BMABA offers two professional-grade instructor insurance models: Named Instructor Insurance, which insures an individual instructor by name, and Open Allocation Instructor Insurance, which provides flexible cover that can be rotated across multiple eligible instructors within a club. Both models include full access to core cover and optional upgrades and are designed to accommodate both solo instructors and larger teaching teams.

Named cover applies to one specific instructor and is ideal for solo operators or instructors who want a clear, named certificate for facility hire or public contracts. Open Allocation is designed for clubs with multiple instructors — for example, 3 active covers shared across a team of 5. It allows flexibility, provided no more than the covered number are actively instructing at the same time, and all are pre-vetted and registered.

No. You can join as a member without holding insurance. We offer standalone membership options for those who already have cover elsewhere or who teach under an umbrella organisation. However, to benefit from our insurance (which includes extensive governance and vetting), you must hold an active membership.

No. All insurance policies must be held alongside an active BMABA membership. This is fundamental to our model: we ensure only properly vetted, insured, and competent instructors access cover. It also enables us to offer governance oversight and compliance support, which makes the cover stronger and more defensible in a claim scenario.

BMABA instructor insurance includes the following core protections as standard:

• £5,000,000 Public Liability Insurance (upgradeable to £10,000,000)

• £1,000,000 Professional Indemnity Insurance

• £1,000,000 Products Liability Insurance

• £500,000 Abuse Extension Cover

Your policy also includes a number of practical teaching protections, including worldwide cover (excluding the USA and Canada), full contact training environments, online lessons, and unlimited sanctioned event cover.

Additional optional protections are available depending on your needs, including Personal Accident cover, equipment and contents cover, and specialist extensions such as live blade demonstration cover.

All policies are arranged through UK-regulated insurance providers and administered in-house by BMABA CIC, with support available if you require guidance on claims or technical policy details.

Not necessarily. While many insurers require traditional grades, BMABA allows for equivalency recognition. If you can demonstrate credible experience, time-served instructing, and peer/club validation — we may accept this as equivalent to a black belt. This ensures instructors from disciplines like MMA or Krav Maga aren’t excluded unfairly.

Yes. Assistants and volunteers can be insured either by taking Named Insurance or by being registered as part of an Open Allocation model. They must still undergo vetting to ensure they meet our minimum standards, including appropriate safeguarding and supervision.

BMABA offers a Black Belt Equivalency Pathway. You’ll need to provide contextual evidence — including witness testimonials, teaching history, and training logs. We understand many instructors operate outside formal grading systems, and we evaluate each application case-by-case.

Yes. Our policies cover instruction in a wide range of settings — including parks, private homes, community centres, and commercial studios — as long as you follow appropriate risk assessment and safeguarding protocols. We understand modern instructors need flexibility.

Yes. You are fully covered for teaching private sessions, whether online or in person, providing your instruction follows your declared discipline and you meet safeguarding requirements. This includes personal training, virtual coaching, or small group instruction.

Yes! Provided you meet the policy terms and are a UK resident, you’re covered to teach worldwide, excluding USA & Canada.

Yes — traditional weapon use (e.g., bo staff, sai, nunchaku, katana) and contact sparring, including full-contact formats, are included if they are part of your declared syllabus. As long as safety protocols are followed, you’re covered — unlike many general sports policies that exclude these risks.

Abuse Extension is a rare and critical safeguard. It covers legal defence costs if an instructor is accused of inappropriate conduct — even if the claim is ultimately unfounded. Many policies exclude this entirely, leaving instructors personally liable. We include £500,000 of cover by default for peace of mind.

Yes — but only on a controlled, pre-approved basis. It covers live cutting demonstrations (e.g. Tameshigiri, Iaido, HEMA) where sharp blades are used under strict safety supervision. Activities must be declared, risk assessed, and approved before cover is granted. Live Blade cover needs to be added on after your membership and core insurance is live, and starts at £60.00 for instructors on top of any regular insurance and membership fees.

Absolutely. We specialise in real-world, high-intensity martial arts — including full-contact formats and competitive sparring. Unlike many mainstream insurers, we understand and underwrite for styles like BJJ, No-Gi, MMA, and self-defence-based arts.

Yes — Personal Accident Cover is available as an optional upgrade. It provides predefined payouts for accidental injuries you suffer during teaching or training, regardless of who’s at fault. This includes temporary disability, dental injuries, and physiotherapy.

No — policies are set annually. However, Open Allocation Insurance allows clubs or teams to manage active instructor numbers more flexibly. If you’re not teaching for a period, you can rotate cover to another eligible instructor in your team.

It’s not required, but strongly encouraged. To support best practice, we include access to BMABA’s own Coaching Qualifications (Level 1 & 2) free with all memberships, helping you meet insurer expectations and modern safeguarding standards.

Yes — that’s the purpose of Open Allocation. You can register as many instructors as you like; just ensure no more than your insured count are instructing simultaneously, and that all named instructors meet vetting and governance requirements.

It’s worth noting that memberships aren’t transferable, meaning once you assign an instructor to a membership, it’s then considered ‘spent’ so you will need to add on a new membership to add someone new to the cover, but this can be done on a pro-rata basis.

No. You’re covered across all UK venues, clubs, and settings where you are instructing within the scope of your declared style(s). Whether you freelance, subcontract, or teach at multiple gyms, your cover remains valid.

You’ll receive renewal notifications. If you allow your cover to lapse, there is no retroactive protection — you must reapply. Any teaching conducted while uninsured would not be covered. This is why we encourage early renewal and policy awareness.

Yes. All cover is underwritten by regulated UK insurers, and policies are accompanied by formal certificates of insurance. These meet the documentation and assurance needs of local authorities, schools, leisure centres, and commercial landlords.