As more and more local authorities are brought under the ‘Tier 3 – Very High Risk’ grade in England and Wales, we have tried to put together a condensed version of current guidelines to assist clubs and instructors on continuity planning for the weeks ahead.
Clearly this is going to be the hardest period since lock-down for Martial Arts in terms of additional measures but the initial indications are that very few regions are restricted from teaching completely. We know Christmas is approaching, and with dark wet nights making outdoor instruction almost impossible, we are acutely aware of (and actively campaigning against) further restrictions on grass roots indoor sports clubs.
A Foreword From Our CEO, Giovanni
This is going to be by and large our greatest mountain as martial arts instructors and coaches. The next two months will present a tightening of restrictions across growing parts of the UK combined with darker nights, wetter weather and more general confusion on what the rules are. At this point, please be assured that BMABA continues to do absolutely everything within our power to support you and your clubs. We have now invested and sacrificed in-excess of £100,000 into keeping our clubs alive during COVID and this is entirely without any support from the Government, DCMS, Sport England or any other agencies. I would not sanction and sign off over a tenth of a million pounds of what is effectively the association’s self-generated income to keep alive something we know is not long-term viable.
Martial arts is. We will bounce. We continue to thrive. It’s challenging right now but we will rise to this. Behind the scenes we are investing more money than ever before into helping clubs modernise. We are also partitioning directly to MPs and contacts at the DCMS on a Return To Play for martial arts and we continue to make good progress.
If we collectively move through the Christmas period, 2021 will bring much more positive times for martial arts. We will roll with each other again. We will spar. We will kick shields, elbow thai pads and strike focus mitts. The training we all know and love, and the training we know your students love is, we trust, only now a matter of months away.
Hang in there and don’t be afraid to speak with the team here if you need any help – we’re here to help today, just as we have been throughout lockdown, and as we will be beyond.
– Giovanni Soffietto, BMABA Group CEO
“Who Is Now Under Tier 3, And What Does This Mean For Martial Arts?”
Let’s start by establishing the ‘baseline’ or ‘minimum’ restrictions. This is helpful, because it allows us to know what the default position is and allows us to plan accordingly. Local areas have the option of imposing additional restrictions if they feel it necessary and it is effectively this action that may jeapordise indoor martial arts training.
Unless specified by the local authority, even in tier 3 (very high) risk areas, the following applies;
Sport and physical activity
Additional restrictions may apply depending on discussions between central and local government.
You can take part in organised outdoor sport and physical activity, including exercise classes, in any number, provided this follows the relevant guidance (for team sports, or for other outdoor licensed physical activity and exercise classes).
Organised sport, exercise classes and other activity groups are only permitted indoors if it is possible for people to avoid mixing with people they do not live with (or share a support bubble with). Where it is likely that households (or support bubbles) will mix, these activities must not go ahead. Social interaction before and after any sport or exercise should be limited to people from the same household or support bubble.
There are exceptions for disability sport, sport for educational purposes and supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s, which can take place in any number. (Source: .GOV)
This effectively means that martial arts across all Tiers is not impacted by the additional measures except where additional restrictions are imposed by local authorities. This will require you to seek out the latest guidance specifically issued by your local authority to be absolutely certain.
You should go to the next section to see what specific additional restrictions might be in place if you are teaching within one of the below areas.
Cheshire
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- Warrington
Greater Manchester
-
- Bolton
- Bury
- Manchester
- Oldham
- Rochdale
- Salford
- Stockport
- Tameside
- Trafford
- Wigan
Lancashire
-
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Blackpool
- Burnley
- Chorley
- Fylde
- Hyndburn
- Lancaster
- Pendle
- Preston
- Ribble Valley
- Rossendale
- South Ribble
- West Lancashire
- Wyre
Liverpool City Region
-
- Halton
- Knowsley
- Liverpool
- Sefton
- St Helens
- Wirral
Nottinghamshire
-
- Ashfield
- Bassetlaw
- Broxtowe
- Gedling
- Mansfield
- Newark & Sherwood
- Nottingham City
- Rushcliffe
South Yorkshire
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- Barnsley
- Doncaster
- Rotherham
- Sheffield
West Yorkshire (moving to local COVID alert level: very high from 2 November)
These areas are currently in local COVID alert level high, but will move to very high from 2 November.
-
- Bradford
- Calderdale
- Kirklees
- Leeds
- Wakefield
“I live in one of the above regions. What is the knock-on impact to me?”
Per the above caution, we have tried to be as accurate as possible with the below but this is changing frequently, so you must check the official sources to ensure it remains up to date guidance. We have linked to the official .GOV source in every case to ensure there is no confusion.
Cheshire
At the time of writing, it appears only Warrington is affected by additional measures… (Continued)
Greater Manchester
At the time of writing, additional restrictions are active in the following areas;
-
- Bolton
- Bury
- Manchester
- Oldham
- Rochdale
- Salford
- Stockport
- Tameside
- Trafford
- Wigan
Guidance provide… (Continued)
Lancashire
At the time of writing, additional restrictions are active in the following areas;
-
- Blackpool
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Burnley
- Chorley
- Fylde
- Hyndburn
- Lancaster
- Pendle
- Preston
- Ribble Valley
- Rossendale
- South Ribble
- West Lancashire
- Wyre
Guidance provided… (Continued)
Liverpool City Region
At the time of writing, additional restrictions are active in the following areas;
-
- Liverpool
- Knowsley
- Wirral
- St Helens
- Sefton
- Halton
Guidance provided… (Continued)
Nottinghamshire
At the time of writing, additional restrictions are active in the following areas;
-
- Ashfield
- Bassetlaw
- Broxtowe
- Gedling
- Mansfield
- Newark & Sherwood
- Nottingham City
- Rushcliffe
The additional restrictions in this area are not especially clear. For the Nottinghamshire region, a considerable amount of additional guidance has been put into place but unfortunately the situation for indoor martial arts is not obvious. The specific passage relating to indoor sport states;
Leisure and sporting faciilities are permitted to remain open. However:
-
-
saunas and steam rooms must close
-
the provision of group indoor exercise classes (including fitness and dance classes) is strongly advised against
-
(We know, there’s a typo in Facilities!).
In this region, it appears that indoor sport… (Continued)
South Yorkshire
At the time of writing, additional restrictions are active in the following areas;
-
- Barnsley
- Rotherham
- Doncaster
- Sheffield
Unfortunately the guidance issued by the local authority appears to prohibit indoor martial arts for the time being. We find this to be incredibly frustrating. The official guidance issued on this is just a ‘one-liner’ below;
Indoor classes in gyms and sports facilities should not take place. Gyms and leisure centres can remain open more generally.
We’re working to try and gain more clarity on how this affects private venues, but it would appear… (Continued)
West Yorkshire
At the time of writing, additional restrictions are active in the following areas;
-
- Bradford
- Calderdale
- Kirklees
- Leeds
- Wakefield
Unfortunately the guidance issued by the local authority appears to prohibit indoor martial arts for the time being. We find this to be incredibly frustrating. The official guidance issued on this is just a ‘one-liner’ below;
Indoor classes in gyms and sports facilities should not take place. Gyms and leisure centres can remain open more generally.
We’re working to try and gain more clarity on how this affects private venues, but it would appear quite clearly to suggest indoor martial arts… (Continued)
Double Checking Your Local Restrictions
It’s more important than ever to double-check your local area for additional restrictions. One of the best ways to do this is via the following.
OFFICIAL SOURCES
The obvious place to double check is the Government website. You can specifically enter your postcode into the GOV search to see specific restrictions in your local region on a specific search section. We have linked up to this in our members area.
NON-OFFICIAL SOURCES
We know that many will find the Government guidance to be overwhelming. You really should make an effort to fully understand this however, as it is the only guidance you can ‘lean on’ without question of accuracy.
If you do want to try and find a more ‘user-friendly’ tool, Sky News have a useful feature too. We have linked up to this in our member’s area.
“What about the rule of 6? Does this mean I can’t teach more than 6 people indoors?”
No, it does not. The Rule Of 6 and the reference to “ensuring groups of 6 or more do not mix” is in relation to social interactions before, during or after classes. It is not a reference to a restriction on maximum capacity being 6 as was the case… (Continued)
“How many people can I teach indoors?”
You should continue to be guided by maximum capacity which is approximately 100sqft per person, net volumetric space, with mitigation for ventilation. Some clubs are using a 3m x 3m rule to try and make this more definable but in most circumstances… (Continued)
“I’m currently in a Tier 3 area – what should I do and how long will this last for?”
Hopefully you have checked your local area above and then double-checked using the postcode checker to be sure. For most in Tier 3, there will be no material changes to the way you run your martial arts classes, provided it is done in a COVID-Secure way. The truth is we don’t know how long the restrictions will remain in place for, although there are positive signs from… (Continued)
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“What help can BMABA provide my club over the coming months?”
We can confidently say there is no other martial arts association in the UK that has done anywhere near as much as BMABA in supporting, guiding and protecting our clubs during lockdown. Naturally, this proactive and industry-first approach will continue throughout recovery through to the end of next year when we anticipate the potential of martial arts being back to pre-Covid conditions.
Everything from a free Covid-Aware martial arts instructor qualification and Covid-Policy through to marketing material, council liaison services, risk assessments, covid and hygiene equipment, club communications, subsidised insurances, free qualifications and courses, business support, covid-recovery toolkits and so, so much more. Our guidance on evolving regulation and easing of lockdown measures is properly curated and managed for accuracy, and we’re working across our extensive group of not for profit organisations to make it easier and more affordable than ever to keep your club alive during lockdown, and thriving when you can safely re-open.
