DISCLAIMER

SECTION I.

                        All textbooks, manuals, videos, papers and Web Sites written or produced by the Maryland Professional Karate Association, Inc. (M.P.K.A.)/Yin-Chuan are designed and intended for the exclusive use of M.P.K.A./Yin-Chuan instructors, and students and are not intended for the general public use. All M.P.K.A./Yin-Chuan students are trained under professional instructors, that are in turn, trained and developed through the M.P.K.A./Yin-Chuan system. These instructors/students are taught when to and when not to use self-defense.

                        Each member is immersed in M.P.K.A./Yin-Chuan philosophy and are constantly being taught moral values along with the use and deployment of safety valves. The Maryland Professional Karate Association, Inc./Yin-Chuan, its instructors, sponsors, affiliated associations, officers, owners and students are not responsible for any misuse of any knowledge that may be gained by the readers of this information, or from any textbooks, manuals and papers written by the above organizations or individuals, or from videos produced by same.

                        Membership, clinics, competition, classes, practice sessions, seminars, courses, self-defense programs and contests conducted by The Maryland Professional Karate Association, Inc./Yin-Chuan are supervised by qualified instructors and reasonable care is taken to prevent serious injuries and to minimize accidents. The strenuous nature of karate and combative activities is such that no one can positively assure the student, member, or instructor that injury will not result during even properly supervised sessions, instructional periods and contests.

                        No student is allowed to practice free-sparring until he/she has been approved by the instructor and is wearing the proper body safety equipment. See section covering kumite/free-sparring rules in this textbook. No student is allowed to practice or engage in any simulated combative activities in any dojo, studio or class unless there is a qualified instructor on the floor observing all such activities.

SECTION II.

The first aid and any emergency medical care described in this manual is to be used as a guideline to educate the student/instructor that there are steps that are available to be taken in emergency situations when qualified medical assistance is unavailable at the time of injury. Since many injuries to the martial artists are minor (nosebleeds, minor cuts, etc.), reasonable care can be performed on the dojo floor to assist the injured. For the serious injuries or when in doubt, always seek the professional guidance of a qualified physician, hospital, or emergency care unit. For extreme emergencies, make the patient as comfortable and dial 911.

SECTION III.

Before starting any diet or exercise program it is best to do so with the guidance of your physician, especially if you are overweight, have any health problems, or have not exercised over a period of time.

SECTION IV.

All users are responsible for reading and obeying our BBS rules:

This is a place for MPKA practitioners to post comments and ideas about current and future issues. Members and guests from other disciplines are welcome to participate providing they respect and adhere to the MPKA TENETS of courtesy and self-control. Heated debate is allowed, attacks and name-calling are not. Profanity or personal insult will not be tolerated.

Postings that do not adhere to these standards of civil conduct will be deleted, regardless of the content, affiliation of the author, or relevance to current discourse.

Please contact the BULLETIN BOARD MODERATOR or WEB SITE ADMINISTRATION with comments and concerns regarding the bulletin board. We request that you keep posts on-topic relative to the forum they're posted in. Don't change the subject line or diverge into another topic inside a thread; start a new thread instead. Postings that have no relevance to the original thread may be deleted or moved.

Please note that the board ownership retains the result to suspend or modify these rules at anytime where they deem it necessary and in the interests of the BBS. Please ensure that you read the disclaimer below.

DISCLAIMER
It is a condition of your use of this web site and/or the bulletin boards that you
(i) do not post any defamatory, abusive, pornographic, indecent, discriminatory, profane, threatening, or otherwise illegal Postings;
(ii) do not post any Posting that constitutes or encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offence, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate local, national or international laws;
(iii) do not post any Posting containing information or other materials protected by intellectual property law (including copyright, trademark, patent and trade secrets law), or rights of privacy and publicity unless you first have obtained all necessary consents.

The bulletin boards are offered as a service of www.MPKA.NET. Maryland Professional Karate Association, Inc. shall not be liable for any content posted in these areas.

Users are cautioned that the information provided here should not be considered authoritative in any way and cannot be guaranteed as to its accuracy. All messages posted to the board are the responsibility of the contributing author.

Users agree that they shall indemnify and hold harmless the site and its directors, officers, shareholders, members and agents from any and all liability resulting from the use, copying, publication, distribution, or redistribution of their postings or their violation of any of the terms of this agreement.

This web site in no way endorses any opinions expressed on the Bulletin Boards and reserves the right to remove messages without notice. Users understand that their use of these services constitutes acceptance of this disclaimer.

PRIVACY
MPKA may use information provided from requests, survey results, or posted on the bulletin board to inform users of changes and additions to this web site as well as new products that are specifically of interest to MPKA practitioners. We will not willfully or knowingly divulge, sell, trade or barter any personal information provided to any other third party.

You should be aware that if you voluntarily disclose personal information such as user name and e-mail address on a bulletin board or in a chat room, that information can be collected and used by others and may result in unsolicited messages from other parties.

COPPA
In accordance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, all persons under the age of 13 must have permission from their legal guardian before placing name, e-mail address and/or private information anywhere on this website.

SECTION V.

Finally, there is much information presented to the martial artists, via written information or videos, concerning health, diets, exercise, emergency care, better lifestyles, self-defense, etc. Reading and watching this information can broaden one’s knowledge. However, the student/instructor must realize that all information must be treated as suggestions and must be further researched if necessary. In all cases, when in doubt, always seek the advice of the professionals in the field that you are studying to insure that you are taking the safest and best route possible. Leave nothing to chance, for the ultimate responsibility is yours.