Should self-defense be a required part of the curriculum?

[Machjo]

Martial arts and shooting would be a lot better for PE than silly games that involve chasing pieces of rubber across fields and floors.

I do believe in education killing two birds with one stone whenever possible owing to time constraints. Martial arts would help with fitness, self-defense, self-discipline, respect for self and others, concentration and, depending on the martial art, possibly basic gymnastics and/or theatrical performance.

Show me a sport than can achieve all those goals simultaneously.Sure some sports can acheive most of those results, but not all of them.

As for shooting though, I'd be worried of any possible damage to hearing, which could lead to other social costs down the road. I'm not against shooting lessons in school, but I do think this would be something worth looking into before supporting such a thing.

There's an old Korean proverb that goes, "The measure of a civilization is how little its citizens need to know about self defense".

Bear in mind though that martial arts are not only about self-defense. To take tai chi chuan for example, it can also be used for general health and fitness, sporting competitions, and theatre among other things. Just watch a tai chi chuan solo performance and the aesthetics of it alone are beautiful. Why not leave it to the teacher to decide which aspect of the martial art to emphasize in accordance with student interest?

 

[taxslave]

There's an old Korean proverb that goes, "The measure of a civilization is how little its citizens need to know about self defense".

So are you saying that North Korea is a civilized country? Your standards must be a little lower than mine.

 

[Omicron]

So are you saying that North Korea is a civilized country? Your standards must be a little lower than mine.

:roll: I didn't say North Korea, as in the nation... I said Korean, as in the civilization... and I said *old* proverb, as in something that's obviously been around longer than those two infant nations occupying the Korean peninsula now.

 

[Machjo]

So are you saying that North Korea is a civilized country? Your standards must be a little lower than mine.

No, I don't think he was saying anything about North Korea at all. I think he was just saying that the proverb he was using comes from there.

 

[ironsides]

Your thoughts?

I voted the second option above, though I could have voted for the first one too. I suppose my thought is that some kind of self-defene training is reqired, but do feel a litle uncomfortable with firearms training in school. That said, if others pushed for firearms instruction in school, I'd likely not put up much resistance if any.

A good self defence traing class would be very good, A good source of exercise, and can be fun as you lose weight.

 

[Spade]

1 Samuel 17:40 KJV
"And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine."

All children need to be taught is that if you have the stones, you can stand up to any Philistine!

 

[JLM]

Martial arts and shooting would be a lot better for PE than silly games that involve chasing pieces of rubber across fields and floors.

I think probably a little of each would good. :smile:

1 Samuel 17:40 KJV
"And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine."

All children need to be taught is that if you have the stones, you can stand up to any Philistine!

Do we have many of those in Canada? :smile:

 

[gopher]

In the States all school districts are often complaining about the lack of money. Therefore, I don't see how adding to the curriculum will be affordable.

Still, it's a good idea to teach self defense to kids. My nephew got bullied in school and his father got so mad that he sent him to karate school. A week later, the bully chickened out of a fight and my nephew never had a problem with bullies in school after that. If I had kids that's what I would so as well.

 

[JLM]

In the States all school districts are often complaining about the lack of money. Therefore, I don't see how adding to the curriculum will be affordable.

Still, it's a good idea to teach self defense to kids. My nephew got bullied in school and his father got so mad that he sent him to karate school. A week later, the bully chickened out of a fight and my nephew never had a problem with bullies in school after that. If I had kids that's what I would so as well.

I'm just wondering if every kid had karate lessons, would the same kids still be the bullies?

 

[karrie]

In the States all school districts are often complaining about the lack of money. Therefore, I don't see how adding to the curriculum will be affordable.

Still, it's a good idea to teach self defense to kids. My nephew got bullied in school and his father got so mad that he sent him to karate school. A week later, the bully chickened out of a fight and my nephew never had a problem with bullies in school after that. If I had kids that's what I would so as well.

You're assuming you wouldn't be raising the bully.

 

[gopher]

Success in martial arts is based on discipline. If anything, bullies will be taught to mend their ways.

 

[petros]

Every kid should be taught how to hoof a diddler teacher in the nuts.

 

[gopher]

Touché!

 

[ansutherland]

I do not support the idea of martial arts training is school. I do not think that public education is the proper forum for such training and that academics should be the main focus. That being said, I do like the idea of conscription. Though I would have dreaded the idea of it when it was my turn, I think it is a good character building and skill teaching exercise for young men. It also serves to militarily train every single man in the country for military duty, should the country need it sometime in the future.

 

[JLM]

I do not support the idea of martial arts training is school. I do not think that public education is the proper forum for such training and that academics should be the main focus. That being said, I do like the idea of conscription. Though I would have dreaded the idea of it when it was my turn, I think it is a good character building and skill teaching exercise for young men. It also serves to militarily train every single man in the country for military duty, should the country need it sometime in the future.

Yep, times were much simpler when schooling consisted of the 3 R's, but I think those days are gone, I think all skills conducive to a safe, successful and productive life should be taught. I see far too many young people these lacking in life skills, the majority can't handle money properly, not to mention are obese, unhealthy and in poor shape. I don't think a little marshall arts would do any harm, and I think everyone should be cognizant in the safe and proficient use and handling of fire arms. As far as conscription goes, I'm not for it. Why waste time and money on those whose hearts aren't in it? I don't see where training people to kill people builds character- jails are full of people like that. Much more important though that a person be able to defend himself and his family. :smile::smile:

 

[gopher]

No conscription. It is just a waste of government money. Besides, now that both genders would be involved, it would be even more expensive to administer.

 

[Omicron]

http://tunes.digitalock.com/princeigor.mp3 <<--Click on this for soundtrack)

This thread triggered something in my noggin to start me mulling more than I thought it would; I dropped in, made a comment, moved on, and thought that was that, but something in the back of my head wouldn't stop chewing.

*Sigh*, okay, so I'm back, to deal with it.

In the first place, when I was a kid, we *did* have martial arts training. It was called wrestling, and for the hot kids, boxing.

We all took it, compulsory, and as far as I can tell it didn't damage my personality one little bit. Other things did, but not wrestling in gym. If nothing else it taught me when jock-straps make sense to use.

You wouldn't know what a statement that is to make unless you also knew that I'm pretty sure I was holding the annual record in my age group for skinniest kid in the province. The only thing holding me to the ground in the windy part of the country I was living in was the good fortune of having half-body weight in my feet.

After all the lessons there came time for practice-playoffs, and so the gym teacher matched us up (I still remember the name of the character I was matched with) and I figured I was doomed.

So, I remember kicking into instinct mode, and didn't do bad... might have had something to do with how disputes between me and my brothers sometimes got settled in my family behind our parent's back.

I not only survived, but I got a better score than several other guys whom I thought superior. Trust me pals, it surprised me more than anyone.

So, okay, teach martial arts in school, but in my school wrestling was taught as a necessary thing that was done like holding a kid down and opening his mouth to show him he could drink Buckly's Mixture.

Can you imagine martial arts training in a school today?

"Any not tying the bandanna to his forehead correctly looses two points."

Frikin' artifacts of marketing and television telling our kids what to expect as disciplined teaching and training... and you watch... if the marketers are called to task they'll blame it on "the system".

In the mean time we have a border and a civilization and at least a place to live while the rest of the world goes to hell in a hand-bucket, so will somebody tell me why we should waste it and piss it away?!? >urch... internal brain discipline stops himself from getting into a rant<

Now, unto the issue of firearm training.

I got my first (and only) 22 when I was five. That's the kind of parents I had... both of whom are probably the only two members of my family guaranteed to get to heaven. It was a light Belgian unit, *with* a scope. That's the kind of dad I had.

The catch was I could not load-and-shoot it until I could figure out how to take it apart, clean it, and put it back together.

I didn't get to shoot it until I was eight. It was a coyote, in a province paying bounty on coyote tails. My finger goes up to anyone who wants to deak me about what it feels like to be rich after getting $15 as an eight year old in the early sixties. My parents, who *are* going to go to heaven, did the bureaucratic work which they let me watch, and handed it all to me, minus tithe to the Church.

Uh, I don't want to get into how I know what the war of 1812 was about, but...

http://tunes.digitalock.com/inlovewithmycar.mp3

(By the way...

Is anyone curious to know what the Taliban problem is?

After Buddha put out his word He took over the sub continent... wiping out the effects of Hinduism, but about 600 years the south-Asian east-Indians fascists did rage with ideas of fascism and did a war on its people leading to the Hindi version of India that we see today.

A Small little outpost of Buddhism hung out in Sri Lanka, who are pissed off about being the onlu outpost of Buddhism to have survived the Hindu resurrection.

Now some sad little puppy-dog tailed Hindus come to us saying, "Let use in", when in fact the Buddhist government would say to them, "Go back to India".

Then they say, "But our (fascist) Indian bretheren will not let us back into their overpopulate sub-continent.

And the government of Sri-Lanka says, "Are you out of your mind? It's because you're dicks. You're just a bunch of petty little Hindu's with the IQ of a hamster too small for a cobra to strike."

They say, "Canada will take us".

I got an idea.

(and this is what makes Bearass choke because he's from Montreal where all anybody has to do is be an asshole)

I have consulted with Charles... and he says that according to order I am so far not cut off.

What if I explained to you nit-wits and all lovely females that there is a way to make money with climate change upon the announcement of Bill Gates and Warren buffet how they have natural human conciseness and I bet you've been so tyrannized by the mentality of the CDNBear idiots to speak.

Now, let's look at it this way: If climate were to change to the extent that the ice-caps on both poles melted you good women could follow good guys, and it would be a lolly-day as you worked through the chaos insolong as you logically love each other, right?

That is the basis of the peace treaty we must make with Russians when they find themselves with a sea too.

It is going to take so much capacity to move and get along and addapt and grown food wherever you get and keep out the evil.

Now... the secret: Prophesies are only predictions of where things will keep going if allowed to continue the way they are going, like the Moth-man prophesies, where they gor Neutonian until a human thought does that thing on the neurological level pusing things onto the quantum level enableing dumb matter to act that way without free thought.

Its a quantum mechanical thing versus Newtonian mechanics, and in as much as it is an interesting mystery how electrons spinning one way can make the subjective sense of red, so also spinning another way it can make blue, in as much as it is possible for it to not only have emotional feelings but for it to tie my emotions into a state where if I have killed anything wrongly I call upon the Church to tell me so...

I want to see @#$%ing Qubeque get it's nuts together and challenge me.

*hick*

Oh ****, I got off thread, didn't I.

Well I still mean it.

http://tunes.digitalock.com/princeigor.mp3

call emotions into a state where if I have killed anything wrongly I call upon the Church to tell me so

Take that part out. Bad writing.

If I ever kill anything and feel like I might have made a mistake it's going to take something like the Jesuits to rationalize it... upon which point... if they can't... then I'm going to have to pray to the Arch-Angels (which I can do because I'm human) and last time I checked only Tirial would have a fit if I did anyting wrong, and he's the archangel of bikers.

*hick*

In the mean time... ******... our civilization is collapsing without Quebec.

Crap! ****ing bog frogs.

I am the only person capable of delivering a form of entertainment that will have french Canadians rolling on the floor but I am not going to do it unless they ask me.

Then perhaps we can find some peace.

Hmm... to get them to ask me I might have to offer some money.