Situation Analysis Detroit Public Schools is in a transitional process striving for improvement. As budget challenges force retirement of seasoned teachers and unemployment for others, resources and extracurricular activities share a fate of extinction. Courses that promote creativity to produce young writers, musicians and artist and programs that build inner strength, discipline, teaming and socialization such as physical education are eliminated or severely scaled down. According to an interview with Mrs. Cohen, UAW representative of Hamilton Elementary, $10,000 is required to educate each student, but Detroit Public Schools is receiving $7,000 per student. Although, the program “No Child Left Behind” was enacted to give children equal opportunity despite extraordinary circumstantial, academic and environmental conditions, inner-city students are beginning their educational endeavor discounted and disadvantaged. Educators are frustrated, many parents are uninvolved, and the children are angry and becoming more violent daily. Regular episodes of physical violence plague Detroit Public Schools; thus, a new channel such as Martial Arts needs integration into the school system to redirect instability.
The Need School violence has negatively impacted the learning process and has forced the federal and state governments to enact programs for safer schools. According to Kym Worthy, prosecutor of Wayne County, “School violence is an issue that has plagued America for years (Detroit Public Schools).” Therefore, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and the Safe Schools Program implemented a $41.7 million initiative to address school violence, truancy and safety. This program works with 17 schools to establish anti-bullying hotlines, sex offender registries, teen courts, safe school zones and more. In addition, the Wayne county Office of Violence Reduction, in conjunction with Detroit Public Schools, piloted a conflict resolution program in several middle schools (Bynum, T). Further, to improve parent involvement, the Kellogg Foundation along with parents and community leaders launched a Title I initiative, a $1.2 million grant for parent training workshops and training camps. Meanwhile, Detroit Public Schools’ Athletic Program received a $3 million cut along with other budgetary cuts in FY 2012 (Detroit Public Schools). The funding used for transportation, coaches, referees and umpires was reduced and students must pay higher fees to participate in sports. The Athletic program is historically known as a deterrent to school violence. Currently, the general student population is 60, 568 and 5,792 special education students. The following is a mini-snapshot of the current budget is:
Revenue for the FY 2012 $1,037,494,733
Operating Budget $1,237,494, 733
Long term Revenue Bonds $200,000,000
General Purpose Deficit $327,299,265
Purchased and Contract Services $192,732,125
Total Budget $925,716,109
*(Detroit Public Schools)
Further, the district plans to close 30 schools in FY 2011, 40 schools in FY 2012, and 30 schools in FY 2013 to educate 58,570 students in 72 schools. Some of the funds allotted to nonviolence programs can be utilized for the Athletic Program, or these programs can integrate Martial Arts as a nonviolent tool for the betterment of Detroit Public Schools. In other school districts such as Charlotte, North Carolina, California, and in Ohio, Martial Arts Training is was introduced as an “After School” program. In Charlotte, the after-school program “Peaceful Dragons” is geared to teach harmony and balance for the mind, body and spirit. The organizers believe Martial Arts will prevent bullying and encourage respect, tolerance and compassion. The program is designed with a structured setting for studying and tutoring on a weekly or monthly basis. Martial Arts are a proactive measure with an abundance of benefits. These benefits include:
Better manners
Self discipline
Goal-setting skills
Time management skills
Leadership skills
Study Skills
Improved Behavior and More respect
Concentration and Focus
Weight Loss
Reduced Stress and Anxiety Integration of this type of program within the Detroit Public School district will be beneficial for the student population and pivotal in improving relationships between students, parents, educators and community leaders.

SWOT Analysis According to martial art school literature, physical education helps students personally develop as the brain functions better, and physical education helps students develop social skills related to relationships with others (McAley, 2011). Dr. Samuel Heastie (2011) stated (paraphrased) that confidence is crucial for learning. This is an example that learning and teaching are dependent on teaching skills and the development of confidence (Slavin, 2009). Educational policies are based on empirical research. Thus, in order to implement martial arts within school curriculum, evidence needs to support a positive correlation between martial arts and improved learning and behavior, martial arts and improved self-confidence, and self-confidence and improved learning. These studies are hard to come by in U.S. academic research. Thus it limits Martial Arts from being able to be taught in school curriculum. Why isn’t Martial Arts a part of every schools curriculum? Racism and religious preferences are things that ethical researchers can believe, but not report. Yet, the effects of Hollywood symbolism are shown in this first study that creates a negative outlook on the subject of martial arts. One can argue against what is conventionally taught in U.S. physical educational programs. The mention of Japan measures confidence in academic environments as it relates to Japan’s changing social world, and a changing cultural representation within school classrooms. Yet, Martial Arts is an alternative sport and it is making its way in schools through clubs. Winchester High School’s physical education teacher and martial art instructor states that martial art curriculum motivates school attendance, and the nature of the sport promotes self-learning (Bratcher, 2008). Self-learning, according to Slavin (2009), can assist in academic confidence. This self-learning is done as students all teach each other in the practice room. Martial Arts can be present in the classroom without physical activity. Thirty-eight public schools in Texas implemented Master Chuck Norris’ Kick Drugs out of America program, and one school in Colorado implemented a similar program. Professor James Erekson (2008) has published a study of this program with positive results, showing that students improved in the classroom. This program at the Gunnison Middle School was mainly done in sitting classrooms. Martial Art concepts are expressed by Master John Matthew Klein, a martial art teacher, and club owner. He has listed 20 ways martial arts build’s a student’s confidence:
“Martial Arts can contribute to learning body postures, eye contact, and other movements typical of a confident student. The teacher engages in play with the children, thus making them feel valuable. Martial art practice is fun, thus encourages adult communication. Martial Art principles will carry over into areas of academic study, including the classroom. Martial Arts teaching include constant praise for abilities, thus building confidence. Teachers help students lose ‘labels’ such as ‘fat.’ Students gain confidence through self-learning and thus can be more confident in times of pressure. By giving a child responsibility, they become more confident. This is done in group-teachings as higher belts teach lower belts. It builds assertiveness, a key ingredient in self-confidence. The teaching is rewarded throughout the process, rather than an end result such as graduation. It helps overcome negative self-talk. It teaches to learn to accept mistakes as a part of learning. Students learn limits and boundaries because strict rules in the practice room are understood by the students-- for their own safety. Students observe openly how other students learn. Students learn to repel bullies; thus they feel safer in the classroom, and their basic needs (Maslow) are met (Klein, 2008).” Since it has been so difficult to incorporate martial arts into our public school systems, many programs are outside of the traditional classroom. Yet, several schools and their teachers are quite aware that confidence expands with martial art practice and transforms into the classroom as well as in real-life and future vocations. Sensei Rick Tew has developed an alternative program for high school dropouts and home schooled children. He writes that his program teaches leadership skills and builds self-confidence. These leadership skills are present in the way that students teach each other, and avoid and can effectively confront bullies (Tew, 2010). Bullying is something very common in Japan (Schneider & Silverman, 2010).
Competition
As we look into the world of martial arts we are entering a known tradition that has a long history. Here we will find mysteries, feats of supernatural strength, energetic students and wise teachers. "True karate is this: that in daily life one's mind and body is trained and developed in a spirit of humility, and that in critical times, one can be devoted utterly to the cause of justice." (Funakoshi, 2007)” is widely considered the primary "father" of modern karate due to his efforts to introduce the Okinawa art to mainland Japan”.
In its broadest sense, the martial arts refer to a type of combat technique, often involving hand and foot combat. The most important thing to know about martial arts is that they are healthy and peaceful actives. As you learn about the history of martial artist we will see that true martial artist do not want to hurt anyone or have violence in their lives, but work not to have conflict in our lives. Some of the more popular martial arts are Tae Kwan Do, Judo, Kickboxing, and Karate. Each of these stresses the art form of the discipline itself. Through repeated practice of moves, steps, punches, and kicks, students of these martial arts develop, grace, strength, and mental discipline. Martial Arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat that are practiced for a variety of reasons, including self defense self awareness, self confidence, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental, physical and spiritual development.
‘There are some things to consider when looking for the best fit of martial arts’ (Roussgau, 2008) In determining the marketing identity of the benefits, that have been mention above, is to convince prospective schools, parents and student that my pros pal is right for them. While some focus on using one's feet to attack or disarm an opponent, our martial arts concentrate on the use of one's hands or making throws to render an opponent useless and promote self protection. Product/Service Offering The roots of Kenpo and Karate can both be traced to 5th century BC, and carries a great deal of mystery with it. Kenpo teachings first started in Shaolin temple and were considered a necessary art form to lead one along the "path of enlightenment." Karate developed primarily as a form of fist combat, and the teaching of Karate instructors still focus on the truth, that most martial arts styles utilize techniques found in others, are the popularity of mixed martial arts found in tournaments, many schools are simply labeling the teaching and utilization of several martial arts styles together as mixed martial arts. Still, the term MMA generally refers to training to compete in a sports style of martial arts that allows for grappling, stand up fighting, takedowns/throws, and using the hand as a defense. Today, Karate and Kenpo are still taught at martial arts academies through the world. The term Martial Arts refers to all of the various systems of training for combat that have been arranged or systematized. Generally, these different systems or styles are all designed for one purpose: physically defeating opponents and defending against threats. In fact, the word ‘martial’ derives from the name Mars, who was the Roman god of war.

Also it can be associated with the fighting arts of eastern Asia, but was originally used in regard to the combat systems of Europe as early as the 1550s. An English fencing manual of 1639 AD used the term in reference specifically to the "Science and Art" of swordplay. The term is ultimately derived from Latin, martial arts being the "Arts of Mars," the Roman god of war. Some martial arts are considered “traditional” and tied to ethnic, cultural or religious groups. Low Impact or Meditative Styles are types of martial arts with the focus of breathing techniques, fitness, and the spiritual side of things rather than combat-- even if all of these styles were once used for combat. Some low impact styles include Baguazhang and Taichi. Keys to Success A martial arts school the parent chooses is critical because it will determine how well the student will do at that martial arts school. The customer service should have good customer skills so the parent or parents to choose which school is best for their child. How polite the person is who is retendering the customer service is very important. How clean the martial arts school is? Does the setting of the inside of the school encourage the parent or parents to select this martial arts school over another martial arts school? Does this martial arts school have more activities then the other martial arts schools that the parent has done the research on? The scheduling of when the classes will start for certain age groups, will determine if it is convenient for parent to send their child to this martial arts school. The more availability the martial arts school has the better the parents or parents can adjust the time to their own schedule. Some martial arts school classes are open from 3 until 6:30pm, which are 5 or 6 days a week. Other schools may only offer these classes 2 or 3 days for these particular segments of classes that week. However, the parents should look for the overall quality of the martial artist school. The instructor should have years of experience in this fielded. The instructor should have a good repetition of him or her selves. Not only experience of teaching, but who is good at what he or she does in this field. The time frame of how long the martial arts school has been insistence in the area is very important. Searching on the Internet for personal stories of the experiences the students had with particular that martial arts school. There are several advantages to implementing martial arts as a curriculum in the school systems. One advantage is the students will learn self- discipline for themselves. The students will have more self-control over their behavior. It keeps the students more focused on what is important of what they should be doing at that particular time. It boosts their self-esteems about themselves. This ensures that the student will have more confidence in themselves because of their achievements in martial arts. This will give students who have low self-esteem high self-esteem or improvement in their self- esteem. This will give each student a better image of themselves of who they are and what they have accomplished in martial arts. Each student learns self-defense techniques to protect themselves when needed. The martial arts students will learn how to respect themselves more and how to respect other people around them. Especially if some students are not physically active this will help the students to learn how important is to stay fit and healthy at an early age. “The Jar kids program is age 5-8 years and it develops physical fitness, balance, coordination, listening skills, reaction and reflex, and partner skills. The young adults age 9-14 years develops the skills that increased confidence, greater focus, develop character, strength of mind, and strength of body.”
Critical Issues There are several risk factors that can occur when taking martial arts. One risk factor is not choosing the best instructor for your child who teaches martial art classes. This is very important because this will determine how well your child will learn this activity. However, parents taking the time to do research on the instructor, and finding out the type of techniques the instructor uses in their class for the students. A parent learning from the teacher is important because the parent knows what teaching techniques the instructor concentrates on, if it is teaching the students how to learn self-defense to win or is it most important for the students to learn self-control etc. The second risk is different types of injuries that occur when it comes to learning martial arts. Certain types of martial arts cause more injuries then other types of martial arts techniques. Unnatural or harsh body motion, repeated over time, will result in damage to the knees, hamstrings, and lower back. Undue emphasis on sparring put fingers, toes, knees, eyes, teeth, and noses at risk. Natural motion and breathing can briefly disregard when students are young and energetic; but such bad habits have a cumulative effect, and will inevitably damage their health and vitality. The third risk is the condition of the students’ health. If their doctor does not advise the child participating in this activity, it can possibly do more harm than good for the child. Therefore, in some cases a student who has a lot of injuries (in the past) on their knees or other areas of their legs the doctor may not suggest that the child take martial arts. However, the most critical issue in martial arts is the funding for the students. Will the school implement martial arts as a curriculum? Will parents have to use their own resources to pay for the martial arts program? It will depend on if the school thinks it is important to implement martial arts program in the school. How will this course be funded? How much will it cost the school? Will there be resources coming in and assisting in funding and education?
The things that are necessary to success in implementing martial arts is to stress to the board how important it is to choose martial arts as extra curriculum in the school system. Promoting a plan presented to the school board and let them read your plan to see how effective it would be to implement this extra curriculum in the school systems. Having done all the research on which schools should be chosen for the student to go to. What martial arts instructor or instructors will be brought to show the different types of techniques the students will use in the martial arts in certain age groups? Getting the parents more involved with the programs and how important it is to implement martial arts in to the school system. Flyers being posted with the permission from the board to show what different martial arts schools have to offer. The quality of the martial arts proposal will be very essential to presenting this to the board as well as to the parents of the students. The board will learn how beneficial the martial arts programs are and it should be available to the parents to put their children in the martial arts program. The time should be convenient if it is offered at the school. The days are very important to determine the availability of the parent’s schedule. There are things that have to be done to ensure that this plan works in the school system. The things that need to be focused on to succeed in the martial arts programs and how is it improves the students physical health, self-discipline, decrease bullying, improves self-image, physical fitness, etc.
References
Belcher, D. (2008). Identity crisis and the many faces of PETE. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 79(8), 20-22. Retrieved February 13, 2011, from ProQuest Nursing &Allied Health Source. Bratcher, Jack (2008). High school mixed martial arts. ProMMANow blog, Nov. 18, 2008 via http://prommanow.com/index.php/2008/11/18/high-school-mma/ Erekson, James (2008). Gunnison Middle School Soo Bahk Do evaluation. University of Northern Colorado School of Teacher Education. http://www.westelksoobahkdo.org/docs/Gunnison_Middle_School_Soo_Bahk_Do_Evaluation.pdf Fredrick, M.J. (1999). Peak moments in sport karate tournament competition: Black belt fighters in the zone. Dissertation made to the University of Utah. Personal copy. Heastie, Samuel (2011). classroom lecture on chapter 6. video, via EDUC330-01 Blackboard academic site. Fayetteville, NC: Fayetteville State University. Klein, John Matthew (2010). 20 ways martial arts builds a child’s confidence. in Recreation & Sports: Martial Arts. Via Ezine Articles:http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Matthew_Klein McAley, Susan (2011). Dragon's martial arts. Advertisement brochure. Lemont, Illinois. Schneider, Linda & Silverman, Arnold (2010). Global sociology: Introducing five contemporary societies. New York: McGraw Hill. Slavin, Robert E. (2009). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Tew, Rick (2010). Winjitsu: The mental martial arts. published by Rick M. Tew: Newbury Park, CA.