Martial arts waiver template
A martial arts waiver is the release every student, or a parent for a child, signs before stepping on the mat. This one is written for karate, taekwondo, jiu-jitsu, judo, kickboxing and MMA schools, and covers sparring, chokes, concussions and mat hygiene as well as the release itself. Read it below, then open it in SignMaster and add it to your enrollment.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 4 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Student or parent
Martial Arts Waiver and Release
This Waiver and Release is given to School name (the "School"), which teaches Martial art. If the student is under 18, their parent or legal guardian completes and signs it for them.
1. The student
- Student's full name: Student name
- Date of birth: Student date of birth
- Current rank or experience: Rank or experience
- If under 18, parent or guardian name and relationship: Parent or guardian
2. What training involves
Classes may include striking and kicking, blocking, pad and bag work, throws and falls, grappling, joint locks and chokes, sparring with other students, conditioning drills and, at higher ranks, weapons practice. Contact increases with rank and in sparring classes. Belt tests and in-house events are part of training and are covered by this waiver.
3. Protective gear and conduct
- For sparring, the student wears: Required protective gear. A mouthguard is always required for contact.
- In grappling, the student taps early to stop a hold, and releases a hold at once when a partner taps or the instructor calls a stop.
- The student uses only the force and techniques the instructor directs, and never uses their training to start a fight outside class.
- The student keeps their uniform clean and their nails trimmed, and removes jewelry before training.
4. Head injuries
A student who shows signs of a concussion, such as headache, dizziness, confusion, nausea, blurred vision or memory problems, will be removed from training that day and will not return to contact training until a doctor clears them in writing. The student, or their parent, will tell the School about any head injury that happens outside class.
5. Health and skin infections
Medical conditions, injuries or allergies the instructors should know about: Medical conditions or allergies. Because training involves close contact, a student with ringworm, impetigo, staph, cold sores or any rash or open wound will not train until it has healed or been covered as the instructor allows.
6. Risks
Martial arts training carries real risks, including bruises, cuts, sprains, dislocations, broken bones, dental injuries, concussions, loss of consciousness from chokes, skin infections, and, rarely, permanent injury or death. Injuries can happen even when every rule is followed, and can be caused by a training partner. The signer understands and accepts these risks for the student. Initials: Initials after the risks
7. Release
To the extent the law allows, the signer, for themselves and for the student, releases the School, its owners, instructors, assistants and other students from claims for injury, illness or death arising from classes, sparring, belt tests and School events, including claims of negligence, but not claims of gross negligence or intentional harm. Initials: Initials after the release
8. Emergencies
If the student is injured and a parent can't be reached, the School may give first aid and arrange emergency treatment and transport, at the family's cost. Emergency contact: Emergency contact.
9. Photos
The School films and photographs classes, tests and events for teaching and promotion. Tick to keep the student out of promotional photos and video: .
10. General
This waiver applies to every class and School event from the date signed until a newer version is signed. It is governed by the laws of the state of State. If any part is unenforceable, the rest still applies. Electronic signatures count as original signatures.
Signer's phone: Signer phone Email: Signer email
I have read this waiver and understand the release in section 7. If I am signing for a student under 18, I am their parent or legal guardian.
Student, or parent or guardian of a student under 18
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
What makes a martial arts waiver different
Most fitness waivers assume the risk comes from the equipment or the student's own effort. On the mat, it often comes from a training partner: a kick that lands harder than planned, a choke held a second too long, a takedown onto a shoulder. A waiver for a dojo or academy has to say that plainly, set rules for tapping and sparring gear, and handle the two problems every school knows well: head knocks and skin infections.
Most schools also teach children, so the form has to work when a parent fills it in and signs for a student who may be six years old.
What the template covers
- The student: name, date of birth, rank or experience, and the parent or guardian with their relationship for students under 18.
- What training involves: strikes, throws, grappling, joint locks and chokes, sparring, conditioning and weapons, with belt tests and in-house events included.
- Gear and conduct: your sparring gear list, a mouthguard for contact, tapping early and releasing on a tap, controlled force and clean uniforms.
- Head injuries: removal on signs of a concussion and a doctor's written clearance before contact resumes.
- Skin infections: no training with ringworm, impetigo, staph, cold sores or open wounds until healed or covered.
- Risks and release: injuries from partners included, each initialed, with a release for the student and the parent.
- Emergencies and photos: treatment if a parent can't be reached, an emergency contact, and an opt-out for promotional photos and video.
Mistakes martial arts schools make
- Using the same vague form for a kids' class and adult MMA. Describe the contact level so nobody can say they didn't know sparring was part of it.
- Letting the wrong adult sign. A grandparent or a babysitter doing pickup usually can't sign for a child; the form asks for a parent or legal guardian.
- Having no concussion rule. Sending a dazed student back into sparring is the kind of decision a waiver won't protect you from.
- Treating mat hygiene as a poster on the wall. A signed rule makes it easier to send a student with a rash home without an argument.
- Forgetting tests and tournaments. Belt tests at your school are covered here; outside tournaments usually need the organizer's own waiver.
Children and state law
States differ on whether a parent's signature can release a child's own injury claim, and some have youth concussion rules that reach private programs. Look up both rules for your state, and keep section 4's removal and clearance rule even where the law doesn't require it.
How to collect it with SignMaster
- 1
Open the template
Choose Use this template above. It opens in your SignMaster account with one signer, the student or a parent.
- 2
Describe your school
Fill the gray blanks: school name, the art or style you teach, the sparring gear you require and your state. If you don't teach something in section 2, strike it through with the editor's Markup tools, then save.
- 3
Make it part of enrollment
Send it in one envelope with your membership agreement, so the parent signs both at once. Signers need no account and sign from the email on any phone.
- 4
Offer it in the family's language
If a parent reads Spanish or Vietnamese more comfortably, choose their language for the signing page and emails before sending. See signer languages.
- 5
Check before the first class
The parent and your school each get the signed PDF with its certificate of completion. Glance at the medical notes before the student's first class.
Re-signing every family at once
When you add a sparring program or your insurer asks for new wording, every enrolled family needs the updated waiver. Export your student list with each parent's name and email, save it as CSV UTF-8, and bulk send the new version, one envelope per family. Reminders keep nudging until they sign, and for a free trial week, a public signing link with a QR code at the front desk lets walk-in families sign before they bow in.
Questions? Answers.
Can a parent sign a martial arts waiver for a child?
Yes, the form is built for it: the parent fills in the student's details and their own, then signs. How far that releases the child's own claims depends on your state.
Does the waiver cover belt tests and tournaments?
It covers classes, sparring, belt tests and events your school runs. Tournaments run by other organizers usually require their own waiver.
Should adults and children sign the same waiver?
They can. The same template works for an adult student signing for themselves and a parent signing for a child, and the signature line says which.
Who fills in which blanks?
You fill the gray ones: the school name, the style, the gear list and the state. The student or parent fills in the student's details, health notes, emergency contact and photo choice, initials twice and signs.