UFC icon Georges St-Pierre claims martial arts will help children overcome bullying: ‘I think that’s how we get out of bullying’

UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre believes confidence is key in deterring bullies, and there is no better confidence builder than martial arts.

According to the website DoSomething.org, 1 in 5 students between the ages of 12-18 has been bullied. 160,000 kids have skipped school at some point to avoid being bullied. As a result, students who reported that they were frequently bullied scored lower in multiple subjects, including reading, mathematics, and science.

So how do we fix this?

Speaking with BangTao MMA — the premiere Muay Thai and MMA training center in Phuket, Thailand during a Q&A session, the former welterweight world champion shared how he was able to overcome being bullied as a child.

“I started doing karate at a very young age because I was a victim of bullying at school. Every week I was getting beat up at school. I was a kid who grew up with a lot of anger. I didn’t have a lot of friends and my parents saw I was taking a very bad path. My dad started to teach me [karate], but he was very busy and we didn’t have a lot of money so my dad decided to send me to a karate school.

“I think that’s how we get out of bullying. I did not get out of bullying because I beat up all my bullies. I got rid of bullying because… I remember I wanted to change as a kid. I was looking at myself in the mirror and I did not like what I was seeing but I could see how I could change my environment. I had a dream of being someone different. The way to get out for me was through martial arts and karate, it helped me gain the confidence to carry myself differently.

“I used to be very shy. They taught me in the academy to change everything. Stand up straight when I talk to people, when I shake someone’s hand, a firm handshake, and look them in the eyes.”

Georges St-Pierre Turned his Bully-Deterrent Into a Lifelong Career

In recent years, multiple combat sports gyms have been doing their part to help children who have suffered the indignity of being bullied at school. BJJ icon Tom DeBlass kickstarted a campaign called Buddies over Bullies, a nationwide antibullying outreach organization that aims to provide “sensible solutions for those being bullied.”

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu has also unveiled its Gracie Bullyproof program which teaches children to use verbal assertiveness to deter bullies and several non-violent self-defense techniques to stay safe if physically assaulted.

Bullies in society are like animals,” St-Pierre continued. “The lion will always hunt the weakest animal in the group, and they never go against the alpha if they don’t have to. Bullies are the same. They go against the weak as they are an easy target. I was very weak, but when I started changing myself from the inside out and carried myself with more confidence it transformed my environment.

“I had to fight a few times but I did not get revenge on everyone who had hurt me. Well, maybe one or two times. I was able to defend and get the upper hand but there are a lot more times when I was young where I got beaten up. When I got the upper hand. So my [fight] record in the street when I was in school was not very good, but what I mean is, if kids are victims of bullying, what is important is that they are able to find confidence. I found confidence through martial arts, from karate and that transformed into a passion and it’s how I earn my living now.”