Campaigning For Regulatory Reform In Martial Arts
Our Position
We don't believe it's the Government's place to directly regulate martial arts. But we do believe our sector must take urgent, unified action to protect those who participate in it.
Working together, we must establish and adopt clear, universal minimum safeguarding standards that protect children, safeguard adults at risk, and uphold the integrity of martial arts in every community. Reform doesn't have to begin with legislation, but it must begin with us.
At the same time, we recognise the value of a broader, cross-sport solution, such as a national coaching register or a statutory safeguarding framework similar to Keeping Children Safe in Education, to give parents clarity and enable more consistent enforcement across the sector.
BMABA has long led this charge. We've proactively developed industry-leading protocols, qualifications and compliance frameworks covering safeguarding, head injury and concussion management, trauma-informed coaching, mental health first aid, and disability inclusion.
Thousands of our instructors and clubs have voluntarily adopted these higher standards, accepting rigorous vetting, compliance audits and enhanced oversight not because they're mandatory, but because it's the right thing to do.
This is how we keep children safe. This is how we protect the future of martial arts. And this is how we prove that real reform can come from within, but must be supported by systems that empower accountability and raise the bar across the board.
What We're Doing to Push This Forward
At BMABA, we've never waited for permission to lead. Our #RegulationReady campaign is a national call-to-action for clubs and instructors who want to futureproof their coaching and demonstrate a clear commitment to safety, ethics and professionalism. This isn't just about ticking boxes. It's about building a culture of accountability. The initiative provides a structured, accessible route for instructors and clubs to vet their in-house credentials, such as DBS checks, safeguarding qualifications, insurance and first aid, against nationally benchmarked standards. With peer-to-peer benchmarking, clubs can also gauge their performance relative to others, fostering transparency and sector-wide growth.
But #RegulationReady goes far beyond credential verification. It helps clubs embed best practice through model policies, inclusive frameworks, and guidance on everything from trauma-informed coaching and SEND provision to concussion protocols and safeguarding culture. We support clubs in transforming their internal ethos, creating safer environments for students, and more confident, compliant spaces for instructors to operate.
We've walked the walk for years. BMABA has been an active member of the Martial Arts Safeguarding Group (MASG) since 2018, and we were among the first organisations to champion and uphold the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts (SCiMA) from its very inception. Today we hold the authority to issue SCiMA certification to our clubs directly, and our in-house Club Colours Award already exceeds SCiMA requirements, showcasing our robust approach to governance, risk management and safeguarding delivery at scale.
No stone has been left unturned. We're certified to both ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 under UKAS accreditation, the first martial arts association in the UK to hold both, voluntarily submitting to annual external audit so our processes meet internationally recognised standards. We're proudly affiliated with trusted national bodies including the Sport and Recreation Alliance, Sport Wales, sportscotland and the Welsh Sports Association, and we're a CIMSPA Training Provider Partner, developing our qualifications in line with professional standards for the wider sport and physical activity workforce.
Everything we've built has been self-funded. No public money, no institutional backing, every framework, qualification and campaign paid for by our own community. For years, independent martial arts fell through the cracks of traditional sporting structures, so rather than wait, we built the standards ourselves. That work is now opening doors: our voice is increasingly part of the national conversation on coaching standards, safeguarding and workforce professionalisation, and we use it on behalf of the whole independent sector. Time and again, we've made decisions that go against commercial gain to uphold the greater good, because for us, safeguarding lives and preserving the integrity of martial arts will always come before profit.
No other martial arts organisation in the UK is moving this fast, doing this much, or pushing this hard for a safer, more inclusive, better-regulated future. We're not waiting for change. We're building it.
Taking The Case To The National Stage
Reform from within only works if it connects to reform at the top, so we've taken independent martial arts into rooms it was never invited into before.
Our work has been recognised in Parliament, raised in the House of Commons by the Minister for Sport. We are a CIMSPA Training Provider Partner, developing our qualifications in line with professional standards for the sport and physical activity workforce, and we actively engage with the national agenda on coach registration and workforce professionalisation, the very reforms this page has long called for. We engage with government departments and national sporting bodies, contributing evidence, data and the independent sector's perspective to discussions that have historically excluded it.
And we've brought receipts. Our national research programme, including sector-wide surveys and structural analysis of UK combat sports, puts real data behind the case for reform, and our newly forming Scientific Advisory Panel will put academic rigour behind everything that follows. Meanwhile, our public National Register already demonstrates, live and at national scale, that instructor verification works: insurance, DBS, safeguarding and qualification status, checkable by any parent, school or authority in seconds.
We're not lobbying for a seat at the table any more. We're setting it.
Setting the Standards Others Will Follow
Regulation doesn’t need to mean red tape. For us, it’s about clarity, safety and fairness, for everyone.
By creating clear, nationally accepted minimum standards, we make it easier for:
- Parents to quickly understand whether a club is safe and reputable, and to check any instructor’s status live on our public National Register
- Stakeholders (schools, funders, local authorities) to assess standards and compliance against verifiable, independently certified frameworks
- Instructors and club owners to understand exactly what’s expected of them, with a clear, supported route to meeting it
This transparency allows martial arts to grow ethically, safely and with legitimacy. It also protects the very students and communities we all serve.
Sparring & Concussion: National Concussion Protocols
While BMABA does not sanction or endorse competitive events, we've taken bold steps to lead on safety in sparring, contact and grappling. Our nationally recognised Head Injury & Concussion Management Policy is trusted as the benchmark by thousands of independent clubs across the UK.
This is supported by our free, digital Return to Play (RtP) Protocol: a phased, clinically informed recovery system designed to help clubs responsibly manage suspected head injuries. Developed with medical expertise, the system enables instructors to:
Record and triage head injuries
Monitor symptoms and recovery
Apply graduated return-to-play stages
Refer to healthcare professionals where necessary
This is not an optional extra. It's essential for any club teaching contact martial arts, and BMABA has been years ahead in safeguarding students through structured, accountable head injury protocols.
Safeguarding Children & Adults At Risk
Safeguarding is not a policy. It's a culture. BMABA has built one of the UK's most comprehensive safeguarding frameworks, ensuring member instructors are vetted, trained and supported to protect students at every level.
Instructor membership is built around rigorous safeguarding standards, including:
Enhanced DBS checks
Accredited safeguarding qualifications
Appointed welfare officers
Regular policy reviews and compliance audits
Through our RegulationReady framework and national programmes, we go further still, mandating trauma-informed training, mental health first aid and inclusion protocols, helping clubs move beyond basic compliance toward meaningful protection. Our safeguarding frameworks help instructors deliver safer lessons, reassure parents, and build trust in the heart of the community.
Trauma-Informed Practice
Trauma affects how people learn, trust and engage, especially in martial arts, where discipline, contact and authority are core components. BMABA is the first martial arts body in the UK to embed trauma-informed coaching into its safeguarding expectations and instructor development pathways. Our trauma-informed qualifications help instructors:
Understand Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Spot trauma responses in students
Deliver compassionate, structured coaching
Avoid re-traumatisation through poor communication or unsafe practice
This is about creating emotionally safe spaces for learning, not just physically safe ones. Our approach is shaping a new standard for ethical instruction in martial arts, especially in the communities that need it most.
Disability Inclusion & SEN Support
Inclusion isn't a policy. It's a responsibility. BMABA is leading the way in ensuring students with disabilities or additional needs are welcomed, supported and safeguarded within martial arts environments. Through our frameworks, participating clubs:
Appoint a SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator)
Adopt a written Inclusion Policy
Complete CPD training in adapting lessons for diverse needs
Follow best practice for physical accessibility and emotional support
Our inclusion protocols are backed by practical guidance, community consultation, and ongoing development. BMABA clubs are not only open to all. They are actively prepared to meet the needs of all students.
Our Commitment to Reform, Safety, and the Future of Martial Arts
We will continue to fight for meaningful reform in UK martial arts. Not through restrictive or bureaucratic mandates, but through leadership, collaboration, and a clear legislative framework to keep children safe in sport.
Martial arts has the power to change lives. It builds physical strength, mental resilience, discipline and community. It offers profound social benefits, especially for young people, those at risk, and communities that are too often overlooked or under-supported. We believe that everyone, regardless of background, ability or circumstance, deserves access to safe, ethical martial arts. But that access must be underpinned by clear standards, trusted systems, and responsible leadership.
That’s why BMABA will continue to define and champion what excellence looks like in professional martial arts instruction. We will keep investing in the frameworks, qualifications and best practice guidance that set the bar, and we will support instructors and clubs across the country in meeting and exceeding it.
We call on all stakeholders, including local authorities, schools, safeguarding bodies, community organisations and national agencies, to engage with us in building a better martial arts sector. And we invite government departments such as DCMS, and national sporting bodies including Sport England, Sport Wales and sportscotland, to set clear, universal minimum standards across all martial arts disciplines, and to work with trusted partners like BMABA CIC to bring them to independent martial arts at pace.
Change is already happening, from the ground up. But to protect the future of martial arts, and to ensure it continues to serve and inspire generations to come, we must act together. And we must act now.
