We cannot promise that you will not get injured during your martial arts career because the martial arts are risky like any sport. In a professional academy, however, martial arts are no more dangerous than many sports we allow our children to play in school. In many cases, martial arts are safer.

We are proud of our safety standards at UMA and we have sustained very few serious injuries. These rare occurrences have involved adults. I cannot remember, during the last two decades, any serious injury suffered by a child.

However, injuries can happen to anyone and so we take numerous precautions to reduce the risks, including:

*We warm up before every class.

*Students are required to wear protective gear when sparring.

*Sparring is limited for beginners and only light contact is permitted.

*Throws and submissions are performed in a controlled manner.

*Advanced students are expected to help teach beginners, not compete with them.

*We pair students according to size and weight whenever possible.

*We teach how to properly absorb a fall.

*Our training floor is fully matted, further reducing the risk of injuries.

We cannot expect to totally avoid injuries but we can reduce our mishaps to those most common - bumps and bruises - badges of honor.