A BJJ or martial arts school in the US pays about $18.90 per student per year for $1 million of liability insurance that covers injuries to students, with a $750 minimum. That is the 2026 rate of Sadler Sports & Recreation Insurance, the only martial arts program we found that publishes its full rate sheet. For 80 students it comes to $1,512 a year. An instructor who teaches in someone else's facility pays $375 a year for $1 million.
What a school pays, by number of students
The rate is counted on students at the peak of your enrollment during the year, not the average. Below 40 students you pay the $750 minimum. The table adds the two options most schools take: abuse and molestation coverage ($2 per participant, essential if you teach kids) and $12,000 of mats, bags and furniture ($312 a year, $1,000 deductible). Replace the equipment figure with your own.
| Students | Liability | + Abuse | Total a year | A month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | $750 min. | $63 | $1,125 | $94 |
| 40 | $756 | $84 | $1,152 | $96 |
| 80 | $1,512 | $168 | $1,992 | $166 |
| 120 | $2,268 | $252 | $2,832 | $236 |
| 200 | $3,780 | $420 | $4,512 | $376 |
Total includes $312 for $12,000 of equipment. Rates valid January 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027, at a $1 million per-occurrence limit; higher limits are quoted in the online application. Sadler's school rate sheet.
So an 80-student school spends about $166 a month on this cover: about $2.07 per student per month.
What the school policy covers
- $1M per occurrence, $5M aggregate per owned location, including legal liability to participants: the student hurt in a roll who sues.
- $1M professional liability, for claims that your instruction or supervision caused the injury.
- $1M for damage to premises you rent and $1M non-owned and hired auto (not in Hawaii).
- $150,000 of medical payments for participants, dental included, with a $250 deductible. It is excess cover: it pays after the student's own health insurance.
- Additional insureds, such as your landlord, at no extra charge.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, krav maga, kickboxing and MMA are eligible. For MMA and Muay Thai the program covers instruction only: competitions in those styles are excluded. Contact boxing and wrestling are not eligible at all.
Instructor-only insurance: if you teach at someone else's gym
If you do not own or lease the space — you teach at a CrossFit box, a community center or a friend's academy as an independent contractor — the school policy is not for you. The instructor program prices a fixed premium per instructor:
| Limit per occurrence | A year | One seminar (up to 3 days) |
|---|---|---|
| $1M | $375 | $132 |
| $2M | $553 | $188 |
| $3M | $803 | $438 |
| $4M | $1,053 | $688 |
| $5M | $1,303 | $938 |
Traditional martial arts instructors; self-defense and law-enforcement tactics instructors pay more. A $20 purchasing-group fee is added to every application. Rates valid January 1 to December 31, 2026. Sadler's instructor rate sheet.
The instructor program does not cover tournaments or competitions, coaching organized competitive teams, or teaching as an employee of a school. If you are on a gym's payroll, you need to be on the gym's policy instead.
The policies this does not replace
General liability is the cover students and landlords ask about, but it is not the only one. The Hartford does not insure martial arts studios, but it publishes what its small-business customers pay on average, which is a useful yardstick:
- Workers' compensation: $1,032 a year. Most states require it once you have employees; it covers your staff, which a liability policy does not.
- Business owner's policy (BOP): $1,687 a year, bundling liability with property and lost income after damage.
- Stand-alone general liability: $810 a year.
- Professional liability: $744 a year.
Averages across The Hartford's small-business customers, not martial arts quotes. The Hartford.
What makes your premium go up
- Peak enrollment. A summer kids' camp that doubles your roster for two months sets the count for the year.
- Higher limits. Going from $1 million to $2 million takes an instructor policy from $375 to $553.
- Kids' programs, which make abuse and molestation coverage a must.
- Events. Hosting a tournament, seminar or open mat for outsiders usually needs event coverage on top.
- Equipment value, at replacement cost: mats are the expensive part.
- Your state and your claims history, which every insurer prices differently.
Before you sign
- Ask your landlord, in writing, for the limits and additional-insured wording they require.
- Check that injuries to participants are covered. A general policy written for other businesses can exclude them; a martial arts program lists "legal liability to participants" as its own line.
- If you teach kids, confirm the policy includes abuse and molestation cover, or add it.
- Ask how belt promotions, seminars and open mats with visitors are treated.
- Keep a signed waiver for every student. It helps, but it does not replace insurance: a waiver does not stop a lawsuit from being filed, and the policy pays your defense.
What we could not confirm
Other martial arts insurers, such as K&K, NEXT and Thimble, give prices only through a quote form, so we could not put their numbers next to Sadler's. Your real premium depends on your state, your limits and your history: use these figures to know whether a quote is reasonable, then compare at least two quotes for the same limits.