Dan Inosanto and Bruce Lee Commercial for Star Hub - subtle anti-bullying message

This is a great commercial that talks about personal responsibility in martial arts. It also has a great but subtle message on anti-bullying. Diana Lee Inosanto, Ron Balicki and I would like to share this with you.

This blog is part of Peter Liciaga's effort to promote the Ultimate Black Belt Test Program (http://www.ultimateblackbelttest.com), which is an undertaking of The 100. (http://www.the100.us/), and a part of Peter Liciaga's Dream 100 Project.

The Bully Cycle: Who is Responsible for Keeping Us All Safe?

In order for harassment to take place, you need more than just a bully and a victim. This is a complex event; my good friend and Verbal Judo Master Trainer, Gary T. Klugiewicz, breaks down the situation in an effort to promote greater understanding of these types of events.

****  Read Below **** 

Your Mount Laurel martial artist,
Peter Liciaga

The Bully Cycle: Who is Responsible for Keeping Us All Safe?

by Gary Klugiewicz

Bullying is a complex event.  Since my undergraduate work was in sociology, I usually look at systems when dealing with problem-solving.  So it was only natural that my examination of the bullying problem focuses on system failures rather than the action of the individual bully.  It is important for us all to understand that if we have a bullying problem in our school, social group, or workplace, we have a bigger problem than just one person, the bully, acting badly.

A bully doesn’t operate in a vacuum. The problem encompasses the entire group whether that is a school, a social group, or a workplace.

The Bullying Cycle is made up of:
1. the person who bullies,
2. the victim who gets bullied, and
3. the larger group that allows the bullying to continue.  This larger group is made up of both peer group members and persons in authority who allow bullying to occur and continue.

A key point is that bullying continues in any setting only when the group permits it through a sick sort of co-dependency.

In order to disrupt the Bullying Cycle all three of the following components need to be addressed and mobilized.

• The bullied person needs to be empowered to stand up to the bully and to solicit support from both his/her peer group and appropriate authority figures.

• The peer group needs to be empowered to stand up to the bully, resist him/her with their peer group pressure, and solicit support from person in authority figures.  The authority figures who witness or are notified of bullying activities must then take appropriate action to keep everyone safe.

• Even the bully is part of the equation – s/he needs to be reached out to in order to try to stop that behavior.  The bully must be placed on notice that the behavior needs to cease or appropriate action will be taken. Bullying occurs because we -- the bully, the bullied, the peer group and persons in authority - - allow it.  We need to practice the same type of Ethical Intervention that Dr. George Thompson of the Verbal Judo Institute (www.VerbalJudo.com) trains police officers to use when a member of their group acts badly.  Who is responsible for keeping members of our school, group, or workplace safe from bullying?  We all are.  We need to establish a “Caring Watch” of each other to keep us all safe from inappropriate, intimidating, and possibly physically threatening behavior.

• Persons who act like bullies need to be taught that they don’t need to bully, that they can change, and that their bullying will not be tolerated.

• The person being bullied needs to learn that bullying is not okay and that they have the right not to be bullied.  This victim should be taught ways to interrupt the bullying cycle and how to seek out support from his/her peer group and authority figures.  Bullying targets must feel that they are able to reach out to their peer group and authority figures for support.  This person should expect that their peer group will support them and, if needed, that authority figures will protect them.

• Peer group members need to be trained to understand how to appropriately intervene or, if necessary, notify authority figures to help them manage the bullying.  Finally, authority figures need to be trained to recognize bullying behaviors and how to respond appropriately to manage the bullying and that ignoring the problem is harmful to persons under their supervision and harmful to themselves  due to liability concerns that rise out of a “failure to protect” someone in their “care and custody."

Remember bullying doesn’t occur in a vacuum.  It occurs within a system and therefore a systematic approach is needed to manage the problem.  We all need to do our part to keep everyone safe from this kind of misbehavior.  Most people who become abusers were themselves abused.  Let’s stop the Bullying Cycle now by managing bullying one incident at a time.

Gary Klugiewicz is employed by PoliceOne as a law enforcement consultant. He is nationally known as law enforcement defensive tactics trainer. Gary works with Dr. George Thompson from the Verbal Judo Institute. He can be contacted at gtklugiewicz@cs.com. This article originally appeared at the Better Kids Institute. Used with permission.

Introduction to Verbal Self Defense (Anti-bullying program)

Here is a 20 minute introduction to our Verbal Self-defense program. Grab a cup of coffee or a tea and sit back for a short 20 minute seminar on a program that will teach you and your child how to protect yourself against bullies.

President Obama & the First Lady at the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention

http://www.stopbullying.gov/ 
President Obama & the First Lady at the White House Conference ...

http://www.whitehouse.gov/
The President and First Lady Michelle Obama discuss how we can all work together to end bullying as an accepted practice and create a safer environment for our kids to grow up in.


Read Transcript

Obamas release anti-bullying video on Facebook

US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, who are parents to two daughters of their own, have put together a video for Facebook that talks about why preventing bullying is a responsibility everyone shares. In the taped video, the US president says that bullying should no longer be treated as an unavoidable part of growing up; schools and communities must be a safe place where children can thrive. Titled “A Message from President and Mrs. Obama,”

Watch the two-minute video HERE

I recommend all parents and children to find a way to watch the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention on Thursday, March 10 at 10:30 AM EST - Link:  http://apps.facebook.com/whitehouselive/

'My Kids Would Never...Bully,' Dateline Special, Uses Hidden Cameras To Look At Bullying

Looks very interesting. I'm going to recommend all our parents (and their kids) watch.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/03/my-kids-would-neverbully-_n_831086.html

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

In a new special, "Dateline" correspondent Kate Snow is deploying hidden cameras to look at how kids respond to bullying when they think nobody is looking.

The special, "My Kid Would Never...Bully," airs on Sunday at 7 on NBC. In it, hidden cameras are set up, and parents watch their children reacting to several different bullying situations set up by "Dateline" and using actors playing the bullies and the bullied.

Add your comments below.

The Power of the Moment

Anger management, environmental self-defense, dietary self-defense, community involvement, meditation, empathy training, and sustainable living represent a part of the new kind of “self-defense lessons” taught in schools that recognize what I call the power of the moment.

That moment is the opening that comes every so often; that moment when the young and impressionable student is listening to his or her martial arts teacher like only a child can –with that wide-eyed acceptance, that fully open mind, ready to grow, instantly absorbing, and highly impressionable.

It is at that moment that we want our hero at the front of the class to speak not about defeating an opponent or striking another human being or winning a tournament; we want to hear words and ideas that inspire compassion, awareness, respect for self, for family, for the community, for the global community, and for the planet.

We want a seed planted and/or watered at that moment; something that has the potential to sprout into a kind of wisdom and happiness that is uncommon, but the deepest wish of every mother and father.

When that moment comes, as I have seen it come so many times, trust that your teacher is fully aware and recognizes what power his or her words, influence, actions, and position wields.

This is the kind of martial arts I am coaching your teacher to practice (and if they have sent this letter to you, then you can assume that he or she is a good student! Note: The best teachers are almost always good students themselves).

My clients are the kinds of teachers who are acutely aware of the power of the moment; they live to create those moments –so that they might make a true contribution to a better and more peaceful world.

We consider this “our business.”

We spend only the smallest amount of time necessary working on how to run our businesses so that we can pay the bills and have money left over (like all business owners); we spend the majority of our energy on coming up with the most innovative, creative, interesting, and powerful ways to create moments of deep learning, constructive and useful attitudes, and the kind of awareness that promotes peace of mind –and peace in action.

To be a part of my programs, your teacher must transform himself (or herself) into someone who makes the pursuit of genuine martial arts mastery a deep, personal and spiritual daily practice.

You can recognize my students because they are training to be in the best shape of their lives; they are eating and living with full consciousness of what they consume; they define and engage their heroes; they practice meditation; they read; and they take on projects with their students that benefit their respective communities; projects that show, firsthand, how to apply their training principles to life —on and off of the mat.

My members are grounded, real –and exuberant people.

Among our ranks is an Academy Award winning filmmaker; there are songwriters, environmental and civil engineers, artists, authors, attorneys, world champions, school teachers, counselors, journalists, grandfathers, grandmothers, fathers, mothers—and all of them are martial artists with a desire to make a difference, here and now, through what they teach and how they teach it.

That is the mission of this work, which is now made up of my work and the work of your teacher.

Find out what your instructor is doing by visiting him at www.PeterLiciaga.org

Children’s Classes in Martial Arts, What to Expect

Expect there to be one or more experienced teachers on the floor in your child’s class. Expect the teacher to, at times, appear to have the patience of Job. Expect a bit more, Oh how shall we say it? ENERGY, every so often. Expect the teacher, whether gently guiding everyone along or cranking up the troops, to wear a smile (a happy one!).

Expect a lot of talk about respect, about leadership, about good manners, about anger, about a whole bunch of things just about any parent would love to hear some OTHER adult talking to them about. That’s the way we do it.

“I haven’t been a ‘karate kid’ for some time, like decades, but the experience is still in my mind like it happened yesterday. Parents, enroll your child in a good martial arts school. You’ll never regret it --and your children will never forget it.” -- Tom Callos, http://www.tomcallos.com/

Expect a lot of good-sleep-inducing exercise. And expect some special events, as one of our primary goals is to teach our students to take what they practice on the mat and apply it to other things (like school, like work, like fun, and like --to the community).

Expect to look back on your son or daughters martial arts lessons with great pleasure and fond memories. Expect, genuinely, some very good times.

For a free class (and mark my words here, there’s no “hook” or sales pitch in this offer. This is simply a way for you to try our school, before ever THINKING about enrollment. Click here or contact us at: 856-235-0414

Advice for Men and Women over the age of 40, Thinking About Taking Martial Arts Classes

First, take it slow. No, really. There’s no hurry, it’s not a competition, and you’re not 20 anymore (even though you look like it). Going too hard, too fast, is why a lot of people who would like to enjoy all the benefits of training, no longer practice the martial arts (or any number of activities). Go too fast, get injured; get injured, quit training.

Second, if the instructor is your age (or older), that’s a good thing. If he or she is younger, make sure they know who’s the boss (you!). You only do what your body says you can do. If and when a class moves into an area you, for sure, want to avoid, you can always find an alternative way to stay engaged. What you shouldn’t do is “100 reps” when your body is telling you the 50 would be wise. Trust me, your teacher will appreciate your input. Give yourself enough time and you will not only keep up with the group, you might be leading it!

Third, be consistent. Being inconsistent about class attendance can dampen the fire of your enthusiasm. Stay on course!

Try out the class you’re interested, first, before enrolling. There’s nothing wrong with trying a week or even two weeks of classes with an instructor you’re interested in studying with. Most all schools will provide you with an introductory or trial course, without a fee (if you like classes, they’re going to know you for a long, long time). If a school doesn’t offer an introductory, it’s a red flag to enrollment.

By the way, click here to find out about a beginner introductory course to our school.

Peter Liciaga, 50 years of age and a 40 year veteran of martial arts practice (see his bio at http://www.peterliciaga.org/) offers the following advice:

“Don’t hesitate to enroll in martial arts classes,” says Liciaga. “It’s a wonderful, thorough, and engaging form of exercise. Just be mindful about the way you practice. Study some of the history of the art you engage in. Enjoy the process of improvement.”

Purpose, Mission and Intention

I am a member of a society (the one hundred) that lifts our collective purpose to a new level of mission, purpose, and intention. I am no longer operating in the box of what martial arts training/instruction/schools used to be, what we/they did in the 70′s, 80′s, 90′s, etc.

We are returning to the center. We are re-defining my role in society –for the purpose of increasing our actual value to it. We are not a Curves. We are not a laundry. We are not a “business” in the traditional sense. We are martial arts master teachers in training; we serve our community, uniquely, as warriors for something different, smart, wholesome, and PREVENTIVE.

We serve as role models for an elevated form of thinking –and an elevated, mindful form of living.

We are banding together in a way that has never been done in the martial arts world, never could have been done before now. We are looking at the world’s problems and determining that we can play a more important role in creating solutions.

The young people who come up in our schools are going to be exposed to ideas –ideas about what this training is for —ideas about how to use the martial arts —ideas about how to take what they practice so hard on the mat –and apply it all to real issues in the real world.

We will battle obesity –and the root causes of it. We will battle prejudice, sexism, and other forms of fear and ignorance. Our students will understand the value of small things to make big differences. In this way each of us becomes a Kano, a Ueshiba, a Funakoshi, and a “Great Teacher.”

Now we can turn to martial artists who are starting to represent the human spirit, the spirit of hope, the spirit of change for the better —now I can say, “Do you want to see the best-of-the-best of what the martial arts produces? Look to these men and women, they’re “living it.”

We will embrace peace education like we would a bid to win the world championships. Immerse ourselves in wisdom, surround ourselves with wise people, with Mandela, with King, with people who work for the greater good. Then when someone calls us “Master,” it will be because we are a student of the true masters of humanity.

We won’t have to put a “Master” patch on our uniform –as our life’s work and simplicity with which we live will demonstrate that we have, indeed, learned something from our years of study and practice.

The one hundred was formed not to “teach business,” but to serve as an example of exactly what we hope the martial arts world could become. It is our time.

I, for one, am very excited about what we stand to accomplish –and what we represent.



If you have any questions about martial arts in Mount Laurel NJ, please contact me personally at 856-278-5282 or visit Martial Arts for Adults & Children in Mount Laurel

Thank you for reading my blog.

Peter Liciaga

What should you expect of a martial arts teacher?

Yes, what SHOULD you expect from a martial arts teacher?

You should expect --and get common courtesy, yes? Of course. You might even expect uncommon, beyond-the-norm courtesy I would think? After all, isn’t a good deal of the martial arts about learning and practicing respect?

You should expect the teacher to be in good --to excellent --physical shape. An exception to that rule might come from a teacher who has an unexpected health condition or who suffers as a result of a disabling accident. Stephen Hawking, for example, is still without question a brilliant theoretical physicist, despite his physical limitations. But, in most cases, your teacher should be an example of the benefits of the lifestyle that the martial arts promotes.

You should expect your teacher to be knowledgeable, beyond his or her art. It takes more than a knowledge of kicks, punches, grappling, or the ability to break boards with your head, to be the kind of teacher one imagines a “Master” of the martial arts to be. It takes some life experience, some mistakes, some losses, and some mileage on one’s life odometer to accumulate a little "wisdom" (common sense).

In the group of instructors I am a part of, The One Hundred, each of us is listed on this site: www.flavors.me/masterteachers. Each member listed there maintains a “project portfolio,” a record of the things we have done --or are currently doing --that, as the head of the project, Tom Callos, says, “Shows how we take our martial arts out of the dojo and put it to work in the world.”

Some of The One Hundred members are new teachers, so their project portfolios are just getting started, while other teachers on the team are veterans of dozens of remarkable community-based projects.

“In the future,” says Tom Callos, “all martial arts teachers will be judged not only by their physical skills or experience, but by how they’ve applied their ‘mastery’ to things in the world that lives outside of their schools.”

One thing you should definitely expect from every cognizant martial arts teacher is a chance to try his or her classes before making any kind of commitment to attending regularly. Ask for an introductory course (we will provide you with one free of charge), to try some classes before determining whether the school is a place you would like to spend time at.

If and when you’re ready, call, write, or stop by our location, here:

Peter Liciaga/Dinoto Karate Center
127 Ark Road, Mount Laurel NJ 08054
856-235-0414
masterliciaga@dinotokarate.com

For more info about Martial Arts in Mount Laurel go HERE

Obvious and Not-So-Obvious Benefits of Taking Martial Arts Lessons.

There are some obvious benefits that young and old alike garner from studying the martial arts. The first one is in the exercise involved. Exercise, if it’s tailored for the age and ability of the participant, is good for the body, the mind, and, yes, often good for the spirit too.

A not-so-obvious benefit of studying the martial arts is the often unspoken requirement to “be present” in the practice. “When you’re dealing with kicks, punches and self-defense,” says veteran martial arts teacher Peter Liciaga of Mount Laurel, “you simply have to stay ‘in the moment’ to keep from getting punched in the nose. Awareness of what I call, ‘The here and now,” is something you can instantly take off of the mat and put to work in your everyday life.”

With exercise and mindfulness comes a third component that is not a benefit you’ll find in every martial arts school, but it’s something we are deeply involved with. It’s about food and its connection to fitness and health. The Diet Chronicles is a project where a group of martial arts teachers are starting to document, on video, what they eat and how it’s prepared --in an effort to eat more mindfully.

Some of the video journals are being posted to an on-line community based around the book Savor (http://www.savorthebook.com/). Savor is co-written by Harvard nutritionist Dr. Lilian Cheung and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

To see one of the Diet Chronicle videos, click this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3gANPh_RvY

“What we consume is as important and relevant to self-defense in today’s world,” says Liciaga, “as any kind of martial arts technique.”

For more information on using the martial arts to improve the body, mind, and diet, contact Dinoto Karate Center (http://frontpage.tripod.com/liciaga/dinoto_karate.htm), Mount Laurel's martial arts center for adults and children.

Free Bullying E-course

Check out this Free resource from About.com
Bullying – What Parents Should Know About Bullying

This free e-course will be delivered in four lessons, one per day.
Here’s what you’ll learn about preventing and dealing with bullying:

Day One: Bullying and Middle School
Day Two: The Different Types of Bullying
Day Three: All About Victims and Bullies
Day Four: The Effects of Bullying

http://tweenparenting.about.com/c/ec/6.htm