Qualifications & CPD Development
Compliance
Coaching
Social Impact
Technical
Setting the Bar for Martial Arts Education
At BMABA, we believe professional standards in martial arts start with proper training. That’s why we’ve built a qualifications and CPD framework from the ground up, tailored exclusively for martial arts and built to meet the demands of real-world instruction.
For too long, martial arts instructors have had to rely on generic or outdated courses that fail to understand the nuance of what happens on the mats. We’ve changed that. Our qualifications are written by martial artists, for martial artists, combining the discipline and tradition of martial arts with modern educational principles, safeguarding insight, and national teaching standards. More than 19,000 qualifications and CPD awards have now been issued through the framework.
Flagship Qualifications With Real-World Impact
Our qualification suite is designed for instructors at every stage of their journey, from first-time coaches to seasoned instructors seeking specialisms or advanced credentials.
Our coaching pathway provides the foundation for safe, effective and structured teaching at every level: the Level 1 Foundation for those taking their first steps into instruction, the Level 2 Qualified Coach for instructors leading their own classes, and the Level 3 Senior Coach for experienced practitioners shaping clubs and mentoring others. These nationally respected courses cover everything from lesson planning and student development to ethics, safeguarding, and health and safety, providing clubs with instructors who are genuinely qualified, not just technically capable.
We’re proud to lead the sector with specialist qualifications such as our Trauma-Informed Coaching Certification, which gives instructors the tools to recognise and respond to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) with empathy and structure. This is a game-changer in community settings, where many students carry complex personal histories.
Our CHIMA Award, the Concussion and Head Injury Management Award for Martial Arts, sets a new national standard for safety in contact and sparring. It equips instructors with up-to-date clinical knowledge, supported by our Return to Play protocols and concussion risk frameworks.
We’re also equipping clubs to be genuinely inclusive with our SEND Level 1 (Practitioner) and SEND Level 2 (Co-ordinator) qualifications, the first of their kind in the UK, supporting students with special educational needs and disabilities at both delivery and leadership level.
Beyond safety and inclusion, we offer essential training in Serious Youth Violence (SYV), helping instructors understand their role in prevention, intervention and community engagement, particularly in at-risk areas. Our specialist courses also cover pedagogy, safeguarding leadership, risk management, syllabus and grading design, and even entrepreneurial and social enterprise awards, helping clubs grow both ethically and sustainably.
Accreditation, Quality & Recognition
All of BMABA’s qualifications and CPD courses are delivered through a structured accreditation framework, ensuring consistency, transparency and national alignment. We’re certified by The CPD Group, one of the UK’s most recognised CPD accreditation bodies, officially listed on the UK Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP), and our entire training operation runs within management systems certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 under UKAS accreditation.
As a recognised CIMSPA Training Provider Partner, our courses and awards are developed in line with CIMSPA professional standards, with individual programmes submitted for formal CIMSPA endorsement. We confirm endorsed status course by course as approvals are granted.
We’re also well underway in building a fully RQF-aligned qualification under the Regulated Qualifications Framework, which would represent one of the first nationally regulated qualifications written specifically for martial arts instructors. That’s a major milestone not just for BMABA but for the sector as a whole, and it reinforces our mission to bring martial arts to professional parity with other sports and education fields.
Learning That Fits the Modern Instructor
Training shouldn’t be a barrier. It should be an opportunity. That’s why all of our courses and qualifications are accessible anytime, anywhere. Whether on desktop, tablet or mobile, our training platform lets instructors upskill around their own schedule, with easy access to materials, assessments and certification.
We use digital architecture that makes training interactive, engaging and up to modern standards, giving instructors and clubs the tools to stay current and fully compliant without compromising on quality or convenience.
Empowering Better Instructors, Safer Clubs, Stronger Communities
Our qualifications aren’t about prestige. They’re about purpose. Every certificate issued, every CPD course completed, represents a step towards a more professional, accountable martial arts sector, one that puts student safety, instructor competence and ethical delivery at the heart of every session.
Whether you’re an instructor looking to level up, a club seeking to raise its standards, or a stakeholder seeking credible training for community coaches, BMABA’s qualifications are the benchmark.
