Professional Guidance, Regulation & Best Practice

An unregulated sector.
A regulated association.

UK martial arts has no statutory regulator: anyone can open a club tomorrow. That’s exactly why we built one of the most rigorously governed membership bodies in British sport, and why we hold ourselves to standards long before we ask them of anyone else.

Join The Standard How it works

Regulation Nobody Required. Standards Everybody Benefits From.

The absence of a statutory regulator doesn’t mean the absence of responsibility: it means responsibility falls to whoever is willing to carry it. For more than a decade we’ve carried it voluntarily, building the governance, safeguarding frameworks, examination standards and professional guidance that a properly regulated sector would demand, and submitting ourselves to the external audits that prove it’s real. Parents, schools, venues and insurers can’t rely on the law to distinguish a professional club from a liability. They can rely on this.

First, Ourselves

How We Regulate Our Own House

Independently Audited, Twice Over

Our management systems are certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 under UKAS accreditation, externally audited, with more than one hundred controlled documents governing how we operate day to day.

A Locked Not-For-Profit

As a Community Interest Company our assets are legally locked to the mission. There are no shareholders to please and no incentive to lower a standard for revenue, ever.

Professional Financial Conduct

Insurance is arranged through FCA-regulated channels with an A-rated insurer, and our own operations run to the documented, traceable standards our auditors inspect.

Accountable In Public

Our policies live openly in our handbook, our safeguarding record is engaged with by government, and the Minister for Sport has commended our work in writing. Scrutiny is the point.

Then, The Sector

The Frameworks We Give Every Club

Membership brings the full regulatory architecture: RegulationReady, the live governance framework verifying safeguarding, vetting, insurance and leadership across every role in your club; NGIES, our National Grading Integrity & Examination Standards protecting the worth of every grade; and Club Colours, the accreditation recognised under the Sport England-funded Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts.

Behind those sit seventeen managed policies, the national safeguarding operation and its professional casework, the workforce registers, the CPD and qualification pathways mapped to CIMSPA professional standards, and insurance minimums that make basic protection non-negotiable. Together they do for our members what statute never has: define what good looks like, and verify it.

Best Practice, Published Openly

The Handbook: Our Standards, In The Open

We don’t keep our standards behind a login. The BMABA handbook publishes our policies, frameworks, guidance articles and best-practice resources openly, from safeguarding and grading integrity to vetting, insurance and club operations, so members can implement with confidence and anyone can hold us to what we’ve written. It’s the sector’s most comprehensive professional reference, and it’s free to read.

Explore The Handbook

The National Conversation

Where The Sector’s Standards Are Being Written

The future of martial arts regulation is being shaped now, and independent clubs deserve a voice in it. We’re in active engagement with DCMS and Sport England on event safety, safeguarding and the direction of workforce registration, we hold a seat on the Martial Arts Safeguarding Group, and we work with CIMSPA on professional standards for the independent workforce.

Every club that joins strengthens that voice. When we argue that independent martial arts can regulate itself to a standard worth recognising, our evidence is you: thousands of clubs, verifiably governed, choosing standards nobody forced on them.

Add Your Club To The Evidence

A Voice For Independent Martial Arts

Ministerial Commendation And Parliamentary Recognition

“Organisations such as the British Martial Arts and Boxing Association support unaffiliated martial arts providers to adopt the safeguarding code… Providers with recognition under the code can display a logo on their promotional materials to show participants that their safety measures have been vetted.”

Stephanie Peacock MP, House of Commons Debate on Combat Sport Safety

BMABA CIC has been recognised at the highest levels of Government for our commitment to safeguarding in martial arts. During a House of Commons debate on combat sport safety, the Minister for Sport, Stephanie Peacock MP, highlighted the British Martial Arts & Boxing Association by name for our work in supporting independent and unaffiliated clubs to adopt the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts. This direct mention in Parliament demonstrates that our efforts to raise standards and protect participants are shaping the national conversation on safety in combat sports.

Following that debate, the Minister for Sport wrote formally to commend BMABA’s work, praising our role in raising safeguarding standards across the independent martial arts sector. She described our contribution as “extremely useful” to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s ongoing policy development, and thanked us for our ongoing efforts to make martial arts safer for children. This recognition reflects the trust placed in BMABA to help Government address urgent safeguarding challenges highlighted by recent tragedies within combat sports.

For our members and the wider martial arts community, this recognition underlines BMABA’s credibility as a leading voice for independent martial arts in the UK. It demonstrates that our grassroots-driven mission, to promote safe, inclusive, and properly governed martial arts for all, is influencing national policy and gaining ministerial support. Being referenced in Parliament and commended in writing by the Minister for Sport reinforces that BMABA is not just a governing body, but a sector-shaping organisation working to protect participants and secure the future of martial arts.

“I appreciate your ongoing efforts to make martial arts safer for children.”

Stephanie Peacock MP, Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth

Awards & Recognition

ISO 9001:2015 Certified

The world's most recognised quality management standard. Our processes, governance and conduct are independently audited every year under UKAS accreditation, the same benchmark used for hospitals, universities, and major corporations.
ISO 27001:2022 Certified

The international standard for information security, held alongside ISO 9001 as a UK martial arts first. Your club's data, your members' details and our digital infrastructure sit inside an independently audited security management system.
Regulated Community Interest Company

We're overseen by the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies, with a legal asset lock that means our income must serve our community purpose forever. Not-for-profit as a legal structure, not a slogan.
Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts

The Sport England-approved national safeguarding standard. We hold organisational certification and are the only independent martial arts body authorised to issue SCiMA certification to clubs in-house, through our free Club Colours programme.
CIMSPA Training Provider Partner

Recognised by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity. Our CPD and qualifications are developed to CIMSPA's national professional standards, with programmes submitted for formal endorsement, confirmed course by course.
Cyber Essentials Certified

A UK Government-backed scheme confirming we hold essential security controls to protect our systems, data, and users from common cyber threats. A key mark of trust when handling sensitive safeguarding and membership data.
Certified Social Enterprise

Independently certified by Social Enterprise UK as a genuine business for good. Our income is reinvested into grassroots martial arts, youth projects, and instructor support, not shareholders or private interests.
UK Register of Learning Providers

A recognised organisation on the UK Government's official Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP), affirming our legitimacy as an education and training provider able to work credibly with funding bodies, employers, and public agencies.
Registered With The ICO

Legally registered under UK data protection law, meeting our obligations under the Data Protection Act and UK GDPR. Together with ISO 27001, it protects the personal data of every member, club, and partner we work with.

Multi-Award Winning & Nationally Recognised

ISO 9001:2015 certified under UKAS accreditation

ISO 27001:2022 certified under UKAS accreditation

Testimonials

What Do Our Members Say?

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.
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Fabian Burdett
2020 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. 💙🐺👊
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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"
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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!!
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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
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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.
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