What the Programme Does

#DitchTheBlade trains and equips BMABA-affiliated clubs to proactively engage young people affected by, or vulnerable to, knife crime. All participating clubs:

• Are Regulation Ready certified, meeting strict safeguarding, DBS, and compliance standards

• Have completed our SYV (Serious Youth Violence) training, covering key issues such as:

  • County lines exploitation

  • Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

  • Community marginalisation

  • Trauma-informed coaching methods

  • Poverty and risk factors leading to disaffection

We don’t teach kids how to fight knives. We teach clubs how to reach kids before they ever pick one up.

Through specialist classes, open mat sessions, community engagement programmes and one-to-one mentoring, participating instructors use martial arts to create safe spaces, positive identity, structure, and trust. This helps counter the sense of hopelessness or fear that often fuels youth violence.

Not Knife Defence. Violence Prevention.

There are no fantasy scenarios here. We don’t promote dangerous or irresponsible “knife disarms.” Instead, we invest in what works:

• Long-term relationships with trusted mentors

• Positive reinforcement and discipline through martial arts

• Trauma-aware environments that respect lived experience

• Early engagement that diverts young people from risk before it escalates

Our goal is not to teach survival in a knife fight. It’s to help ensure young people never end up in one.