ATA Leadership NOW
VIP Zone
My son loves Leadership. It makes him feel special to be a part of such an elite program. He proudly wears his Leadership uniform and uses the cool items with the Leadership logo. As a Mom, I love the difference I've seen in him. Leadership is such a beneficial investment!
– Alicia Jones, mother of 7-year-old Tyler Jones
From ATA World Volume 19, Number 3 – Fall 2012
By
Stephanie Wilbur Ash
Master Greg Moody, who has owned ATA schools in
California and Arizona, recently completed his PhD at Arizona State University
by researching the effects of martial arts on bullying in children.
Moody, who is also project manager for ATA’s Bullying Prevention Program, set
out to answer this primary research question: Do kids who have earned a Black
Belt in ATA martial arts get bullied less than other kids?
The answer,
he found, was yes. He measured the bullying behaviors of students at different
belt ranks in 22 ATA schools in 17 states. He found that children who
participate for a time in ATA, earning intermediate belts, do not get bullied as
much as kids who are beginners.
In other words: Participation in ATA martial arts will reduce bullying. In
fact, it reduces bullying by 64 percent. That’s far better than the other
programs Master Moody investigated.
Master Moody also found that parents perceived a 56 percent reduction in
bullying after ATA martial arts, so parents and kids both see a difference in
how kids are treated and how they handle themselves.
Congratulations to
Master Moody, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Center, and instructors working to
end bullying behavior, as well as kids and parents who see change in their
children’s confidence and strength through Songahm Taekwondo. Agent G, another
ATA defender against bullying, would be proud! He knows the strength of ATA
martial arts, too! Like Master Moody, he stands up for defending yourself.
