Judo as a Form of Bullying Prevention Among Teenagers

From the point of view of modern society, the 21st century is characterized as an era of higher technologies, rapidly changing social, economic, ecological conditions, as well as technical progress, which has led to a number of negative changes. These include a sedentary lifestyle, disorder of leisure and working regime, emphasis on individuality, absence of space and time limits, etc., which determine the manifestation of a negative emotional state. These changes have an impact on various age, gender, social, and professional aspects, promoting negative emotional states as well as deviant behavior. Bullying behavior is among them. In spite of the fact that many studies have been made on the problem of bullying since the 1970s, the problem has not been solved, but rather it has spread to different and larger age groups. Bullying carries physical, psychological, and social characteristics. It can be manifested in the format of brawls, fights, isolation, or money embezzlement, among others. Bullying is characterized by systematization and continuousness. Bullying is executed by three sides: aggressor, victim and observer, each with his/her own psychological characteristics.

The aim of this research was to study the role of structural and functional elements of judo, as a sport discipline, in the system of bullying prevention and correction. The Bullying Structure method, which provides an opportunity to identify the five roles of the bullying system: aggressor (provocateur), victim, assistant, defender, observer, was used. The study involved 60 adolescent alumni from secondary and sports schools. Thirty-five teenagers from the public secondary school and 25 judokas of sports schools practicing judo for more than three years were randomly selected.

It was found that among the teenagers’ bullying system all types of roles are present: bullies, victims, helpers, defenders, and observers. Significant differences were identified in the structural and functional components of bullying among teenagers in secondary schools and Judokas. The results of the intergroup analysis showed that the number of victims and helpers among teenagers in secondary schools not training in judo is significantly higher than among teenagers training in judo. The results of the comparative analysis indicate that judo plays a key role in bullying prevention among teenagers. Based on the research results it is proposed to include judo as an alternative to physical education in secondary schools, or to include technical elements from judo in the program of physical education.