Mission Statement  

Membership             

Training Camp

Rank Registration

We do not take the responsibility of registering a martial arts rank lightly. Although the integrity of some ranks awarded by other martial arts associations, federations, governing bodies, and martial arts organizations have been somewhat questionable, this sort of corruption will not happen on the SMAA’s watch, regardless of all other factors! We have strict criteria that must be met and yet we remain as open minded as any martial arts association, federation, governing body, or martial arts organization (legitimate organization, that is, not a diploma mill!) in existence.

Rank certificates are available to all martial artists that wish to register their rank or be evaluated and are approved for promotion by the SMAA.

While all SMAA members are free to rank their students using whatever belt rank system they wish, the belt rank system that the SMAA recommends using is as follows:

(All dan rank holders may wear a black belt if they prefer)

In VERY rare instances, the ranks of 11th and 12th degrees may be awarded posthumously to the founder (12th degree) and his successor (11th degree) of legitimately recognized systems, providing they reached the level of 10th degree during their lifetime. These ranks may only be awarded by unanimous vote of the Yudansha Taigu.

The SMAA policy for registering an existing rank is:

A martial artist seeking possible rank registration through the SMAA must have sufficient time in grade. PLEASE NOTE: meeting the time in grade requirement does not automatically qualify you for promotion to a given rank.

You will also note that we have reduced many of the fees for certifications and promotions...we don’t ever want money to be a factor in how we administer our services to the martial arts…quite a change from how things have been done in the past.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE SEEMS TO BE QUITE A BIT OF CONFUSION WITH REGARD TO OUR REQUIREMENTS FOR OBTAINING RANK REGISTRATION AND VARIOUS OTHER CERTIFICATIONS. THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BEFORE BECOMING A MEMBER OR APPLYING FOR RANK REGISTRATION OR OTHER FORMS OF CERTIFICATION...

Keep in mind that when sending in your Membership form, we CANNOT consider registering ranks or making certifications until a full evaluation is completed. In some rare cases the evaluation may be waived by submitting previous certifications that were made through a major governing body that is widely respected and accepted.

Please contact us if you would like to register your rank, be considered for promotion, instructor certification, rank examiner certification, or other certification. Be aware that the ranks up through and including 3rd dan are based largely on technical ability, while the ranks from 4th dan and up are based more and more (for each successive rank) on teaching ability, service and contributions to the arts and individuals will be evaluated accordingly

We are NOT a diploma mill and it is not possible to simply "buy" rank, certifications, or other services without first being evaluated. The martial arts are often corrupted by this sort of thing in the 21st century and we wish to distance ourselves from these questionable practices as much as possible.

Some may consider this verification process unnecessary, but nothing could be further from the truth! No legitimate martial arts association or instructor would promote or certify an individual without actually seeing them perform, and we are in the very same position. If some feel this process is unwarranted, then clearly they are not the type of martial artist the SMAA is looking for!

It is our sincere hope that each and every SMAA member understands the reason for this…it is not meant to doubt an individual’s ability or question their integrity…it is merely to confirm the ability of those individuals that the SMAA are not familiar with. If we document their skill level in person or on video, then our martial arts association is 100% justified in certifying that individual at the appropriate level and NO ONE can ever question our motives or integrity, or the credentials that we have awarded. This is quite different from many other martial arts associations, federations, and organizations where it is possible to just send in money to get whatever rank is desired...usually with no form of verification of that individual’s ability level.

We do not wish to circumvent the traditional teacher/student relationship in any way. If an individual is currently under the guidance of an instructor, the SMAA will only work with that individual once we have the express consent and blessing of his/her instructor. This is in line with proper martial arts protocol, respect for the chain of command, and is in fact, simply common courtesy.

The SMAA encourages the highest level of loyalty to one's instructor and seniors. Please don't ask us to undermine this loyalty by going behind your instructor's back to explore possible rank evaluation, promotion and certification - we will never knowingly work with another instructor's students unless given permission to do so by that instructor. Have your current instructor contact us for more info.

Donn Schucker, Executive Director
P.O. Box 2171
Florissant, MO 63032-2171
Phone: (314) 606-7306
Email: ds@smaa-martialarts.com

Copyright ©   2008
Schucker Martial Arts Association (SMAA)