CAN  MY  DOJO  APPLY  FOR  AJA MEMBERSHIP?

YES! Free Membership for New Dojos!

AJA will waive the NEW dojo membership fee for the first year. 

Individual student memberships are just $20 per year, and include limited insurance coverage (below). 
Application procedures are described in the application forms link (here); additional info (below).

For more information, please contact Bruce Jones at b2jones@comcast.net

IMMEDIATE BENEFITS INCLUDE:

1. Extremely reasonable insurance for your school (see below). Note that there is NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE for this coverage, as it is included in the individual membership fees,

2. 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 assets.

WHO IS THIS AVAILABLE TO?

Membership in the American Ju-Jitsu Association (AJA) is open to any dojo where Traditional Japanese Ju-Jitsu is taught. The most important requirement is that the instructor must posses at least a Shodan grade in Ju-Jitsu from a verifiable sensei, dojo, or organization. The application-evaluation process takes about 2-4 months. Download our AJA Membership Package which contains all the necessary forms. You may also contact Mark Jordan, AJA Vice President, at majik8@usa.net, and a copy will be mailed to you. Send the filled out package to: American Ju-Jitsu Association, PO Box 1357, Burbank, CA 91507-1357. If you have any specific questions or concerns you can contact George Kirby (AJA Board Chairperson); additional contacts are Mark Jordan [AJA Vice President] and Dennis McCurdy [AJA President].

AJA  BACKGROUND

The American Ju-Jitsu Association was founded in 1972 for the purpose of bringing different ryu of the art together in an atmosphere of mutual cooperation and respect. Since that time it has grown from two dojo to approximately 24, plus international affiliates. The AJA has established itself as a reputable organization within the martial arts community and works closely with other major Ju-Jitsu organizations in the United States and internationally in areas of mutual concern.

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.

WHEN  YOU  BECOME  A  MEMBER

The AJA will not tell you how to run your dojo. Once your ryu and dan grade has been accepted by the AJA, all rank holders promoted by you will also be accepted on a similar par as other ryu in the AJA. There are at least four different ryu represented by the board of directors and there are a large number of high-ranking sensei who can offer guidance when needed, or conduct seminars at your dojo.

CLASSES  OF  MEMBERSHIP

AJA Memberships and Insurance
The AJA currently offers only one class of dojo membership. All member dojo have a liability/accident policy through the American Ju-Jitsu Association. The liability portion is for $1,000,000. The accident coverage is $25,000 excess coverage. The policy covers you, the instructor, as well as the AJA. It will provide coverage in a variety of activities. The only arts it will NOT cover are Muy Thai, kickboxing, and high-injury arts such as MMA. The NEW dojo fee for the first year is FREE; after that renewals will be $25 - this is the regular AJA dojo fee and includes a new, dated certificate each year.

NOTE: It is mandatory that ALL students MUST HAVE individual AJA membership in order that the dojo and the sensei are covered by the insurance package.