It was shocking to watch the Netfilx drama 'Adolescence' recently. It was even more shocking to then read about the parents of a teenage boy whose aggressive and violent behaviour has torn their family apart. Sadly, ‘Adolescence’ has exposed a reality that is pervading families all over the country, regardless of class or background. And it’s being driven by social media and online influencers – our children are at risk of being immersed in radical, misogynistic messaging. The result is an increasing rate of gender-based violence by younger and younger children.

‘Adolescence’ raised so many questions. And rightly so. The good thing is that awareness has been raised – it’s brought issues into the public eye and sparked debate and conversation. The downside is recognition that, as a society, we are woefully under-prepared to deal with this type of crisis.

How clubs like Krav Generation can help

Whilst the traditional routes to help and support may be overwhelmed and underfunded, there are alternatives that can help children and young people develop a strong moral code and teach respect for others. Boxing has always been a sport that instils discipline – throw a punch outside of the ring and you’re dropped from the club, boxers train according to a strong code of conduct.

This is also true of self-defence clubs and through classes for children and teenagers, Krav Generation is doing everything within our power to address the kind of issues that ‘Adolescence’ has exposed and brought into the limelight.

Adolescence is a critical time for children and their development as they move towards becoming adults. It’s a rapid period of growth – physically, emotionally, cognitively. Puberty can hit hard, many youngsters struggle with their identity, emotions can be all over the place and peer relationships are critical for acceptance, there is a need to belong to a group. Alongside this, they are developing cognitive skills – abstract thinking, problem-solving, critical thinking. It’s a time at which they are both impressionable and vulnerable and, thanks to social media, there are so many outside influences that can shape them.

We help children understand what is right and wrong. We teach them what self-defence actually is and identify the point at which use of the skills they are learning cross over to violence ie it can no longer be considered an act of self-defence and/or the force used is disproportionate to the threat. In our classes we instil discipline, which helps them understand levels of control – should a dangerous situation arise they know how to remain calm and level-headed instead of over-reacting.

Our kids’ classes provide a positive experience and a supportive environment

Working in mixed age groups helps our students develop compassion, patience and, again, self-control. They develop friendships, they learn to trust each other. There is a real sense of camaraderie in our classes and the bond between everyone, instructors included, creates a safe environment in which everyone feels they can ask questions or start discussions about various topics.

Our students mix and work as a team. Whilst it’s very normal for friends to navigate towards working with each other, we actively encourage boys to work with girls, older to work with younger. In that way we are helping them to learn how to treat others with respect and to look after each other in training. Instilling this in our younger members, this approach helps to establish good morals, with the ultimate aim stamping out violence towards women, to those who are weaker, younger or smaller. Krav Generation and self-defence training shows how everyone is valued for who they are, that everyone brings something positive to the table.

Krav Generation instructors know how to get the best out of children

Just as we believe our students have a responsibility towards each other, we have a huge responsibility to our students. All our instructors are qualified to teach self-defence to children. This means they have learnt about the psychology of children’s minds, how they think and how their bodies will react to a situation. And having a mix of female and male instructors helps young minds learn to respect people regardless of gender, because all our instructors have the same ability.

At Krav Generation we teach children as young as four-years-old. Whilst we can’t claim to be able to positively shape a child to develop into a non-violent, respectable young person, we can help to influence their attitudes by teaching right from wrong and the difference between self-defence and violence.

As parents, we all want the best for our children and to see them grow into decent adults. But, with so many outside influences that we simply can’t control, navigating that path seems to be increasingly more challenging for both parents and kids alike. Getting involved in healthy activities outside of the school day and outside of their friendship groups can be so positive. It helps to relieve the day-to-day pressure children may be caught up in and mixing with a different crowd might just help them become more discerning about negative behaviours.

Would your child like to try self-defence with Krav Generation?

It could be the start of more time away from their phone, tablet or computer. Why not sign up for a free taster session today!