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For dojos & martial-arts schools

Background checks for martial arts instructors — $5 each.

Instructors grapple, spar, and correct technique hands-on with young students, often one-on-one. Screen every sensei, assistant, and volunteer with an FCRA-compliant national criminal and all-50-state sex-offender check, plus identity verification, for $5.

FCRA-compliant No per-seat fees Results in minutes

On the mat

Who's training your students?

Martial arts is built on close physical contact and long-term trust — holds, sparring, and belt programs that keep the same kids with the same adults for years. These are the roles worth verifying.

Head instructors (sensei)

Demonstrate holds and correct technique hands-on.

Sparring & grappling coaches

Full-contact drills, often one-on-one.

Assistant instructors

Belt-program mentoring across years.

Tournament coaches

Travel, weigh-ins, and warm-up areas.

Little-dragons class staff

Preschool and beginner children’s classes.

Teen assistant instructors

Under-18 helpers — screened with guardian consent.

VolunteerBadge · Martial arts

Every $5 volunteer check

$5

Criminal records

650M+ county, state & federal court records

Included

Sex-offender registries

All 50 states + national registry

Included

Identity verification

Government photo ID + biometric selfie

Included

Address history

SSN-traced — free on every check

Included

Watchlists

FBI Most Wanted + OFAC / global

Included
Sensei's note: ~94% of volunteers come back with a clean record — you'll know the few who don't. Every hit is human-reviewed before it reaches you.

Cleared before they step on the mat

Step 1

Send the application

Email a link or post a QR code for instructors and assistants. They apply from their phone in minutes.

Step 2

We verify + screen

Government ID + selfie confirms the real person, then the $5 national check runs. Under-18 assistants get guardian consent automatically.

Step 3

Get a clear status

A green “verified” badge (or a flagged review) lands on your roster — with FCRA adverse-action built in.

On a dojo budget? Let instructors cover their own $5.

Flip on volunteer-pays and each instructor pays for their own check at sign-up — screening stays free for the school, and you still get a verified result for everyone.

Get started

Screening for dojos, academies, and martial-arts programs

Martial arts is built on close physical contact and trust — instructors demonstrate holds, adjust stances, and spar with students, frequently one-on-one and across long belt programs that keep the same children with the same adults for years. Screening every instructor and assistant is a foundational safety step, and a $5 check makes it affordable for a single dojo or a multi-location academy.

VolunteerBadge runs a full national criminal background check across 650M+ county, state, and federal court records, sex-offender registries in all 50 states, FBI Most Wanted, and OFAC/global watchlists — with a free SSN-traced address-history check on every applicant, no per-seat fees, and no annual contract.

Because a clean name is not a verified person, VolunteerBadge also confirms each instructor with a government photo ID and a biometric selfie matched to the ID.

See your state’s volunteer screening rules

Build your dojo’s screening policy — free

Generate a branded, FCRA-aware background-check policy in minutes.

Martial arts screening — questions schools ask

How much does a martial arts instructor background check cost?+

It is $5 per instructor or volunteer through VolunteerBadge — a full national criminal check with a free address-history check and FCRA adverse-action workflow, and no per-seat or monthly fees on pay-as-you-go.

Does it search sex-offender registries?+

Yes — all 50 states plus the national registry, alongside 650M+ court records, FBI Most Wanted, and OFAC/global watchlists, on every $5 check.

Can we screen teen assistant instructors under 18?+

Yes. VolunteerBadge screens applicants as young as 14 and collects a parent/guardian authorization for anyone under 18 before the check runs.

Can instructors pay for their own $5 check?+

Yes — turn on volunteer-pays so each instructor covers their own check, keeping screening free for the school.

How often should instructors be re-screened?+

Most academies re-screen annually for anyone with ongoing student contact; automated reminders make it easy.

Keep reading

Keep your dojo a place of trust

Set up your school in a few minutes and screen your first instructor for $5 — no contract, no per-seat fees, cancel anytime.

Screen a volunteer for $5