Our Vision:
A community where students can choose a martial arts school that meets their goals and training needs with confidence. 

Our Mission:
USAMA’s mission is to be the leader in advancing legitimacy and quality in the martial arts community. We do this by:
  • Setting standards for trust and integrity
  • Encouraging and supporting best practices by engaging with and educating students and martial arts schools
  • Celebrating industry role models
  • Calling out and addressing substandard behavior
  • Creating a community of trustworthy martial arts schools and instructors

USAMA sees trust as a function of two primary factors – integrity and performance. Integrity includes respect, ethics and intent. Performance speaks to a martial arts school’s track record of delivering results in accordance with USAMA standards and/or addressing customer concerns in a timely, satisfactory manner.

USAMA ensures that high standards for trust are set and maintained. We exist so students and martial arts schools alike have an unbiased source to guide them on matters of trust. We provide educational information and expert advice that is free of charge and easily accessible.

USAMA Accreditation is an honor – and not every martial arts school is eligible. Martial arts schools that meet our high standards are invited to join USAMA. Martial arts schools deemed to meet Accreditation Standards are presented to the USAMA's Board (or designees) for review and acceptance as a USAMA Accredited Martial arts school.

All USAMA accredited martial arts schools have agreed to live up to our Code of Ethics, a comprehensive set of best practices for how martial arts schools should treat the public in a fair and honest manner, as well as ensure that all instructors are properly licensed.

USAMA does not compare martial arts schools against each other but rather evaluates martial arts schools against our standards – and our standards clearly speak to the character and competence of a school.

USAMA is the resource to turn to for objective, unbiased information on martial arts schools. Our network of USAMA schools allows us to monitor and take action on thousands of martial arts school issues affecting students at any given time.

USAMA is your key adviser, most reliable evaluator and most objective expert on the topic of trust in the marketplace.