Universal Taekwondo Federation

'Should Full Contact Martial Arts Be Banned?' by John Webster

The future of boxing was further tested when the courts found the British Boxing Board of Control liable for damages of £1 million, for injuries sustained to Watson during that ill-fated fight with Chris Eubanks in 1991.

Paul Ingle remained critically ill following his unsuccessful world title bout, as the judgement was being announced that would have far reaching consequences, not just for boxing but to all sporting governing bodies.

The BBBC, which went into administrative receivership after the High Court ruling, has argued that it owed Watson no duty of care. However all contact sports should be aware of the grave consequences of inadequate provision of care.

The BBBC doctor made a grave error in not entering the ring for 7 minutes. The doctor was inexperienced in resuscitation procedures and did not have the use of emergency ventilation and intubation equipment.

By the time Watson underwent surgery to remove a blood clot, he had suffered serious brain damage which struck him down at the peak of his career.

Mr Justice Ian Kennedy ruled that "Watson was entitled to damages from the board on the grounds that he would have made a good recovery, although unable to box again, if the doctor had entered the ring immediately and the necessary emergency equipment and experienced medics had been present."

He said "the board was in breach of its duty to Watson in failing to stipulate those ringside safeguards in its rules".

To compound the case for the anti boxing protesters, the recent injury to Paul Ingle has not helped matters.

The surgeon Mr Battersby added: "He suffered from a lot of injury to the head during the fight and as a consequence his brain was swollen and he developed a blood clot on the surface of his brain.

Mr Battersby said Ingle was the first boxer he had treated with a serious head injury in 15 years.

"I think the facts speak for themselves. It's a dangerous sport, the men are exceptionally brave. They know the risks, they know the rewards too and sometimes they have to pay the price - but thankfully the figures for serious injury are very low."

He added that he did not think it would be appropriate for a doctor to be stationed at ringside during fights to judge whether boxers were able to fight on.

Health Secretary Alan Milburn Stated that boxing should not be banned, suggesting that the sport should continue as safely as possible.

But Labour backbencher Paul Flynn has vowed to try to remove boxers' legal protection from assault or even murder charges. Allowing boxers to be charged with assault or even murder would discourage blows to the head and could lead to a rule change, according to the Labour MP for Newport West.

"At present, if boxers kill or seriously maim their opponents in the ring, they cannot be charged with assault or manslaughter because they have a defence that they were acting within the rules of the sport," he said.

Simon Block of the BBBC suggested injury was an inherent part of the sport, despite safety improvements over the past 10 years. "Boxing is a dangerous sport. There are short-term and long-term dangers and they will never be eliminated,"

So how do these rulings effect the martial arts and are we just waiting for a time bomb to explode?

For starters governing bodies and individuals put on competitions and allow sparring in class. Other elements within most martial arts systems have elements of full contact in them.

Sports such as Kickboxing and Taekwondo all allow strikes to the head with the winner being determined by points scored or by knockout. The word knockout is where the problem lies. Is there enough provision of care at ringside or in the classroom if accidentally or intentionally some one is knocked out, injured or maimed. Either way if you have not provided a reasonable amount of care you could be liable for court action.

How many instructors have a first aid qualification or even have access to a first aid kit or phone in case of emergency? Remember although the students assume some responsibility of risk of injury because of the very nature of the sport. The instructor is there to make sure that the arenas we compete and train in are both safe in preventative measures and if necessary to cure or care for illness or injury.

So what is the solution do we all stop teaching full contact martial arts? I do not see this as the way forward nor do I wish to see sports such as kick boxing or full contact Taekwondo banned. However unless instructors, governing bodies and students take adequate preventative measures, we may be powerless to stop the dissolvent of our arts.

Governing bodies and instructors should in the first instance check the following.

1. Does your doctor at competitions have ventilation and intubation equipment available?
2. Are you adequately insured for injury or accidents that may occur in class or competition?
3. Are you first aid qualified? You could save a life or prevent further injury.
4. Make sure that students wear approved head guards and other protection.
5. Never make a fighter diet without checking his body fat levels.
6. Make sure your students always take plenty of fluids.
7. Take all preventative measure available to ensure the safety and well been of students in your care.
8. Keep a record of all accidents and injuries that occur in class and competition.
9. Make sure that all students that attend your club or competition have a valid licence.
10. Checked with your governing body to see what would happen if you were sued for negligence.

Martial arts are a minefield and if you're not careful you could be the first to step on the bomb. This is not something that will go away. A parent who is your best friend will become your worst enemy if their child is injured. Taekwondo and other full contact martial arts have a bright future if instructors and governing bodies make sure that adequate training is given to instructors and referees. However if this matter is not taken seriously the next headline we read may be martial arts related.

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