{"id":2392,"date":"2019-07-31T14:41:07","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T14:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bmaba.org.uk\/clubs\/?page_id=2392"},"modified":"2026-07-26T11:01:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T11:01:58","slug":"bmaba-instructor-eligibility-criteria","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bmaba.org.uk\/clubs\/association\/bmaba-instructor-eligibility-criteria\/","title":{"rendered":"BMABA Instructor Eligibility Criteria"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"2392\" class=\"elementor elementor-2392\" data-elementor-settings=\"{&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_width&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_width_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_width_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_padding&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;top&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;right&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;bottom&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;left&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;isLinked&quot;:true},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_padding_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;top&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;right&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;bottom&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;left&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;isLinked&quot;:true},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_padding_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;top&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;right&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;bottom&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;left&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;isLinked&quot;:true},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_border_radius&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;top&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;right&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;bottom&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;left&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;isLinked&quot;:true},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_border_radius_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;top&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;right&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;bottom&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;left&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;isLinked&quot;:true},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_border_radius_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;top&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;right&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;bottom&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;left&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;isLinked&quot;:true}}\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2940044 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2940044\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bfbcd4e elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"bfbcd4e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6a8aa1b elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6a8aa1b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"bmaba-clubs-tool bmaba-el\" data-bmaba-tool=\"eligibility\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bmaba-el__band\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bmaba-el__hero\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bmaba-el__eyebrow\">Eligibility &amp; Entry Requirements<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"bmaba-el__title\">Membership That Means Something. Standards That Open Doors.<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bmaba-el__lede\">Carrying the BMABA name tells parents, students and venues that you&#8217;re a vetted, credible, professional instructor, backed by one of the UK&#8217;s most respected independent martial arts bodies. That reputation only works because we check who joins. Our eligibility criteria exist to keep out the cowboys and McDojos, and to make our recognition genuinely worth displaying on your club&#8217;s wall.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bmaba-el__reassure\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bmaba-el__reassure-mark\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 10.5l4 4 8-9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Don&#8217;t have a black belt? You&#8217;re still very welcome.<\/strong> Plenty of brilliant instructors come from ungraded styles, and we built a dedicated route for exactly that. There are two ways in, and one of them will fit you.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bmaba-el__routes\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"bmaba-el__route bmaba-el__route--graded\" style=\"--el-delay: 0s\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"bmaba-el__route-top\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bmaba-el__route-badge\">Route One<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"bmaba-el__route-title\">I Hold A Recognised Grade<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bmaba-el__route-intro\">For traditional, belted disciplines such as Karate, Judo or Taekwondo, where grades are the norm. You&#039;ll need one of the following:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"bmaba-el__reqs\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"bmaba-el__req\"><span class=\"bmaba-el__req-tick\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 10.5l4 4 8-9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span>A 1st Dan Black Belt or above (or equivalent, including BJJ from Purple Belt upward), earned over a minimum of 3 years and 8 months of continued practice.<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"bmaba-el__or\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>or<\/span><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"bmaba-el__req\"><span class=\"bmaba-el__req-tick\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 10.5l4 4 8-9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span>An instructor&#039;s certificate issued by a trustworthy, reputable organisation, earned over the same minimum period.<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bmaba-el__route-note\">You&#039;ll be asked for proof of your grade when applying. A photo, scan or digital copy is fine, and the application walks you through it.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"bmaba-el__route-link\" href=\"https:\/\/handbook.bmaba.org.uk\/en\/articles\/8694805-eligibility-criteria-to-join-bmaba\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read the full criteria &rarr;<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"bmaba-el__route bmaba-el__route--equiv\" style=\"--el-delay: 0.1s\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"bmaba-el__route-top\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bmaba-el__route-badge\">Route Two<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bmaba-el__route-chip\">No cost. No black belt needed.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"bmaba-el__route-title\">I Don&#039;t Have A Black Belt<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bmaba-el__route-intro\">For ungraded disciplines such as MMA, Muay Thai, self defence, HEMA or boxing-based styles, or if you&#039;ve trained somewhere that simply didn&#039;t grade. Our Black Belt Equivalency process, established in 2012, has helped thousands of credible instructors join. You&#039;ll need:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"bmaba-el__reqs\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"bmaba-el__req\"><span class=\"bmaba-el__req-tick\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 10.5l4 4 8-9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span>A minimum of 4 years&#039; continued practice in your discipline, with some form of supporting evidence.<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bmaba-el__plus\">Plus at least one of the following:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"bmaba-el__reqs\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"bmaba-el__req\"><span class=\"bmaba-el__req-tick\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 10.5l4 4 8-9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span>Written testimony from an instructor or coach confirming you&#039;re skilled, technically competent and ready to teach unsupervised.<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"bmaba-el__or\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>or<\/span><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"bmaba-el__req\"><span class=\"bmaba-el__req-tick\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 10.5l4 4 8-9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span>Documented evidence of your training alongside a short video snapshot of your abilities. Existing footage of training, fights or competitions works too.<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"bmaba-el__or\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>or<\/span><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"bmaba-el__req\"><span class=\"bmaba-el__req-tick\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 10.5l4 4 8-9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span>An instructor&#039;s certificate or qualification from a reputable organisation.<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"bmaba-el__evidence\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bmaba-el__evidence-label\">Evidence we can work with:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"bmaba-el__evidence-chips\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>Video snapshots<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>Instructor references<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>Licence books &amp; certificates<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>Club memberships<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>Fight &amp; competition records<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>Photos &amp; promotional material<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bmaba-el__route-note\">The process is free, and our style-specific experts will guide you through it. If you&#039;re unsure whether your evidence is enough, just ask before you apply.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"bmaba-el__route-link\" href=\"https:\/\/handbook.bmaba.org.uk\/en\/articles\/9404339-black-belt-equivalency\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Explore Black Belt Equivalency &rarr;<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<ul class=\"bmaba-el__extras\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"bmaba-el__extra\" style=\"--el-delay: 0s\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"bmaba-el__extra-title\">It Only Applies To Lead Instructors<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bmaba-el__extra-text\">These criteria apply to the lead instructor on an application. Assistant instructors and team members under a lead don&#039;t each need to meet them separately, and if you&#039;re joining as an individual instructor, you&#039;ll be the lead. You&#039;ll need to be 18 or over to register as an individual.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"bmaba-el__extra\" style=\"--el-delay: 0.08s\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"bmaba-el__extra-title\">Character Counts As Much As Skill<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bmaba-el__extra-text\">We look for honesty, integrity, professionalism and compassion, the qualities that make a genuinely good instructor and role model. Technical skill gets you through the door. Attitude is what we&#039;re really recognising.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"bmaba-el__extra\" style=\"--el-delay: 0s\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"bmaba-el__extra-title\">A Criminal Record Isn&#039;t An Automatic Bar<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bmaba-el__extra-text\">We take an ethical, balanced, risk-assessed approach, and we know some of the best instructors have lived challenging lives. Because our members work with children and vulnerable groups, you must disclose spent and unspent convictions when applying. Speak to our office in confidence first and we&#039;ll advise honestly.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"bmaba-el__extra\" style=\"--el-delay: 0.08s\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"bmaba-el__extra-title\">Teaching Multiple Styles?<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bmaba-el__extra-text\">You&#039;ll need to meet the eligibility for each discipline you want to be recognised for, though closely linked styles are treated with common sense. If you&#039;re not sure how your background maps across, ask us first and we&#039;ll gladly clarify.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bmaba-el__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bmaba-el__cta-text\">Not sure which route fits, or whether your evidence is enough? Our style-specific experts will tell you honestly, in confidence, before you apply.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"bmaba-el__cta-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/bmaba.org.uk\/clubs\/association\/contact-the-bmaba-office\/\">Speak To The Team<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bmaba-el__apply\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"bmaba-el__apply-title\">Still Not Sure? The Fastest Way To Find Out Is To Apply.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bmaba-el__apply-text\">Applying for free membership gives you an application number you can attach your evidence to, which is the easiest way to put your case in front of our compliance team. It&#8217;s completely confidential, and it doesn&#8217;t count against you if you decide to discontinue at any point. We can often give you an indication on eligibility before you apply, but the real test is a formal review of your evidence once you have. And if you&#8217;re successful, free membership unlocks a huge amount of tools and resources from day one. If in doubt, apply, and best of luck.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"bmaba-el__apply-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/bmaba.org.uk\/clubs\/join\">Apply For Free Membership<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1159306 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"1159306\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Eligibility &amp; Entry Requirements Membership That Means Something. Standards That Open Doors. Carrying the BMABA name tells parents, students and venues that [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":2391,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2392","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmaba.org.uk\/clubs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmaba.org.uk\/clubs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmaba.org.uk\/clubs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bmaba.org.uk\/clubs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bmaba.org.uk\/clubs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bmaba.org.uk\/clubs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2392\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bmaba.org.uk\/clubs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmaba.org.uk\/clubs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}