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Safety First and Always
On this Page
On this page you will find information about the safety of martial arts and the key actions that make the Shaolin Kung Fu Academy so safe.
Synopsis
Health and Safety is important in all aspects of life, both personal and professional. However, due to the nature of what we do, it is especially vital in the martial arts. As a responsible organization the Shaolin Academy ensures the security and safety of our students as effectively as possible, in accordance with the recommendations of the governing agency responsible.
The Problem
Often the problem for most martial arts is the focus on the outcome rather than the student. Instructors, often young and with minimal training. need to prove themselves and be financially successful, focusing on quick and immediate success. They drive their students to visible and spectacular achievements, but this is at a cost to all concerned. There are many consequences including psychological, self-esteem and others but only one can be truly show, physical injuries. Following are some extracts from the Sports Injury Bulletin;
Head injuries are a substantial risk. In one study, for instance, 57% of participants in Tae Kwon Do had experienced some form of head injury. This could range from mild concussion to
intra cranial bleeds. Case reports of internal cardioid artery dissection, stroke, aphasia (loss of speech from brain lesion), hemiplegia and ophthalmic trauma resulting in loss of vision. . .
A survey of four mixed martial arts tournaments over a four-month period revealed 103 episodes of cervical neck injury in 427 respondents. Five cases required hospitalization and resulted in neurological deficit.
Karate Kid finger – this is a recognized phenomenon in the little finger of karate participants. The ulnar dorsal digital nerve of the little finger is vulnerable to contusion when the hand performs karate chops. Fibrosis within the nerve sheaths and between the fibers may result. and requires surgical intervention. This injury can be the result of overuse or poor technique so it should be borne in mind where participants complain of pain and paraesthesia (abnormal skin sensations, nerve tingling etc) along the ulnar border of the little finger and hand.
Monash University brought together the following based on Emergency Department (ED) Admission of Martial Art's persons;
Of the type of martial arts involved, karate was the most common in both ED presentations (55%) and hospital admissions (39%), followed by tae kwon do (12% ED presentations and 19% hospitalizations) and judo (6% ED presentations and 8% hospitalizations) . . . .
And the Victorian Government Better Health site suggest that some martial arts are more dangerous than others;
Karate and kick boxing account for about half of all martial arts injuries in Victoria.
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The Sports Bulletin has given this a rating in the term of "Injuries per training hours";
These sports are rated at one-injury-per-50-participation-hours (Squash for example is rate one injury per 1,000 hours although ARF would be much higher.)
The Key Solution
Often, martial art instructors are made instructors just because they reached their Black Belt. Traditionally, this was the way it was done. Yet, we know better than to teach "Monkey see, Monkey do".
Shaolin Academy Instructors have a duel, parallel training process that can start from the day they join the Academy. The follow a well defined, comprehensive curriculum; they are checked along the way using Total Quality Methods and Principles, at least 4 times before they achieve a Black Sash. In parallel to this, they are exceedingly well trained in non-martial art, training and fitness coaching skills.
This is achieved through three interdependent processes;
- Government Accreditation & Training- through the peak body for martial arts in Australia, the Martial Art Industry Association covering the follow topics;
- Martial Art Code of Practice
- Martial Art Risk Management Procedures and Requirements
- Member/Student Protection Policy
- Child Safety Policy
- Anti Doping Policy
This also includes members passing an examination on their knowledge of these Processes, Procedures and Policies as well as having a L2 Fist Aid Qualification (St Johns) and a Working With Children (Federal Police) Certification.
Shaolin Academy Internal Training through the combined efforts of Sijo (a former professional people development manger, Master of Business Management, Cert 4 in Workplace Education & Training, former Manager in Telstra's Professional Mentoring Program)) and his partner Dagmar (former and current Health Education professional with VET [Vocational Education & Training Diploma], Cert 4 in Workplace Training, Diploma in Nursing, Cert 4 Human Resource Management). Between the two of them, they provide two further streams of Instructor preparation unique to the Shaolin Academy
- The Shaolin Academy, Kung Fu Instructor in Training Theory course covers such items as the practices and principles of Teaching, Mentoring, Leading, Management and Student Development! Alternatively, they have the option of completing a Cert 3 course in Workplace Education & Training.
- Instructor Mentoring and Assisting Program that has the training instructor assisting a senior instructor between 3 to 4 years. In this time they learn internal safety procedures and protocols, venue and people management and many more items. And even after this all instructors receive Mentoring (Life Coaching) as long as they are active instructors.
The Second Key
What ever you do there is a cost and the price to preventing problems through RSI and overuse are "Long Term Thinking and Forward Planning. To quickly be able to defend yourself you need to train a very limited number of techniques often. According to Monash University studies, this leads to RSI and in later life to joint problems such as Arthritis. The key is a greater variety of techniques and a steady rather than quick progress. At a presentation to managers and staff in Telstra once stated "Why train a martial art that will make it impossible to practice when you have perfected it?". This was meant to say, you train, get better and really good and the next thing you know, your body or key parts are used up. The Key is Variety, the variety of 10,000 techniques developed by young and senior masters over 1500 years. This is the long term safety of Shaolin.
Squash, with it's sudden starts and stops has a ratio of injury per hour of play around "one-in-1000"! The Shaolin Academy, with it's 4 injuries in 17 years has a better rate than Yoga!
Conclusion
More of a result than a conclusion. Since the founding of the club in 1992, there have been only 4 incidents leading to requiring medical attention; all 4 incidents were self caused; 3 by actions outside of the Academy's training and one during warm-up caused by an inherent weakness of the students arm (not previously know to the student).
Even training at the senior levels where it becomes a bit harder, a bit riskier, a bit tougher we have had bumps and bruises but nothing even remotely requiring medical attention. Sports statistics gathered by 'Monash University Accident Research Center' suggest that the Shaolin Kung Fu Academy has less injuries since founding in 1992 than Yoga practitioners in Victoria in one year!! You don't believe us? Then please have a look.
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