For a number of years instructors and students from numerous styles that incorporate weapons have found themselves at a loose end when it comes to live bladed weapon training. Whether it’s Filipino arts like Arnis, FMA or Escrima through to Ninjitsu or HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), the UK has been unable to provide any cover for live bladed practice.
Up until now we have been able to routinely and affordably provide access to all sorts of weapons as standard on our instructor and student insurances. This has included training weapons that are wooden, blunted metal, plastic and rubber. The exclusion has always been that it must not be a ‘live bladed weapon’.
We’re very pleased to announce that today our insurers signed off a specialist authority notice exclusively for BMABA that will now permit us the ability to license an instructor or club to practice with live bladed weapons. Crucially, this is with insurance still valid and in place.
There are of course conditions for the insurance. Aside from our standard eligibility guidelines, instructors will need to pass our soon to be introduced (and completely free) Live Blade Certified Instructor Award. This has been seen and approved by our insurers and broking partners and includes;
-
Introduction to Live Bladed Weapons
-
The Legality Of Weapons In The UK
-
Live Bladed Weapon Training, Risk Management And Insurance
-
Real-Time Assessment & Interview
-
Policy Assessment And Executive Review
The course will also include free certification for all instructors upon completion. This award is not designed to replace the years of hard work and technical ability built up practicing with weapons in styles like Ninjitsu or HEMA – rather, it is a ‘passport’ to align that knowledge to a modern insurer (and underwriters) understanding of the discipline.
There will be what is known as a ‘premium load’ for the use of Live Blades and this is the one remaining factor still being ‘nailed down’ with insurers. We anticipate no more than 40%/60% extra on insurance fees to include unlimited live blade training. At the moment the cover will include solo drills and test cutting. Whilst we work toward the inclusion of partner work all of our metal, blunted metal, wooden, plastic and rubber weapon cover remains active ‘as standard’ for partner work and sparring.
We hope to have cover routinely available alongside the Instructor Award from October 1st and will keep our community updated.
