation into a friendly one! 4. Walk away. Don’t get into a fight or a confrontation / argument, simply walk away! This can take the wind out of the bully’s sails. 5. Refuse to fight. The winner of the fight is the one who prevents it. Stick up for yourself, defend yourself if you need to and then leave. Don’t stand there kicking the c*** out of the bully, otherwise you might end up being punished. 6. Call for help. Call a teacher, police officer or confide in your instructor here at TMA.