EXCLUSIVE TO BMABA

#PunchLikeAGirl

Empowering Women. Elevating Clubs. Changing the Narrative.

Martial arts has the power to empower, uplift and transform. But for too long, women and girls have been underrepresented on the mats, particularly in leadership roles. BMABA’s #PunchLikeAGirl programme is changing that.

Driven by data and built for impact, this national initiative creates safer, more inclusive spaces for women and girls across every martial arts discipline. It champions female leadership, supports clubs in becoming genuinely welcoming, and delivers direct intervention for women and girls at risk.

Our 2025 national survey confirms the need for action: just 8.3% of instructors across UK martial arts are women, despite women making up 31.7% of participants. A new generation of women and girls is rising through the ranks, but that momentum will only hold with the right culture, frameworks and support behind it.

Of Students Are Female

8.3

Are Instructors

Part One: Grassroots Engagement

Helping Clubs Become Genuinely Inclusive

The first strand of #PunchLikeAGirl focuses on helping clubs take meaningful steps toward inclusion, not through box-ticking or token gestures, but through real culture change.

We support clubs in recognising and removing the barriers to participation, from language and gender assumptions through to club policies and class structures. We fund and provide:

Instructor training and qualifications tailored to working with women and girls
Inclusive policy frameworks covering welfare, inclusion and safeguarding
Marketing assets and communication templates designed to speak to female audiences
Support for launching women-only classes and safe-space sessions within existing timetables

The goal? A martial arts culture where women and girls feel respected, safe and empowered to train and lead. Not as the exception, but as the standard.

Part Two: Funded Projects

Supporting Women and Girls at Risk

The second strand of #PunchLikeAGirl delivers trauma-informed self-protection and personal empowerment workshops for women and girls at risk of violence. This includes survivors of rape, sexual violence and domestic abuse, alongside preventative workshops in schools and community settings.

Our pilot sessions are built to deliver impact across the UK, including:

Women-only self-defence workshops for survivors of trauma
Mother and daughter sessions to build intergenerational resilience
Community outreach in youth groups, women’s refuges and schools

These sessions are facilitated exclusively by BMABA instructors who are stringently vetted, trauma-informed, and hold nationally recognised safeguarding credentials. Every element is designed around safety, emotional care and professionalism.

Funding for this strand is deliberately targeted while we scale, and we’re building toward a wider rollout of micro-grants so more clubs can deliver these high-impact interventions. Sponsorship and donations accelerate exactly this work.

Why This Matters

The numbers speak volumes. Nearly one in three martial artists in the UK are women, yet fewer than one in twelve instructors are female. That gap isn’t down to ability or interest. It’s down to structural barriers, outdated perceptions, and a lack of visible pathways for progression.

#PunchLikeAGirl is about fixing that, from both ends. We’re supporting clubs to become more inclusive from the inside out, while reaching the women and girls who might otherwise never set foot on a mat.

We’re not here to tip the scales or pit anyone against anyone. Our goal is simple: to make it just as normal to see a woman leading a class as a man. Because inclusion isn’t about sidelining anyone. It’s about making sure no one is left behind.

Built on Standards. Driven by Purpose.

Built on Standards. Driven by Purpose.

As with all of our national programmes, #PunchLikeAGirl is grounded in BMABA’s gold-standard approach to safeguarding, inclusion and trauma-informed practice. Every participating club and instructor is held to enhanced standards, including:

Safeguarding training
DBS checks and first aid
Trauma-informed coaching certification
Mental health and SEND inclusion frameworks
Clear, enforceable club policies

We’re not just encouraging inclusion. We’re building the infrastructure that makes it meaningful and sustainable. And the programme isn’t only for female instructors: male instructors who want to help provide dedicated women-only spaces and classes are encouraged to get involved and lead from the front, because culture change needs everyone pulling in the same direction.

Run A Club?

Whether you’re a club looking to grow, a female instructor ready to lead, or a community partner supporting women and girls, we want to work with you.

"I spent years trying to cope with the trauma of rape. I never believed close-contact combat sports would help me recover."

"I was abused as a young women and spent years gripped with fear and anxiety, especially surrounding close contact with others. If you had told me then that I would find myself at extremely close quarters with men, grappling, and feeling on top of the world I would have spat at you. The reality is that martial arts has the power to break you down and build you up. It helped me to return to myself. It switched off my mind and put me back in my body. It also helped me to take control of my life by showing my grit, stamina and discipline will always come to bear. I don't know what I would have done had I not been near enough forced to attend that first women's only self defence class. It was a turning point in my life and my recovery."

Applicable Programme: #PunchLikeAGirl

"I was in an abusive relationship, feeling as if I was powerless. Three minutes into martial arts, and I re-connected with that bit of me that had been shut off for so many years."

"I hadn't expected to find much use for Muay Thai Boxing but attended because it was an all-women class and, after much pestering from a close friend, I decided to give it a try. Within minutes of entering the gym and seeing what others could do on the bags, something in my clicked. I felt grounded for the first time in so many years, and empowered by my body. Challenging yourself to physically overcome technical and fitness barriers pushes you to develop. It builds up your confidence and your stamina, and teaches you that your body is yours, and that it's worth fighting for."