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 Health and
Safety for Instructors
This section has been designed to increase the awareness of those responsible
for the instruction of martial arts, in the need and requirements for knowledge
of health and safety. Such knowledge is required for the protection of the
student and for those involved in the training process.
Before allowing a student to participate
What are the legal responsibilities associated with teaching a martial art?
Civil Law, Common Law, Criminal Law, Statute Law.
Do not allow a student to train unless they have read and understand the safety
rules and have signed and dated a document which state this.
 Study Safety
Rules
The Safety Rules provide a 'Safe System' to apply to all situations when
teaching. They should help students to realise what type of actions and
behaviour is expected of them. Also, to remind those responsible for teaching
to keep safety in mind. Hopefully, such a system will reduce injury rates and
help to protect the instructor from false claims. In any case those responsible
for instruction will be in a stronger position to prove their innocence in such
a claim, if a safe system, with safety rules can be shown to have been
established prior to the claim. If the individual is in violation of these
rules, it could be shown that they acted of their own free will and caused the
injury / damage
Physiological
Requirements
The student must not train in a way which will cause them or others harm.
Strict adherence to safety rules will help to minimise accidents and injuries.
Other requirements include:
1. A training system/method which is not, as far as can reasonably be expected,
likely to cause any injury to the student performing such actions.
2. Warm up exercises appropriate to actions to be of a nature which will not
cause injury. Hard, dynamic or vigorous exercises are not appropriate for
initial warm up exercises. Injuries to joints and muscles are more likely to
occur if these exercises are applied for a warm up. Torn hamstring muscles are
a common example. It should be noted that a warm up will elevate the heart rate
above 120 bpm (beats per minute) and below the maximum calculated for the
individual. (200 - age=upper training limit, take off extra 10% if the
individual is unfit). The warm up will increase the thickness of the cartilage
in the joints by up to 50% and changes occur to the fluids in the joints. This
allows for improved performance with greater protection to the joints. As the
individual requires the use of their joints (hopefully) for the rest of their
life, warm up exercises may have a significant effect on the quality of life in
later years.
3. Striking and kicking the air can cause joint injuries, especially when
performed with speed and power. Children and teenage students who have not
finished growing are more likely to sustain joint injuries. Contact bags and
pads help to prevent these type of injuries. However, injury can now occur due
to incorrect technique making contact with force. Careful instruction is
required.
4. Dehydration is to be avoided as far as possible. Hard, intensive training
sessions may cause students to become dehydrated. This causes much greater
stress to be applied to the individual, such as increased heart rate, lower
blood volume etc. This condition leads to a reduction in performance. This
maybe reflected in reduction of speed, power and pace or all of these. The
techniques being performed are also modified due to the inability to perform,
found in the dehydrated individual. This is also true for those who are greatly
fatigued.
The instructor must allow the students the opportunity to rehydrate themselves.
This will allow them to perform at a greater level and reduce the potentially
harmful physiological stresses of dehydration.
5. If an injury occurs it is important that it is dealt with appropriately. The
location of a nearby telephone in case of an emergency is to be noted. First
aid training is to be encouraged for all interested. This is often provided by
local adult education colleges and are inexpensive.
Maintaining a Safe
System
A regular check on the training area before anyone enters it can be made in a
few seconds. However, an official regular inspection of the whole area should
be made. This could be scheduled to take place every 4 to 6 months. Maintain a
written record, date and sign it for every entry, as this is a record of an
inspection having taken place. Report any defects or dangerous items to the
owner and warn students.
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