The UK’s first concussion qualification written for martial arts, rebuilt for the 2024 national guidelines. Seventeen lessons, five modules, a final exam and a certificate the same day.
Free for everyone. Every membership tier, including free affiliate membership. No upgrade, no card, no catch.
Most of our CPD catalogue sits behind a membership tier, and we make no apology for that. CHIMA does not, and it never has.
A concussion course that some instructors cannot reach is a concussion course that fails at the only thing it exists to do. If you hold free affiliate membership, which costs nothing and lasts for life, CHIMA is open to you in full: every lesson, the final exam, the certificate, the CPD points. Nothing is trimmed, locked or watered down for the free tier.
Generic sports concussion training assumes a pitch, a ball and a collision. Martial arts does not work like that. Head injury in our sport arrives through strikes, through takedowns and throws, through the back of a head meeting a mat during breakfall practice, and through the cumulative low-level contact of ordinary sparring. CHIMA is built around those mechanisms because they are the ones you will be standing in front of.
BMABA published the UK’s first dedicated concussion qualification for martial arts instructors in 2020. This is the second edition, rewritten to reflect the November 2024 UK Concussion Guidelines for Non-Elite (Grassroots) Sport, the research that has moved quickly since on grappling, falls and repeated low-level impact, and the legal exposure that has already reshaped rugby and boxing and is arriving in martial arts.
Seventeen lessons and a closing summary, across five modules. Nothing summarised away: this is the course exactly as it runs.
What concussion actually is, how head injuries happen in our sport specifically, and what poor management costs over a lifetime.
Spotting concussion in real time, understanding why symptoms can arrive hours later, and knowing the signs that mean 999 without hesitation.
What to do, in what order, and where to send them. Then the structured route back, including the BMABA 28-day minimum exclusion.
Equipment and what it genuinely does not protect against, moderated sparring access, safer grappling and breakfall practice, and session design that builds real resilience.
Age-banded guidance and consent for young people, where you stand legally and on insurance, and what changes when your students compete.
Lead Consultant Sports Physician at the UK Sports Institute, and Professor of Sport and Exercise Medicine at University College London’s Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health.
CHIMA teaches BMABA’s Concussion and Head Injury Management Policy, and that policy has been independently reviewed by Professor Loosemore, who confirmed he was happy to approve it and considered it capable of withstanding scrutiny from a panel of his peers. The handbook policy stays the live reference point throughout the course, so what you learn here is what your club is actually expected to operate.
Read The Policy In FullNot what you will have read. What you will be able to do, on the mats, under pressure, without looking anything up.
Identify concussion from first symptoms and immediate indicators, and understand why a student who seems fine at the end of a session may not be fine at ten o’clock that night.
Know the red flags that mean 999 with no debate, work through first aid in the right order, and route correctly between A&E, NHS 111 and a GP.
Apply the Graduated Return to Activity and Sport framework, including the BMABA 28-day minimum exclusion, and hold the line when a student or a parent pushes back.
Design sessions, sparring progressions and grappling practice that reduce head impact, and understand honestly what protective equipment does and does not do.
Completing CHIMA is the start rather than the end. Return-to-Participation tracking is built into the free Club Management Platform, so a student you have had to stand down is logged and then guided through the structured return step by step, with on-the-night triage reporting for anything that needs escalating immediately.
The point is that the framework you study here is the same framework running in your club software the following week, rather than a certificate that goes in a drawer.
You carry the duty of care and you are the one a parent will ask. CHIMA is the baseline for that conversation.
Often the closest adult when it happens, and frequently the one still on the mats when the lead instructor is dealing with something else.
Concussion recognition is not a senior-coach skill. Anyone supervising needs to know what they are looking at.
Module five covers events, officials and the PASA framework, including where withdrawal authority sits and why it is absolute.
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.
That flexibility is not a nice extra on a concussion course. It is the difference between instructors who complete this training and instructors who permanently intend to.
Concussion training is a crowded space, and much of what is sold into martial arts is generic sports content with a gi on the cover. Here is what sits behind ours.
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. Anything not explicitly marked endorsed should be read as CIMSPA-mapped.
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.
Certified under UKAS accreditation via the British Assessment Bureau. Course content is version-controlled, reviewed on a cycle and traceable, which is precisely why this second edition exists rather than a 2020 course still quietly circulating.
Also UKAS accredited, with zero non-conformities at our most recent audit. Your training record, your certificate and your personal data sit inside a certified Information Security Management System.
The policy this course teaches was reviewed by Professor Mike Loosemore MBE, Lead Consultant Sports Physician at the UK Sports Institute, who considered it capable of withstanding scrutiny from a panel of his peers.
We hold a seat on the Martial Arts Safeguarding Group, sit on a CIMSPA advisory board, and have briefed DCMS and Sport England on concussion and event safety. What we learned doing that is what ends up in the course.
It costs nothing, it is open to every membership tier including free affiliate, and it takes an evening. The alternative is finding out you did not know something at the exact moment it matters most.
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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