Why Praetorian MMA Is Registered With The BMABA

When people visit Praetorian MMA for the first time, they usually see the obvious things: the classes, the coaches and the students training.

What they often do not see is everything happening behind the scenes to ensure the club operates safely, professionally and to a high standard. One of the most important parts of that commitment is our registration with the British Martial Arts & Boxing Association, also known as the BMABA.

For us, BMABA registration is not simply about having a logo on a website. It is about ensuring our coaches, members and families have confidence in the standards we set for ourselves.

More Than Just Insurance

Many people assume that being registered with the BMABA is simply about insurance. Insurance is important, but it is only one part of the picture.

Every coach at Praetorian MMA is required to maintain appropriate instructor qualifications and professional development through BMABA-supported education pathways. This helps ensure that coaching standards continue improving year after year and that students and parents can be confident our coaches are committed to learning, developing and staying up to date with best practice.

Whether you train with Martyn Styler, Rob Goodson, Nathan Johnstone, Christian Bloomfield, Josh Woodbourne, Ben Hudson Wilde or any member of the coaching team, there is an expectation that learning never stops.

Coach Education Matters

At Praetorian MMA, we believe that being a good fighter does not automatically make somebody a good coach. Coaching is a skill in its own right, which is why all coaches are expected to complete recognised training and professional development courses.

• Coaching Level 1 qualifications
• Coaching Level 2 qualifications
• Safeguarding training
• Emergency First Aid training
• Mental Health First Aid training
• Youth Violence and Knife Crime awareness training
• SENCO and additional needs education
• Trauma-informed coaching education

These courses help our coaches understand not only how to teach techniques, but how to support people. Every member arrives with a different background, different experiences and different challenges. Good coaching is about understanding the person as well as teaching the sport.

This is particularly important when working with children, teenagers and students who may require additional support. Articles such as My Child Is Shy: Will Combat Sports Help?, My Child Has Autism, ADHD Or Additional Needs: Can They Still Train? and A Parent's Guide To Starting Combat Sports all discuss the importance of understanding the individual rather than treating every student the same.

Safeguarding Is Everybody's Responsibility

One of the areas we take particularly seriously is safeguarding. Many of our members are children and teenagers, and parents trust us with something incredibly important: their children.

All Praetorian MMA coaches are required to maintain Enhanced DBS checks through the BMABA system and are expected to complete safeguarding training as part of their ongoing development. We believe safeguarding is not a single qualification. It is a culture.

It is the responsibility of every coach, every volunteer and every adult involved with the club. This commitment extends throughout our Kids and Teens MMA programme, Kids and Teens Brazilian Jiu Jitsu programme and all youth development pathways offered by the club.

Supporting Students Beyond The Mats

Combat sports can be life changing. Over the years, we have worked with students who have struggled with confidence, bullying, anxiety, additional needs, social challenges and difficult life circumstances.

Many of the success stories featured throughout our website highlight this. Josh Woodbourne joined the club as a shy teenager who struggled with confidence and social interaction before developing into a successful competitor, coach and role model. Ben Hudson Wilde arrived looking for direction and belonging before becoming a respected coach and mentor within the club. Jack Cowley joined after experiencing significant challenges of his own and continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience and determination in his development.

All three stories are very different. The common factor is not talent. The common factor is support, consistency, patience and good coaching.

The additional education our coaches undertake through BMABA-supported pathways helps us better understand the needs of the people we work with every day.

Protection For Coaches And Members

Every Praetorian MMA coach also maintains appropriate insurance through the BMABA, including Public Liability Insurance and Instructor Indemnity Insurance.

This protects both coaches and members and ensures that the club operates responsibly and professionally. Whilst nobody joins an MMA, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or Kickboxing class thinking about insurance policies, having appropriate cover is an important part of running a professional organisation.

It allows members to focus on training whilst knowing the club operates to recognised standards.

Continuous Development

One of the reasons we continue working with the BMABA is their commitment to education and professional standards. The combat sports industry continues evolving. Coaching methods evolve. Safeguarding guidance evolves. Understanding of mental health evolves. Understanding of additional needs evolves.

Good coaches evolve with it. We encourage all members of our coaching team to continue learning, improving and developing their knowledge throughout their coaching careers.

The same philosophy appears throughout our club. It is why we encourage competition, why we encourage consistency and why we continue investing in coach development. Growth never stops.

Meet Our Coaching Team

Every coach at Praetorian MMA contributes something different to the club. Some specialise in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Some specialise in MMA. Some specialise in Kickboxing. Some bring decades of coaching experience. Others bring experience from modern competition environments.

You can learn more about the team through our Meet The Team page or through the individual coach profiles below:

• Martyn Styler
• Rob Goodson
• Nathan Johnstone
• Christian Bloomfield
• Josh Woodbourne
• Ben Hudson Wilde
• Cian Brown

Together they help deliver the programmes that make up our Kids and Teens Pathway, Teen Pathway, adult training programme and REORG programme.

Why It Matters

For many people, BMABA registration may seem like a small detail. For us, it represents something much bigger: professionalism, accountability, education, safeguarding and our commitment to providing the best possible environment for our members.

Whether you are joining through a 7 Day Free Trial, enrolling your child onto one of our development pathways, beginning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, starting MMA or preparing for competition through our Smoothcomp Guide, you should know that there is far more happening behind the scenes than simply teaching techniques.

At Praetorian MMA, we believe great coaching starts with great standards. Our partnership with the BMABA helps us maintain those standards every single day.