Is it ok for martial arts teachers to hit student in the USA?

Question

illinois. my tae kwon do teacher took this kid by his hands into the back, and wacked his hands with some type of a stick because he was misbehaving ALOT in class. can instructors do this?

Answer 1

Malicious punishment should not be an option in ANY Martial Arts instructor's repertoire.  "Discipline" may take many forms, but this type of discipline that your TKD teacher instilled on the student, was beyond acceptable means, no matter how the student was misbehaving.

"Examples".....that is what MA teachers are.  Unfortunately, your teacher has set a bad example that teaches that "discipline means hitting the wrong-doer"/ Rather than punishing bad behavior after-the-fact.....it should be nipped in the bud as soon as the behavior is exhibited. All other students can help in being good examples as well. A stern reprimand may not always work, but there are many other ways to instill proper behavior and discipline improper behavor.  I've found that a student's own peers can sometimes quell improper behavior more than pushups in the corner.

  The issue here is, has the student actually been taught the proper behavior, or was the student left to just follow along with how the others act? Sometimes, students have a hard time learning by observation only, and actually need to have the ettiquette explained to them....not just "do this because i said so", but rather, given an explanation about WHY we're quiet when teacher is speaking, WHY we don't mess around during class, etc.

No, i'm not some "Mr. Rogers-every kid is special" type of teacher. My adults class is geared to discipline-oriented training...but they were informed of that before they even started class.  Kids don't join martial arts because they want to be an MMA star or be able to fight 3 guys in an alley....they join because it looks cool, they have friends that say its alot of fun, or they saw a movie and want to be like the movie character.  As the kids get older and are able to understand their choices of training methods and are able to take stern corrections or training without getting uptight about it, then they're more apt to continue with the adults class. I've seen kids in all types of  martial arts become great technicians and fighters, without having to be hit with a stick if they behaved improperly.

Yes, martial arts is an art that involves fighting, but if that's all someone thinks martial arts is, they're completely missing the point.  Any school that relies solely on corporal punishment will turn out a bunch of ***-kickers, not martial artists.

Answer 2

That is up to the parents of the kid, and frankly between them.

However if it made you feel uncomfortable you can attempt to talk to him about it.

Personally I don't think that physical abuse of this sort is necessary in Martial Arts, I think there are other ways to make your authority felt without having to go all Catholic School Nun on someone's @ss.

Dealing with kids is difficult, especially in a context like this. I think you get far better reactions by making things fun for the kids, and you have longevity, and kids who like coming to class instead of coming because their parents make them.

Morally I don't think this is ok, but ultimately that is between the teacher and the kid's parents as to what level of physical discipline they feel is needed.

Personally I would stomp a mudhole in any teacher's chest that did that to my child. And I grew up in Martial Arts where getting hit with a Shinai was a very real possibility, or getting your butt kicked all over the mat to be taught a lesson in humility was a reality. (I agree with this method, as opposed to the shinai method that has nothing to do with the art... )

To some parents they feel this kind of discipline is ok, and are fine with having a professional (as a Sensei is) administer it.

Without knowing the context, the age or size of the child, the maturity level of the child, or the level of which he hit the kid, it is hard to say if he crossed the line. I personally don't think of humiliation is that big of a tool towards discipline, which most things of this nature are really... but there are some kids that will only respond to this kind of stimulus to wake them up out. I think there are other ways to do this other than some public display like this... but some instructors prefer to make examples out of kids... or just do it because it is all they know and have seen repeated success with it.

I think legally speaking there is a release and fine line with all of that, keep in mind people don't get arrested for "spanking" their children, they get arrested for beating their children, leaving lasting and visible marks, and being an overall hostile environment for a child, and it requires a pretty vigorous amount of documentation and repeated documentation for it to get to that level.

What you describe isn't what I would call child abuse. It is what I personally would deem inappropriate for my child.

Answer 3

They would most likely be liable for it, meaning the could get legal trouble for doing so, unless the parents had signed some kind of a waiver.

Answer 4

No.

But then again who cares about Illinois.

Answer 5

I wouldn't let him get away with that at all.  I would confront him and see what he has to say, but these days parents get in trouble for hitting their kids, so why should this guy get away with it?

Answer 6

I know its illegal for teachers to hit, but instructors...?

Its probably legal but he could possibly be sued for assault.

Answer 7

The kid deserved it, good thing this happened to him, maybe next time he will behave better. This is not yahoo answer law section, its yahoo answers Martial Arts and Discipline>Law.

Answer 8

depends on what the student did, and legaly i think the instructor can do this bc most gyms/ or dojos have u sign away any right to sue them bc basically u are training to fight people so they dont want any chances for lawsuits , i think if the kid has a problem he can tell his parents and they can take him to another dojo, if my Sensei hit me ( not sure why he would) i would probably get over it and learn my lesson

Answer 9

That is way out of line and illegal in any state. If the child's parents were to sure the instructor, he would be in a lot of trouble.

Answer 10

If your gonna get butt-hurt about physical disipline why are yoou even in a dojo?  Its an art of fighting for christ sake.  If you can't deal with people getting physical then find a new hobby.

Answer 11

u didnt specify details , how old is the kid ?

u said wacked ,sounds like he used extreme power

which i doubt ,so im calling u a fraud