Search
Close this search box.
Search
Close this search box.
Facebook Youtube Instagram Linkedin Pinterest
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Linkedin Pinterest

How to Intervene to Stop Bullying

EducatorsParents

Young girl being bullied by three other girls.Content Warning: This article contains mentions of bullying.

You may have heard it in school growing up, and your youth athletes are probably hearing it in school currently:

If you see someone being bullied, it’s important that you take action to help stop it.

But even though we know it’s up to us as witnesses to say or do something, doing so when we actually see bullying is still much easier said than done.

However, like with free throws or job interviews, learning to stop bullying as a bystander is something that can be practiced and improved upon. For many adults and students alike, this is the only way to ever feel comfortable intervening in a real life bullying situation.

 

Intervening As A Parent

A 2011 review looked at the methodology and results of 89 different bullying prevention studies. While the effectiveness of these programs was mixed, there was a common component that all successful ones shared.

Regardless of if a school had a strict zero-tolerance policy or a more peer-to-peer mediation program, each effective program had an element of parental involvement. In particular, educational presentations and parent-teacher meetings were found to the most successful components of those examined.

Dan Olweus, a former university professor with over 40 years experience in researching bullying, says that schools, parents, and coaches need to teach their students to tell an adult if they are being bullied. If they do, he suggests the following to parents in his Olweus Bullying Prevention Program:

  • Control your own emotions. Step back and think carefully about what you will do next.
  • Support your child and find out more about the bullying. Do not ignore the bullying or tell your child to ignore it. This sends the message that bullying is okay.
  • Don’t blame your child for the bullying. No matter what your child does, he or she does not deserve to be bullied.
  • Do not tell your child to fight back. This is not likely to end the problem and could make it worse by getting your child in trouble at school.
  • If your child begs you not to talk to anyone at school about the bullying, you might say, “What happened is wrong. It is against the school’s rules and has to stop. Parents have agreed to be a part of keeping all students safe at your school. We need to let school staff know about this. We promise to do all that we can to make things better for you, not worse.” Never promise your child that you will not tell school staff if you plan to do so.
  • Explain the facts that you know to your child’s teacher or coach. Tell them that you want to work with your child’s school to solve the problem.
  • Do not talk to the parents of the child who bullied your child. Let school staff do this.
  • Expect the bullying to stop. Talk often with your child and his or her teacher to make sure this happens.

If you’re stumped about what to actually say to a school, Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center offers a free template letter to help you easily write an effective letter or email.

Like students, parents can also have bullying prevention skills and empathy reinforced through group role plays. Olweus has put together a bullying circle exercise for adults, which has has your team or school parents acting out eight different characters in a bullying scenario. The scripts for each ‘character’ can be viewed or printed from here and the instructions feature discussion questions for after.

 

How Students Can Intervene To Stop Bullying

A similar role-playing activity can be found here in TrueSport’s Teach section, where there is an entire plug-and-play curriculum based around bullying prevention. The activity is for groups of 3-5 people and designates students to play the bully, victim, and bystanders.

So students can think through what they’ll do in the moment, Pacer has developed a Student Action Plan Against Bullying. The plan is a worksheet that has students reflect on a bullying situation they have seen, consider what they could have done to help (or done differently), and what steps they could take to ensure they will take action the next time they see bullying. The plan provides examples for each steps and also a blank worksheet for students to fill out their own.

Another anti-bullying organization, Stomp Out Bullying, has put together their own list of what bystanders can to do support a victim of bullying:

  • Don’t laugh
  • Don’t encourage the bully in any way
  • Don’t participate
  • Stay at a safe distance and help the target get away
  • Don’t become an “audience” for the bully
  • Reach out in friendship
  • Help the victim in any way you can
  • Support the victim in private
  • If you notice someone being isolated from others, invite them to join you
  • Include the victim in some of your activities
  • Tell an adult

Like with teaching sports or school-related skills, teaching kids that they can put a stop to bullying takes repeated and deliberate practice. Encourage your athlete’s youth sport coaches or teachers to try incorporating exercises like these once or twice a season or semester so that kids can practice being better bystanders.

 

The Impact Bystanders Have

Even if they feel like they aren’t, every student who sees bullying is taking part in some way by committing one of these five actions:

  1. Joining in on the bullying once it has started
  2. Encouraging the bully by giving them validation (through laughing, cheering, or similar)
  3. Passively accepting the bullying and letting it continue
  4. Getting support from other bystanders or reporting to adults
  5. Intervening directly by voicing displeasure, defending the victim, and/or redirecting the situation away from bullying

If a bystander chooses to tell an adult, it’s then up to the adult to take action. If nothing is done, Olweus says, “Even students who initially sympathize with or defend victims may eventually come to view bullying as acceptable if responsible adults fail to say otherwise.”

In some cases, the bystander has more power than even the victim to change the situation. This makes it crucial for parents, coaches, and students to think ahead (and practice) how they’ll intervene to help stop bullying.

Following through will make the act of being a good bystander go from being something we hear about to something we and our kids actually do.

—

Sources:

http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues/issues103.shtml

http://www.pointdume.smmusd.org/pdf/OlweusBullyingPrevention.pdf

http://njbullying.org/documents/ttofifarrington2011.pdf

Related Content

Loading...
1 2 … 7

Join Us

Subscribe
Shop TrueSport
Host TrueSport

TrueSport logo without icon in white.

© 2025 TrueSport | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Sitemap

Goal-Setting Lesson Video Transcript

Hi. I’m Trevon, Trey, Jennifer. Team USA wheelchair basketball player, paralympian, and true sport athlete. Today, I want to talk to you about goal setting. And there are three things that I would like you to know. First, successful athletes set goals and a planned roadmap. Second, goals should be written down, assessed over time, and changed if necessary. And third, goals need to be challenging in order to be worthwhile. As a freshmen at Edinboro University, I was a part of a team that made the national championship game. And at that time I recognized I was the low man on the totem pole, but I felt in my heart that I knew my dreams were so much bigger than winning a national title. I wanted to make Team USA. I knew what achieving my lofty goal was not going to be easy and that I would need to work hard every day.

So, as a reminder, I created a pyramid of goals that I kept right above my bed. This pyramid reminded me of the accomplishments that I was working towards and visually represented my need to create a solid foundation underneath me before reaching the top. In the bottom roll of my pyramid of goals I listed goals such as obtaining my bachelor’s degree, becoming a scholar athlete award recipient, and becoming an All-American. The middle row listed winning a national title and playing for a professional team. And at the top row, the most challenging of them all, I listed becoming a gold medalist for Team USA.

By understanding that there are smaller stepping stones to achieving my ultimate goal of being on Team USA, I was able to stay motivated and to stay focused on completing the smaller stepping stones fully before moving onto the next one. Now I’ll be the first to admit that not every goal that I listed on my pyramid was accomplished, but seeing my goals every day when I went to bed, I was able to push through the days that I felt like doing nothing in hopes of achieving the bigger picture. Remember, create a clear goal roadmap, assess your goals often, and continue to challenge yourself. I hope that you never stopped dreaming big or reaching for the stars. And I look forward to seeing where your roadmap takes you.

Body Image Lesson Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Kara Winger, Olympic javelin thrower, and true sport athlete. Today I want to talk to you about body image and I have three things I’d like you to know. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. Second, there are varying body types and no one’s body is exactly like another. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. As a multi-time Olympian, I’ve experienced a lot of variation and progression in my training. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin. I’m talking to you about body image today because sometimes even with the best of intentions and a common goal in mind, the changes you make to your training habits can prove to be detrimental if made for the wrong reasons. In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.

So I changed my diet. I went along with what I was being told to do, even though I’d had great success at a slightly heavier weight and higher body fat percentage, and became much leaner than ever before. It seemed like a successful change at first, but I didn’t have nearly the results I’d had before. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear. In the end, it cost me heavily going into the 2012 London games. The takeaway for me, and hopefully for you, is that it’s important to know what works for you and your body and to not compare yourself to others. You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like. Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day.

I’ve learned what a properly balanced meal for my body looks like and I recognize food as the fuel that keeps me throwing. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover. And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. In the end, you are in control of how you see, treat, and respond to your body. We only get one and it’s amazing to discover how many things our bodies can do. Be a true sport athlete. Love who you are in this moment and get excited for all the places your body will take you.

A Good Sport Lesson Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Izy Isaksen, Team USA, Modern Pentathlon, Olympian, US Army Sergeant, and True Sport Ambassador. Today, I want to talk to you about being a good sport. There are three things I’d like you to know. First, real winners act the same toward their opponent, whether they win or lose. Second, follow the rules and be a gracious winner and respectful loser. And third, sportsmanship reveals your true character.

I started competing in Modern Pentathlon eight years after my older sister and three-time Olympian, Margaux Isaksen, began competing. I soon realized that people often compared the two of us. I would overhear spectators and teammates asking, “Who’s the better athlete,” and “Who’s going to beat the other.” Instead of letting outside pressures create a negative experience for us, I chose to practice winning and losing with grace and respect. I know that it would have been easy to let our hyper competitive mindset affect our relationship, but instead we decided to support and cheer for each other, regardless of our own performance. My experience of competing against and being compared to my older sister, taught me to focus on how to perform at my best, rather than putting wasted energy into wishing for others to fail.

I believe that sportsmanship reveals true character. So, no matter what situation I encounter during competition, I know it’s important to always treat people with respect and be a good sport. Remember, be a fierce competitor, find grace in all your victories and losses. And I hope to see you out there.

What Kind of Coach Do You Want to Be? Video Transcript

Edwin Moses: You’re a coach. Maybe what you want is very simple, for everyone to just run in the right direction, score for their own team, to try and try again and again. Maybe you want your athletes to become all stars. You want them to earn trophies, medals, win titles. You want them to reach the highest height their sport allows. And wanting all of that, of course, that’s good. But as every great coach discovers, developing a great athlete means nurturing, nurturing the even greater person within. Truth is, you have even more influence than you know.

You have the ability to affect even deeper change, to take what’s in your hands and do something even more extraordinary. You can be both the coach who provides the skills needed to win the game and the coach who helps them learn and succeed beyond the sport, to become all stars wherever they land in the future, and to enjoy their lives more now, because the confidence and courage they find working with you will stay with them when they need it the most. There are games to be won, lives to change. Coaches have the power to do both.

I’m Edwin Moses, and the lessons I’ve learned through sport have challenged me, guided me, and shaped my life forever. What kind of coach do you want to be?

THE SIMPLE TRUTH: DECODING THE SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. They seem safe and healthy, but just because the label says a product is a dietary supplement, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Unfortunately, you can’t tell whether a product is safe or not just by looking at the label. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold. Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid.

At the other extreme are products that contain drugs, stimulants, anabolic steroids, or other hormones. Even though these are not technically dietary supplements, many of them are labeled as supplements. For example, body-building products sometimes contain anabolic steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, known as SARMs, or other hormones. Some pre-workout or energy products contain illegal stimulants like DMAA, ephedra, or other amphetamine-like stimulants. Weight loss products might contain prescription drugs like sibutramine, or hormones, like human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as hCG. All natural or herbal sexual enhancement products might contain hormones or Viagra-like drugs. Products like these can harm your health and career, but they’re for sale online, in some nutrition stores, and they’re labeled as dietary supplements.

When you pick up a supplement, especially one that promises performance enhancement, you don’t know if it belongs in the “Mostly O.K.” pile or in the “Dangerous” pile. After all, two products might look the same, but one might contain just amino acids and other legitimate ingredients, while the other also contains anabolic steroids. Because of this, FDA has issued a warning about certain categories of supplements: body building products, weight loss products, and sexual enhancement products. Be extremely careful when considering a supplement in one of these categories. We strongly recommend that you avoid products in these categories.

Even when FDA tests supplements and finds dangerous ingredients, companies sometimes refuse to recall them. Sometimes, they simply repackage their product and continue selling it under a new name. Just because a product is on a store shelf doesn’t mean it is safe. You need to do your research and be an informed consumer. The dietary supplement industry is enormous. Supplements that appear to be safe could actually be dangerous products in disguise. If you use dietary supplements without doing your research, you may be taking serious risks with your health and your career. Please visit USADA’s Supplement 411 for more information about dietary supplements.