What Is Martial Arts Australia and How Can It Help You Find a Club or Grow Your School?

Martial Arts Australia (MAA) is an Australian martial arts association that describes itself as the country's largest by membership and services. It serves two main audiences: students looking for a safe, professional club, and instructors or club owners who want help building their business. If you're a student, its main draw is a directory of 6,000+ clubs and gyms plus industry standards for instructors. If you run a school, its value is a one-stop shop of business services — insurance, websites, marketing, billing and accreditation. It has operated since 1993, and its listed contact points are +61 03 8601 1124 and [email protected].

Who MAA Is For

MAA splits its offering roughly along these lines:

The stated mission is to help martial arts schools grow, and to set industry standards so consumers can find safe and professional instructors.

Finding a Club as a Student

The directory is the core tool. MAA advertises "6,000+ Professional Clubs & Gyms" to choose from, positioned as trusted, safe and professional options near you.

To use it in practice:

1. Go to the MAA site and use the Find a Club entry point.
2. Search or browse for clubs in your area or discipline.
3. Check the club's listing for instructor credentials — MAA references accreditation, qualifications and coach ratings, including a 4–5 Star Instructor recognition.
4. Use the contact details on the listing to ask about trial classes, schedule and fees (MAA does not publish club pricing; that comes from the individual club).

A reasonable expectation: the directory tells you a club exists and what credentials its instructors hold, but you still need to visit and judge fit — style, class times, culture and cost are club-level decisions.

Instructor Accreditation and Courses

For instructors, MAA provides:

• Instructor courses covering accreditation and support
• Qualifications and accreditation pathways
• Coach ratings, including the 4–5 Star Instructor tier
• AMACS courses and a Black Belt pathway
• A "Starting Out" section aimed at new instructors and a "Protect Your Club" section for established ones

If you're new to teaching, the starting-out material is the logical entry point; if you already run classes, accreditation and ratings are more about signalling credibility to prospective students.

Business Support for Club Owners

This is where MAA positions itself as a one-stop shop. Listed services include:

• Insurance — public liability, personal injury, contents, event cover and travel, described as cover made for martial arts
• Websites — designed, hosted and marketed so clubs can be found more easily and in more places
• Digital marketing, graphic design, promotional videos and landing pages
• Club software and automation, plus club marketing tools
• Finance, accounting, direct debit billing
• Studio hire

The insurance angle matters most for club owners, since public liability and personal injury cover are typically prerequisites for running classes and hiring venues. MAA frames its policies as purpose-built for martial arts rather than generic sports cover.

Membership Tiers

MAA offers Silver and Gold membership levels, with a members' page covering what each includes, sponsorship, FAQs, testimonials and where fees go. The site also offers a Subscribe option that provides a free digital copy of its magazine — note this is a separate action from paid membership, and membership pricing is not published on the pages reviewed here, so you'd need to enquire directly.

Listing Your Club

If you own a club and want to appear in the directory, MAA provides a List Your Club pathway with its own checkout page. The practical steps:

1. Go to the List Your Club link on the MAA site.
2. Complete the listing checkout.
3. Supply your club details so it appears in the directory students search.

Being listed puts your club in front of the same audience MAA is directing to its 6,000+ club directory, which is the main distribution benefit.

Awards and Recognition

MAA runs a Hall of Fame and industry awards, including Hero Summit, Master Awards, 4–5 Star Instructors and Black Sash recognition, with annual presentation events. For instructors, these are credibility markers you can display; for students, they're a rough signal of standing within the association.

How to Get Help

• Phone: +61 03 8601 1124
• Email: [email protected]
• The site also runs a 24/7 assistant for questions.

Bottom Line

Use MAA as a student if you want a starting shortlist of clubs with some instructor credentialing behind them — then verify fit yourself. Use it as an instructor or club owner if you want accreditation, insurance and business services from one organisation rather than assembling them separately. Before committing to membership or listing, confirm current pricing and what each tier includes directly with MAA, since those details aren't published on the pages reviewed.