I've heard "these kids will never make it in the real world", etc.
I think we all know that geeks have a much more positive outlook for success in their lives than most high school athletic record breakers. Typically no one cares to watch you perform athletic feats unless you're among the best in the nation. If no one cares to watch you, then there's no money in it because athletics doesn't accomplish anything of value. For example, if we really wanted basket balls to travel through hoops repeatedly, we'd build a machine to do it. Of course, playing athletics does have a positive effect on the participants who learn cooperation, discipline, and improve their health.
I make ds take martial arts
I want to give a warning that the vast majority of martial arts programs wont do much to help a student overcome bullying. There can be a placebo effect of increasing confidence, but otherwise, most martial arts are worse than worthless at helping someone in a confrontation. The best thing to do is to avoid any confrontation, of course, as even "winners" can end up in the hospital with broken hands, for instance. Also, suspension from school doesn't look good on your record.
You didn't mention which martial art your son is taking, but the most useful art for dealing with a single attacker is brazilian jiu jitsu, and it doesn't require much violence, as a practitioner can most likely apply a choke hold to an attacker, and render them safely unconscious without striking them at all. Famous brazilian jiu jitsu practitioners who partake in mixed martial arts include Royce Gracie, Roger Gracie, Ant�nio Rodrigo Nogueira, Fabricio Werdum, and Ronaldo Souza.
Alternatively, if the bullies are working in packs, a different approach is necessary. In this case, Muay Thai, kick boxing, shotokan karate, and kyokushin karate are the best alternatives. Famous Muay Thai practitioners in mixed martial arts include Anderson Silva, Maur�cio Rua, and Jos� Aldo. Famous kick boxers include Mirko Filipovic, Alistair Overeem, and Chuck Liddell. Lyoto Machida has had success with shotokan karate, and Georges St-Pierre started in kyokushin karate.
Your typical local karate or tae kwon do dojo is not a good place to learn how to fight.
