Martial Arts are one of the largest sporting and recreational activities practiced in the World. As such we have a duty of care to ensure our Instructors have training and understanding in areas of work such as Safeguarding, Risk Management etc due to the amount of access and unavoidable physical contact they have to Children and sometimes Vulnerable Adults.

The CMAA also strongly believes that a Black Belt, although an excellent achievement, does not in any way constitute as a qualification to teach. To use an analogy when a person passes his/her driving test it does not make him/her a Driving Instructor, to expand on this please view www.instructorstandards.co.uk

The CMAA is therefore striving to ensure that our Instructors provide a safe and secure environment for our Students and Instructors to operate within. Hence the introduction, in 2002, of this comprehensive award which was mapped inline with the Instructing knowledge requirements of Level 2 NVQ and also the United Kingdom Coaching Certificate (UKCC), though not endorsed by due to the wide ranging diversity within the varied Martial Arts styles. 

The Martial Arts Instructor UK National Training Programme was formulated in 2002 and has been developed by our team of Senior Instructors based on years of experience. It is designed to specifically target the skills required to produce safe & efficient Martial Arts Instructors within the United Kingdom & Southern Ireland irrespective of style.

The Martial Arts Instructor UK Award:
* Ensures the Martial Arts back ground of an Instructor
* Ensures a minimum First Aid qualification
* Ensures a teaching standard including teaching principles, communication, legal responsibilities, discipline, equality etc.....
* Ensures an understanding of Health & Safety including Risk Assessments
* Ensures an understanding of Safeguarding and Codes of Good Practice
* Ensures the Instructor has been vetted via an Enhanced Disclosure with the Disclosure and Barring Service (www.dbschecked.co.uk)
* Ensures an understanding of Martial Arts Insurance and what it actually covers
* Ensures an understanding of Club Management and effective communication
* Ensures a continued development after qualification is reached

In Addition to the above the programme adheres to the following Standards:
* Promote, demonstrate and facilitate appropriate forms of communication and relationships with students and individuals.
* Ensure Health & Safety as well as security with a training area or setting.
* Contribute to the protection of children & vulnerable adults from the effects of possible, actual or suspected abuse.
* Promote the rights, diversity, choice and dignity of students and individuals within the training environment.
* Facilitate the development of teamwork within the training environment.
* Plan and evaluate training sessions and improve learning and development.
* Use equipment and training aids specific to the chosen Martial Art appropriately & safely.
* Retrieve, transmit, store and receive information within the Martial Arts environment.

To compliment this and ensure the correct structuring throughout the CMAA we have developed an Instructor Training and Reference Manual containing valuable information that will help candidates to develop towards all three Levels of our Award and beyond as well as helping existing Instructors with their own C.P.D.

Also contained within the manual can be found all the forms required for Risk Assessments, Accident Reporting, Teaching Assessments, Training Records etc thus making it double as a Portfolio to use in the gathering of evidence of training and development as Candidates progress.

FIRST AID FOR SPORT
Cobra First Aid delivers First Aid for Sport training fully certified by the CMAA. www.cobrafirstaid.co.uk

LTAPD
Our programme not only targets Adults who wish to become Instructors it also involves Children as young as 11 as well. These are Level Three Cadet Leaders. This involvement plays a big part in their Long Term Athletic / Player Development (LTAPD) as it educates them in Leadership and Team work skills and helps build self-esteem which goes towards ensuring their continuation in Martial Arts as they grow older and become Level Two and One Instructors themselves.

CMAA ASSESSORS
Once a Candidate has achieved the Level One Award they then automatically become an Assessor for Level Three (Cadet Leader) and Level Two (Assistant Instructor) as well as a Trainer to assist Candidates to achieve Level One (Instructor) themselves.

But only providing they remain active as an Instructor and keep their own Training Records up to date, First Aid etc. These records are known as C.P.D. (Continued Professional Development).

CMAA VERIFIERS ( CMAA Members Only)
In order to be recognised as a Martial Arts Instructor UK Verifier the Instructor must fulfil the following criteria:
* Hold a grade of 5th Dan / Degree in your respective style.
* Have been a MAIUK Trainer for at least 5 years.
* Have run at least 3 courses per year.
* Your club must still be using the MAIUK programme in full.
The Verifiers role is to assess Candidates at all three levels but primarily to Level One. They will check that the Training Process has been carried out fairly and appropriately. They will verify that the Candidate's Portfolio (Training Manual) and Training Records are correct and up-to-date. View fee structure

FOOT NOTE
The Martial Arts Instructor UK training programme may seem intense to some. However the CMAA has a high duty of care and as such would rather have Instructors who know the answers rather than ones who think they do.