Preserving America’s Fighting Judo Heritage — and Building Its Future
By Barron Shepherd, Founder and President
If you have an interest in Combat Judo, its history, its techniques, or its practical fighting applications, the United States Combat Judo Federation (USCJF) was created with you in mind. The USCJF is dedicated to preserving, researching, teaching, and advancing America’s fighting Judo tradition. Our purpose is to provide a home for martial artists who recognize that Judo has a rich history extending beyond competitive tournaments and the sporting environment. We respect traditional and competitive Judo. In fact, Judo provides the technical foundation for much of what we teach. Combat Judo, however, approaches those principles from a different tactical perspective.
Judo provides the foundation. Combat Judo changes the application.
Our mission is to preserve that knowledge, develop qualified instructors, and make Combat Judo education accessible to those who are genuinely interested in studying it.
What Is the USCJF About?
The United States Combat Judo Federation is built around four guiding principles:
HISTORY ★ TRADITION ★ TECHNIQUE ★ PRACTICAL APPLICATION
We believe that understanding Combat Judo requires more than simply learning a collection of throws and takedowns. It requires understanding the historical circumstances that shaped the fighting method, the Judo principles upon which it was built, the technical mechanics that make its techniques work, and the tactical considerations involved in their application. Combat Judo incorporates striking integration, aggressive posture disruption, rapid entries, throws, takedowns, standing controls, groundwork, and transitions between these elements.
Our approach also recognizes both gi and no-gi training. The practitioner should understand how to apply Judo’s fundamental principles regardless of whether an opponent is wearing a traditional judogi, ordinary clothing, or no jacket at all.
The uniform may change. The principles do not.
The USCJF exists to preserve and teach this broader fighting tradition while maintaining respect for Judo’s technical foundations.
What Does USCJF Membership Offer?
Joining the USCJF means becoming part of an organization devoted specifically to the study and preservation of Combat Judo. Our goal is to make membership more than simply receiving a certificate. We want it to provide continuing educational value.
- Lifetime Membership — $50
USCJF Individual Lifetime Membership is available for a one-time fee of $50.
There are no annual individual membership dues. Membership establishes your affiliation with the Federation and provides eligibility to participate in USCJF programs, instructional opportunities, certifications, and recognition processes, subject to their respective requirements and fees.
- Access to Exclusive Instructional Materials and Videos
One of the most important benefits of membership is access to our private, members-only Facebook group. This group is intended to serve as an expanding educational resource for USCJF members. Members will have unlimited access to the instructional materials made available through the group, including Combat Judo training videos, technique demonstrations, historical discussions, and technical and tactical analysis. Rather than simply showing a technique and telling someone to imitate it, we want to explain the principles that make it work.
Our educational materials explore subjects such as posture disruption, balance, leverage, positioning, entries, throwing mechanics, and the relationship between striking and takedowns. We also examine how these principles apply in both traditional gi training and no-gi environments.
The objective is not merely to memorize techniques. It is to understand them. As new instructional and research materials are developed, they can be added to the members-only resource collection.
- Combat Judo History and Research
A major part of the USCJF mission is preserving the history of American fighting Judo. Our educational work explores the people, military programs, historical manuals, training methods, and techniques associated with the development of Combat Judo. This includes research into World War II-era American military hand-to-hand combat programs, Restricted Judo, and the evolution of Judo-derived methods within American military combatives.
We want members to understand not only how techniques are performed, but also where they came from, why they were taught, and how their applications developed. Historical research and practical instruction belong together. By understanding the past, we can better preserve the knowledge for future generations.
- Technical and Tactical Analysis
Combat Judo is more than a collection of individual techniques. It is a method of applying Judo principles within a broader fighting environment. USCJF instructional materials examine the technical and tactical relationships between striking, disruption, entry, control, and takedowns.
For example, a throw can be examined in terms of its biomechanics, but also in terms of how the practitioner creates an opportunity to execute it. We explore how posture can be disrupted, how distance can be closed, how positioning affects the outcome of a throw, and how different entries influence the application. This approach helps practitioners develop a deeper understanding of Combat Judo rather than relying entirely upon predetermined demonstrations.
A Five-Level Combat Judo Instructor Certification Program
For members interested in becoming qualified Combat Judo instructors, the USCJF offers a progressive five-level instructor development program.
| Level | Certification |
| I | Certified Combat Judo Instructor |
| II | Advanced Combat Judo Instructor |
| III | Senior Combat Judo Instructor |
| IV | Senior Combat Judo Instructor / Examiner |
| V | Master Combat Judo Instructor |
Each level builds upon the knowledge and instructional development of the preceding level.
All five courses must be completed in order. There are no skipped levels.
Regardless of an individual’s existing Judo rank, martial arts experience, or outside instructor credentials, everyone begins with Level I and progresses through the USCJF curriculum sequentially. Prior experience is valuable, but it does not replace learning the Federation’s specific Combat Judo methodology. Certification requires completion of the applicable course and satisfaction of its evaluation requirements. Membership alone does not confer instructor status.
Our goal is to develop instructors who understand the material they teach and can represent the USCJF method accurately.
School Charters for Qualified Martial Arts Schools
The USCJF also offers a Lifetime School Charter for qualifying martial arts schools, clubs, and training groups.
The charter fee is $100.
To qualify, a school must have at least one instructor who has earned a minimum of Level I — Certified Combat Judo Instructor and remains a USCJF member in good standing. This requirement helps ensure that a school representing itself as an authorized USCJF training school has an instructor who has completed the Federation’s foundational instructor training. A School Charter recognizes the approved school or club. It does not automatically grant Judo rank or instructor certification to anyone associated with the school.
Judo Rank Recognition
The USCJF also provides a separate Judo Rank Recognition process for qualified members, including experienced black belts. This program is intended to recognize legitimately earned Judo experience, rank, training, and accomplishments. Applicants must maintain at least one continuous year of USCJF membership before becoming eligible for rank recognition. The evaluation and processing fee is $75. Payment does not guarantee recognition or promotion, and applicants must provide appropriate evidence of their qualifications.
We maintain a clear distinction between membership, Judo rank, and Combat Judo instructor certification. Membership is not rank. Rank is not instructor certification. Instructor certification does not automatically confer Judo rank. Each represents a different accomplishment and should be treated accordingly.
A Community Dedicated to Combat Judo
The USCJF is also about bringing together people with a common interest. Our members-only Facebook group provides an opportunity for Judoka, instructors, researchers, and martial artists to discuss techniques, exchange information, ask questions, and learn from the instructional resources available to members. We want to build a community in which knowledge is shared, historical research is encouraged, and the practical application of Judo is taken seriously.
You do not have to abandon traditional Judo to become involved with Combat Judo. The two can complement one another. A competitive Judoka may discover new applications for familiar techniques. A self-defense instructor may gain a deeper appreciation of Judo’s throwing mechanics. A martial arts historian may find valuable information about American military training methods. The USCJF provides a place where these interests can come together.
Why Your Membership Matters
Preserving Combat Judo requires more than simply talking about its history. It requires research, instructional development, documentation, and the continued production of educational materials. Membership helps support that work. It allows us to continue developing instructional resources, studying historical material, and building an organization dedicated to keeping America’s fighting Judo heritage alive.
The USCJF is not intended to be an organization where people simply purchase credentials. We want membership to represent a genuine interest in Combat Judo and a willingness to support its preservation and continued development. The Federation’s educational resources, instructor program, school charters, and rank recognition process are all intended to serve that larger purpose.
Join the United States Combat Judo Federation Today!
If you are interested in Combat Judo history, technical instruction, tactical analysis, or the practical fighting applications of Judo, we invite you to become a member. For a one-time membership fee of just $50, you can become part of the USCJF and gain access to our members-only educational community and its expanding collection of Combat Judo instructional resources. Whether you are an experienced Judoka, a martial arts instructor, a historian, or someone just beginning to explore Combat Judo, there is a place for you in the Federation.
Help us preserve the history, study the techniques, develop the instructors, and pass America’s fighting Judo heritage to the next generation.
CLICK HERE To visit the United States Combat Judo Federation to learn more about membership and how to join.
UNITED STATES COMBAT JUDO FEDERATION
Preserving America’s Fighting Judo Heritage.
HISTORY ★ TRADITION ★ TECHNIQUE ★ PRACTICAL APPLICATION
