Body Studs in class

[Tainan Mantis]

KFM School Owners and Coaches and Shifus,
How do you deal with this?
I teach kung fu in Tampa. Every month or so someone comes in with peircing of the face wanting to try class.

How do you handle it?
For example, today, a student came in with lip stud and many ear rings and I think some tongue metal too.

On my asking the student to remove the ear rings (thought I'd start with the easy one first) I was told that is not possible as the metal is fresh and the skin will seal up, or something to that effect.

Another case, the student has gum studs, peirced into the gums above the teeth. Seems like it could hurt if you get punched there.

So, How do you deal with these issues?

[YouKnowWho]

Some students just pay your bill and you should not expect much out of them.

[TenTigers]

nope. Come back without the hardware. No ifs ands or buts. Liability insurance does not cover my negligence in this matter. I don't want his face or skin getting ripped, nor do I want him accidentally hurting someone else.
If he cops an attitude, well, then I don't need to fill my school with stupid people.
I will make it with one less moron on the floor, thank you.

[MasterKiller]

Take it out or you don't play. It's dangerous for everyone in class, not just the idiot with the piercings.

My 7 year-old even has to remove her earrings to play soccer.

[Lokhopkuen]

Wait till it gets knocked or ripped out, then giggle:D

[Syn7]

if its a liability issue then the answer is simple...

if it isnt a liability issue, then who cares... if they are willing to take the stupid risk thats on them... i guess in the way of it hurting others, i find that unlikely... but if you feel thats the case, that it puts other students at risk, then again, the answer is simple...

no sweat, right???:rolleyes:

[Dale Dugas]

It is a liability issue to all people involved.

If someone is injured by these peoples hardware, that person can sue, the teacher as well the student whose piercings hurt him. If the pierced person falls in class and self removes said piercings they can sue.

People can sue you for ANYTHING, and even if you are found not guilty, you have to pay for court costs, a lawyer as well as the time lost.

Explain that these cool little nubs of metal are not cool, nor allowed in class.

Not worth the trouble.

[David Jamieson]

It's common sense that all jewelry be removed as a courtesy to others and to yourself. It's dangerous in context to practice of martial arts.

I guess there will never be a shortage of nitwits though. lol

[Tainan Mantis]

Thanks for all the answers.

The student who didn't take out the rings was only allowed to stretch for that first (and last ) class.

But, then I started to wonder about hidden peircings that I don't know about.
Such as:

-Belly
-Chest and breast
-gums
-tongue (though I would notice that one eventually)
- (gasp) Groin
- and who knows where else.

So, I ask myself, must I know ask each prospective student if they have any body peircings that I can't see?

Training sure isn't like when I was a student way back when....

[Lucas]

imo if they dont have the common sense to remove their metal for their own well being, and safety then they are stupid. you dont go to a fight class with steel in your face and not remove it unless you just dont get it.

if the peircing is that fresh...guess what. wait till it heals to sign up for class. duh.

see the thing is a lot of those people are wanting attention, and you are making them remove the thing they feel sets them aside from the rest and gives them the attention. attention *****s.

[MasterKiller]

Thanks for all the answers.

The student who didn't take out the rings was only allowed to stretch for that first (and last ) class.

But, then I started to wonder about hidden peircings that I don't know about.
Such as:

-Belly
-Chest and breast
-gums
-tongue (though I would notice that one eventually)
- (gasp) Groin
- and who knows where else.

So, I ask myself, must I know ask each prospective student if they have any body peircings that I can't see?

Training sure isn't like when I was a student way back when....

If they are sparring, they need to remove them all. However, if they have ear studs, etc...that cannot come out easily, wearing a wrestling headgear seems to work well.

If they have groin piercings, they can wear a cup to protect them. Nipples, eyebrowns, lips, cheeks, nose, etc... need to be removed, though. No exceptions.

[Syn7]

It is a liability issue to all people involved.

If someone is injured by these peoples hardware, that person can sue, the teacher as well the student whose piercings hurt him. If the pierced person falls in class and self removes said piercings they can sue.

People can sue you for ANYTHING, and even if you are found not guilty, you have to pay for court costs, a lawyer as well as the time lost.

Explain that these cool little nubs of metal are not cool, nor allowed in class.

Not worth the trouble.

yeah in canada we arent as letigeous... you can get away with a bit more in that respect... but we're learning from yall... soon enough we'll sue anyone who looks at us crosseyed... or if i burn my tongue with soup ima sue cambells for pain and suffering with emotional distress :p burnt tongues suck...

anyways, if its a legal issue, then a zero tolerance policy, regardless of any excuses they may have... ZERO tolerance policy...

ok so lets say a guy has a piercing in his johnson... he lies and says he's metal free, took out the lip, nose ears, nipple rings... so he's sparring with proper gear, takes an accedintal nutshot and tears the thing out... could he sue??? is there any state he could get away with that???

how far does a teacher need to go to ensure the rules are followed??? does he have to strip search everyone?

or do you write the rules down and have them sign the paper when they start in order to protect yourself from anyone getting hurt while breaking rules??? does that work???

ive heard stories of people suing despite liability agreements from before... they find something or another to try to justify voiding the agreement, or in their eyes a compramise, an amendment... lol... its kind of sad how rule of law is applied sometimes... is this exploitable? the whole getting hurt in class...

in theory, could somebody join up at a upbeat rougher gym or school and get super aggressive and get themselves hurt and sue, all by design from the get go??? because one thing in life i know forsure, if it can be done, it is being done... that applies to alot in life, not just this scenario... some people get hit by cars while riding their bikes for a living... in NYC at the car rental agency they were very vocal about that... stay away from cyclists altogether lol...

[KC Elbows]

The question is not could they win a suit, but could they start one, and they could start one. As long as they can start a suit in the U.S., you lose money. It might be different in Canada: if it's like the British system, then you stand a better chance of winning back all losses for legal fees in a frivolouus suit.

[David Jamieson]

You don't have to ask anything.

Spell it out for them clearly and concisely and put it on a poster that everyone can see.

Read it out loud to them if need be.

But basically make it a rule that anyone who steps on your floor to train must remove any and all jewelry, piercings etc.


cut and dried.