Do you have a great chance of getting injured in karate class?

Question

i joined it when i was little but now im grown up...im in my early 20s...(in college btw).....and I remember I had to fight ppl...now that im older hah im kinda hesistant to join cuz i dont want to getinjured......

Answer 1

In many years of training, I only saw one serious injury and that was related to Jujitsu and it was with an inexperienced student. More common are bumps, bruises and sore muscles from sparring and occasionally from just working out, but nothing to really be concerned about.

Answer 2

I agree that in no way should a teenager be running a school, without supervision or with supervision. Helping under the direction of the chief instructor is OK but he should not be teaching the entire class. You don't say what the situation that needs to be defused is. That is an important piece to the question you have laid out. As to how to approach the instructor, just come out and say it politely. Ask he not to say anything. You don't say anything about the instructor doing anything wrong other than being young. If the other student did something malicious, then that is one thing, but if it was an accident due to inexperience on the other student and not intentional that is something else. Personally I have to disagree with two people I highly respect on this. Karate by definition includes contact. When there is contact there is the possibility of injury. You know that going in or at least should. Part of the reason we are loosing so much quality in the martial arts is all the lawsuits being brandished around, people are afraid to teach the real karate for fear of lawsuits from injuries. So now you get people wrapped in plastic from head to toe playing tag. Now if there was some kind of maliciousness behind it, or some other detail you didn't include and / or the instructor due to inexperience, inattention, or indifference chose not to correct it before the injury then by all means, sue the pants off them. If however it was a beginners mistake that the instructor had no forewarning it was coming then while you may have a right, no, don't clog the courts with another questionable lawsuit. Either way if you are not comfortable with the school, you have every right to leave and find another at any time, which is right I would use if the class is being taught by a teenager. Edit: This is apparently about a grown woman, since the profile for this person says that she is 70 with two grown children and NO grandchildren. Something smells fishy to me.

Answer 3

It depends on the instructor and class and what they allow. Some hard core instructors only want a tough type student and so the amount and level of physical contact that is allowed is much higher and the potential for injury is greater. This can be especially critical if there are huge size, age, and weight differences in sparring and wrestling and a careful eye by the instructor can help prevent a lot of this but not all of it. I have seen hard core instructors toss a student out there to be used as a sparring or work out partner and be over matched and injured. This tends not to happen as much now since we are a society where people are sued more often.

I recommend that anyone who is looking for a class always go and watch a few classes first before joining. One of those classes that they should try to watch should be a sparring or wrestling class and from that you may get an idea of how much contact they allow and how hard core they may or may not be. Also check to see if the school has insurance and covers you if you are injured while training. Some schools do have insurance but don't do a very good job of enforcing certain standards or monitoring the contact. Allowing people to fight or wrestle without a mouth piece is an example of this. No insurance company is going to cover a mouth or jaw type injury if they require mouth pieces in the policy but the instructor or his assistant did not enforce it and someone got injured. So shop around and also talk to the students after class a little as well. If they are the tough, hard core type student who thinks little of a broken toe or finger, cracked rib, or knocked out tooth it will be pretty evident. That along with the amount of contact that you see may be a good indication that you should continue investigating before joining or continue looking for a school and instructor.

Answer 4

For starters, know that there is the possibility. Of course, the likelihood of you getting injured depends upon the style you choose. If you're doing certain types of martial arts in which you practice only katas and never work hand-to-hand with other people, then your chances of getting hurt are smaller. But then again, your chances of actually being able to use that style to defend yourself are smaller, too. You get out of it what you put in.

Not to scare you, but when I first signed up for my particular form, the release said that there is a possibility of "great bodily injury or death". If you don't train properly, or don't tap out when you really should, or if you permit other students to go against dojo rules or permit them to continue making dangerous mistakes, then you could be seriously injured.

Also, if you're hesitant, there is a greater likelihood that you're going to get injured. Some things must be done at a decent speed if they're going to be done correctly -- like flipping someone. You can't do that slowly, because it won't work, and you're more likely to get injured because you'd be slowly holding someone's full body weight. If you go full speed, the technique works, and you aren't as likely to get injured.

My advice to you would be to sign up for some private lessons with an instructor first before joining group classes. That way, the instructor can help you get over your fear of injury, teach you some basic techniques, and get you off to a good start before joining the group.

Learn to accept the minor injuries as battle wounds...bruises, cuts and scrapes are souvenirs, and a sign that you worked hard. After all, if you get into a fight on the street, you're not going to emerge from that scot-free; there's going to be a bit of pain and discomfort. Might as well learn to deal with it in a controlled environment so that you can be fully functional when you really need it.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Karate is a very linear and grounded fighting style. Your moves are very straight and you're not bending your body in any direction that it doesn't move. (Like Kung Fu does)
So the chances of you getting hurt is greatly reduced. However, depending on the style you take, the sparring can be quite brutal. I remember taking Goju Ryu Karate and there are no protective gear allowed during sparring other than the head gear, gloves, and a cup. So your body takes direct hit. However, Shodokan and most other styles use protective leg, shin, and chest gears.
I think Karate is a pretty safe martial art.
If you don't want to get hurt, take Tai Chi. It is more of a work out system that helps circulate blood through the body and keeps you pretty darn healthy.

Answer 6

according to many studies published in a wide array of medical journals, the average martial arts student has a much lower incidence of injury than athletes in smot other sports, including soccer, football, rugby, and even tennis in some studies. However, the injuries that do occur are potentially worse as far as getting back to training (or even in getteing back to regular life), including knee injuries, brain trauma, and broken bones. Find a good instructor and you won't have to worry about it as much. Also, never be afraid to tell any sparring/training partners to ease up a bit before an injury occurs.

Answer 7

Actually Karate is a great way to get in shape, and if you tell your instructor that your more interested in forms and learning the moves then sparring he/she will understand and coach you in that direction.
In tournaments there are two ways to compete.
1.Fighting
1.Forms
Each helps with each and both are equally important.
Dont join the first school, go to a few free trial classes and decide from that.

Answer 8

You have a chance of getting hurt doing anything. But if you re join karate class you will find that it is a controlled environment and adults are able to handle themselves better than children when it comes to control.

Answer 9

in karate its all about self defense. most of the time you wear protective gear. the only time you have a little chance for getting injured is when you are sparring or in a tournament and stuck with a snob who want to win no matter what.

Answer 10

Remember,proper stretching at any age is important before any physical activity,martial arts is no different.Keep a strong focus,concentration,etc.Maintain these and you should lessen the chance of injury.