How Risky are the Martial Arts?
Past insurance ratings ranked martial arts as safer than golf in the number of injury claims. That doesn’t mean you’re not going to get sore or occasionally bruised, it just means that serious injuries are not very common in the martial arts in most schools. This can be particularly true for schools belonging to a professional organization like the Martial Arts Teachers’ Association, which emphasizes the importance of safety. Most schools are very safe and go to extreme lengths to insure the safety of its classes. Other, schools are rougher and can have a military-like atmosphere where only the strong survive. An almost exclusively adult male student body and a gym-like atmosphere can help you recognize these schools. Any school you attend should have age-specific classes and utilize all possible safety equipment when sparring. The striking pads should be new and in good shape and the instructors should belong to an organization like MATA to insure they are receiving ongoing informatio
