Yes! Free membership for new dojos (schools)! AJA will waive the membership fee for new dojos for the first year. After that, the annual membership fee is $25; each year an official AJA dojo membership certificate will be sent to you.
Individual student memberships are just $20 per year and include limited insurance coverage (below).
Extremely reasonable liability/accident insurance for your school (below). Note that there is NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE for this coverage, as it is included in the individual membership fees.
Access to a large, national “family” of senior jujitsu sensei up to 10th dan. You have access to advanced regional seminars, PLUS individuals who are always willing to come and teach seminars at your school, including the new “Master Series” seminars. These are real people ready to help you. After all, our people are our greatest asset.
The American JuJitsu Association was founded in 1972 for the purpose of bringing different ryu (styles) of the art together in an atmosphere of mutual cooperation and respect. Since that time it has grown from two dojos to approximately 30, plus international affiliates. The AJA has established itself as a reputable organization within the martial arts community, and it works closely with other major jujitsu organizations in the United States and internationally in areas of mutual concern. The founder was recognized by Black Belt Magazine as Black Belt of the Year in 2011.
The AJA is the United States representative for a number of international organizations.
The AJA is a non-profit amateur athletic association registered with both the state of California and the United States government [IRS code 501(c)(3)]. To our knowledge the AJA is the only martial arts organization in the U.S. that is classified in this manner as an amateur athletic association. The AJA supports a variety of safe competitive formats for a full-spectrum martial art that basically is not a sport. The AJA also issues certificates of rank to qualified members who meet the criteria of their particular ryu.
All member dojos have a liability/accident policy through the American JuJitsu Association. The liability portion is for $1,000,000. The accident coverage provides $25,000 excess (secondary) coverage. The policy covers you, the instructor, as well as the AJA. It will provide coverage in a variety of activities. The only arts NOT covered are Muy Thai, kickboxing, and high-injury arts such as MMA.
Note: ALL students MUST HAVE individual AJA membership in order for the dojo and the sensei to be covered by the insurance package.
To apply for a membership for your Dojo, please provide the information requested at the bottom of this page, and then download and complete the AJA Dojo Application. There is some duplication with some information on the form that you will have already entered and submitted below, but the electronic form helps get things started.
If your application is complete and there are no problems that cause delays, you should receive notification from the AJA within 30-45 days after receipt of your application. If you are approved you will receive an AJA Certificate of Rank, an AJA Instructor Certificate, and your annual AJA Dojo Membership Certificate. For an accurate “received” date mail your application by USPS certified mail with a return receipt or by Priority Mail.
To avoid confusion and delays, be aware that once this application is submitted, AJA rules do not allow you to seek or accept any promotion of rank in jujitsu until such time as the BOD accepts your dojo for membership and all appropriate certificates are issued.
Jeff Wynn
AJA Vice President and NSCB Chair
3087 NW Gravenstein St.
Camas, WA 98607
(nscb@aja-email.org)
This page will provide you with all of the forms and documents you will want as either a student or a Sensei. Documents and forms for safety and the Responsible Instructor Program can be found in links on the SAFETY page. If you find yourself missing something that should be here, please contact the webmaster and ask for it to be placed on the website.
The American Jujitsu Association offers students and senseis a remarkable array of benefits, including but not limited to the following:
The AJA is a national organization dedicated to furthering the art of jujitsu, which means that it includes traditional Japanese dojos and modern styles that may involve amateur competition in various formats. In addition, the AJA is closely allied with a number of international martial arts organizations that work closely with one another to advance the Art.
AJA certifies the promotions you make, and the promotions are recognized by all other AJA dojos, as well as internationally. This means that a student can move from one AJA dojo to another without losing rank. It also provides nationally recognized certification that enables your black belts to teach at other dojos or set up their own dojos. This helps you grow the art by creating “daughter schools” of your own.
AJA dojo membership provides insurance coverage – liability insurance for you, your instructors, and your dojo, as well as secondary medical insurance for your students in case of an in-class injury. To be eligible for the insurance, all students in your dojo must be registered as AJA members, and concussion training is required for all instructors. This training can be obtained for free online
The AJA is a low-cost, high benefit organization. The annual registration fee for dojos is just $25, and for individual members it is $20. The first-year of dojo registration is free. AJA certification of mudansha promotions costs just $8; shodan and nidan certifications are $15; and sandan and above are $20. The many benefits are outlined here.
The AJA offers steep discounts on gi’s, belts, and other martial arts equipment.
The AJA maintains an efficient website, with one-stop shopping for you to gather information, register students, renew your dojo registration, and order promotion certificates. Payment can be made with a credit card through PayPal, or by check if you choose. On this website you can maintain student ranks and email addresses.
The AJA offers FREE black belts to all registered AJA students who earn their shodan rank under you as a sensei. Each belt is embroidered with the student’s name on one end and “American Jujitsu Association” on the other.
AJA sponsors jujitsu seminars and competitions each year. Each region holds one of these events (shiais) annually, as do other AJA dojos.
Budoshin Yudanshakai, the dojo of AJA founder George Kirby, hosts an annual 3-day summer camp in Los Angeles in August for brown belts and black belts, as well as a Camp Budoshin gathering every October for ALL styles of martial arts, where high-level leaders in other martial arts (for example, Karate, Judo, Aikido, Sombo, Taiho-Jutsu) come to teach seminars.
The AJA provides national awards for you, your school, and your students, administered through regional directors.
AJA members receive an up-to-date quarterly newsletter listing national and regional events and discussing aspects of teaching martial arts that will be very helpful to you as a sensei. This newsletter will also list all of your own school’s AJA-certified promotions for a national audience to see.