In an ideal world, every martial arts club would have access to a well-funded, nationally recognised governing body (NGB) — one that provides clear guidance, practical tools, and genuine support for grassroots growth. Where that relationship exists, and where it works for your style and goals, we would always encourage you to make use of it.

This applies equally whether you’re based in England, Wales, or Scotland, where the NGBs recognised by Sport England, Sport Wales, and Sport Scotland respectively play a role in administering participation, funding, and competition pathways for certain styles and disciplines. In general, their focus tends to lean toward sport-centric development — things like talent progression, medals, and Olympic alignment — which is incredibly important in the right setting.

But we also know the reality of the industry.

We’ve been working deep inside UK martial arts since 2012. We understand how disconnected many independent clubs feel — especially those not chasing medals or aligned to a mainstream style. Whether you’re focused on self-defence, traditional systems, modern adaptations, mixed disciplines, or hybrid approaches, it’s entirely possible your club may not find a natural home under a Sport England-recognised NGB. Even where one exists, it may not always feel inclusive or relevant to the way your club operates.

That’s where BMABA comes in.

We’re not a Sport England recognised NGB. And we don’t pretend to be. Whilst we are arguably as well structured and governed than many NGBs out there, we’re a multi-style organisation so we’re broadly ineligible. We’re also deeply focused on grassroots – not elite level competition.

But we are an accountable, professionally governed, not-for-profit governing body for clubs across the UK — one that stands shoulder to shoulder with the best of the sport sector in terms of quality, oversight, and standards.

In fact, we’re the only organisation of our kind in the martial arts sector to be audited and certified by the UKAS-accredited British Assessment Bureau for ISO 9001:2015 — the international gold standard for quality management and governance.

That certification isn’t just a logo on a website. It means our systems, policies, leadership, and organisational conduct have been externally verified to meet the same levels of professionalism you’d expect from major governing bodies in mainstream sport.

We’re Not Asking You To Choose Us Blindly

If you have a recognised NGB available to you, we encourage you to explore them.

Look at their governance, their support offering, their inclusivity. Then compare it with BMABA. Speak with them. Speak with us. Make a decision based on what’s right for your club, your students, and your goals — not based on legacy or branding.

We know some NGBs don’t welcome dual affiliation. We know others might not support clubs unless they fully ‘buy in’. And we know there are countless instructors and schools working ethically, safely, and professionally without any representation at all — simply because there isn’t a recognised body that serves their needs.

We’re here for those clubs. The ones doing things differently. The ones forging their own identity — be it in self-defence, hybrid arts, cross-training, traditional or modern disciplines. Clubs that value autonomy but still want the structure, safeguarding, insurance, governance, and credibility that a professional governing body can offer.

We don’t expect your trust upfront. But we do offer a free membership option so you can test our policies, resources, and systems with no pressure and no commitment.

We’re not trying to be “the alternative”. We’re simply trying to be the right fit for clubs who want to teach with professionalism, passion, and support — regardless of whether they fit the mould of mainstream sport.