Membership
To ensure that the IMAS remains a proficient and specialised Institute, Membership and Fellowship are only awarded to individuals who meet the specified requirements, both academically and practically, and who are prepared to maintain the high standards expected. The Letters IMAS represent quality and professionalism in the Martial Arts worldwide.
Associate Membership is available to students of the Martial Arts at any level, or academic students of a related discipline. For associate members, full membership can be gained through continuous study and dedication.
IMAS membership offers opportunities to develop professionally as a Marital Artist, networking opportunities and can allow you to make contact with Martial Artists worldwide who share common viewpoints, in addition you will have access to a variety of lectures, academic papers from IMAS members, and preferential rates for IMAS courses.
You can join the IMAS as an individual or as a club. For individuals, there are three levels of IMAS membership, FIMAS, MIMAS, and AIMAS. Fellow, Member and Associate Member respectively. To apply for membership as an individual please download our membership application form here.
We also offer a fast-track online Affiliate Membership, which doesn’t offer all of the benefits of full membership, but does offer a variety of benefits. More information on Affiliate Membership can be found here.
For further information on joining the IMAS, please contact membership@instituteofmartialartsandsciences.com
Who Can Join?
There are three levels of full membership available for individuals and we also now offer an Affiliate Membership. Anyone who is studying, or has studied a Martial Art can apply for Associate Membership to the IMAS. Information is given below on the different levels of membership available, and the requirements for each. Please apply for the level of membership you feel to be most relevant to your skills and experience.
Grades of IMAS Membership
Fellow (FIMAS)
The candidate must possess a recognised advanced academic degree/professional qualification (or equivalent) and must hold the rank of at least 5th Dan black belt (or equivalent) in one or more martial arts.
Member (MIMAS)
The candidate must possess a recognised academic degree/professional qualification (or equivalent) and must hold the rank of at least 1st Dan black belt (or equivalent) in one or more martial arts.
Associate (AIMAS)
The candidate must have, or be studying towards, a relevant recognised academic degree/professional qualification (or equivalent) OR Have experience and training in at least one martial arts, and be willing to undertake further martial arts training and academic study, in accordance with the primary goals of the Institute.
Fast Track Online Membership (Affiliate).
Our Fast Track or Affiliate Membership is available for all individuals, and doesn’t require you to complete our normal membership application form. The Fast Track Membership does not entitle you to all the benefits of full membership as detailed further down the page, but does entitle you to the following:
- Full Access to all Areas of the IMAS Website
- Free updates via e-mail
- IMAS Quarterly News Letter / Journal
What Can IMAS do for You?
IMAS membership offers a great deal of benefits to the martial arts practitioner. A few of these are listed below:
Enrich your martial arts training experience:
IMAS will offer you several completely new perspectives upon your regular martial arts training simply because it will cause you to look at the techniques you are practicing in a different and more profound way.
Improve your CV:
IMAS membership means that you belong to a recognised professional body, dedicated to setting standards of excellence. Being able to put the respective letters after your name demonstrates your commitment and shows people that you are to be taken seriously
Enhance your qualifications:
IMAS membership is a much sought-after professional qualification in its own right. Inaddition to this, the institute runs regular CPD courses in relevant aspects, as well as certificate, diploma and even degree courses in the martial arts and related subjects.
Greater status and credibility:
IMAS is an officially recognised professional body in the UK, and now has branches all over the world. As well as being an NCFE Approved Centre and having a close working partnership with various Universities, IMAS also maintains full membership of Skills Active, the Government Sector Skills council for sport and recreation.
In addition, IMAS is listed in British Qualifications alongside other academic institutions.
This means that membership of IMAS counts for a huge amount, with its qualifications meaning a lot in all aspects of a persons life, rather than just the martial arts club.
Access to national and international events:
IMAS has regular conferences, seminars and courses. Some of these events are strictly academic in nature whereas others might well consist of mainstream martial arts training with very senior grades, or even competitions.
Access to the institutes extensive learning resources:
IMAS maintains a large library of learning materials that is continually being added to and updated by our research fellows and post-graduate students, thanks to their efforts, and the efforts of the IMAS archivist, this is a unique and constantly growing body of material gathered from all over the world.
Opportunities to get your work published:
IMAS academic research papers and articles are regularly published throughout the world. The new IMAS newsletter has been launched in order to provide a vehicle for some of these, and it is envisaged that IMAS will initiate it’s very own peer-reviewed journal sometime in the near future. The newsletter enables all IMAS members to stay up to date with the very latest developments in the martial arts and sciences. Having your work published enables you to contribute to this important work, and any work published may be included on your CV/Resume
