Safeguarding in Combat Sports & Martial Arts: Prevention and Safe Sport Practices

Developed within the European project SAFE COMBAT, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Sport programme, this course provides sport professionals, club officials and technical staff with the knowledge and practical tools to strengthen safeguarding in combat sports and martial arts, enabling them to recognise risks, prevent interpersonal violence and contribute to safe, respectful and participant-centred sport environments.

Certifiers:

Course description

This course explores the main safeguarding challenges in Combat Sports & Martial Arts (CS&MA) and provides participants with practical guidance to support safer activities and organisational environments.

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

Identify different forms of interpersonal violence, including psychological, physical and sexual abuse, as well as neglect, bullying and discrimination in the context of CS&MA.
Recognise safeguarding risks specific to CS&MA, including unsafe weight-management practices and the signs of brain injuries and concussions.
Apply practical strategies to promote injury prevention and safer environments.
Understand the legal and ethical duty of care and the appropriate reporting mechanisms for safeguarding concerns.
Contribute to the implementation of a prevention-oriented safeguarding culture within clubs and organisations.

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

Identify different forms of interpersonal violence, including psychological, physical and sexual abuse, as well as neglect, bullying and discrimination in the context of CS&MA.
Recognise safeguarding risks specific to CS&MA, including unsafe weight-management practices and the signs of brain injuries and concussions.
Apply practical strategies to promote injury prevention and safer environments.
Understand the legal and ethical duty of care and the appropriate reporting mechanisms for safeguarding concerns.
Contribute to the implementation of a prevention-oriented safeguarding culture within clubs and organisations.

Curriculum

1.1 What is safeguarding?

1.2 CS&MA unique safeguarding risks

1.3 Creating safe CS&MA environments

1.4 Our safeguarding code and how this MOOC supports it

2.1 Understanding interpersonal violence in CS&MA

2.2 Psychological, physical and sexual violence

2.3 Neglect

2.4 Bullying

2.5 Discrimination

3.1 Introduction to weight management

3.2 Nutrition and hydration fundamentals

3.3 Eating disorders

3.4 Psychological aspects of making weight

3.5 Practical guidelines

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Understanding "Duty of care"

4.3 Identifying and responding to concerns

4.4 Reporting mechanisms and procedures

4.5 Clubs' legal and ethical responsibilities

4.6 Creating a safe club culture

5.1 Introduction to brain injuries in Combat Sports

5.2 Epidemiology, incidence and mechanisms

5.3 Recognition and diagnosis of concussions

5.4 Return-to-sport practices

5.5 Prevention strategies in Combat Sports

6.1 Injuries as a safeguarding issue

6.2 Understanding pain, culture and risk

6.3 Immediate response to injury

6.4 Building a prevention culture

6.5 Practical injury prevention strategies

6.6 Return to practice after injury

Instructors

Helene VERHELLE

Researcher

Thomas More University

see profile

Juliane ROBRA

Project manager/Expert

Sport Evolution Alliance

see profile

Leonardo CUNHA

General Director

WeCare

see profile

Miguel NERY

Professor and Researcher

Qantara Sports | Faculdade de Motricidade Humana

see profile

Nuno DIAS

Project Manager/Coach/Researcher

SEA

see profile

Veronika JAKL

Safeguarding Referent

European Judo Union

see profile

More info

This course is designed for professionals and volunteers involved in Combat Sports & Martial Arts (CS&MA) who contribute to the organisation, supervision and delivery of training and competition environments. It provides practical knowledge and guidance to support safeguarding, participant wellbeing and responsible sport practices within organisations.

Primary Audience: Coaches and instructors in combat CS&MA and technical staff involved in training and development of the participants.
Secondary Audience: Club Managers and administrators, referees and competition officials, medical staff and physiotherapists working within CS&MA, and youth workers and volunteers involved in CS&MA communities.

Core Competencies & Learning Outcomes

By completing this course, participants will strengthen their competencies in the following areas:

Recognising safeguarding risks: Identify different forms of interpersonal violence in sport and recognise safeguarding risks specific to CS&MA, including unsafe weight-management practices and the signs of brain injuries and concussions.
Safeguarding principles and responsibilities: Understand key safeguarding principles, including the concept of duty of care, and the responsibilities of sport professionals and organisations in protecting participants.
Reporting and response mechanisms: Understand how safeguarding concerns can be reported and addressed through appropriate procedures within the organisations.
Promoting a prevention-oriented sport culture: Support the development of training environments that prioritise participants’ wellbeing, injury prevention and respectful relationships within organisations and teams.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

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