OUR COMMUNITY

M

artial arts can help 
teach youth how to 
defend themselves 
against bullying. They improve 
self-esteem, learn discipline and 
build physical strength, among 
other traits, while practicing the 
sport in a safe and supportive 
environment.
“I love to see the brand 
of confidence that it gives 
somebody,
” says Matt Sikora, 
owner and founder of West 
Bloomfield’s True Martial Arts, 
which offers regular anti-bully-
ing programming. 
“They can walk with their 
head held up high that they are 
confident and that if anything 
were to happen to them, they 
could defend themselves.
”
Teaching kids how to be 

mentally and physically resil-
ient, especially against bullying, 
has long been a building block 
of the Jewish-owned martial 
arts school, which teaches 
everything from karate to Krav 
Maga, a form of self-defense 
developed by the Israeli Defense 
Forces.
With more than 300 mem-
bers, True Martial Arts, opened 
in 2009, sees people signing up 
as young as age 4 to adults in 
their 50s and 60s. “We provide 
great self-defense training and 
character building-type train-
ing,
” Sikora, 35, of Birmingham, 
says. “Martial arts is very auton-
omous.
”
People sign up for the sport 
for a variety of reasons, he 
explains, from parents want-

ing their children to build 
confidence to kids struggling 
with discipline or behavioral 
issues who need extra support. 
Others simply do it for fun and 
socialization, or for the physical 
health benefits.

MARTIAL ARTS AND ANTI-
BULLYING EFFORTS
Sikora, like many other youth 
who gravitate toward the sport 
at a young age, has been prac-
ticing martial arts since he was 
5. “I grew up as a very serious 
martial artist,
” he says. After 
receiving a business degree 
from Michigan State University, 
he decided to follow his passion 
by opening True Martial Arts 
as a place to teach the ancient 
practice to others in the com-

munity.
In his more than 10 years of 
teaching martial arts, Sikora has 
noticed firsthand the impact the 
sport has on people, especially 
on youth who may be expe-
riencing bullying directly or 
indirectly.
“I really fell in love with mar-
tial arts,
” he says, “and then later 
really fell in love with the results 
that we’re seeing in our students 
and the impact that we’re mak-
ing.
”
Multiple parents have come 
forward, he says, explaining 
that martial arts have helped 
their children navigate bully-
ing. While self-defense should 
always be used as a last resort, 
Sikora explains that by prac-
ticing the sport, youth gain 

Anti-Bullying Crusader

Through martial arts, Matt Sikora helps kids take a stance against bullying.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

PHOTO CREDIT

TMA students take the “anti-bullying pledge.”

32 | NOVEMBER 25 • 2021 

