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Martial Arts Insurance That Covers What You Teach

Insurance that gets martial arts. Built for jiu jitsu academies, MMA and grappling gyms, boxing and kickboxing gyms, and karate and taekwondo schools, from $24/mo. You're covered for how a gym actually runs, no "general fitness" workaround.

From $24/mo
Coverage starts at $24. Most martial arts gyms we insure pay about $114 a month.
Rolling & sparring covered
Rolling, sparring, grappling, and pad work are covered as the normal operations of a martial arts gym.
Tell us what you teach
Tell us you teach martial arts and you're covered for how a gym actually runs. No "general fitness" workaround to get a quote.
Comparing quotes? See how much you could save in less than 5 minutes.

What is martial arts insurance?

Martial arts insurance is gym insurance written for how a gym actually runs: classes, instruction, kids programs, the day-to-day on the mat. You tell us you teach martial arts, and you're covered for it, instead of squeezing yourself into a "general fitness" box and hoping a claim doesn't get denied. Most martial arts gyms we insure pay about $114 a month, and coverage starts at $24/mo.

Here's the part most owners have lived. A generic carrier prices an academy like a higher-risk business than it is, or won't write it at all. The one specialty program that will then stacks a program fee on top, and you end up at $2,500 to $3,200 for coverage that should cost half that. We're gym owners. We built the policy we wanted, priced for the real risk, not a worst-case.

What does martial arts insurance cover?

One policy, the coverages a martial arts gym actually needs. The rule we underwrite by is simple: if it's a normal part of running a gym, it's covered unless the policy specifically excludes it. Here's what's inside.

What does martial arts insurance cover?

One policy, the coverages a martial arts gym actually needs. The rule we underwrite by is simple: if it's a normal part of running a gym, it's covered unless the policy specifically excludes it. Here's what's inside.

General liability

The big one. A student catches an elbow sparring, a visitor slips on the mat, a parent trips over a kettlebell at pickup. General liability covers the injury claims and the legal defense, at $1M per occurrence and $3M aggregate. It's also the coverage your landlord writes into the lease.

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Professional liability

Your product is coaching, so this is the one you can't skip. If a student says a coach's correction or bad advice caused an injury, professional liability answers it. It's also the piece generic gym policies quietly leave out.

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Business personal property

Your gear: mats, heavy bags, the ring, grappling dummies, and the retail rack up front. If a fire or burst pipe wrecks it, business personal property replaces it so you can reopen.

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Abuse and molestation

Run a kids program? You need this, and it's included, at $300,000 per person, with the aggregate limit set by your state's regulations. Abuse and molestation is the coverage nobody wants to think about and nobody wants to discover they were missing.

Business income

A gym lives on monthly dues. Go dark for three weeks after a fire and that income stops, but rent and payroll don't. Business income covers the gap while you rebuild. It rides along on a Gym BOP that bundles your liability and property together.

Generic fitness policy vs. Gym Insurance by PushPress

Where a generic application leaves a martial arts gym exposed, and where the right classification covers it.

CoverageGeneric fitness policyGym Insurance by PushPress
Classified as a martial arts gym, not "fitness center"
Sparring and grappling as training Often excluded
Professional liability for coaching Often excluded
Abuse and molestation for kids programs Not always included
Athletic participation exclusion for BJJ/MMA Often carried None
Broker or program fees Often added None

Martial arts gyms we cover

One discipline or ten under one roof, we write it. If you teach it as a class, odds are we cover it:

  • Brazilian jiu jitsu and grappling academies
  • MMA and grappling gyms
  • Karate, taekwondo, and traditional striking schools
  • Muay Thai, kickboxing, and boxing gyms
  • Judo, Krav Maga, kung fu, and self-defense schools
  • Kids classes and after-school programs

Most martial arts gyms we insure are everyday training facilities: BJJ academies, MMA and grappling gyms, boxing-fitness studios, kids karate and taekwondo, and self-defense schools. Teach something that's not on the list? Tell us at quote and we'll confirm it before you bind. That's the whole point of a policy built for martial arts: you never have to call it "general fitness" to get covered.

Adding kickboxing to your gym? Many carriers treat kickboxing as a contact sport and lump it with boxing, so gyms get non-renewed just for adding the classes. We write kickboxing under the same martial arts classification that already covers boxing and jiu jitsu, so adding it does not put your policy at risk. Light-contact sparring as training and kids classes are covered.

What's covered, and how events work

These are the kinds of claims a martial arts policy is built to respond to:

  • A student is hurt during class and sues, and you need a legal defense.
  • A parent slips on a wet mat at pickup and files a claim.
  • A parent sues after their child is hurt in the after-school program.
  • A heavy bag mount tears out of the wall and damages the floor.
  • A former student claims a coach's correction caused a lasting injury.

That's what the coverage is for: third-party injury claims, lawsuits, and damage to your gear. Whether a specific claim is paid comes down to the facts and your policy terms, but those are the day-to-day risks the policy responds to. Your everyday training, rolling, sparring, drilling, pad work, and open mat, is all part of it.

Events are covered too, within limits. An event you host at your gym is covered under your standard policy when it's under 100 competitors and not a full-contact or MMA-style fighting event. Competing away from your gym is covered for your liability as well, as long as it's not a full-contact event. For full-contact events like boxing or MMA matches, or events over 100 competitors, you'll need separate event-only liability coverage, so let us know at quote and we'll help you find it.

Two things we don't do, said plainly. Workers' comp isn't part of a martial arts policy, so if your state requires it you'll buy that separately. And we cover what's inside your gym, not the building shell, so building owners need a broker to add structure coverage.

How much does martial arts insurance cost?

Coverage starts at $24/mo. Here's what martial arts gyms actually pay, next to a typical broker or specialty-program quote for the same coverage.

Gym Insurance by PushPress
$1,100–$1,600typical ~$1,369/yr · ~$114/mo
Typical broker or specialty program
$2,500–$3,200typical ~$2,850/yr · before fees
$1,000$2,000$3,000$4,000
Typical rangeMedian

Median martial arts premium across the gyms we insure is about $114/mo ($1,369/yr), pulled June 2026. Your rate depends on your training type, facility size, location, and coverage limits. See full pricing details.

Why gym owners choose Gym Insurance by PushPress

We're gym owners. We got tired of academies being priced like the worst-case instead of the day-to-day, so we built the policy we actually wanted. One application, a quote in about five minutes, bind the same day.

The price isn't a guess. It comes from 20+ years in fitness and data from thousands of gyms, so we know what a martial arts gym's real risk looks like. This isn't a brokered policy. It's our own program, built directly with A-rated, reinsured carriers, so there's no broker in the middle and no extra fees stacked on top of your premium. See how we compare to other martial arts insurance providers.

Frequently asked questions

I run a fitness gym but offer martial arts classes. How should I classify it?
Choose martial arts as your business type if you teach it, even alongside general fitness. The most common reason gyms get declined is selecting "fitness center" and then listing martial arts, boxing, or wrestling, which reads as a risk you didn't tell the carrier about. Tell us what you actually teach and we classify it as a martial arts gym, so your training is covered instead of excluded.
Does martial arts insurance cover sparring and grappling?
Yes. A martial arts policy covers your training, including rolling, sparring, grappling, pad work, and striking technique, because those are the normal operations of a martial arts gym. That's the day-to-day the policy is written around.
How much does martial arts insurance cost?
Martial arts insurance starts around $24/mo, and the typical martial arts gym we insure pays about $114 a month (roughly $1,369 a year). Brokers and specialty programs often quote $2,500 to $3,200 for the same coverage once fees are added. See full pricing details.
Are kids martial arts classes covered?
Yes. Kids classes are part of the normal operations of a martial arts gym, so injuries during youth instruction are covered under your general liability. A martial arts policy also includes abuse and molestation coverage, which matters for any program working with minors.
Are kids and after-school programs covered?
Yes. Kids classes and after-school programs are part of the normal youth operations of a martial arts gym, so they're covered under your general liability and the included abuse and molestation coverage.
Does a martial arts policy cover BJJ and MMA, or do I need something extra?
You don't need anything extra, but you do need the right policy. Generic gym policies often carry an athletic participation exclusion that quietly cuts out injuries from grappling and sparring, which guts coverage for jiu jitsu and MMA. Our jiu jitsu and martial arts coverage is written without that exclusion, so rolling, sparring, and grappling in training are covered.
Does martial arts insurance cover events and competitions?
Often, yes. An event you host at your gym is covered under your standard policy when it's under 100 competitors and not a full-contact or MMA-style fighting event, and competing away from your gym is covered for your liability as long as it's not a full-contact event. For full-contact events like boxing or MMA matches, or events over 100 competitors, you'll need separate event-only liability coverage, so let us know at quote and we'll help you find it.
Does martial arts insurance cover open mat hours?
If open mat runs during regular hours while staff are present, even if they are not coaching on the mat, it is covered under your standard policy. If open mat happens outside business hours with no staff present, you add 24-hour coverage to insure those unsupervised sessions.
Do I need both a waiver and insurance for my martial arts gym?
Yes. A waiver sets expectations and can limit certain claims, but insurance is what pays for legal defense and any settlement, and satisfies landlord requirements. The two do different jobs. More on gym waivers.
Does a martial arts policy include workers' compensation?
No. Workers' compensation is not part of a martial arts gym policy. If your state requires it for employees, you buy it separately through your state fund or a workers' comp carrier. Your martial arts policy still covers general liability, professional liability, and your property.
Do I need martial arts insurance to sign a gym lease?
Almost always. Most landlords require proof of general liability with set minimum limits and ask to be added as an additional insured before you sign. They may also request a waiver of subrogation or primary and non-contributory wording, all of which appear on your certificate of insurance.
How fast can I get a martial arts insurance quote?
You can get a quote in about five minutes through one online application. There is no phone tag and no broker back-and-forth, and you can bind coverage the same day once you are ready.
My carrier dropped or won't renew me for adding kickboxing. Can you cover it?
Likely yes. Many carriers treat kickboxing as a contact sport and lump it with boxing, so they non-renew gyms that add kickboxing classes. We write kickboxing under the same martial arts classification that already covers boxing and jiu jitsu, so adding it is not a reason we would decline or drop you. Light-contact sparring as training and kids classes are covered.
Is Muay Thai covered?
Yes. There's no separate "Muay Thai" business type, so you apply under martial arts and Muay Thai is covered under it. Everyday training is covered as your normal operations: pad rounds, technique, light-contact sparring, and kids classes. Full-contact bouts and smokers are competition events that need separate event-only coverage. Most martial arts gyms we insure pay about $114 a month, from $24/mo.
Is an MMA gym insurable, and is MMA training covered?
Yes. You apply under martial arts, not "fitness center," and MMA training is covered as your normal operations: striking and grappling as training, coaching members who compete elsewhere, and kids classes. Covered is light contact as training, not full-contact fighting. Most martial arts gyms we insure pay about $114 a month, from $24/mo, because we classify an MMA gym as an everyday training gym rather than a fight promotion.

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