The International Martial Arts Licencing Board,was initiated because many senior martial arts masters were were concerned that the general public was in danger of serious injury at the hands of fraudulent teachers who were unqualified to teach!

 

 It is estimated that 75% of martial arts teachers advertise ranks and title purchased from the hundreds of diploma mills out there, or from one or more of the countless grandmasters boards which are headed by totally unqualified indeviduals.

 

  Swapping ranks is one such way to go up the ladder while looking legitimate, and today, through social media, access to these types of frauds is very easy to do.

 

    We are using the old Japanese ministry of education guide in regards to minimum age for each rank and title, and we require our licenced members to follow certain rules based on ethics and professionalism to protect our own creditability as a licencing body..

 

As a point of interest to readers I have included the original FAJKO grading structure below.
FAJKO RANKING SYSTEM March 27th, 1971.

Rank                          Age                          Title                      
Judan (10th)            over  70                  
Kudan (9th)              over 60                               
Hachidan (8th)        over 50       Hanshi      
Shichidan (7th)       over 42       Kyoshi                     Rokudan (6th)          over 37     Renshi                     
Godan (5th)              over 35     Shihan
Yondan (4th)            over 30          No formal title
Sandan (3rd)            over 21          No formal title
Nidan (2nd)              over 18          No formal title
Shodan (1st)            over 16           No formal title