A Leading Independent Martial Arts Governing Body     |     MyBMABA Login     |      Applicant Login    |

Trauma-Informed Coaching . Levels 1 & 2

Some Of Your Students Are Carrying More Than You Can See

Martial arts asks people to be touched, to be shouted at across a hall, to be held down, to stand still while somebody stands behind them. For most students none of that is remarkable. For some it is the exact shape of the worst thing that ever happened to them, and they will never tell you.

Trauma-informed coaching is not therapy and it does not ask you to become a counsellor. It is a set of coaching decisions that make your sessions safer for people you cannot identify by looking at them.

Get Access The full syllabus
The Trauma-Informed Coaching Level 1 certificate The Trauma-Informed Coaching and ACEs Level 2 certificate
Ahead Of The Sector, Not Behind It

We Were Already Teaching This When The Sector Decided It Was Needed

On 24 June 2025 the five UK Sports Councils, UK Sport, Sport England, sportscotland, Sport Wales and Sport Northern Ireland, published the Safe Sport Project Report. Built on a survivor-led consultation with 146 organisations and more than 200 individuals, it described the current safeguarding system as fragmented and inconsistent, and put trauma-informed practice at the centre of what should replace it.

Our Trauma-Informed Coaching and ACEs course was already published and running when that report landed. We did not build it in response to a recommendation. We built it because our clubs were telling us they were coaching people carrying things they had no framework for, and the sector reached the same conclusion afterwards.

We would rather be the association that has already done it than the one that responds well to being told. That is what an independent standards body is supposed to be for.

Read the Safe Sport Report
Two Levels, Two Different Jobs

The Full Running Order For Both

Level 1 gives you the understanding. Level 2 turns it into how you actually run a session. Every lesson, in the order you study it.

Foundations

Level 1: Foundations

For instructors, assistant instructors and volunteers working with adults, children or both.

What trauma is and, just as importantly, what it is not. How the body and brain respond, how childhood adversity carries into adult students, and where the ACEs framework is useful and where it is overstated. Then the part that matters on the mats: how trauma actually presents in a martial arts environment, how to recognise dysregulation, and how to know when something is beyond you.

  1. An Introduction to Trauma Informed Coaching
  2. What trauma is, and what it isn’t
  3. The body and brain under trauma
  4. Trauma across the lifespan, adults and children
  5. Adverse Childhood Experiences, the framework and its limits
  6. How childhood trauma presents in adulthood
  7. How trauma shows up in the martial arts environment
  8. The core principles of trauma-informed practice
  9. Recognising distress and dysregulation in your students
  10. When to refer, where to refer, and staying in your lane
  11. Trauma Informed Coaching Final Exam (Level 1)
11 lessonsFinal examSame-day certificate
Assumes Level 1

Level 2: Practice

For instructors ready to change how they coach, and club leads writing it into policy.

Level 2 is where principles become decisions. Language and power dynamics, session design and the room itself, de-escalation, and the hardest one in martial arts: physical contact and consent. It then works through three populations our own programmes put in front of you, and finishes on trauma-informed safeguarding, referral pathways, and writing it into your club’s policies.

  1. Introduction to Trauma-informed Coaching Level 2
  2. Translating principles into how you coach
  3. Language, communication, and power dynamics
  4. Session design and the physical environment
  5. De-escalation for dysregulated students
  6. Physical contact and consent in a trauma-informed setting
  7. Managing disclosures and emotional responses on the mat
  8. Adult survivors of abuse and violence, in a #PunchLikeAGirl context
  9. Men, masculinity, and mental health, in a MANTRA context
  10. Children affected by poverty, adversity, or instability, in a Scholarship context
  11. Trauma-informed safeguarding in practice
  12. Mental health literacy and referral pathways
  13. Developing trauma-informed policies and procedures for your club
  14. Trauma Informed Coaching Exam (Level 2)
14 lessonsFinal examSame-day certificate
Written Around Real Work

Three Of The Level 2 Lessons Are About Programmes We Actually Run

This is not a generic trauma module with martial arts vocabulary dropped into it. Level 2 teaches trauma-informed practice through the populations our own social impact work puts in front of instructors, which means the examples are real, the pitfalls are ones we have hit, and the guidance comes from delivery rather than from a textbook.

#PunchLikeAGirl

#PunchLikeAGirl

Level 2, lesson 8

Our campaign getting women and girls onto the mats, a great many of whom arrive having already had to defend themselves. Self-defence teaching is where trauma-informed practice matters most and is most often got wrong: rehearsing an assault with someone who has survived one can retraumatise as easily as it can empower, and the difference lies in how the session is set up, not in the technique.

MANTRA

MANTRA

Level 2, lesson 9

Our men’s mental health programme. The men least likely to talk about what they are carrying are frequently already in your class, training hard and saying nothing, and a martial arts hall is one of the few places they turn up to voluntarily every week. This lesson is about what that responsibility looks like in practice without an instructor mistaking themselves for a therapist.

BMABA Scholarship

Scholarship

Level 2, lesson 10

Our funded places for children affected by poverty, adversity or instability. A child whose week outside the dojo has been chaos does not arrive as a blank slate at six o’clock, and the behaviour that follows is routinely read as attitude. Coaching that child well is a learned skill, and it is the one most likely to keep them coming back.

Ditch The Blade

Ditch The Blade

Connected, taught separately

Our knife crime and serious youth violence work. It does not have its own lesson in this course, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise: it is covered in the Knife Crime & Serious Youth Violence award. But the young people it reaches are close to the reason this course exists, and Level 2 is what stops an instructor mishandling the moment one of them says something in the changing room.

Knife Crime & SYV award

These are BMABA programmes, delivered through BMABA clubs, funded by a not-for-profit with a legal asset lock. The training exists because the work does.

How Our Standards Evolve

Qualifications That Move When The Sector Moves

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.

This was one course. Teaching it, and listening to instructors who had taken it, made the break obvious: understanding trauma and coaching in a trauma-informed way are different skills, learned at different points, and cramming them together meant the practical half was always the half that got rushed. It became Level 1, Foundations, and Level 2, Practice. If you completed the original award it still stands.

Rolling review, not a rewrite when it is embarrassing Courses carry a review cycle and are revisited on it. Most CPD refreshes on a two-year validity, at which point you simply re-enrol and work through the current version. Coaching qualifications do not expire.
Out-of-cycle when the ground moves Significant legislative change, new statutory guidance or a major sector review triggers a review immediately rather than waiting for the next scheduled one.
Told in advance, through the Governance Group Changes reach members before they land, not afterwards. Where a course splits into levels, the convention is Level 1 at practitioner level and Level 2 at coordinator or lead level.
Nothing you have earned is taken away We will never release updated CPD in a way that wipes a prior verification, knocks out a linked standard such as Club Colours, or forces you to restart an award because the schedule changed.

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.

Why This Certificate Carries Weight

Anybody Can Publish A Course. Rather Fewer Can Stand Behind One.

Trauma is a subject where bad training is worse than none, because it produces confident instructors doing the wrong thing. Here is what sits behind ours.

CIMSPA

Endorsed Training Provider

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.

UKRLP

UK Register Of Learning Providers

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.

ISO 9001:2015

Certified Quality Management

Certified under UKAS accreditation via the British Assessment Bureau. Content is version-controlled, reviewed on a cycle and traceable, which is why this course became two levels rather than staying as one and quietly ageing.

ISO 27001:2022

Certified Information Security

Also UKAS accredited, with zero non-conformities at our most recent audit. Relevant here because trauma-informed practice generates disclosures, and disclosures generate records that have to be held properly.

Cyber Essentials

Government-Backed Baseline

We hold Cyber Essentials certification, the UK government-backed scheme covering the technical controls that stop the overwhelming majority of common attacks.

Sector

Recognised And In The Room

We hold a seat on the Martial Arts Safeguarding Group, sit on a CIMSPA advisory board, and are named in Sport England’s own safeguarding guidance for martial arts, where our Club Colours Award carries automatic Safeguarding Code certification.

Who Gets What

Where This One Sits

Straight from the membership inclusion handbook, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.

Silver & GoldLevels 1 and 2Full access to all current and future CPD
Assistant InstructorsLevel 1 includedAlongside Safeguarding, First Aid and SEND Level 1
Affiliate & BronzeNot includedUpgrade to Silver for both levels

Unlike SEND Level 1 and CHIMA, this one is not on every tier. We would rather tell you that here than let you find out after joining.

Check It In The Handbook
BMABA course content running on a phone and a tablet
Train Anywhere, Anytime

Study It In The Car Park Between Classes If That Is What Works

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.

Trauma is heavy material, and it is better studied in pieces than pushed through in one sitting. The platform saves your place precisely so you can take it at the pace it deserves.

  • Any deviceWebsite or mobile app, nothing to download to start
  • Progress savedStop mid-lesson, pick up exactly where you left off
  • No deadlineWork at the pace the dojo and the day job allow
  • Certificate the same dayIssued the moment you pass the final exam
Start On Any Device, Free

Multi-Award Winning & Nationally Recognised

ICO Registered CIMSPA Training Provider Partner ISO 9001:2015 certified under UKAS accreditation ISO 27001:2022 certified under UKAS accreditation Armed Forces Covenant signatory CPD Approved UK Register of Learning Providers Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts Cyber Essentials certified Good Governance Recognition Social Enterprise UK Sport England Sport and Physical Activity Sport and Recreation Alliance Martial Arts Safeguarding Group ASPP Disability Confident Committed Ecologi climate positive workforce End Child Poverty coalition charity: water supporter Child Rescue Alliance UKRLP registered MARSC Approved Association Home Office Knife Free campaign Anti-Bullying Alliance As featured on BBC Radio 4 As featured on BBC News As featured in The Guardian As featured in The Sunday Times As featured in Men's Health World Sports Awards

You Are Already Coaching These People

The only question is whether you have been given a framework for it. Level 1 gives you the understanding, Level 2 changes how you run the room, and both are included with Silver and Gold membership.

See Membership Options All CPD Courses
Keep going

There Is A Great Deal More Waiting For You

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.

Free for everyone CHIMA Concussion & head injury management 17 lessons Core study Child Safeguarding In Martial Arts The backbone of Club Colours 11 lessons Designated Safeguarding Lead Six-hour qualification for your club lead 14 lessons Popular First Aid For Martial Arts Scenario-led, for the injuries we actually see 23 lessons Popular Foundation Coach, Level 1 Entry point of the coaching pathway 28 lessons Qualified Coach, Level 2 Practitioner level for confident coaches 34 lessons Senior Coach, Level 3 Senior practitioner and club lead level 31 lessons Free for everyone SEND In Martial Arts, Level 1 Practitioner level adaptive coaching 11 lessons SEND In Martial Arts, Level 2 Co-ordinator level, holding the overview 15 lessons Coaching Neurodiversity Autism, ADHD and the neurodivergent mat 12 lessons Coaching Children & Young People Development, motivation and age-appropriate practice 23 lessons Curriculum Design & Pedagogy For instructors who want to coach deliberately 18 lessons Cadet Coaching Award For 13 to 17s, with the Bronze to Gold pathway 13 lessons Club Management Award, Level 1 Running the club, not just teaching it 14 lessons Club Management Award, Level 2 Development level, once you are off the ground 14 lessons Event-Ready Plan and run safe, sanctioned competitions 13 lessons Referees & Officials Award Officiating standards, scoring and safety 38 lessons Compulsory BMABA Induction Training Where every member starts 6 lessons
Browse the full CPD catalogue
Testimonials

What Do Our Members Say?

  • D Hurt
    10 Out Of 10
    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
  • Peter R
    They Go Above And Beyond
    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
  • Giles H
    Exemplary Organisation
    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
  • VORTEX Martial Arts & Fitness
    More Than Just A Governing Body
    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
  • Lena S
    Professional And High Quality
    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
  • Luke T
    Far More Helpful Than Any Other Association
    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
  • Chris J
    Great People To Work With
    Great people to work with.
    Facebook recommendation
  • Matt J
    Can't Rate Them Highly Enough
    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
  • John Tomsett
    Outstanding Club Association and Insurance Provider
    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
  • Georgina E
    Really impressive, 21st century MA organisation. 10/10
    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
  • Michael Willington
    Definately recommended. Unbelievable Association.
    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
  • Jonathan D
    BMABA – the Martial Arts Association you NEED
    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
  • Fabian Burdett
    This Team Deserves A Medal
    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
  • Matthew Robert Cooling-Stones
    These guys are the real deal
    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
  • Anna Martensson
    Highly IMPRESSED by the BMABA
    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
  • Adrian Jackson
    Always quick to respond and thoughtful
    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 highly
    Member review
  • Daniel Leaver
    Simply the best organisation I have ever worked with
    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
Join Free