Safety Information
The pointy end does NOT go into the other person.
Look folks, here's the absolute truth on safety:
If you are prepared to follow a few simple concepts, follow our Safety Protocols, learn a detailed combat "language," learn to control your body, and, most importantly, learn how to respect a weapon, you will be safe.
You can download our Safety Brochure by clicking here.
It provides a complete and detailed explanation of our safety standards and procedures.
If you still have concerns, you are welcome to our Sunday Practices where we will answer all your questions.
Safety Brochure
Ten Most Common Injuries and/or the Causes of Injuries
No matter what, we always call the Emergency Contact if there is a problem.
Sunburn
Our most common injury is sunburn. Since we rehearse outdoors many of our new members forget to put on sunscreen. We always have sunscreen available at practices if they forget to bring their own.
Dehydration
You have to drink water! You must stay hydrated during the day. We practice outdoors so you must drink water during the course of the day. We always have water at practice and we have scheduled water breaks. Take advantage of the time to get a drink and cool off.
Insect Bites
The joys of being outdoors in South Florida! If you are not paying attention and you sit on an anthill then we will all share a laugh at your expense. Insect bites are treated with an over-the-counter topical antihistamine. If you experience shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness or pain, difficulty speaking or swallowing, faintness, weakness or infection, please inform a Trainer immediately. We will contact emergency services (911) and your emergency contact directly.
Stupidity
This is not meant to be funny. If you decide to start fooling around and disregarding our combat safety system then you will get hurt. We teach the same system that is used to safeguard multi-million dollar movie actors. If you think that all rules should be broken then you don't belong here. If you exhibit a consistent lack of good sense (i.e. stupidity), we will ask you to leave. We will not tolerate stupidity when everyone's safety is involved.
Heat Exhaustion
Wear a hat! We don't care what kind of hat you wear as long as it covers your head and provides some shade for your brain. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, weakness, muscle cramps and aches, and dizziness. If you choose to ignore the condition it can become much more serious. If you feel any of these symptoms, tell a Trainer!
Twisted Ankles
Proper footwear is required for rehearsals! You are required to wear proper fitting athletic shoes with laces. Wearing the wrong shoes practically guarantees a sprained ankle. If you have weak ankles it is recommended that you also wear an athletic brace in addition to the proper shoes.
Heat Cramps
When you are dehydrated and working in the sun, sometimes you get to enjoy heat cramps. These are miserable. Heat cramps are muscle pains or spasms, usually in the abdomen, arms, or legs. If you experience these, get in the shade, drink lots of water and be miserable for an hour or two.
Heat Rash
These are also fun. It's basically like a diaper rash caused by excessive sweat. We recommend you get out of the sun. Don't put lotion or creams on as they will only keep you moist and hot.
Heat Stroke
These are uncommon but they still happen about once every 3-4 years. When a member has ignored the warning signs of heat exhaustion and continues to work in the sun, he will eventually collapse from heat stroke. In these cases we immediately start to hydrate the patient with glasses of water and we move into a car with the air conditioning running. We will immediately call the members emergency contact and emergency services (911).
Broken Ankle
We had a broken ankle back in 2003. The young lady was rushing to get to the stage and she tripped on a stone. These are show stopping injuries, folks. If you break an ankle that means you are going to have some fun in the hospital while they cast your ankle. We immobilize and splint the injury and transport you to the hospital immediately. Urban Ronin always recommends that you check every inch of your performance terrain before you perform! This will let you know if there are any obstacles (i.e. rocks, sand, holes, etc.) that you must avoid to stay safe. Needless to say, the young lady in 2003 did not check her terrain prior to the show.
What About Stabbings?
Historic Entertainment, a Florida not-for-profit, has the finest safety record in South Florida. In all our years we have never has a stabbing injury and we intend to keep it that way. The cornerstone of our system is safety.
To begin with, all our weapons are blunted to remove sharp edges. We train extensively and we will not put a weapon into a student's hands until we are completely confident in their ability. We must be convinced of their understanding of our safety system and techniques, otherwise they will not be permitted to handle weapons.
How We Train for Safety
Our first level of training focuses on developing advanced motor skills. We will teach you our basic combat stances and footwork. We will teach you a variety of stage falls and rolls. We will teach you how to move from one combat stance to another. We are teaching you the beginnings of how to perform a combat dance. Click for more information on our Training Program.
Once we are assured that you won't trip over your own feet we begin teaching you punches, kicks, knee strikes and elbow strikes. If you prove that you can follow the system and are not a threat to those around you, then you'll learn stomach kicks, face kicks, tornado kicks and many others. All routines are performed using all of our Safety Protocols: proper distancing, speed, partner awareness, non-verbal communication and reaction timing.
Safety Protocols
Proper Distance
You must maintain a safe distance from your partner. Most of our combat styles are taught to be performed outside of the reach of your partner's weapon. We maintain the illusion of danger by taking advantage of audience point of view and perspective. Only advanced students that have proven a mastery of our combat system are permitted to study "in-distance" weapon styles. These combat forms require you to be within striking distance of one another and thereby increases the risk exponentially. You will be allowed to learn an in-distance weapon when you have proven yourself completely proficient in our combat system and all safety protocols.
Speed
Slow down! If you think you are going slow, then go slower. Whenever new partners are to start working together to choreograph a fight routine, they must work slowly. We call this "Tai Chi" Speed and we want to see you moving at this speed first:
Once you develop Partner Awareness and a thorough knowledge of the choreography you may increase your speed to 1/4 speed. If you can perform it safely 25 times at 1/4 speed then you can move up to 1/2 speed. And so on until you reach Performance Speed which is a bit faster than 3/4 but rarely full speed.
While we know it sounds very tedious, it is this method that guarantees a phenomenal and safe performance. We promise you, the fight will not look safe, but you will be safe.
Partner Awareness
You must always know where your partner is relative to you. This means you must try to maintain eye contact at all times. Partner Awareness is developed by working together and creating a combat rhythm. This is part of why partners who have never worked together must start with very slow motions. You must be focused on what you are doing! If you are incapable of paying attention then you will not last long. You must focus on your body and your movements all while being aware of your partner's movements and relative distance.
Non-Verbal Communication
There are countless means you can develop with your partners to communicate non-verbally. We will teach you our standard facial cues that communicate volumes to your partner. For example, if you stumble and want to let your partner know you're OK, you give a single head bob after establishing eye contact. This system will ensure you can always communicate with your partner under any circumstances.
Reaction Timing
You will learn a combat rhythm that will keep you and your friends safe. You will learn how to wait for certain actions before unleashing your reaction. You will learn how to develop timing with your individual partners and how to adapt to their variations in rhythm. We create the illusion of violence through our theatrical reactions to injuries. When we are punched we want the audience to believe that it hurt, and it is up to you to sell that reaction. But timing is everything. Reaction Timing is about moving your body to a non-liner rhythm as part of a stunt combat routine.
