Martial arts instructor tells young boy it’s ‘OK’ to cry

[A martial arts instructor imparts a powerful lesson to a pupil struggling to punch through a board / Cave313/YouTube]

A marital arts mentor took the time to offer a powerful lesson to a young boy about expressing emotions openly without being ashamed.

The moving video, part of an initiation test to get into the Cave of Adullam Transformational Training Academy in Detroit, Michigan, shows a little boy named Bruce trying to punch through a block, before breaking into tears.

The academy’s founder, Jason Wilson stops the class to ask Bruce why he is crying.

“It’s OK to cry,” Wilson tells Bruce in the video. “We cry as men.”

Through tears, Bruce explains that he has trouble punching the board with his left hand. At which point, Wilson takes the time to communicate a powerful message about emotional stress to the young boy.

“Being a black man in this country, you’re going to need mental fortitude. You’re going to have to be strong here,” Wilson said, as he points to his head.

“And it’s good to cry so you can work through that emotion, so when it arises again, you can push it to the side, and do what you gotta do.”

After the honest exchange of words, Wilson holds the block as the student gets back into stance. Bruce manages to break it effortlessly with his left hand.

Congratulating the boy for his resilience, Wilson encourages him to “always dig deeper” and to keep fighting through it.