SEND qualifications at practitioner and co-ordinator level, neurodiversity coaching, concussion management and the tools to put all of it into practice. The entry level costs nothing, and you do not have to leave your current governing body to use it.
We have always supported dual and multi-affiliation, and we actively encourage clubs with an applicable recognised NGB to stay registered with them. Our not-for-profit mission is to raise standards across the sector, not to win members off anyone.
So take the SEND training and the concussion framework, use the guidance, and keep everything that already works for you. More than 6,500 instructors and clubs have chosen us for professional affiliation, but plenty of others simply use what they need.
The reason we can do that is structural. BMABA CIC is a Community Interest Company with an asset lock, so nobody profits from persuading you to switch. Income funds the next tool and the next course.
If our inclusion work is useful to your club and you never join properly, that is a good outcome by our measure. A child who stays in martial arts because their coach understood them is the point.
Affiliate membership is free permanently, with no card and no obligation. It carries three complete CPD courses, examined and certificated exactly as every other qualification we issue.
Martial arts has always quietly done inclusion well, long before the sector had language for it. A church hall class that welcomes an autistic eleven year old who cannot cope with a mainstream team sport is doing something schools and clubs elsewhere often cannot. What has been missing is not willingness. It is structure.
A differentiated drill is not a watered down one. Adapting delivery for a child with additional needs is a coaching skill of the same order as teaching a technique correctly, and it should be trained, assessed and certificated as one. That is why SEND sits inside our qualification framework rather than beside it as an optional extra.
Inclusion training that only paying members can reach protects the clubs who need it least. SEND Level 1 is included at affiliate level, and issued to assistant instructors and volunteers too, because the person stood next to a struggling child is often the least senior person in the room.
Clubs that do this well almost always have someone who has taken responsibility for it. SEND Level 2 exists to create that role deliberately, at co-ordinator level, so provision does not depend on whichever coach happens to be taking Thursday’s class.
In June 2026 we retired our SENCO award and replaced it with SEND Level 1 (Practitioner) and Level 2 (Co-ordinator), specifically to avoid implying equivalence with the regulated school SENCO pathway that changed under the March 2026 legislation. Prior awards still stand. Being precise about what a qualification is not is part of being trustworthy about what it is.
Both CPD accredited, both delivered through MyBMABA on app or browser, both certificated so you can evidence them to a parent, a school or a hall owner.
Recognising need, making reasonable adjustments, adapting a drill without singling a child out, communicating with families and schools, and knowing when to escalate. Included at every tier including affiliate, and issued to assistants and volunteers.
Free with affiliate membership
The lead instructor position. Setting club-wide provision, writing and reviewing individual support plans, briefing your team, working with parents and schools, and holding the standard when you are not the one taking the class.
Included with Silver & GoldA coach can be brilliantly trained and still be stuck with a grading syllabus that has one route through it. If every belt requires the same thing performed the same way, a child who cannot perform it that way simply stops progressing, and eventually stops coming.
Two tools most members never think to open solve this, and both are included.
Our club management platform is included from affiliate membership upwards, and it is where inclusion stops being a good intention. Additional needs are held against the student record, so a covering coach sees what they need to see. Support plans, adjustments and reviews live with the student rather than in a folder. Attendance patterns make a quiet disengagement visible before the child stops coming altogether.
Add risk assessments, the incident log, concussion and return to play tracking and the policy creator, and the paperwork side of inclusion is handled rather than hoped for.
The same child who needs an adapted drill is often the child a safeguarding concern is eventually raised about. We treat these as one body of work rather than three separate policies.
Inclusion advice is easy to write and difficult to stand behind. Ours is written by an organisation that submits to external scrutiny and sits in the rooms where this is discussed nationally.
“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.”
Well I was with another organisation for 4 years and came across these guys. They have great vetting, were really helpful at every stage of my application, the actual app is amazing with training opportunities for members, also student membership. All round 10 out of 10.Facebook recommendation
Been a member for a number of years and they go above and beyond to support their members. Everything from safeguarding and legalities to certified courses, websites, club manager software, just to name a few of the benefits.Google review
A huge resource of helpful information and support for those setting up or running a martial arts club. Well put together coaching courses and great safeguarding advice and policies. Really pleased to have access to this exemplary organisation to help me with my new kickboxing club.Google review
Simply amazing. BMABA are more than just a governing body for martial arts, they are a team of incredible people, always willing to go the extra mile to make sure you feel supported. Incredible customer service, amazing response time, and an honour to be governed by.Google review
Previously searched for similar organisations but after speaking to Giovanni over the phone I knew that BMABA was the right one for me. He was very informative, patient and had a lot of time to answer any questions. Extremely reassuring and helpful. Their website and documentation are also very professional and high quality.Google review
Having been a part of BMABA for a short while, I can say that already they have been far more helpful than any other association I have been involved in. After 10 years of martial arts, I hope to continue instructing under BMABA for many years.Google review
Great people to work with.Facebook recommendation
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
Free affiliate membership, SEND Level 1 and CHIMA included, no card and nothing to cancel. If it helps one child stay in your class, it has done its job.
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.
Underwritten by AXA XL Insurance Company UK Limited, accessed through our FCA-authorised broker.
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.
Completely FreeYour Club CRMEverything your club needs in one place, free with membership.Explore The Platform →GoCardless Direct Debits, Stripe payments and manual payments, built in→Technology worth thousands, included with membership. No one else in UK martial arts comes close.
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