If you don’t train your team on this, you could end up in court.
Here’s a tough story that taught us a hard lesson.
Samantha had only been training for a couple of months.
“I play competitive soccer—I’ll be fine,” she said confidently as she lined up to try a flying side kick.
The instructor told her she wasn’t ready, but she insisted.
In her early 20s, with an athletic background, he figured she could handle it.
He was wrong.
She landed poorly and tore her ACL. This led to a chain reaction of complications, and before we knew it, we got the dreaded letter in the mail.
We were being sued.
Even though they signed a waiver and we had insurance, it didn’t stop the 18-month ordeal. Our instructors were summoned to court, grilled by lawyers asking for specific details about something that happened over a year ago.
The emotional cost? Through the roof.
After everything was settled, we consulted with an attorney about what we could do better next time. He gave us a simple but essential piece of advice:
👉 Always have an incident report.
If you run a martial arts school and don’t have this protocol in place, you’re putting yourself—and your students—at risk.
Ask yourself: What’s your team’s plan if someone gets hurt?
If a student breaks their arm, does your team know what to do?
Do they just call you if you aren’t there? What if you don’t answer?
Here are 4 non-negotiables every martial arts school should have:
1️⃣ Cameras with audio. Think of them as an extra insurance policy. They should be working and recording whenever classes are in session.
2️⃣ Offer to call an ambulance. Even if the injury seems minor, always offer. Most people will say no, but offering shows responsibility and care.
3️⃣ Create an incident report. Record who was involved, what happened, the time, and the details of the injury. Make sure both the instructor and the student (or their parent) sign it.
4️⃣ CPR training and defibrillators. All instructors should be certified in CPR and trained to use a defibrillator in an emergency.
These steps won’t guarantee you won’t get sued, but they will protect your business and your students. And at the end of the day, is there anything more important than student safety?
This isn’t legal advice, I’m not a lawyer. I’m just a school owner who’s been through the trenches and wants you to avoid the same nightmare.
Your 3 min hype man,
Matthew Brenner
P.S. Do you want to add 30 new students in 60 days organically—without spending a dime on ads? I am the only coach that contractually guarantees your results or your money back. Schedule a 10-min Discovery Call with me HERE to see if your school is eligible.
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