By Rich Tenorio
SOMERVILLE, MA - Teaching children and adults how to deal with bullies, a Union Square martial arts studio is working on anti-bullying programs for this year.
At Villari’s Self-Defense Center of Somerville, Master Brad Rogers began the year with anti-bullying programs on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Almost 20 people attended, with the majority being children. The session lasted for over two hours.
Master Rogers, who holds a fifth-degree black belt in Shaolin Kempo Karate, called bullying a “huge” problem in the US today.
“People take their lives over it,” he said. “A lot of people are handling it the wrong way. Everyone’s focus is on the problem -- bullying -- instead of the solution -- behaviors that deter bullying. Nobody needs to bully anymore if everybody’s friends.”
School bullying is prohibited under Section 370 of Chapter 71 of the Massachusetts General Laws.
It seems that in general, learning karate helps the students of Villari’s avoid being bullied. Master Rogers said that “I don’t see much of it” among students, and added, “People coming here are dealing with it in better ways, gaining confidence.”
Villari’s Self-Defense Centers were founded by Fred Villari, who was inducted into the World Grandmasters Martial Arts Hall of Fame as Great Grandmaster of the 20th Century.
At Villari’s of Somerville, children and adults learn Shaolin Kempo Karate -- a mixture of Chinese and Japanese martial arts, Western boxing and Mongolian wrestling -- through weekly classes, progressing in ranks from white belt to black belt.
“You learn something difficult, tackle it, make it your own, it gives you confidence,” Master Rogers said.
On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the students of Villari’s learned specific strategies to deal with bullies.
The session began with Master Rogers asking if anyone had experienced bullying.
“A couple kids told me (they had),” he said.
After a discussion on bullying, the students participated in interactive activities. In a role-playing game, they took on the roles of a bully, a target and a bystander or witness.
“Most kids had a hard time being a bully, which is a good thing,” Master Rogers noted.
Master Rogers then talked about finding solutions to bullying, including “being more friendly and inclusive to people, making friends, focusing on what you want in school to make it a better place.”
The students then participated in activities that taught about self identification and group identification.
“There was a lot of bravery,” Master Rogers said.
The children who attended ranged in age from five to 14 years old, with a 60:40 girls to boys ratio.
“Every kid there was engaged the whole time,” Master Rogers said. “It was a good event.”
Master Rogers said that in the past, several of his students have faced bullying issues.
“One of our students was being bullied at school,” he said. “He changed schools … He was starting to grow up some. It started happening again at his new school. This time, believed himself worth standing up for.
“Our student put the (bully) on the ground three times in a row, using no punches and no kicks. That was the end of it for that day. Then it was the same kid, same result. It was the last time he was bullied.”
The students of Villari’s are now gearing up for the 2015 Medway Classic Tournament in Medway, Mass. on March 28. Master Rogers is also planning more anti-bullying programs.
Villari’s of Somerville is located at 54 Union Square in Somerville. For more information, call (617) 625-5070, visit http://www.villarisomerville.com/ or “like” the school on Facebook.
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