BMABA CIC
Not Just Another Martial Arts Association
Independent, modern, and accountable – BMABA CIC is rewriting what a governing body should look like. We’re professional, regulated, member-driven, and relentlessly focused on raising the standards of martial arts in the UK.
We're A Different Kind Of Association. And That's A Good Thing.
We get it.
A lot of martial arts organisations start to look the same from the outside: acronyms, insurance, certificates, politics. That’s not who we are.
Since 2012, BMABA CIC has quietly redefined what a modern martial arts association can be. We’ve grown from grassroots to nationally recognised without ever compromising our core values: professionalism, integrity, and meaningful independence. We exist solely to support instructors and clubs, not to dictate syllabus or collect titles.
We’re not here to control. We’re here to empower.
Held To Higher Standards
Audited. Certified. Accountable.
We don’t mark our own homework. Every credential below is issued, audited or overseen by an external body. Select any mark to see exactly what it means for your club.
Select a mark above to learn more.
ISO 9001:2015
Certified by the British Assessment Bureau under UKAS accreditation
The international standard for quality management. Every core process at BMABA, from how we verify an instructor's qualifications to how we handle a complaint, is documented, measured and externally audited every year. For your club, it means the association behind you runs to the same standard used to assess hospitals, universities and major corporations.
ISO 27001:2022
Certified by the British Assessment Bureau under UKAS accreditation
The international standard for information security. Your club's data, your members' details, safeguarding records, DBS outcomes and payment information, sits inside an independently audited security management system. We're the first UK martial arts association to hold both ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 under UKAS accreditation.
CIC Regulator
Overseen by the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies
BMABA CIC is a regulated Community Interest Company. A legal asset lock means our income must be reinvested into our community purpose, never distributed as private profit, and we report annually to the Regulator to prove it. When we say not-for-profit, it's a legal structure, not a slogan.
Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts
Sport England-approved national safeguarding standard
The national benchmark for safeguarding in martial arts. BMABA is authorised to issue SCiMA certification in-house through our Club Colours programme, the only independent martial arts body granted that authority. Your club can earn full, nationally recognised safeguarding status directly through your membership.
CIMSPA Training Provider Partner
Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity
Our CPD and qualifications are developed in line with CIMSPA professional standards, the chartered body for the UK sport and physical activity workforce, with individual programmes submitted for formal endorsement, confirmed course by course. Your training with us is built to the same framework used across professional sport.
Cyber Essentials
UK Government-backed certification scheme
A Government-backed certification confirming we have fundamental technical protections in place against common cyber attacks. Alongside ISO 27001, it means the platforms your club relies on every day are defended to recognised national standards.
Social Enterprise UK
Certified by Social Enterprise UK
Independent certification that BMABA is a genuine business for good: trading for a social purpose, with profits reinvested into our mission. It's external verification of the model that funds free qualifications, free tools and our community programmes.
Sport & Recreation Alliance
Member of the umbrella body for UK sport and recreation
We're a member of the Sport & Recreation Alliance, the voice of the sport and recreation sector, alongside national governing bodies and major sports organisations. It keeps independent martial arts represented in the rooms where sector policy is shaped.
Welsh Sports Association
Member of the WSA
Membership of the Welsh Sports Association connects our Welsh clubs to the national sporting infrastructure in Wales, and gives them a voice within it.
Scottish Sports Association
Member of the SSA
Membership of the Scottish Sports Association does the same for our Scottish clubs: representation, connection and standing within Scotland's national sporting landscape.
Armed Forces Covenant
Proud signatory
We're a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, with lifetime membership discounts for serving and ex-serving forces and emergency services personnel, and active support for the forces community through our REBOOT programme.
BMABA CIC isn't just another martial arts organisation. We're built differently. We represent a modern, professional and principled approach to governance in an industry too often marked by politics, ego, or outdated structures.
As a nationally recognised, regulated Community Interest Company (CIC), we exist to raise the bar, and to lead the independent sector with transparency, innovation and accountability at every level.
Transparent
We’re a regulated Community Interest Company (CIC) with salaried professionals, not a volunteer committee or a faceless PO box. Our members know exactly who we are, how we’re structured, and what we stand for, and we welcome scrutiny. You deserve to know who you’re trusting with your club’s governance.
Innovative
We don’t sit still. From pioneering concussion protocols and trauma-informed coaching policies to our bespoke Club Manager platform and safeguarding dashboards, BMABA members benefit from constant, meaningful innovation that puts clubs and instructors first.
Governance
No other UK martial arts organisation has governance like BMABA. We’re the first UK martial arts association to hold both ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 under UKAS accreditation, and we lead the sector in vetting, safeguarding, oversight and accountability, from DBS and identity checks through to SCiMA certification and a fully mapped complaints and whistleblowing framework.
Not For Profit
Plenty of organisations say they’re not-for-profit. We prove it. BMABA is a registered CIC, regulated by the CIC Regulator and Companies House. We’re independently audited under our ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 certifications, and reinvest everything back into our programmes, tools and members. Not shareholders. Not ‘honorary’ boards.
How We Stack Up.
Governance isn’t glamorous, but it’s what stands behind your club when it matters. Here’s the honest picture.
The difference in one line: we’re externally audited, so you don’t have to take our word for any of it.
Based on our experience of the sector. There are other good associations out there, and “most” means exactly that: most, not all.
Multi-Award Winning & Nationally Recognised
We’re not saying every association is bad news; far from it. But let’s be honest. Most are either stuck in the past, tangled in red tape, or built around one person’s ego. That’s not us.
We’re something different. A professional, community-driven, not-for-profit trade body that blends regulation, innovation and real-world impact. No gimmicks, no grandmasters – just a credible, proven organisation that puts clubs first, every single time. From safeguarding and governance to cutting-edge tech and student support, nobody in the sector comes close to what we offer.
We don’t expect you to take our word for it - that’s why we offer free membership, so you can try us for yourself.
- Multi-Award Winning
- 100% Free
