Instructor Certification

Instructor certificates are available to all martial artists that are approved for certification by the SMAA.

A martial artist that desires instructor certification with the SMAA must first have his level of ability (as an instructor, in addition to his technical ability and rank) confirmed before any instructor certification can be made. This confirmation must be in the form of personal or video demonstration. Various levels of certification are available and have different requirements in addition to the above:

Certified Assistant Instructor must be recommended by his own teacher. There is no minimum rank requirement.

Certified Instructor must be recommended by his own teacher (if he has one.) This certification is available only to martial artists who hold the rank of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd dan.

Certified Senior Instructor must be recommended by his own teacher (if he has one) and must have at least one student who is an SMAA Certified Assistant Instructor or higher. This certification is available only to martial artists who hold the rank of 4th, 5th, or 6th dan.

Certified Master Instructor must be recommended by his own teacher (if he has one) and must have at least one student who is an SMAA Certified Assistant Instructor or higher. This certification is available only to martial artists who hold the rank of 7th, 8th or 9th dan rank)

Certified Senior Master Instructor must be recommended by his own teacher (if he has one) and must have at least one student who is an SMAA Certified Master Instructor or higher. This certification is available only to martial artists who hold the rank of 10th dan rank)

Instructor certification fee is to be paid after confirming the individual’s level of ability.

One must first be certified at their rank (except in arts that do not use numbered ranks) then they may be considered for instructor certification. After receiving instructor certification, one may be considered for rank examiner certification. Contact the SMAA for information on instructor or rank examiner certification if your art does not use a numbered rank system.