Insitructor training

Becoming an instructor


If your ultimate goal is to become a martial arts instructor, or this is something you would like to consider for the future, then we have a fantastic instructor training programme available here for you, and we give you all the details of this below.

We also follow a set of national martial arts instructor standards for this training, and we do this to ensure you and the people you will be teaching are safe and that you receive the highest possible level of training available, please see the instructor standards tab for details on this.

Instructor Levels and associated costs


There are 3 levels of instructor training available, and this will be determined by your age and belt level.

Level 3 – Cadet leader
Level 2 – Assistant instructor (Aged 16+)
Level 1 – Instructor (Aged 18+)

Generally we start this training from blue belt, when you have been training for 18-24 months and have a good idea of what you are doing yourself.

Training will require you to plan lessons, teach within the class and generally help out in the sessions, all of this will be monitored and supported by us (Who also have to be qualified and trained to a specific level before we can offer this).

> You will need to purchase an instructor training manual from the association (£20).

> DBS Check (Free for all volunteer instructors) and then done every 2 years (And yes this is required, even if you only teach adults).

> First aid course (around £20-30) and then done every 3 years.

> Attend instructor training courses, (£20-£30 Once per year, or more if you want to attend them) with trained and qualified instructors, learning what we do and why, including the law and martial arts.

> Lastly, once all of this is done, the nationally recognised official instructor qualification will be paid for by us for you.

We do ask people to pay for the other bits themselves, as we have paid for this as a club in the past and it has not been completed, so a big costs for us down the drain.

There are no actual costs for doing this training, other than the costs listed above.

The full details are available through our organisations instructor training page, see the link below.

What are martial arts instructor standards?

Before joining a martial arts club of any style, Kickboxing, Karate, Judo, Ju-Jitsu, Tae Kwon Do and so on, you should ask to see the basic 5 documents that any martial arts instructor should be able to produce if asked (listed below), this will help you decide if the class you are joining will be a safe training environment.

In addition to the 5 documents, you are advised to check that your club has a membership to a reputable United Kingdom based national body with high standards, and more importantly that the grades you will receive are registered with them and will the club allow you to check this.

Why is this important?

It is important that everyone is aware of the qualities and qualifications that ALL martial arts instructors should have. If an Instructor cannot produce ALL of these when asked then you should reconsider your options. Some may not carry these all of the time, but should be able to produce them by the next lesson if requested to do so. DON’T TAKE THEIR WORD FOR IT, If they cannot produce the documents at all, then chances are they haven’t got them.

Ultimately, you want to make sure the person that will be teaching you is experienced, qualified and has undergone the necessary checks.

Click on the + sign for more information on each of the 5 standards.

This belt will be solid in colour throughout (this may vary for higher graded Dan / Degree grades so always ask if unsure) and will have been awarded by a known and traceable source. They will usually be registered with a national martial arts group and be listed on a database.

Always ask for the contact details of the organisation to allow you to check (Link to CMAA below where you will find the contact details).

An example would be www.blackbeltregister.co.uk where you will find all of our instructors listed.

It is also strongly advised to check the holders grade history to ensure they have served the correct time between grades. Any person wearing anything other than a black belt and referring to themselves as an ‘Instructor’ or running a class alone should be checked.

Andrew Morrell, President of the CMAA says:
“The CMAA fully supports the 5 documents in that we believe for an Instructor to run a club alone he / she must hold no less than 1st Dan or equivalent showing at least 3 to 4 years experience. Students have the right to be taught by genuine black belts who have served their time and not by a person wearing a ‘special instructor belt’ who has only themselves been training for a short period. In comparison a person cannot become a driving instructor unless they themselves have at least 3 and half years experience. In the end the student will make their own informed decision“.

Due to the fact that a black belt, although an excellent achievement, does not in any way constitute a qualification to teach. Martial Arts are one of the largest sporting and recreational activities practiced in the U.K. As such everyone has a duty of care to ensure that Instructors have had training and understanding in areas of work such as Safeguarding (Child Protection), Health and Safety etc due to the amount of access and unavoidable physical contact they have to Children and sometimes Vulnerable Adults.  This training should be with a National Martial Arts Group not simply ‘awarded’ by their own Instructor.

The certificate should be the original from the broker NOT one printed on a martial arts group letter head, unless that group is a registered broker themselves.

It is important to note here that most UK Insurance Companies don’t offer cover to persons below the rank of black belt.

With that in mind any person below black belt claiming to be insured should be checked out direct with the Insurance company (not the Martial Arts Group) to verify under what criteria, if any, the cover has been issued.

Ask them for the phone number to allow you to check direct.

Check that the minimum age the club accepts children from is approved by the insurance company providing cover to the group/club.

The reason for this is due to the fact that the most instructor’s insurance only covers him/her to teach children above a certain age.

Ask for verification of insurance cover, you should be able to check this on line with the national martial arts group they are registered with, failing that ask for the telephone number of the insurance company providing the cover.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checked every 2 years to ensure suitability to teach children and vulnerable adults.

Visit www.dbschecked.co.uk for more information on the DBS.

This is normally given as part of a welcome or information sheet handed to you when you first visit the club and should include lesson fees, membership and licencing, gradings and equipment.

See our open pricing policy here > Pricing policy



Summary
There are a lot of clubs out there just out to make money, where instructors have no experience and qualifications themselves, where clubs also let students become instructors after a few months of training, and then teaching others when they have no idea what they are doing themselves, and without the necessary DBS checks in place.

We as a club have all of these documents available and in place, like any reputable club should have.

Useful links

To demonstrate our credibility and reassure you of our standards, we’ve included links below to both our official governing association and the national black belt register. These provide verification of our qualifications, affiliations, and commitment to recognised martial arts standards.

CMAA’s instructor training

To learn more about our the instructor trianing programme CMAA has set out and we follow, please click on the icon above.

National black belt register

To see our instructors on the national black belt register, click on the belt icon above.