It is the responsibility of a martial arts instructor to ensure that he/she is able to cope in the event of an accident or injury in the training place. This course should be part of the continuing professional development for any Martial Arts Instructor who takes their duty of care for their students seriously.

Since its inception in 2004 the Archway Academy has hosted first aid courses run by the British Red Cross as part of the Instructors regular training, though the course is available to anyone who wishes to book on it. In order to keep their skills current and their knowledge up to date the Academy instructors are required to attend refresher courses every three years.

The course is given by a Red Cross Instructor and held at the Archway Academy on specified dates, the last one was October 11th 2008, our next one falls due in 2011.

The number of participants for the course is strictly limited to a maximum of 12 people. It is run on a not for profit basis, so the cost is shared by the Academy and external participants. If the course is fully subscribed then the cost will be reduced accordingly. In 2008 for a fully subscribed course (12 people) the cost was £75 per person.

The course is the emergency First Aid for Sports course designed and delivered by the Red Cross. It is a 1 day (9am - 5pm) course for people who are involved in sporting activities and may need to administer basic first aid.

The Q & A sessions allow for instruction relevant to possible injuries sustained in Martial Arts training.

There are no pre-requisites, but participants must be physically able to carry out the procedures detailed in the course.

Course Contents.

• Personal safety, action at an incident
• Priorities: DRAB check and sending for help
• Unconscious casualty: adults & children
• Resuscitation: adults & children
• Choking: adults & children
• Dealing with blood loss and shock
• Burns and scalds
• Fractures
• Minor bleeding
• Bleeding from special areas: face, mouth, tongue, loss of teeth, ripped nails
• Spinal injuries
• Asthma
• Winding
• Drowning
• Chest injuries
• Management of sprains, strains and dislocations
• Management of damage to achilles tendon
• Cramp
• Friction burns and sunburn
• Angina and heart attack
• Diabetes
• Head injuries
• Contents of first aid kit
• Reporting and recording of incidents

An Emergency First Aid for Sports certificate valid for three years is awarded to those completing the course.

The class in CPR training

Listening for signs of breathing as a preliminary to CPR.

Spinal Injury Training, learning how to make the victim safe, and prevent further injury, a team effort.

Steve and Brian (seated) learning how to secure an arm injury with an elevation sling using a triangular bandage.

Brian having been successfully dressed with the elevation sling lets success go to his head!