Junior classes are where the majority of students start, where most of a club’s income comes from, and where nearly all of its safeguarding risk sits. Yet most instructors were trained to teach adults and worked the rest out by trial and error on other people’s children.
This is the course that replaces the trial and error. Twenty-three lessons on how young people learn, how growing bodies handle load, how behaviour actually works, and where the lines around contact and supervision sit.
A twelve year old’s skeleton is still forming, so load and conditioning that is unremarkable for an adult is not unremarkable for them. Their brain processes instruction differently, which is why the demonstration that works in the adult class produces blank faces in the junior one. Their behaviour when a session goes wrong is communication rather than defiance, and reading it as defiance is how instructors lose children who needed the club most.
None of that is intuitive, and none of it is covered by being good at your martial art. It is a separate discipline, and it is one that martial arts has historically expected instructors to pick up by watching someone else do it.
Twenty-three lessons across seven modules, finishing on a final examination. Nothing summarised away: this is the course exactly as it runs.
Coaching a twelve year old is not coaching an adult in a smaller gi. And the thread that runs through every lesson afterwards: you hold a position of trust.
What a developing brain does with an instruction, what genuinely motivates a young person, and how to say things so they can follow you.
Growth plates, loading and conditioning, and the trap every instructor falls into at least once: judging a child by their size rather than their maturation.
Behaviour is communication rather than defiance. What works at six does not work at fifteen. And holding your own conduct steady when a session is going badly.
Scaffolding and chunking technique over months rather than minutes, teaching through play without losing rigour, and running a room where everyone is at a different level.
Age bands, mixed classes and family sessions, designing a junior grading framework that means something, and mapping the transfer into your adult syllabus.
The parts with the sharpest consequences. Physical contact and consent, ratios and who is allowed to supervise what, and how contact is introduced without rushing it.
One further lesson sits between “Strategies that work, by age” and “Staying professional under pressure” and is currently untitled in the course builder. It is in the course; it is simply not listed above until it has a name.
The two are frequently confused, and the confusion is expensive. Safeguarding training teaches you to recognise and report harm. This course teaches you to coach a child well, which is a different skill and, on any ordinary Tuesday evening, the one you will use.
Position of trust runs through both, which is why it is Module One here rather than a footnote. An instructor who has done only one of these is half-equipped for the room they are standing in.
A governing body that never changes its own qualifications is not being consistent, it is being inattentive. Our CPD catalogue is reviewed on a rolling cadence rather than left to age, and reviewed again out of cycle whenever something material shifts: new legislation, updated statutory guidance, a sector-wide review, or clubs telling us that what we teach no longer matches what they are dealing with.
Coaching young people used to sit scattered across the coaching pathway, a paragraph here and a module there, which meant every instructor got some of it and nobody got all of it. Given that junior classes are where most clubs spend most of their time, that was the wrong way round. It is now a course in its own right.
Our workforce of instructors, assistant instructors and volunteers is who this is for. When their job changes, the training that supports it should already have changed, rather than catching up afterwards.
This one deals with children’s bodies, children’s development and the boundaries around adults working with them. It is not a subject to take from an unaccountable source.
BMABA is a CIMSPA Endorsed Training Provider, and we map our qualifications to a recognised professional standard wherever one exists. Mapped is not the same as endorsed: a course is only formally CIMSPA Endorsed CPD once it has been submitted, reviewed and certified, and we say so on the course itself when it has.
We are listed on the UK Register of Learning Providers under UKPRN 10098149, the government-maintained record of organisations delivering learning in the United Kingdom. Check our listing.
Sport England’s own safeguarding guidance for martial arts names four organisations, and we are the only independent, multi-style association among them. A BMABA club holding Club Colours has the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts issued automatically rather than applying for it.
Certified under UKAS accreditation via the British Assessment Bureau. Content is version-controlled, reviewed on a cycle and traceable, which is why gaps like this one get closed rather than noted.
Also UKAS accredited, with zero non-conformities at our most recent audit. Your training record and personal data sit inside a certified Information Security Management System.
We hold a seat on the Martial Arts Safeguarding Group, sit on a CIMSPA advisory board, and hold Cyber Essentials certification alongside both ISO standards.
Straight from the membership inclusion handbook, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Assistant Instructors get this deliberately. They are frequently the ones running the junior warm-up while the lead instructor is elsewhere, so training them for it is the point.
Check It In The Handbook
Our qualifications and awards are delivered entirely online through our own learning platform, on the website or in the BMABA app. Phone, tablet, laptop, whatever you have in your hand.
Your place is saved as you go, so you can do a lesson on your lunch break, another while the kids are at training, and finish the exam on a Sunday evening. Nothing expires part way through and nothing has to be done in one sitting.
Twenty-three lessons is a real commitment, which is exactly why it is built to be done in pieces. Your place is saved, so a module between classes counts just as much as an evening in one go.
Twenty-three lessons, seven modules, an exam and a certificate the same day. Included with Silver and Gold membership, and with every Assistant Instructor account.
This is one course out of more than thirty in the library. Every one is written for martial arts specifically, delivered online, mapped to CIMSPA professional standards where a standard exists, and included with membership rather than sold separately.
Well I was with another organisation for 4 years and came across these guys. They have great vetting, were really helpful at every stage of my application, the actual app is amazing with training opportunities for members, also student membership. All round 10 out of 10.Facebook recommendation
Been a member for a number of years and they go above and beyond to support their members. Everything from safeguarding and legalities to certified courses, websites, club manager software, just to name a few of the benefits.Google review
A huge resource of helpful information and support for those setting up or running a martial arts club. Well put together coaching courses and great safeguarding advice and policies. Really pleased to have access to this exemplary organisation to help me with my new kickboxing club.Google review
Simply amazing. BMABA are more than just a governing body for martial arts, they are a team of incredible people, always willing to go the extra mile to make sure you feel supported. Incredible customer service, amazing response time, and an honour to be governed by.Google review
Previously searched for similar organisations but after speaking to Giovanni over the phone I knew that BMABA was the right one for me. He was very informative, patient and had a lot of time to answer any questions. Extremely reassuring and helpful. Their website and documentation are also very professional and high quality.Google review
Having been a part of BMABA for a short while, I can say that already they have been far more helpful than any other association I have been involved in. After 10 years of martial arts, I hope to continue instructing under BMABA for many years.Google review
Great people to work with.Facebook recommendation
Having left my previous association in November, and being very daunted by the prospect of being responsible for all my own compliance and everything else I can honestly say BMABA have made the whole thing possible and even pleasant. The training resources are great, it's been fantastic for me to be able to quickly up skill my team, the insurance is really easy to sort out, the team are super friendly and helpful, the perks on Gold membership are also fantastic.Member review
I have been a customer of BMABA for two years now, and I am extremely impressed with their services. First and foremost, the customer service provided by BMABA is exceptional. Their team is responsive, professional, and genuinely dedicated to ensuring that our needs are met. Whenever we had a query or require assistance, they responded rapidly and effectively.Member review
Found these guys in Martial Arts Illustrated doing a piece on professionalism in martial arts and thought, as an instructor, they might be worth looking at further. Really impressed from the moment I hit their website through to now, 3 months on as a member. Great staff, Giovanni is rediculously knowledgable and our club is now growing under the banner of what has got to be the best martial arts org in the UK.Member review
The BMABA are unlike any other org I've come across in this industry. Their honest, professional, politics free and most importantly, they know what they're doing. Website is leaps and bounds ahead of the rest, insurance is comprehensive and their overall customer service is just unlike anything else I've had in 25 years of martial arts. Amazing through and through. Would definitely recommend.Member review
I joined the BMABA right in its infancy (I believe I was their second member!). Giovanni is the most helpful, respectful and genuine person who has turned the possibility of a non-political, highly respected and supportive Martial Arts Association into a reality. I could bang on for hours about the BMABA but don't take my word for it – go and visit the BMABA website and see for yourself.Member review
As we all know 2020 has been the year from hell for martial arts. One thing that has come out of that is BMABA have done everything in their power to keep clubs like mine up to date with what's happening and tried to push the government to notice us. Couldn't wish for a better association to be a part of. Once again big THANK YOU to you guys for all the help. 💙🐺👊Member review
As i'm heading into the brave world of starting up my own small self defence club in our village, i can say with complete honesty and satisfaction that BMABA have been the most supportive and upfront association i have come across. i have seen and had first hand experience with the Mcdojo's offering you the greatest adventures of a life time. but these guys are the real deal… i hold my head high, and say with great pride "i am a BMABA member"Facebook
As someone with 22 years of experience in martial arts, who saw enough big egos and leaders who only look after their own benefits… I am highly IMPRESSED by the BMABA. I wanted to make sure they don't just promise the world but actually deliver. They support us all the way and constantly look for new ways of making our whole industry better for ALL of us. THANK YOU!!Facebook
Always quick to respond and thoughtful. Great service delivered at a very reasonable price and very supportive of the community. Been a member for a couple of years now and recommend highlyMember review
Simply the best organisation I have ever worked with. Everything is so stress free and I am definitely sticking with them for the rest of my career.Facebook
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