The Peacemakers program uses modified martial arts in its training. Based on common misconceptions of martial arts, some people may ask, “Aren’t you teaching something violent to prevent violence?”

Martial arts are not what they seem. They are commonly misconceived as promoting violent aggression due to Hollywood action films and some who misuse martial arts. Contrary to popular misconceptions, those who are aggressive, take the offensive, or use excessive force, fail to uphold the way of martial arts. As Sensei Funakoshi, the founder of modern Karate, stated, “the essence of karate is nonviolence.” In keeping with their origins with religious monks to protect themselves and others, the best of martial arts have as their essence nonviolence, empowering people with a philosophy of peace, and a system for counteracting violence. More than merely restraining violence, martial arts offer a proven way to reduce aggression, increase self-control, and form respect for others. The only “fighting” that martial arts encourages is that of conquering the enemies within us—our fear, anger, and inner conflicts.

As a system of physical defense, the way martial arts work can be understood in light of our physiological reaction to threat. When we are threatened with harm, our instinctive reaction for self-defense is fight or flight. Rooted in fear and/or anger, these instinctive reactions cause us to strike or submit, retaliate or withdraw. In situations where our fear or anger is sufficiently aroused, the forebrain of higher cognitive functioning shuts down and the aggressive instincts of the midbrain take over, prompting irrational fight and flight reactions that escalate the vicious cycle of violence.

Counteracting this destructive cycle, martial arts helps us learn to face threat with awareness, courage, and self-control. Confidence gained in this circumvents the primitive flight or flight mechanism, thereby enabling us to respond more constructively to transform hostile aggression that feeds on fear. Only in this confident moment can we then employ nonviolent methods to stop violence before it starts. In other words, because we cannot think clearly when our fists are clenched, martial arts teach us to calm down, gain control, and open our hands so we can use our heads in response to threat. The non-anxious presence from one’s courage and self-confidence alone often has a disarming effect on hostility.

If mental self-defense fails to defuse the threat and physical action is necessary, martial arts teach physical self-defense techniques of escapes, blocks, strikes, takedowns, and holds to counteract violence. These techniques equip students with a range of options for various threats. Such training is controlled by a code of conduct that has as its guiding principle the use minimum effective force to restrain violence and promote peace. The code of conduct, to which students commit themselves, specifies:

Seek to do no harm. Use my head before my hands to resolve conflict peacefully.  If confronted with physical aggression, I will:  avoid rather than block:  block rather than stun;  stun rather than injure;  for to use excessive force makes me a violent offender

The first step in the code is clear—try to stop violence before it begins by nonphysical means. Beyond the rule of this code, instruction in Peacemakers is enriched with teaching on peacemaking and conflict transformation. This is what enables youth with choices and the means for nonviolent responses to aggression and empowers them to become peacemakers.