Would it be advisable to teach Karate to young offenders?

[JusticeZero]

They don't JUST do kata though. The kata may be the textbook, but they do the homework problems and whatnot too.

[muttley]

Thinking about it this could be extended to other bits, like investigating the meaning of the Dojo Kun etc

[chrissyp]

Curious as to why no sparring?

[muttley]

Just thinking that by introducing sparring to these from the outset would be asking for trouble. Maybe if it works as a model it can be added to

[JusticeZero]

I do think that some self defense training would help. A lot of delinquents are ensnared in a web of aggression and violence; the issue is that they both receive and deliver violence to different people. It does not help if one helps teach a teenager to better cope with the parent who abuses them, only to help arm them to better injure an innocent victim later. There is a certain stage between the state of mutual abuse and the stage of maturity and confidence in being able to handle whatever the world can dish out where you are just arming someone with better tools to victimize people.

[muttley]

Teaching them self defence and giving them the confidence to not have to carry knives and other weapons as well as the confidence to say no to gangs can only be a good thing can't it? With the amount of kids dying of knife crime here in the UK at the moment it might even save some lives.

[MasterPain]

I've not left the house unarmed for half my life. Thing is, I'm not violent. So the real issue at hand here is whether you can teach them to not be violent. Also, if it is wise to do so by teaching an art involving violence.

Personally, I'd rather these kids were doing art or music or dance.

[JusticeZero]

It may be a good thing in the sum of it, but the concern is that there is a gap between teaching them to be more effective with violence and having them stop committing violence in which you have accomplished 'teaching a violent criminal how to be even more effective'.

[sensei8]

I wouldn't offer any MA instructions to them...for now. The MA requires a great deal of discipline across the board. Therefore, these offenders lack a lot of discipline across the board. They've tried to buck the system, and it landed them right where they rightfully belong; incarcerated!!

Could they learn discipline? Sure. However, it would be a long bumpy up hill climb that might not be worthy of the effort, but, breaking their current mindset would be quite difficult. If the youth offenders a gang banger; their loyalty is to the set they claim, and that would leave you nothing in their eyes. Their gang is their family, and you and your MA is nothing to them. They'll die to protect whatever they claim, and an instructor of the MA would more than likely not earn their respect and/or listen to that MA instructor over their gang. Their discipline is not negotiable. But for any offender to learn the MA will require discipline, and that type of discipline must be correlated to learning the MA and nothing else. Breaking their mindsets muscle memory would be almost impossible at first and at first is where you need to have them willing to learn and listen, and that discipline might not even exist with any youth offender.

Would going old school to try to get their attention or the like work? No. You'll not have a student for sure; you'll have an angry opponent that will be hell-bent determined to get even at any cost, and to not even bother to learn the life lessons that you're trying to teach.

I said at the beginning "for now", and I believe that. It would take an instructor of immense qualities to reach many, if not all offenders at the beginning. Patience, kindness, honesty, guidance, consistency, love, respect, determination, and understanding, to just name a few. These words and many other words can't be taken lightly by a MA instructor for a youth offender. Not all black belts can teach, not all black belt teachers can teach kids/adults, and not all black belt teachers of adults/kids can teach a youth offender the MA.

Making the youth offender accountable across the board will be one the keys to reaching them; not lying will be paramount to the offender if the instructor is going to earn their trust and respect. Telling them exactly their expectations and consequences for not being accountable for their expectations from the start will go much further than barking orders and the like.

A kind action will go much further than a kind word with an offender because action speaks louder than words.

I'd teach youth offenders, but there would have to be an unequivocal understanding of expectations and accountability. I'm for helping and providing as many chances as one might need, but first the offender has to WANT that as well...no, more than me!!

Do you want to teach the MA to youth offenders? Then watch the movie "The Gridiron Gang", make sure you watch the DVD special features to meet the true Sean Porter, and then read about Sean Porter and what he's done with youth offenders. Then if you still want to teach the MA to youth offenders, then do it without any reservations and/or any ambiguity; believe in your abilities and believe in those youth offenders who's life you'll change for the good.

[bushido_man96]

I can see both points of view from ps1 and tallgeese. The main thing for me is that the person being taught has to want to change. If they don't, then no amount of self-discipline and respect that you try to teach them is going to amount to a hill of beans to them. They have to really be feeling a connection to the style you teach them, and that connection has to be so strong to them and create such a desire that they are willing to give up what they were doing in order to replace it with what you are willing to teach them. Many times, that replacement value isn't high to kids like this; especially repeat offenders.

I think it can be a noble attempt to do what is right. Could it work? Sure. I just don't think the success rate would be that high.