I was working out, martial art, at the local gym, when this guy near me, turned around and asked, “Hey man, you into Tae Kwon Do?"

I was wearing my Black Belt graduation sweater. “Yeah. How about yourself?”

“I am an instructor in karate at a state prison in northern New York. It works very well with the prisoners. I mean, like it has a very positive effect on them.”

“Oh yeah. I’ll tell you. It has a very positive effect on me.”

This karate instructor went on to say, “Yeah. When I was a teenager, martial arts was the only thing that helped me. I was on drugs and ran around with some bad company. Religion, counselors, you name it, just didn’t work with me. But, believe me, karate put a positive grip on me. It turned my whole life around.”

We soon ended our conversation and continued on with our workout.

Chuck Norris, the world famous actor, action hero, and ex-champion kick boxer does the same thing with young people. He helps them gain their self-respect, esteem and integrity through the teaching of martial arts.

I believe the reason it is so effective with juvenile delinquents is because of FEAR. The majority of these kids have been traumatized with fear and or some form of abuse. In order to face and deal with this fear they use the defense mechanism of tough guy or gal.

Starting out, young people gravitate to the martial arts because they want to learn to fight well. You know, to protect themselves and if necessary, hit on others. After they are in it for awhile, they learn getting into fights is the very last thing a student wants to do. I am talking about schools and Instructors that subscribe to the Traditional Way. (To be continued)Stand For Your Greatness