Instructors are routinely told they will lose their grades, their insurance, their students or their legitimacy if they leave. Almost none of it is true, and a great deal of it is said by people with an obvious interest in you staying. Here is the honest position.
We are not going to pretend leaving is trivial, or that every association is bad. Plenty of instructors are perfectly happy where they are, and if that is you, stay. But a decision this significant should be made on facts, and in this sector the facts are unusually hard to come by, because the people you would normally ask are the people you are thinking of leaving.
None of this is legal advice, and your own contract matters. But on the general position, the sector is considerably less mysterious than it is made to sound.
For the overwhelming majority of martial arts, this is simply untrue. Martial arts is not a regulated profession in the United Kingdom. Most disciplines have no single recognised NGB at all, and where one exists, membership of it is not a legal requirement to teach. What the law does require is a duty of care, appropriate insurance and proper vetting, none of which depends on any particular organisation.
A grade is a record of something you demonstrated. Nobody can retrospectively undo that, and an association threatening to is describing a policy of their own rather than a fact. What can happen is that the record becomes hard to evidence, which is a genuine problem and a solvable one. Our Lifetime Student Grade Register holds a permanent national record that belongs to the martial artist rather than the club, and survives you leaving anyone.
Student licensing sits with whoever issues it. Moving means re-licensing, not re-grading, and it is an administrative task rather than a loss. We handle bulk transfers of student records regularly and it is considerably less disruptive than instructors expect.
Insurance is a commercial product, not a privilege granted by an association. Cover is arranged on the basis of what you teach, to whom and where. Our members are covered through a master policy including public liability, professional indemnity and personal accident, and we hold FCA Introducer Appointed Representative registration for those introductions.
You do not need anyone’s consent to stop paying an organisation and teach elsewhere. Check your own contract for notice periods and anything you have signed about club names or curriculum, and act properly on those. But permission to be independent is not a thing that exists.
These are three different words doing very different work. Recognition is a relationship between organisations. Regulation is external oversight with real consequences. Ask any organisation what happens to them if they fall short, and who has the power to make it happen. BMABA CIC is answerable to the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies, holds a legal asset lock, and is externally audited to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 under UKAS accreditation.
We have always supported dual and multi-affiliation, and we actively encourage clubs with an applicable recognised NGB to stay registered with them. Very few organisations in this sector will tell you that, because most of them want exclusivity.
So you can hold your existing membership and use us alongside it. Take the training, use the compliance framework, put your pin on Club Finder, run the club software, and keep whatever already works for you. If we turn out to be worth switching to, that decision can happen later, on evidence rather than on a leap.
Why Clubs Choose UsAsk us the same six. We will answer all of them in writing.
The mechanics are far duller than the anxiety around them. Most instructors are surprised how quickly it is done.
Notice periods, anything signed about club names, curriculum or trademarks. This is the only genuinely important legal step, and it is usually straightforward. Where it is not, we will tell you to take proper advice.
Affiliate membership costs nothing and requires no card, so there is no gap and no leap of faith. You can be set up here before you have told anyone anything.
We handle bulk student transfers, grade histories and licensing. Grades go onto the Lifetime Student Grade Register, where they belong to the student permanently and cannot be held over anyone in future.
Cover arranged for what you teach, and existing DBS or PVG checks recorded, with anything missing arranged. Nothing lapses in the middle.
Often the most revealing part. Clubs frequently discover that things they assumed their old association was handling were never actually handled at all.
Read more member reviewsHaving left my previous association in November, and being very daunted by the prospect of being responsible for all my own compliance and everything else, I can honestly say BMABA have made the whole thing possible and even pleasant.
Matt J, club instructor
The genuine fear behind this decision is usually not paperwork. It is being the only person responsible when something goes wrong. That is the part we exist to solve.
Most associations offer a logo. These are assessed positions, and the third of them is national recognition we are authorised to issue directly.
The most comprehensive governance framework in UK martial arts, and it does not sit still. It assesses your club continuously against your own live data across safeguarding, vetting, qualifications, insurance, risk and record keeping. Where you fall short it names what is missing. Where you meet the standard, the mark issues automatically.
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Our flagship award, and the closest thing independent martial arts has to a school of excellence licence. Assessed against safeguarding, governance, professional conduct and student welfare, with passmarks and evidence handled through your dashboard rather than a paper submission. Deliberately harder to earn than membership.
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Our frameworks are mapped directly against the Safeguarding Code and formally approved by Sport England, which makes us the only independent martial arts body able to issue recognition under the Code directly. Eligible clubs earn it through MyBMABA automatically, with no third-party submission and at no cost.
How recognition worksSport England lists the Safeguarding Code on its own safeguarding pages. A club displaying recognition under it is making a claim that somebody else has checked, which is precisely what makes it worth displaying.
“Organisations such as the British Martial Arts and Boxing Association support unaffiliated martial arts providers to adopt the safeguarding code… Providers with recognition under the code can display a logo on their promotional materials to show participants that their safety measures have been vetted.”
BMABA CIC has been recognised at the highest levels of Government for our commitment to safeguarding in martial arts. During a House of Commons debate on combat sport safety, the Minister for Sport, Stephanie Peacock MP, highlighted the British Martial Arts & Boxing Association by name for our work in supporting independent and unaffiliated clubs to adopt the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts. This direct mention in Parliament demonstrates that our efforts to raise standards and protect participants are shaping the national conversation on safety in combat sports.
Following that debate, the Minister for Sport wrote formally to commend BMABA’s work, praising our role in raising safeguarding standards across the independent martial arts sector. She described our contribution as “extremely useful” to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s ongoing policy development, and thanked us for our ongoing efforts to make martial arts safer for children. This recognition reflects the trust placed in BMABA to help Government address urgent safeguarding challenges highlighted by recent tragedies within combat sports.
For our members and the wider martial arts community, this recognition underlines BMABA’s credibility as a leading voice for independent martial arts in the UK. It demonstrates that our grassroots-driven mission, to promote safe, inclusive, and properly governed martial arts for all, is influencing national policy and gaining ministerial support. Being referenced in Parliament and commended in writing by the Minister for Sport reinforces that BMABA is not just a governing body, but a sector-shaping organisation working to protect participants and secure the future of martial arts.
“I appreciate your ongoing efforts to make martial arts safer for children.”
Having left my previous association in November, and being very daunted by the prospect of being responsible for all my own compliance and everything else I can honestly say BMABA have made the whole thing possible and even pleasant. The training resources are great, it's been fantastic for me to be able to quickly up skill my team, the insurance is really easy to sort out, the team are super friendly and helpful, the perks on Gold membership are also fantastic.Member review
I have been a customer of BMABA for two years now, and I am extremely impressed with their services. First and foremost, the customer service provided by BMABA is exceptional. Their team is responsive, professional, and genuinely dedicated to ensuring that our needs are met. Whenever we had a query or require assistance, they responded rapidly and effectively.Member review
Found these guys in Martial Arts Illustrated doing a piece on professionalism in martial arts and thought, as an instructor, they might be worth looking at further. Really impressed from the moment I hit their website through to now, 3 months on as a member. Great staff, Giovanni is rediculously knowledgable and our club is now growing under the banner of what has got to be the best martial arts org in the UK.Member review
The BMABA are unlike any other org I've come across in this industry. Their honest, professional, politics free and most importantly, they know what they're doing. Website is leaps and bounds ahead of the rest, insurance is comprehensive and their overall customer service is just unlike anything else I've had in 25 years of martial arts. Amazing through and through. Would definitely recommend.Member review
I joined the BMABA right in its infancy (I believe I was their second member!). Giovanni is the most helpful, respectful and genuine person who has turned the possibility of a non-political, highly respected and supportive Martial Arts Association into a reality. I could bang on for hours about the BMABA but don't take my word for it – go and visit the BMABA website and see for yourself.Member review
As we all know 2020 has been the year from hell for martial arts. One thing that has come out of that is BMABA have done everything in their power to keep clubs like mine up to date with what's happening and tried to push the government to notice us. Couldn't wish for a better association to be a part of. Once again big THANK YOU to you guys for all the help. 💙🐺👊Member review
As i'm heading into the brave world of starting up my own small self defence club in our village, i can say with complete honesty and satisfaction that BMABA have been the most supportive and upfront association i have come across. i have seen and had first hand experience with the Mcdojo's offering you the greatest adventures of a life time. but these guys are the real deal… i hold my head high, and say with great pride "i am a BMABA member"Facebook
As someone with 22 years of experience in martial arts, who saw enough big egos and leaders who only look after their own benefits… I am highly IMPRESSED by the BMABA. I wanted to make sure they don't just promise the world but actually deliver. They support us all the way and constantly look for new ways of making our whole industry better for ALL of us. THANK YOU!!Facebook
Always quick to respond and thoughtful. Great service delivered at a very reasonable price and very supportive of the community. Been a member for a couple of years now and recommend highlyMember review
Simply the best organisation I have ever worked with. Everything is so stress free and I am definitely sticking with them for the rest of my career.Facebook
Affiliate membership is free and needs no card, so you can look properly before you decide anything. And if our honest answer is that you should stay where you are, that is what you will get.
A regulated, multi-award winning not-for-profit, certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 under UKAS accreditation, and built from the ground up since 2012.
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CPD Built To National StandardsBMABA CIC is a CIMSPA Training Provider Partner. Our courses are developed in line with CIMSPA professional standards, with programmes submitted for formal endorsement and confirmed course by course as approvals are granted.Explore The Course Library →Award winning, completely free, with no per-student fees. Not now, not ever.
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