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York Bujinkan Dôjô Safety Rules
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Follow all safety rules. Anyone not following
these rules may be asked to stop training for a short period, or, leave the
training facility for the rest of the class. In serious situations someone
who blatantly breaks these rules will be expelled from training completely
and indefinitely.
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Listen carefully to all safety instructions. Safety
is important to everyone. Our goal is to have no injuries. Your attention
and care in this matter is vital.
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You are responsible for your own safety. If
someone is applying a technique too fast, or, with too much pressure, or,
training in any other unsafe manner, tell them immediately. Do not let them
continue until they move in a manner and speed that is safe for you.
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Think ahead and use common sense. The instructor
cannot point out every possible safety concern that may arise during
training. Every time you apply a technique, or practice an exercise, it is a
unique experience. You and your training partner will not respond exactly
the same each time. Be prepared to safely respond and adapt to these subtle,
and not so subtle, naturally occurring changes. If you have any safety
questions or concerns ask, before you try the technique.
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Practice all techniques and exercises at a slow speed.
Never apply any technique at a speed that is unsafe for you or your training
partner. After you are familiar with safely applying the technique, how your
training partner responds and, your ability and limitations, the speed can
be slowly increased.
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Use caution when applying and receiving all techniques. The
techniques taught work very easily and without much effort. When a technique
is done properly, injury can occur with no speed or strength. Pay close
attention to your training partner's ability to respond to all techniques
and exercises. Keep aware of the speed and pressure when techniques are
applied to you. Respond in a speed and manner that keeps you from being
injured.
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Do not try, or continue to practice, any technique or exercise you feel unsafe doing.
Your concerns could be for your own safety, or, the safety of your
training partner. Ask the instructor for additional instructions or an
alternative method of application.
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If you are bleeding for any reason you must immediately stop training until the
bleeding has stopped. Any open wounds (i.e., scratches, etc.) must be
covered before you resume training. No one is allowed to train if other
persons will come in contact with any blood. All blood from your skin,
clothes and training equipment must be washed off before you resume
training. Cleaning of any and all blood is the responsibility of the
originator.
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Notify the instructor immediately of any injuries to yourself or your training
partner. If you notice someone else has been injured, notify the
instructor immediately too.
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Notify the instructor, and all persons with which you train, of any injuries that
could be aggravated by the technique or exercise being practiced. You
may choose to not participate in any technique or exercise that you feel
unsafe or uncomfortable practicing. Ask the instructor for assistance to
modify the technique or exercise to make it comfortable for you to
participate.
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Keep aware of other persons training close to you. Do
not direct yourself or your training partner into the area used by other
classmates. Be prepared to take appropriate actions to keep yourself, and
your training partner, from being injured or injuring someone else that may
accidentally be directed into your training area.
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No hard strikes are allowed to any area that has the potential to cause serious
injury or damage. These areas include, but are not limited to, the
head, neck, groin, ears, kidney area, etc. If you are uncertain of the
consequences of striking any areas, use 'light touch' contact only. Ask the
instructor for additional information.
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Any contact with the head, neck, groin, ears, kidney area, etc. will be very 'light
touch' contact only. All contact must be light enough to cause no injury
or severe jarring.
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No sharpened swords, knives, shuriken, or other sharp objects, of any size or type,
are allowed in the training facility. Any of the above weapons must be
unsharpened and preferably made of materials other than metal (i.e. wood,
plastic, rubber, etc.). The only exceptions are when the instructor has made
a specific and direct request for such sharpened items.
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No firearms are allowed on or around the training facility. All
firearms training is done with training "dummy guns" only. No
training is ever permitted with working, even if mechanically inoperable,
firearms is allowed.
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All weapons training is conducted at a speed and manner that is safe and always in
control. Never practice at a speed or manner in which you are not
capable of stopping, redirecting, or otherwise having complete control of a
weapon in your possession. This control is necessary, and required, to
prevent injury or damage to your training partner, or, any other persons or
objects.
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Never allow someone to perform a weapons technique or exercise on you (or any other
person) at a speed or manner that is unsafe. It is required that
everyone practice at a speed and manner that they can comfortably control
the weapon to prevent any injury or damage.
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Notify the instructor immediately if any person, or group of people are training in
any unsafe manner.
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Headgear, mouth pieces and padded kicking boots are required for all participants in
free sparring and fighting. Groin cups are required for male
participants.
The Importance of Safety
The purpose of our training is to learn and develop realistic self defense skills. For
that reason, we must apply all skills and techniques exactly like we would in real life
confrontations, with two exceptions.
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First, for reasons of safety all techniques are applied at the speed necessary to
prevent, or at least greatly lessen the likelihood of injury. Obviously, the exact speed a
technique can be applied changes with the nature of technique and the skill level of the
practitioners involved.
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And second, there are certain techniques that even when done slowly, can be dangerous.
In those instances, the technique will be modified only as much as necessary to insure
adequate safety.
Some would argue that techniques must be done fast, "because in a real fight you
have to go fast." The biggest problem with this philosophy is that in order to go
fast the technique must be changed, or modified, so the "receiver" is not
injured. Unless, of course, the technique can not actually cause injuries in the first
place. In which case it should be kept in the sport fighting ring, for it has no place in
a real fight.
When a technique is "regularly altered", to prevent injuries, or for any
other reason, the practitioner is actually training themselves to apply the technique,
during a real live fight, in a less effective manner that originally intended. When one
experiences the stressful conditions of a real attack, it is very likely that the
practitioner will apply the technique exactly like they have practiced so many times
before. And that is, altered and less effective than originally intended. Some would argue
that in "real life" they would do it "like this", or they would do it
"like that", even though they don't actually practice those things.
This author contends that most of the time a practitioner will apply techniques exactly
like they have practice them so many times before. For if we could simply tell ourselves
to do something, without regular and "correct" practice, we would not need to
practice at all, would we? We could simply tell ourselves how we "want" to do
something, and it would magically happen, regardless of it was regularly practiced. Most
would agree that this is not a realistic expectation, especially when one's life could be
in peril.
So, our training should involve doing techniques exactly like they were intended to be
applied in real life, but, at a speed that is manageable for the defender and safe for the
training attacker that receives the technique.
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