Martial arts have never been static. They were born of necessity, refined through hardship, and preserved through discipline. Every generation inherits them in a different form—and every generation bears responsibility for what it passes on.

I have spent a lifetime in martial arts: training, teaching, observing, and questioning. I have seen the profound good that martial arts can do, and I have also seen how easily they can lose their way. Commercial pressures, sporting rule sets, accelerated rankings, and fashionable systems have brought visibility and growth—but often at the cost of depth, meaning, and integrity.

This is not a rejection of progress. Martial arts must evolve. Yet evolution without memory becomes erosion.

MIMAF was not created to compete with existing organisations, nor to dictate how others should train. It was created to offer something increasingly rare: a place where martial arts are treated as a lifelong discipline, not a product.

Traditional martial arts were never solely about learning how to fight. They were about learning when not to fight. They taught an understanding of conflict, fear, responsibility, and consequence. They shaped character as much as technique. When these elements are removed, what remains may still be effective—but it is no longer complete.

Throughout my journey, I was fortunate to learn from teachers who valued humility over status and understanding over titles. One of my earliest mentors, Donn F. Draeger, often reminded us that martial arts exist in a state of flux, It is constantly changing, yet anchored by principle. That lesson has guided my work ever since and the MIMAF reflects that belief.

Hence, we do not sell rank. Nor do we franchise schools. Neither do we promise quick results.

What we do offer is a framework grounded in tradition, education, and ethical responsibility, one that allows students to grow at their own pace, instructors to teach with integrity, and schools to remain independent while connected through shared values.

The ranking and title systems we recognise are not rewards; they are responsibilities. Advancement is not about time served, but about work done in the dojo, in teaching, and in service to others.

Martial arts, when taught correctly, teach restraint. They teach respect. They teach awareness. They remind us that true strength lies not in domination, but in self‑control. MIMAF exists for those who still believe this.

If you are a student seeking more than certificates; If you are an instructor who values education over ego; If you are a school that wishes to remain independent yet principled—

Then you are already aligned with what MIMAF stands for.

This Federation does not belong to one individual. It belongs to those willing to act as stewards of the art—protecting what matters, improving what can be improved, and ensuring that future generations inherit something worthy of the name martial arts. 

Preserving the Past. Educating the Present. Guiding the Future.

The Martial International Martial Arts Federation (MIMAF) exists to preserve, develop, and responsibly transmit the true spirit of martial arts in the modern world.

MIMAF was founded in response to the growing fragmentation of martial arts into commercial products, short‑term self‑defence systems, spectator sports, and professional combat entertainment. While each of these paths has value, none represents the full meaning, depth, or purpose of martial arts as historically conceived.

MIMAF stands for martial arts as a lifelong discipline—rooted in tradition, ethics, personal development, and cultural continuity, adapted thoughtfully for contemporary society without surrendering its essence.

Historically, they were systems of survival, discipline, moral cultivation, and self‑mastery, studied over a lifetime. In the modern landscape, many schools attempt to combine self‑defence, sport, fitness, and tradition into a single offering without clear educational purpose. 

The result is confusion for students and dilution of the art. MIMAF exists to restore clarity, integrity, & direction.

MIMAF recognises that martial study naturally divides into three distinct but connected domains:

Focused on awareness, prevention, de‑escalation, and personal safety. Self‑defence is practical, situational, and often time‑limited in study.

Focused on skill testing, competition, rules‑based performance, and physical development. Sport provides a controlled environment to test technique, but it does not define the totality of martial arts.

Focused on lifelong practice, character development, cultural understanding, and the study of conflict, restraint, and mortality. This is the heart of martial arts and the central focus of MIMAF.

MIMAF does not reject modern practices. It insists they be clearly defined, honestly taught, and educationally sound.

MIMAF is an educational federation, not a commercial enterprise. Progress is earned through demonstrated understanding, skill, and contribution, and not just for time served.

The ranking and title systems recognised by MIMAF exist to reflect responsibility, service, and legacy. Authority arises from knowledge, experience, and integrity—not from titles alone. A Non‑Franchise Federation

MIMAF operates through a central hub supporting educational standards, research, and global communication. Affiliated dōjō and institutes remain independently owned and operated while aligning with shared values and educational principles. MIMAF is not a franchise, does not sell rank, and does not exist as a revenue‑driven organisation.

MIMAF commits to protecting traditional martial arts from exploitation, supporting instructors who teach with integrity, providing students with meaningful lifelong paths of study, and honouring the past while guiding the future.

A White Paper and Manifesto for the Renewal of Traditional Martial Arts Education under the MIMAF Framework

The martial arts of Asia have undergone profound transformation through Westernisation, commercialisation, and sporting regulation. Once holistic systems concerned with survival, moral cultivation, and the contemplation of life and death, they have increasingly fragmented into marketable categories: self‑defence systems, martial arts sports, and professional combat entertainment.

While these developments have increased accessibility and visibility, they have also accelerated the erosion of traditional purpose, pedagogy, and identity.

This paper proposes a non‑commercial, non‑franchised educational framework for martial arts institutions under the MIMAF model. It outlines an adaptive curriculum philosophy, a global affiliation structure through independent satellite dōjō, and a rank‑and‑title architecture grounded in historical precedent and philosophical continuity.

The intent is not nostalgia, nor rejection of modernity, but restoration through intelligent evolution that preserves martial arts as a lifelong discipline derived from personal, cultural, and technical mastery.

Modern martial arts now exist across three dominant trajectories: pragmatic self‑defence, rules‑based sport, and professionalised combat under entertainment economics. Each claims lineage from traditional systems, yet each operates with fundamentally different learning objectives.

The collapse of these purposes into single curricula has produced schools that attempt to serve all aims simultaneously, often sacrificing depth, clarity, and educational coherence.

Historically, martial arts were complete systems of embodied knowledge, integrating combat effectiveness, ethical conduct, psychological resilience, cultural continuity, and lifelong refinement.

MIMAF asserts that no singular educational pathway can adequately serve self‑defence, sport, and traditional martial arts at once. These domains must be distinct yet interoperable, clearly articulated within curriculum design and assessment.

Traditional martial arts, in particular, require protection from both commercial erosion and academic stagnation.

Under the MIMAF framework, martial education is organised around three complementary pillars: self‑defence, martial arts sports, and traditional martial arts (the Budō–Bujutsu continuum). Each pillar possesses its own curriculum logic, learning outcomes, and evaluation criteria. 

True mastery arises not from confusion between these domains, but from understanding their differences and relationships.

MIMAF distinguishes between curriculum—what is studied and why—and syllabus—how it is explored at each stage. The framework is learner‑centred, adaptive, cyclic rather than linear, and continuously refined through kaizen.

There are no fixed time requirements for advancement. Progress is determined by demonstrated understanding, integration, and contribution.

MIMAF adopts a 12‑Dan ranking structure inspired by the ancient Japanese Kani‑Juni‑Kai cap‑rank system, restoring symbolic continuity between technical, ethical, and civic development.

Advanced practitioners may be recognised through historical and educational titles, including Renshi, Kyōshi, Hanshi, and the Meijin designation for exceptional mastery and contribution. Such titles are honorific, and not commercial.in any way, shape, or form. 

MIMAF operates through a central educational hub supporting curriculum governance, academic integrity, and global knowledge exchange. Affiliated satellite dōjō remain autonomous while aligned philosophically and educationally. This is stewardship, not franchising.

Martial arts are not disappearing however they are at risk of forgetting what they are.

MIMAF offers a home for those who believe martial arts are more than technique, more than spectacle, and more than commerce. This paper stands as a framework, a manifesto, and a responsibility.

Preserve the art by letting it evolve and without surrendering its soul.

Thank you for walking this path with us.

Jack Harris, Meijin

On behalf of the MIMAF Grandmasters Council