Training with Knives and the law

[silatman]

Apparently in Australia the insurance companies are putting the squeeze on to martial art federations about training with bladed and wooden weapons.
I was told that at recent kungfu federation meetings the instructors were told that if they trained with wooden knives, sticks, or metal weapons then they would not be covered by insurance.
Nothing has changed in our dojo as we are too small to be able to afford insurance and have signed a waiver to say as much.
IMO if this is right then any of the big schools who can spread out the cost of the insuance is not going to be able to teach a full sylabus if it had previously contained weapons.
What happens in your neck of the woods

 

[arnisador]

You can't even train with wooden weapons? Do you have a link with more info. on this?

 

[Kenpodoc]

Hmmmm. I think that I'd start training with those plastic and rubber spatulas used for scraping cake bowls. Cheap and difficult to call a weapln in court.

Respectfully,

Jeff

 

[BlackCatBonz]

i can see liability insurance covering you if you fall and break your arm on the way into the training hall. but i dont think any insurance company is going to cover a sword accident no matter where you are.
the best thing you can do is go and get some kind of private insurance, tell them what you do.....so in case of an accident at least you know YOU are covered.

 

[silatman]

You can't even train with wooden weapons? Do you have a link with more info. on this?

Nah I dont, I was hoping that someone else might have heard a bit more hence the post.
I will ask my instructor again though and see if anything else has happened but once he was told at the federation meeting he immediately resigned from the board.

Apparently wooden weapons are included because of splintering risk and the fact that they can be taught to be used as a kubotan which is a prohibited weapon in australia. This is crazy as anything can be a kubotan, we have trained with plastic bic pens, cassette tapes, paint brushes and all sorts of basic objects, some times I think that the ivory towers are too high and its giving the executives alltitude sickness, how else can it be explained?