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of aggressive adolescents. The use of martial arts for therapy would have to be either coupled with a traditional psychotherapy program or supervised by a mental health professional. This would also mitigate the argument that a martial arts teacher who has no mental health training or experience would potentially jeopardize the treatment.

Traditional martial art training has been shown to provide an affordable and more readily available alternative for treatment of adolescent aggression. Parents may argue that teaching "fighting arts" will only serve to increase aggression and violence. However, the philosophies and training methods of traditional martial arts emphasize the control of one's own aggression and focus on the defensive rather than offensive use of techniques. When properly implemented, this training can serve as a suitable alternative or supplement to a verbal therapy program.

Traditional martial arts training provides a structured environment that fosters maturity and self-discipline. This environment promotes respect for one's fellow human beings as well as the mastery of one's own fear. Courage, which is synonymous with mastery of fear, is not a lack of fear. It can instead be defined as the self-discipline to control one's fear. "This mastery can then be applied to coping with attacks other than physical from the early, primal fears raised in the past by parents or significant others, to current difficult or embarrassing situations" (Weiser et al. 2).

The lack of a positive role model and stable family environment is a significant factor that contributes to aggressive and deviant behavior in adolescents. The role of the teacher is one of being "an exemplar of restraint, or parent figure and someone with faith in the student" (Twemlow and Sacco 3). Traditional training in Chinese martial arts establishes a lineage within the school, similar to that of a family. The title Sigung is held by the master of the school and the head of the lineage. Si translates as teacher and Gung translates as grandfather. Instructors hold the title Sifu, which translates to teacher and father. Members of a Kung Fu school are not considered to be fellow students, but rather brothers and sisters. This structure serves to mediate the stresses of a dysfunctional home environment and provide a sense of belonging that many adolescents turn to gangs for.

All of the components of a traditional training program promote what I have termed as the three dimensions of holistic

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