OUR MISSION
The mission of the United States Combat Judo Federation is to preserve, research, teach, and advance America’s fighting Judo heritage while maintaining high standards of technical competency, historical integrity, and practical application.
Throughout American history, Judo and Judo-derived methods have been adapted for military hand-to-hand combat, self-defense, physical training, and practical close-quarters fighting. American military programs integrated throwing and grappling with striking, aggressive balance disruption, and other close-combat methods. During World War II, Judo training appeared in specialized military programs, including the Army Amphibious Training Center and the Alamo Scouts. The USCJF exists to help ensure that this important part of American Judo history is remembered, researched, practiced, and passed to future generations.
Judo Beyond the Tournament
The USCJF respects traditional and competitive Judo. Sport has played an enormous role in preserving Judo and developing generations of skilled Judoka. However, Combat Judo addresses a different training objective. Combat Judo examines what happens when Judo is returned to a broader fighting environment. That includes striking and striking entries, aggressive posture disruption, throws and takedowns, standing controls, groundwork, submissions, transitions, and the adaptation of Judo mechanics to practical situations.
Historical American military programs repeatedly adapted Judo-derived throwing mechanics to military uniforms and circumstances where conventional sleeve-and-lapel gripping could not be assumed. The underlying mechanics of balance, leverage, positioning, timing, momentum, and body control remain relevant regardless of clothing. For that reason, the USCJF recognizes both Gi and No-Gi Combat Judo as important components of a complete fighting-Judo education.
Our Purpose
The USCJF is built around four principles:
HISTORY ★ TRADITION ★ TECHNIQUE ★ PRACTICAL APPLICATION
History means researching and preserving the people, programs, manuals, training methods, and institutions that contributed to the development of American fighting Judo.
Tradition means respecting Judo’s foundations while recognizing the distinctly American history of adapting those principles for military combatives, self-defense, and practical fighting.
Technique means maintaining high technical standards. Combat Judo should not become an excuse for poor Judo. Effective application still depends upon balance, posture, leverage, positioning, timing, movement, and sound throwing mechanics.
Practical Application means understanding how those techniques must change when the circumstances change. The opponent may not be wearing a judogi. A conventional grip may not be available. Striking may precede the throw. The environment may be very different from a competition mat. Combat Judo prepares the practitioner to adapt the principles rather than depend upon a single set of conditions.
Preserving Standards Without Rank Politics
The USCJF is also intended to maintain a clear distinction between membership, rank, and teaching authority. Membership in the Federation does not purchase Judo rank. Holding Judo rank does not automatically make someone a USCJF Combat Judo instructor. Likewise, instructor certification does not automatically confer Judo rank.
USCJF instructor certification is based upon demonstrated knowledge and teaching competency through a progressive Level I, Level II, Level III, Level IV and Level V structure. Judo rank recognition is handled through a separate process and is available only after an individual has established a meaningful relationship with the organization through at least one year of membership. The objective is straightforward: credentials should represent accomplishment, not politics, favoritism, or the payment of a fee.
A Federation for Fighting Judo
The USCJF is not being created to replace traditional Judo organizations or compete with organizations governing Olympic Judo. It serves a different purpose. The United States Combat Judo Federation provides a home for Judoka, martial artists, instructors, researchers, historians, military-combatives practitioners, and schools interested in studying and preserving Judo as a practical fighting method. We believe the sporting and combative expressions of Judo can coexist. Understanding one can deepen appreciation of the other.
Most importantly, we believe America’s fighting-Judo heritage deserves to be preserved.
Historically and technically, Combat Judo shouldn’t be defined as simply “no-gi Judo.” Its methods can be practiced with or without a judogi or jacket. What changes is the gripping and control strategy—not necessarily the underlying principles of balance disruption, positioning, leverage, impact, and throwing mechanics. The United States Combat Judo Federation recognizes Combat Judo as a practical fighting method that can be trained and applied both with and without the traditional judogi.
Combat Judo is not defined by clothing. Its fundamental principles, balance disruption, posture destruction, positioning, leverage, striking integration, control, takedowns, throws, and ground control remain applicable regardless of whether the practitioner is wearing a judogi, ordinary clothing, or training without a jacket. Gi training develops powerful gripping, pulling, controlling, and throwing skills while preserving the traditional Judo foundation from which much of Combat Judo developed. No-gi training teaches the practitioner to accomplish the same tactical objectives through body control, under hooks, over hooks, head-and-arm control, limb control, pressure, striking entries, and other forms of attachment that do not depend upon clothing. The uniform may change. The principles do not.
USCJF Membership & Credential Structure
Individual Lifetime Membership — $50 USD
One-time membership in the United States Combat Judo Federation. Membership provides affiliation with the USCJF and and entry into USCJF members only Facebook group for access to videos, training materials and eligibility to participate in USCJF programs, certifications, and recognition processes.
Become a USCJF Lifetime Member for a one-time payment of $50 USD, sent via PayPal to winterhavenjudo@gmail.com. Your membership includes an official USCJF Lifetime Membership Certificate suitable for framing and exclusive access to our members-only Facebook group, featuring instructional articles, training videos, historical research, and technical and tactical analysis of Combat Judo.
Membership does not confer rank. Rank does not confer instructor certification. Instructor certification does not automatically confer rank. Sample shown left for illustration. Official certificates are individually issued to approved USCJF members and include a unique membership number.
SCHOOL LIFETIME CHARTER — $100 USD
A one-time charter for qualifying martial arts schools, clubs, and training groups wishing to become officially affiliated with the United States Combat Judo Federation. The charter recognizes the school as an Authorized USCJF Combat Judo Training School and remains with the approved school or club rather than with an individual instructor. To qualify for a USCJF School Charter, the school must have at least one instructor who holds a minimum of Level I USCJF Combat Judo Instructor Certification and remains a member in good standing.
USCJF Combat Judo Instructor Certification System
LEVEL I — CERTIFIED COMBAT JUDO INSTRUCTOR – 100 USD
The foundational USCJF teaching credential. The candidate demonstrates competency in the fundamental principles, techniques, safety practices, and teaching methodology of Combat Judo. A Level I instructor is qualified to independently teach the fundamental USCJF Combat Judo curriculum .
Authority: May serve as the qualifying instructor for a USCJF School Charter.
LEVEL II — ADVANCED COMBAT JUDO INSTRUCTOR – 150 USD
Recognizes an instructor who has progressed beyond fundamental instruction and demonstrates advanced technical and tactical understanding of Combat Judo. The instructor should be capable of integrating striking, posture disruption, aggressive entry, throws, takedowns, standing controls, groundwork, and transitions into a cohesive fighting method.
Authority: May teach fundamental and advanced USCJF Combat Judo curriculum and conduct seminars within the scope of certification.
LEVEL III — SENIOR COMBAT JUDO INSTRUCTOR – 200 USD
A senior instructional designation recognizing substantial teaching experience and a comprehensive understanding of Combat Judo methodology. Candidates should demonstrate the ability to analyze and teach the biomechanical and tactical principles behind techniques rather than simply reproduce them. A Level III instructor should also understand the historical development of American Combat Judo and the relationship between traditional Judo and military-style combatives.
Authority: May mentor Level I and Level II instructors and assist USCJF with instructor development and technical evaluations.
LEVEL IV — SENIOR COMBAT JUDO INSTRUCTOR / EXAMINER – 250 USD
This should be the point where certification moves from being primarily an instructor credential to an organizational leadership credential. Level IV recognizes instructors with extensive teaching experience, exceptional technical competency, demonstrated leadership, and a record of maintaining USCJF standards.
Authority: May teach the complete USCJF curriculum, develop instructors, conduct authorized instructor evaluations, recommend candidates for certification, and serve as a USCJF technical examiner when authorized by the Federation.
LEVEL V — MASTER COMBAT JUDO INSTRUCTOR – 300 USD
The highest instructional designation awarded by the United States Combat Judo Federation. Level V should recognize mastery of the complete Combat Judo methodology, extensive teaching experience, exceptional technical and tactical knowledge, leadership, instructor development, and significant contributions to the preservation, research, development, or transmission of American Combat Judo.
Authority: May teach and evaluate the complete USCJF curriculum, develop senior instructors, conduct advanced instructor evaluations, participate in establishing technical standards, and serve in senior technical leadership positions within USCJF.
USCJF Instructor Certification Progression
USCJF Combat Judo Instructor Certification is a progressive five-level training and development program. Each level builds upon the technical knowledge, tactical understanding, teaching methodology, and experience developed in the preceding level. All five certification courses must be completed in sequential order. There are no course exemptions, accelerated entry points, or skipping of certification levels. Regardless of an individual’s Judo rank, martial arts rank, teaching experience, or credentials from another organization, every candidate begins with Level I and progresses through the USCJF instructor curriculum in order. Prior experience may make a candidate better prepared for the curriculum, but it does not replace the curriculum.
USCJF Instructor Certification recognizes demonstrated competency and instructional authority in Combat Judo. It does not confer, replace, or imply Judo rank. Traditional Judo rank and Combat Judo instructor certification are complementary but separate. A high Judo rank does not automatically qualify an individual for a senior Combat Judo instructor designation, nor does a senior Combat Judo instructor certification automatically confer Judo rank. USCJF instructor certifications are lifetime credentials, subject to the holder remaining in good standing and adhering to USCJF standards of conduct and Code Of Ethics.
Certification and evaluation fees do not guarantee certification.
Candidates must satisfy the technical, instructional, experience, and evaluation requirements established by the USCJF for the level sought.
RANK RECOGNITION – 75 USD
USCJF Judo Rank Recognition is available to members in good standing only after a minimum of one continuous year of USCJF membership. The $75 processing and evaluation fee does not guarantee recognition or promotion. Rank must be supported by appropriate documentation, training history, technical knowledge, experience, and/or evaluation as determined by the USCJF. USCJF Rank Recognition acknowledges legitimately earned Judo rank; it is not a mechanism for purchasing rank or circumventing normal promotion requirements.
ALL Member fees are to be paid to winterhavenjudo@gmail.com via PAYPAL.
JUDO RANK AND COMBAT JUDO INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION
Judo and Combat Judo are complementary, but they are not identical disciplines. Traditional Judo provides much of the technical foundation upon which Combat Judo is built. Combat Judo, however, applies those principles within a more aggressive fighting methodology emphasizing striking, immediate posture disruption, forward pressure, rapid entry, takedowns, throws, control, and practical application.
For this reason, Judo rank and USCJF Combat Judo Instructor Certification represent different accomplishments.
A high Judo rank does not automatically qualify an individual for an advanced USCJF Combat Judo Instructor designation. Likewise, earning an advanced Combat Judo Instructor certification does not automatically confer Judo rank.
Judo rank recognizes accomplishment in Judo. Combat Judo Instructor Certification recognizes demonstrated competency in teaching and applying Combat Judo.
Code of Ethics
USCJF members and instructors are expected to conduct themselves with integrity, represent their credentials accurately, maintain appropriate standards of instruction and safety, and never misrepresent USCJF membership as conferring rank or authority that has not been formally awarded or recognized.
USCJF Standards of Conduct
Members, instructors, and chartered schools of the United States Combat Judo Federation are expected to uphold the integrity, traditions, and professional standards of the Federation.
All USCJF members shall:
- Conduct themselves with integrity, respect, and professionalism both within and outside the training environment.
- Represent rank, certifications, experience, and credentials truthfully and never misrepresent USCJF recognition or authority.
- Maintain appropriate standards of safety and responsible instruction when teaching or practicing Combat Judo.
- Preserve the historical and technical integrity of Combat Judo while encouraging responsible research, training, and continued development.
- Never use USCJF membership, rank recognition, instructor certification, or school charter status in a fraudulent, misleading, or unethical manner.
- Uphold USCJF standards when representing the Federation publicly or operating an authorized USCJF training school. Membership, certification, rank recognition, or school charter status may be suspended or revoked for violations of these standards or conduct that materially damages the integrity of the Federation. USCJF credentials represent responsibility as well as recognition.
Why Join the United States Combat Judo Federation?
Preserving America’s Fighting Judo Heritage — and Building Its Future
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.
Combat Judo
- 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.
Combat Judo
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.
UNITED STATES COMBAT JUDO FEDERATION
Preserving America’s Fighting Judo Heritage.
HISTORY ★ TRADITION ★ TECHNIQUE ★ PRACTICAL APPLICATION
The United States Combat Judo Federation (USCJF) is an independent martial arts organization. USCJF is not affiliated with or endorsed by the United States Armed Forces, Department of Defense, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, USA Judo, or any governmental agency. Historical references to military Combat Judo are presented for educational and historical purposes. © 2026 CombatJudo.net / United States Combat Judo Federation. All Rights Reserved.