Affordable Aikido Insurance Built to Meet Your Needs
We may be called KarateInsurance.com, but don’t let the name fool you. We provide quality insurance to martial arts schools of all shapes and sizes. If you run an Aikido program we can develop an insurance package that fits your needs at an affordable rate.
We Know Aikido (No Really, We Do)
Karate Insurance is owned and operated by Don Baldwin, a long time Aikido student. Don began his Aikido journey in Colorado and it helped guide his business practices when developing KarateInsurance.com. As such, Don has unique insight into how Aikido programs operate and what kind of insurance is needed for a happy and healthy school.
Since it’s inception, Karate Insurance has helped many Aikido clients and has developed a track record of success in developing insurance coverage that is complete but not excessive, making it perfect for the program on a budget.
How We Determine Your Insurance Needs
In order to determine your needs we start off with a broad assessment. We take your potential number of students as well as geographic location to determine a baseline of what a generic policy will cost you. In some cases, this initial quote is dead on and no more complex work is needed. In other cases there are special considerations like equipment and building protection that will affect the final number.
For individuals curious about what their baseline quote might be, we have developed free software to determine that number. Click here for your free quote.
After the initial quoting process we will work with you personally to determine your specific needs and get you a hard number for monthly payments. Throughout the process we will answer questions and concerns that you have. We truly believe that with good customer service this can be a pain-free process!
Tips for Preparing for Your Insurance Purchase
We often find it useful to give school operators as much info as we can before they begin the insurance process. This help streamlines the time investment needed and takes some of the mystery out of how we determine your rates. Answer the following queries:
- How many students do you have or predict you will have when your program launches?
- What is the square footage of your facility?
- Do you own your own building or do you rent?
- What is the rough estimated value of the equipment you have in your facility (if you own said equipment)?
- What’s the geographic location of your program?
- Will you be hosting tournaments or seminars? Roughly how large will they be?
- Will you have other teachers operating under you that might need their own policies?
If you get these tidbits of info together you will be way ahead of the game. Also, if you have any questions you can call us toll free at 888·868·1164 or utilize our contact form. We are happy to help and we hope to hear from you soon!
What If the Karate Kid Had Died?
John G Avildsen is a well known director with many credits to his name including Rocky, 8 Seconds, Lean on Me, and more. One of his best known works is the Karate Kid Trilogy (I, II, III) featuring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. Recently Avildsen sat down for an exclusive interview to discuss his two most prominent works (Rocky and The Karate Kid) and revealed some interesting changes he might have made given the chance.
One of the most interesting revelations is the different direction Avildsen would have taken The Karate Kid III. Instead of a rehash of the first movies story arc, he would have created a tragedy in which Daniel Larusso was killed.
CraveOnline: You did the first three Karate Kid movies. Did you have an option to do the fourth one?
John G. Avildsen: Nope. I thought that Ralph [Macchio]’s character should die at the end of the third one. He gets in a fight defending Mr. Miyagi’s honor and he dies in the fight. Miyagi feels so devastated that he says, “I taught him too well.” Then in the fourth one he meets the girl, but that didn’t happen so I didn’t pursue it.
Wow, Robert Mark Kamen told me that he wanted the third Karate Kid to be a Crouching Tiger style martial arts period piece. You wanted it to be a tragedy. Were you aware of Kamen’s first idea?
Actually, what I wanted the third one to be, if you remember in the second one, Mr. Miyagi tells Daniel the story of how Miyagi family karate came to be, that the ancestor of Miyagi was a fisherman. He was out fishing, had too much sake and fell asleep and woke up off the coast of China and came back ten years later with a Chinese wife and a secret to Miyagi family karate. So I thought the third one, Ralph and Pat would time travel back to ancient China and Pat would play the Miyagi character as the ancestor and we would see how that all began.
The Chinese government was all enthusiastic about it and Columbia at the time was owned by Coca-Cola. It was going to be a great opportunity for them to do business in China. There was going to be nothing political about it, but the producers didn’t want to spend the money to go to China so we just did the first one over again. The third one wasn’t very good I’m afraid. – Crave Online
Avildsen brings some wild ideas to the table and it’s easy to see how the industry executives may have gotten scared at the prospect. Of course, while Karate Kid III had its moments it is widely considered a below average effort, bringing little to the franchise. Maybe a little more boldness would have paid off after all. In terms of time travel, we are left to wonder if Avildsen means time travel in the sense of story telling or a literal time travel mechanism (hopefully he would have went the storytelling route).
Many of us in the martial arts are huge Karate Kid fans. Some of us even got into the arts directly because of those films. The latter movies (Karate Kid III, Next Karate Kid, etc) are generally considered weaker efforts but they do speak to the longevity of the franchise. Perhaps if interest persists we may see another movie describing the life and times of Daniel Larusso, but who knows? Avildsen may get his chance to kill the character after all.
Turkish Competitor Dies at World Taekwondo Event
Stock Taekwondo Competition
Seyithan Akbalik, a 21 year old Taekwondo competitor, died during a recent competition in Luxor, Egypt. Akbalik was known to have a heart condition and even took a multi-year break from competition in order to avoid potential health complications.
As reported by Inside the Games:
“The 21-year-old, European Junior champion in 2009, collapsed during a match against a Slovenian player in the men’s under 63 kilogram category and was immediately rushed to the Luxor International Hospital, where he later passed away.
Akbalik was representing his Club from Izmir, Ulastirma Spor Kulubu, in the Luxor Open and was returning to competition after having been out for over two years due to the detection of a heart problem.”
This is a truly unfortunate event as the TKD world has lost a spirited competitor. Despite air evacuation and prompt medical service Akbalik did not respond to resuscitation attempts.
In the wake of this tragic event it will be typical for all parties involved to decide where blame lies and determine accountability. Family members will most likely look toward both the event coordinators and the WTF (World Taekwondo Federation) for allowing Akbalik to participate despite pre-existing conditions. Ultimately the WTF and coordinators will suggest that participation lies with each competitor, and there is no doubt that WTF utilized liability waivers for every single competitor. It is unlikely aggrieved parties will be able to successfully pursue legal compensation.
This story is a lesson for everyone involved in the martial arts. Injury and even death can happen at a moment’s notice; it is our duty to be vigilant and err on the side of caution. Business owners and tournament operators also need to understand the need for proper waivers, insurance policies, and education of participants on their rights.
Insurance for Martial Art Schools
Getting insurance for your martial art school can seem liked added hassle and added expense. Worse yet, individuals outside the financial sector may be confused about how much insurance should cost and what their options are for financing.
We understand these concerns and frustrations. We are martial artists and insurance professionals, so we’ve encountered many individuals from both sides of the conversation. Let us be the first to tell you that if you are opening a martial arts school, it’s very likely that you can afford good quality insurance.
Understanding Insurance Costs
Creating a policy for a martial arts school requires and understanding of the nuances of each individual program. That being said, you can get a good idea of what your predicted costs can be by using our free quote form.
We take a few simple factors like the location of your program and the number of students you have and run it through our algorithm. We then send you an automated predicted cost (monthly or annually) for a boilerplate insurance policy that will likely meet your needs. After the free quote you can reach out to us and discuss some of the finer details of what you need, what you’ll be covering, and how to arrange for payment.
It’s all pretty simple and pain-free!
Who Should be Covered by a Policy?
Some martial art schools have multiple programs under one roof. In that situation it might not be entirely clear who should foot the bill for the insurance plan. Here is a good way to approach it:
First, make sure the building is properly insured. Also, have an umbrella martial arts policy that covers any kind of art that might take place in the building. After that, it is recommended that each individual instructor carry their own policy to ensure personal financial interests are not negatively affected by an incident in the school. Finally, determine what unique risks each individual instructor’s program may bring and plan accordingly.
What is the Fine Print?
If you’re moving along in the insurance process you may be interested in knowing some of the smaller details. These details can describe what incidences are covered by a policy, how much money an injured party is entitled to, and how filing a claim works.
If that sounds like you then pop over to our insurance purchase page. From there you can browse the details and get back to us with any questions.
Questions, Comments, Concerns?
We try to offer clean and automated service to our internet visitors but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to hear from you. Financial topics like insurance can lead to a lot of questions and we’d rather you be well-informed and happy, so reach out to us! You can call at 888-868-1164 or email via our contact page.
The more we learn about your program the more we can inform your decision, tell you what other instructors in similar situations have done, and construct a responsible payment plan that doesn’t break the bank.
Judo Insurance
Judo is one of the most popular martial sports in the world. It’s high intensity and skill level has intrigued audiences for generations and proved the importance of technique over raw power. Despite it’s technical focus injuries do occur in Judo. The ballistic impact that can result from high octane throws is enough to damage any practitioner who happens to take a bad fall. Even the pushing and pulling of randori can cause unexpected health problems.
It’s wise for judo players and instructors to seriously consider insurance. Personal insurance as well as school-wide policies can take a life altering event and make it salvageable. There is no way to completely eliminate the risk of judo practice so acquiring proper coverage is the right call every time.
About Our Judo Insurance Policies
We’ve developed policies that are appropriate for a wide array of martial art practices. This is important because accidents are inherently unpredictable and you want as wide an insurance net as possible. View the details of our program below:
The Accident Coverage
$100,000 Benefit
(Benefit is used for medical bills of an injured student or staff member)
Medical Expense Benefit
If the student or staff member incurs eligible expenses as the direct result of a covered injury and independent of all other causes, the insurance policy will pay the charges incurred for such expense within 365 days, beginning on the date of accident. Payment will be made for eligible expenses in excess of the applicable $250 Deductible Amount, not to exceed the Maximum Medical Benefit.
In terms of utilizing the insurance policy – the first such expense must be incurred within 90 days after the date of the accident. This is to ensure prompt handling of the incident and avoid manipulation of insurance claims.
“Eligible expense” means charges for the following necessary treatment and service, not to exceed the usual and customary charges in the area where provided.
- Medical and surgical care by a physician
- Radiology (X-rays)
- Prescription drugs and medicines
- Dental treatment of sound natural teeth
- Hospital care and service in semiprivate accommodations, or as an outpatient
- Ambulance service from the scene of the accident to the nearest hospital
- Orthopedic appliances necessary to promote healing
Accidental Death and Dismemberment Benefit
Principal Sum is $100,000 with a $500,000 aggregate. If a covered injury results in any of the losses specified below within 365 days of the date of the accident, the Company will pay the applicable amount:
- Full Principal Sum for loss of life, double dismemberment or quadriplegia
- Full Principal Sum for loss of sight, loss of hearing, or loss of speech that is irrecoverable by natural, surgical or artificial means.
- 50% of the Principal Sum for loss of one arm, one leg, one hand, or one foot. Loss of hand or foot means complete severance above the wrist or ankle joint. Loss of eye means the total, permanent loss of sight.
- 50% of the Principal Sum for paraplegia or hemiplegia
- 50% of the Principal Sum as a monthly benefit for Coma
- 25% of the Principal Sum for loss of index finger and thumb of same hand or four fingers of the same hand
We will not pay more than the Principal Sum for this benefit for all losses due to the same accident.
The Liability Coverage
$1,000,000
(Protects you in the event of a lawsuit or property damage)
Who Is Covered
This $1,000,000 occurrence form general liability program provides protection for your Martial Arts Studio, owners, directors, instructors, and employees against claims of bodily injury liability, property damage liability, personal and advertising injury liability, and the litigation costs to defend against such claims. There is no deductible amount for this coverage. Coverage is offered through the Sports and Recreation Providers Purchasing Group, pursuant to the Federal Risk Retention Act of 1986.
Coverage includes suits arising out of:
- Injury or death of participants
- Injury or death of spectators
- Injury or death of volunteers
- Property damage liability
- Host liquor liability (nonprofit)
- General negligence claims
- All activities necessary or incidental to conduct of activities
- Cost of investigation and defense of claims, even if groundless
- Ownership, use, or maintenance of gyms, fields, or practice areas
Includes coverage for all on and off site seminars.
Up to 3 additional Insureds such as landlords or venues may be added at no additional charge.
Premium Rates
The combined Accident and Liability premium rate begins at:
$8.95 Per Person Per Year (minimum premium $450.00)
Staff members are included for no extra charge. Please note that independent contractors are not considered staff, however they may be added for an additional premium under optional coverages.
Note: Certain exclusions and limitations may be modified to meet individual state requirements.
How to Apply for Coverage
If you think this kind of coverage is right for you, head on over to our online application center. Of course, you may have questions about your school, events, property, and more before signing up. We encourage you to reach out to us at 888-868-1164 for a free consultation. We can help you sort out the different needs for your program and make an informed decision about what kind of policy is appropriate for you.
Martial Arts Insurance For Instructors
Martial arts instructors have a lot to think about. First and foremost, they have to establish a gameplan for what they are going to teach and who they are going to teach it to. Next, they have to secure a location in which to operate or connect themselves with an existing school. Finally, they have to clear up administrative matters such as stocking the appropriate gear, setting up student payment, and the like.
One thing that tends to be way down on the list is insurance needs. However, if you’re here that means you’ve arrived at the moment when you realize you need to good coverage to stay in business.
Why Purchase Insurance as an Instructor?
One of the most frequent questions we get is simply why should an instructor purchase insurance for his program? If he is the owner of the facility the answer is simple – any and all injuries that occur on his/her property will be his/her responsibility. One bad slip-and-fall or injury on the mat could doom the business without any insurance. However, if the instructor operates under a bigger umbrella they may suspect the school will cover any possible liability. This is true in some cases, but facility owners may not always be generous enough to get in front of injury situations. They may instead try to pin it on negligence by the instructor.
In cases like this, when either the facility owner or student attempts to come directly at the instructor, good insurance is critical.
Is Insurance For an Instructor Expensive?
Insurance is much more affordable than most people assume. Small programs can get by with a plan that goes as low as $30 a month. The bigger the school the more expensive the plan, but those numbers constantly counter-balance. Insurance rates don’t go up until the student count does, and therefore the profit level. Insurance for an instructor is definitely affordable and can prevent full on financial disaster in the long run.
How Do I Buy a Policy and File a Claim?
Buying a policy is simple stuff. If this is your first time securing business insurance we recommend you use our free estimate tool to get an idea of what you will be spending every month. After that, if you’re ready to buy you use our secure online submission tool to fill out the needed information. We take it from there! You will always receive personal customer service from us as you go through the process, so if you have any questions just reach out and ask.
If you arrive at a moment where you have to file a claim you’ll notice a suite of tools in our top menu bar located under “current client services”. Whatever you need to do, just follow the steps we lay out and you’ll be on your way.
Get Started!
If you’re ready to get started click here! We’ll guide you through the purchase process.
Happy New Year from Karate Insurance!
This is a special message to all of our current clients (And any future clients who may have stumbled upon this blog). We thank you for making 2013 a great year and are looking forward to 2014!
2013 held some great advancements for us. We renovated our online presence and made our processes more streamlined. By integrating securemartialartsinsurance.com we can transfer clients who want a new policy or need to revise their current policy into a clean and easy-to-use form database. Overall we think we’ve combined our existing customer service with a superior online experience, making life just a little easier for program owners who choose to work with us.
We are extremely grateful to all the long-term clients we have as well as the new ones we are just getting to know. As a privately owned business ourselves we understand that your business is more than just dollars and cents and proper coverage can be critical. We take your needs seriously.
So what do we have in store for 2014? A fresh commitment to excellence and a promise to continue being there when you need us. We will also continue building our online tools so as to innovate and meet the needs of clients. That being said, if you have any requests or recommendations please reach out to us. You won’t get filtered into some anonymous customer service bank. We will see your message and respond personally. An outside view can sometimes help us see things we wouldn’t have otherwise noticed, so please feel free to give suggestions.
One other thing to look out for – we recently got the ball rolling with sister business to Karate Insurance called Insure My Studio. While we aim to help martial arts instructors predominantly, Insure My Studio offers the same great service and personal touch for other fitness oriented activities like yoga, crossfit, dance, etc. If you know someone in one of those fitness industries and want to point them to affordable and high quality insurance, drop the Insure My Studio link on them – http://www.insuremystudio.com/!
Martial Arts Business Tip: Have Waivers at the Ready!
One commonly overlooked aspect of day-to-day martial arts operation is the utilization of waivers. Although most instructors understand the value of running a safe class, injuries are never predictable and should be kept in mind at all times. Also, don’t overlook the possibility of new students looking for a chance to sue an unsuspecting business.
Waivers might seem like a damaging business idea at first. After all, if you are making a new potential student waive liability wouldn’t it make it seem like you are EXPECTING trouble?
Ignore that thought when it pops into your mind. The usage of liability waivers is not only standard but also critical to insuring safety and longevity for your program. If a student is so gun-shy that a waiver scares them off then martial arts may have not been in their best interest anyway.
You can consider developing your own liability waiver (and in time it will become obvious if you should or not), but in the meantime you can use our sample products. Hop over to our forms page and download waivers for a variety of topics including injury liability and background check affidavits.
Grab some sample waivers here.
Some studios will insist on having a waiver signed even before prospective students step onto the mat for their free trial class. You should consider adopting this habit as it sets a precedent of good business practice and accountability both for the school and student.
One final note about waivers. Don’t feel as if you need to get bogged down in legal jargon. Sure, it’ smart to have a legal professional look over your waiver material but that doesn’t mean it should be completely unreadable by normal folks. Say what you mean and mean what you say. It can be that simple to keep your program safe!
Martial Arts Studio Insurance
Owning a martial art studio can be a difficult challenge. The owner and/or operator must concern themselves with all manner of marketing, operations, finances, safety, product quality, and more. Insurance is one additional headache that most instructor’s would rather do without.
We understand the seemingly daunting nature of insurance, but we’d like to assure you that with competent help acquiring quality insurance does not have to be a nightmare.
Insuring a Martial Arts Studio
When it comes to insuring your studio, there are two key factors to consider: your location and your size. Different states have different rules in terms of amount of coverage needed, and the amount of students you have can greatly affect the potential for injury in your facility (the more students, the higher the risk). Of course, the more students you have the higher the profit margin. Therefore, if you handle insurance properly, it will never truly cut deeply into your ability to make money.
When we work with potential customers we like to offer a free quote service first. Of course, if the owner is a business veteran and wants to get right down to business we can accommodate that as well.
Getting a Free Insurance Quote
Acquiring your insurance quote is remarkably easy. All you have to do is click here (A new tab will open). You’ll see a blue page with a few fields to fill out. When you provide us with your basic information we can crunch the numbers and kick an estimate back to you almost instantly.
If you like the numbers you see you can then move toward purchasing a policy. If you have questions or are confused by the amount quoted you can reach out to us here.
Purchasing Insurance for Your Studio
If you’ve done the free quote or know you are ready for a policy, don’t worry – we are here to help you through the process. The first step is easy. Go to this page (A new tab will open) and fill out as many of the fields as you can. The more information you can provide right away the more efficiently we can process your policy. If you need a helping hand you can call us toll free at 888-868-1164 and we’ll be happy to work with you. We are a privately owned company, not a large insurance conglomerate and we are interested in giving our clients a positive and successful experience.
Once you have attained a policy with us you can use our online tools (featured in the menu at the top of the page) to pay your annual rate, change policy information, change number of students covered, and more.
Martial Arts Insurance Quote
When it comes to important services you wouldn’t want to throw money blindly at it. You ask your car mechanic for a quote, your landlord, your carpet cleaning service…why wouldn’t you do it for insurance too?
We hate the idea of potential clients being blindsided with fees they didn’t expect to pay. That’s why we encourage potential customers to use our fast and easy free quote service here:
Free Quote_
What to Expect From a Free Martial Arts Insurance Quote
Getting a quote is more simple than you may think. All we really need to know is the basics of your school (name, email, etc), your zip code, and your approximate number of students. By receiving this info we can determine the particulars of your geographic location and the number of students you’ll need covered.
If your school is small enough you may qualify for our extremely affordable $450 annual rate.
If you have your own building with additional contents you may be best served by getting a building quote. Regular insurance covers liability and injury of the students and teachers while a building quote can show you the added cost of covering the facility itself.
When To Expect Your Quote
We have most of the process automated so you can expect very quick results. If your situation merits additional attention from us we will addrses it and reach back out to you as soon as possible.
What To Do Afterwards
If your quote sounds good to you then the next step is visiting our policy purchase page. There you will find the appropriate sign up forms to get the ball rolling.
Alternatively, if you have additional questions about coverage, you can reach out to us here. We are more than happy to address concerns or questions that you may have.
