UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre recently shared his personal journey from being a bullied child to becoming a world-renowned MMA champion.
St-Pierre recalled his childhood struggles with bullies and how martial arts, particularly karate, became his refuge and source of self-confidence:
I started doing karate at a very young age because I was a victim of bullying at school. Every week I was getting beat up at school.
I was a kid who grew up with a lot of anger. I didn’t have a lot of friends and my parents saw I was taking a very bad path.My dad started to teach me [karate], but he was very busy and we didn’t have a lot of money so my dad decided to send me to a karate school.
He thought back to how training helped him get rid of bullying in a rather “unexpected” way:
I think that’s how we get out of bullying. I did not get out of bullying because I beat up all my bullies.
I got rid of bullying because…I remember I wanted to change as a kid. I was looking at myself in the mirror and I did not like what I was seeing but I could see how I could change my environment.
I had a dream of being someone different.The way to get out for me was through martial arts and karate, it helped me gain the confidence to carry myself differently.
St-Pierre detailed further:
I used to be very shy.
They taught me in the academy to change everything.Stand up straight when I talk to people, when I shake someone’s hand, a firm handshake, and look them in the eyes.
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