How to set up waivers and intake forms for group classes

A new client turns up for their first reformer class, and the instructor finds out halfway through that they had back surgery in the spring. A first-timer joins a sparring session without saying they’ve never been hit. A paper form exists for this, but it was filled in at the door, three questions were left blank, and it’s now in a folder in the office. A waiver and a short intake form, signed before the first class, cover both problems.

1. A waiver and an intake form do different jobs

A waiver is a text the client reads and accepts: what the activity involves, the risks that come with it, and what you expect of them. It sets expectations and records that the client was told.

An intake form is a few questions whose answers your instructors use: injuries, experience, what the client wants from the class. It makes the first class safer and better, and it tells you who is coming.

Many studios combine the two into one form: a short text to accept, followed by three or four questions. That’s fine, as long as each part stays short.

2. What to put in a waiver

Write it in plain language, for the activity you actually teach. A client who understands it is more useful to you than one who scrolls past a page of legal terms. Cover:

• What the class involves: “Classes include strength work, jumping and contact with a partner.”
• The risks: strains, bruises, falls, or whatever is realistic for your activity.
• What you ask of the client: to tell the instructor about injuries, pregnancy or a health condition before class, to work at their own level and to stop if something hurts.
• Your house rules, if they matter for safety: footwear, jewellery, equipment, arriving on time for the warm-up.

A starting point you can adapt:

Our classes are physical and include [what the class involves]. Like any exercise, they carry a risk of injury. I will tell the instructor before class about any injury, illness or pregnancy, follow their instructions and stop if I feel pain or unwell. I take part at my own risk and confirm I am fit to train.

What a waiver can legally do differs from country to country. In many, it doesn’t protect you if you were negligent yourself, so it’s no substitute for insurance and careful teaching. Have your final text checked by a local lawyer or your insurer, who will often supply wording.

3. Which intake questions to ask

Ask only what someone will read and act on. Every extra question makes booking slower, and a form with fifteen questions gets rushed. Four or five is plenty for most classes:

• “Any injuries or conditions we should know about?” A long answer, so people can explain.
• “Is this your first time doing [activity]?” Yes or no, so the instructor can spot beginners on the list.
• “What’s your level?” A choice such as Beginner, Some experience or Regular, for classes that mix levels.
• “What would you like to get out of the class?” Optional, but useful for turning a first visit into a regular one.
• “How did you hear about us?” Optional, and the cheapest marketing data you’ll ever collect.

Make the safety questions required and the rest optional. Emergency contacts are only worth asking for if someone at the studio will look them up when it matters.

4. Treat health answers with care

Answers about injuries, pregnancy or medical conditions are health data. In the EU and the UK, that’s a special category of personal data under the GDPR, with stricter rules than a name or a phone number. Before you ask:

• Ask only what your instructors need to teach safely, and say why you ask: “so your instructor can suggest alternatives”.
• Make sure you have a lawful basis for keeping the answers, usually the client’s explicit consent, and mention it in your privacy notice.
• Limit who can see the answers to the people who teach and run the classes.

If that sounds like more than you need, leave health out of the form and ask clients to tell the instructor in person. The waiver can still ask them to do so.

5. Get it signed before the first class

A form filled in at the door is filled in badly: the client is in a hurry, the instructor is setting up, and the class starts late. Ask for the form when people book, so it’s done before anyone arrives and the instructor can read the answers beforehand.

Ask once, not every time. Regulars shouldn’t sign before every class; they sign when they start and again only when something important changes. If you add a new activity with different risks, such as open sparring or a hot room, give it its own short form instead of making everyone re-sign the main one.

6. Examples by type of class

• Pilates and yoga: injuries, back or joint problems, pregnancy, and whether they’ve used a reformer before.
• CrossFit, bootcamps and boxing: a waiver about high-intensity work, plus injuries and current fitness level.
• Martial arts: a waiver about contact and sparring, plus experience and belt or grade.
• Pottery and art workshops: house rules for kilns and tools, and whether you may share photos of their work.
• Running clubs: usual distance and pace, so they join the right group, and an emergency contact for long runs.

How Groopla handles this

In Groopla, you write your forms under Settings: a text to accept and up to 30 questions, for every activity or only chosen ones. New clients sign as part of their first booking, after confirming their phone number: they answer the questions, tick “I accept” and type their full name. Groopla keeps a copy of exactly what they signed with their answers, the time, IP address and device, and shows it on the client’s page. Regulars aren’t asked again unless you change a form and ask everyone to sign the new version. Clients you book yourself are flagged “Form not signed” on the roster. Waivers and forms are on every plan, including Free. More about waivers and forms.