As any new learner wants to practice his/her art, I too was curious to apply my karate knowledge to show how tough I was. So, I gave into my urge - and vented out at the age of 10 when I beat up a kid in the school playground. But till today (I mean after approximately 40 years later) the incident is nothing more than a matter of disgrace to me. Can you guess why? My Sensei had taught me to use my skill in self defense only and the kid whom I beat was a girl - though older than me. To escape I bunked my Karate class for two weeks.

The outcome was my father took me to Takasan, my Sensei. To my utter astonishment Takasan too did the same thing in his childhood. In a small quarrel with another child he broke up his arm. His Sensei in turn broke both arms of my Sensei's. In contemporary era this thing is not possible but the incident occurred over some 70 years ago when my Sensei was a child like me. The incident took place in Japan where corporal punishment was usual.

It was an unforgettable lesson of my Sensei's life. His father had to take care of him for some months - to feed him, get him dressed, even to the bathroom, etc.

Getting back to the point, every child will not be turned into a bully just because he/she knows karate. It is the teaching that matters a lot in shaping up the personality of your child. Children only resort to violence to impose superiority. If it is not detected and corrected at an early age it will surely lead to turning your lovely flower into a thorny bush.

When I was ten and made a mistake, I too, like other kids of that age hid rather than apologizing to the girl, my father and my Sensei. Still, I have not let myself become a bully. I do not hit back anyone to show off my superiority. In fact most kids thought I was a little kid and couldn't defend myself.

In a nutshell, I would like to say if you are worried about your child becoming a bully for his possession of the knowledge regarding how to defend himself, you think that he will harm people around, then please do some research first. Find a good, centered, respectful Sensei, a Dojo that teaches respect for others along with martial art tactics. Help your child to become a better person with inner strength and ability.

Philip Wylie truly said:

"One good teacher in a lifetime may sometimes

change a delinquent into a solid citizen."