Martial Arts Instructor Insurance

Two professional-grade models: Named Instructor Insurance, which insures an individual instructor by name, and Open Allocation Instructor Insurance, flexible cover rotated across multiple eligible instructors within a club. Both include full core cover, optional upgrades, and suit solo instructors and larger teams alike.

Named cover applies to one specific instructor: ideal for solo operators or anyone needing a clear, named certificate for facility hire or contracts. Open Allocation is designed for clubs with multiple instructors, for example three active covers shared across a team of five, provided no more than the covered number are actively instructing at once and all are pre-vetted and registered.

No. You can join as a member without holding insurance; we offer standalone membership for those covered elsewhere or teaching under an umbrella organisation. However, to benefit from our insurance, which includes extensive governance and vetting, you must hold an active membership.

No. All policies must be held alongside an active BMABA membership. This is fundamental to our model: only properly vetted, insured, competent instructors access cover, and the accompanying governance oversight makes the cover stronger and more defensible in a claim scenario.

As standard: £5,000,000 Public Liability (upgradeable to £10,000,000), £1,000,000 Professional Indemnity, £1,000,000 Products Liability, and £500,000 Abuse Extension Cover, plus worldwide cover excluding the USA and Canada, full contact training, online lessons, and unlimited sanctioned event cover. Optional protections include Personal Accident, equipment and contents cover, and live blade extensions. All policies are arranged through UK-regulated providers and administered in-house by BMABA CIC.

Not necessarily. BMABA allows equivalency recognition: if you can demonstrate credible experience, time served instructing, and peer or club validation, we may accept this as equivalent to a black belt, ensuring instructors from disciplines like MMA or Krav Maga are not excluded unfairly.

Yes. Assistants and volunteers can take Named Insurance or be registered within an Open Allocation model. They must still undergo vetting to meet our minimum standards, including appropriate safeguarding and supervision.

Our Black Belt Equivalency Pathway accepts contextual evidence: witness testimonials, teaching history, and training logs. Many instructors operate outside formal grading systems, and we evaluate each application case by case.

Yes. Instruction is covered across parks, private homes, community centres, and commercial studios, as long as you follow appropriate risk assessment and safeguarding protocols.

Yes, whether online or in person, provided instruction follows your declared discipline and safeguarding requirements. This includes personal training, virtual coaching, and small group instruction.

Yes. Provided you meet the policy terms and are a UK resident, you are covered worldwide, excluding the USA and Canada.

Yes. Traditional weapon use, such as bo staff, sai, nunchaku and katana, and contact sparring including full-contact formats are included where part of your declared syllabus, unlike many general sports policies that exclude these risks.

A rare and critical safeguard covering legal defence costs if an instructor is accused of inappropriate conduct, even where the claim is ultimately unfounded. Many policies exclude this entirely, leaving instructors personally liable. We include £500,000 of cover by default.

Yes, on a controlled, pre-approved basis. It covers live cutting demonstrations, such as Tameshigiri, Iaido and HEMA, under strict safety supervision. Activities must be declared, risk assessed, and approved before cover is granted. Live Blade cover is added after your membership and core insurance are live, from £60.00 for instructors.

Absolutely. We specialise in real-world, high-intensity martial arts, including full-contact formats and competitive sparring, and underwrite for styles many mainstream insurers avoid.

Personal Accident Cover is available as an optional upgrade, providing predefined payouts for accidental injuries you suffer during teaching or training, regardless of fault, including temporary disability, dental injuries, and physiotherapy.

Policies are set annually, so no. However, Open Allocation lets clubs manage active instructor numbers flexibly: if you are not teaching for a period, cover can rotate to another eligible instructor in your team, and maternity provisions allow pauses of up to 15 months.

It is not required, but strongly encouraged. We include access to BMABA’s own coaching qualifications free with all memberships, helping you meet insurer expectations and modern safeguarding standards.

Yes, that is its purpose. Register as many instructors as you like; just ensure no more than your insured count are instructing simultaneously and all meet vetting requirements. Memberships are not transferable, so adding a new person to cover requires a new membership, available pro-rata.

No. You are covered across all UK venues, clubs, and settings where you instruct within your declared styles, whether you freelance, subcontract, or teach at multiple gyms.

You will receive renewal notifications. If cover lapses there is no retroactive protection and you must reapply; any teaching conducted while uninsured would not be covered. We encourage early renewal.

Yes. All cover is underwritten by regulated UK insurers with formal certificates of insurance, meeting the documentation needs of local authorities, schools, leisure centres, and commercial landlords.