Uechi-Ryu.com

Over the last 20 years I have found that injuries received from training happen for variety reasons.

1. Student is untrained in technique or equipment
2. Instructor is untrained in technique or equipment
3. Failed to use safety coaches properly or effectively
4. Untrained personnel wearing the protective gear
5. Protective gear being used is not designed for the specific type of training
6. No documented training plan
7. No training platforms that support a progression series of training
8. Doing high level simulations to soon or early
9. No focused learning objective
10. Student breaks out of role
11. Instructor breaks out of role
12. No Site survey conducted prior to the beginning of training
13. Training area not suitable or proper for the type of training that is being conducted
14. Class is pressed for time
15. Student is injured prior to class being started
16. Instructor nursing an old or inflamed injury
17. Broken equipment
18. Allowing things to go to far
19. Failing to control all movement in the class
20. Last but not least........they are not following the protocol for conducting high level simulations

Even though you can never train for real encounters without some accident happening there are many things an instructor can do to limit theses and shoe "Due Care,".

These will be more defined in our FL class in March 2007.

For over 20 years, we have trained in a high level simulated world without serious injury or ANY KIND. I have seem most injuries that can happen, either from being a student in the class or conducting our own, and have investigated reasons for these injuries to occure, and we have developed protocols for preventing them and handling them when and if they do happen. Let's define injuries. We put them in 3 basic categories.


Level 1 injury (Minor);

A minor injury is an injury that can be treated in house, from a basic first aid kit, or basically needing a time out to recover. Minor injuries require no licensed medical physician to be treated. Injuries like slight surface scratches, small surface cuts on hands, nails and fingers. For some people even these minor injuries can be life altering.


Level 2 Injury (Serious);

A serious injury is an injury that CANNOT be treated in house, and requires immediate medical attention from a licensed medical physician. Requires first responders treatment to control the ABC's, and needs medical equipment not found in a basic first aid kit. Injuries like sprains (MOST people do not that simple sprains can be very deceiving and should be check by a licensed medical physician) blackouts or any kind, unable to breathe or even labored breathing, loss or impaired hearing or vision, distress in the heart or loss of normal skin color, wounds that open the skin and penetrate the body, eyes, chest, or groin area.

May require out patient care or hospitalization for recovery. Serious injuries professional treatment.

Level 3 Injury - (Brought into the training area)

A Level 3 injury can be a minor or major injury may be either treated in house, from a basic first aid kit, or basically needing a time out to recover too being transported to a clinic or licensed medical physician for treatment. These are old injuries healed or not healed completely.

This is the worst kind of injury because of the unknowns and can result in court room litigation, from law suits, or poor name recognition from the rumor mill...at times the rumor mill is even harder to recover from then the actual injury for dojo owners or trainers.

Just a few things more to thing about.

Dave

Dave,

Excellent post and one that usually gets swept under the rug in TMA_

Here is something to keep in mind, and I am sure you already address this:

Foreseeability



You state something very important


As you know, many people may have underlying physical/medical conditions progressing at their natural rate which may or may not be manifest, just for a ‘trigger’ waiting to happen. Older people, people obviously out of shape, people who don’t know how to breathe under stress, etc.

Age factor, physical appearances [overweight and other indicators] may be present in students.


This is a critical aspect of my investigations of fatal heart attacks on the job, to determine if a ‘work trigger’ hastened or caused the employee’s demise.

Do you require any medical clearance of your students?

_________________
Van

Van,

Yes absolutely. A medical Clearance is critical before the training starts for many reasons. Not to get into this too deeply for now....(Which is another reason to attend our training in March 2007 in FL)

A trainer is ultimately responsible for the well being and safety of their students they train. Especially since injuries can come to the surface days, weeks and even months after the initial trauma has been received. Having them complete a form confirming this is only a small part of the big picture.

Example, if a student receives a Level 2-3 injury during training, then a medical release is required BEFORE the training is resumed. Words used in court to attack the trainer, director or dojo owner are "Due Care, Deliberate Indifference, Liability, Negligence, Malice...for some they feel this does not apply. However I will share with you true and VERY SAD story that you or others can take with or without a grain of salt.

In every class we tell our students who come from all different kinds or physical background, martial arts experience, military etc.....that you should ALWAYS adhere to the student/instructor ratio.

For Lecture /Demonstration can be as little as 1 to as many as thousands that can see or hear.

For ANY type of physical contact standing is 1 instructor for every 10 students

For ANY type of specialized high level simulations and environments 1 instructor for every 3 students

In 2002 while teaching in London, OH at the Ohio Peace Officer and Training Academy we had two students who were VERY experienced grapplers (14 years of training and experience) and very much in shape. Both were from same Police Department in OH.

In addition to the class we were giving that week they both trained at a local dojo in jiujutsu, and at the end of their class of 25 people the instructor told the students to finish the rest of the training (15 minutes were left) to practice on our own.

So they did what everyone else was doing, and one brought the other down in a VERY SLOW FOR FORM SPEED and broke the neck of his training partner, leaving his motionless and paralyzed from the neck down. A year later he committed suicide on the therapy bar because he could not live with himself. I was friends and knew both of these people very well.

The other student has tried to commit suicide 2 times from the guilt surrounding the incident, he is in counseling now, and retired from his career as a law enforcement officer.

The family sued the dojo and is still in court which is why I left out names and exact location....It has been 4 years and the suit is still going on and from what I have heard has out lasted the dojo that has been there for about 14 years before the incident took place. The owner exhausted all of their finances, and have ruined his lively hood in trying to defend this (I heard the location closed 9 months after the incident took place), in additional will more then likely end any chance of a career, destroyed his reputation, and any hope for a business in the future.

Van, this is ONLY 1 reason why I am so passionate about this and committed to seeing this program through and changing the way we do business.

Thanks

Dave