Confidence to Withstand Abuse, Bullying and Victimisation

Throughout life, we are confronted with problems and challenges everyday. 

For the most part, we’re able to quickly overcome them without much trouble. 

We either come up with a quick solution, or use a strategy that’s worked in the past. 

Problems become more difficult when there’s no obvious solution or if you’ve never encountered the situation before. 

These problems can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety, and in some cases alter the course of one’s life. 

Consider the following scenarios:

1. A child trying to socialise and fit in at school.
2. An adult dealing with disrespectful bosses and co-workers.
3. A child who is being bullied (physical or online).
4. A woman being encountered by a physical aggressor.
5. You witness a victim of abuse (verbal or physical) in public.

Let me ask you – if you were the person in any of these situations, how confident are you in your ability to handle the situation?

Reflecting upon your values and moral code, would you stand up for yourself/victim or helplessly be victimised?

Of course, ideally, you would try to avoid/prevent the situation from happening in the first place…

But in life, there are things that are just inevitable or out of our control. 

What We CAN Control

With all the problems that we can encounter in life, no matter how big or small, or how life-threatening, it’s our self-confidence in the ability to defuse, control or nullify the problem that separates the “strong” from the “weak”. 

> A confident person will voice their opinion despite the possibility of disagreement or being disliked. 

> A confident child is less likely to be bullied if they stand up for themselves and carry themselves in a way that’s difficult to put down. 

Those who possess self-defense knowledge have a powerful tool to serve them and others in any life situation. 

However, to earn this superpower, you must first shed your fear of failure. 

And there’s no platform in the world that does this better than Jiu-Jitsu. 

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Jiu-Jitsu is not only proven to be one of the most effective self-defense systems in the world, it also holds many subsequent benefits which can be deemed as a real life superpower. We explain why in our other blog post here. 

In a nutshell, Jiu-Jitsu focuses on bringing your opponent to the ground which holds many advantages to those who know the game. 

Techniques used in Jiu-Jitsu heavily focus on body positioning, the use of leverage and strategic movements that allow a smaller but more knowledgeable person to effectively defend against a much larger opponent – and in many cases, without the need to impose significant harm.  

“Between strength and technique, technique wins. If strength and technique are the same, the Spirit wins.” – Miyamoto Musashi. 

Embracing Fear and Failure

The nature of the martial art is an individual sport that requires training partners to practice against. This creates a realistic, live situation where you get to practice techniques in a safe and controlled environment. 

You learn new techniques.

You practice it.

You test it against training partners. 

You fail. 

You learn from your failures and get better. 

By confronting failure on a daily basis, your mentality towards life shifts. 

It changes your outlook on challenges and difficult situations. 

You begin to let go of the fear of failure and embrace it as a learning opportunity, and accept it as part of the process. 

This consistent cycle of try, fail and success unlocks unshakable confidence and empowerment to advocate for yourself in ANY situation or relationship on OR off the mats.