USBBF HISTORY

The United States Black Belt Federation® or USBBF is a name you’ll recognize from the early days of American Martial Arts. 

Established in 1969 and boasting membership over the years of some of the most recognizable Martial Artists in America. Names like Tokey Hill, Bob Gillette, Skipper Mullins, EA Moore, and so many more. At one point membership rivaled that of the USKA and AKA.  In fairness, there were no membership fees until the late ’70’s.

Built on the premise that Americans should have their own Federation/Association and not have to rely on often fickle overseas leadership. Prior to the rise of the USKA, AKA, and USBBF, all aspects of Martial Arts were tightly controlled by organizations that were often more interested in ensuring their countries members dominance.

Following the lead of trail blazers like Robert A. Trias with the USKA and Ernest Lieb years later with the AKA, American martial artists were establishing their own associations. Much like labor unions, these groups were able to leverage their numbers and as a result saw partnerships and recognition from “Hombu” organizations.

The first constitution of the USBBF acknowledged the practice of black belts from differing systems acting as judges at competitions and sitting on promotion panels. An Executive Board consisting of members would make decisions rather than a single person. The diversity of the board would allow for growth and helped to keep style/system bias to a minimum. Early on, the USBBF was an eclectic group concerned more with what was best for it’s members and less with politics.

The USBBF was the first organization to recognize the emergence of American styles. As respected instructors began to blend systems, the resulting style fell well outside the established structure of the originals. Long before the label Mixed Martial Arts, the USBBF established a system of American Martial Arts and allowed for the chosen style name with strict requirements and documentation required before being recognized.  Doing this preserved the purity and respect of the origins and allowed for “Martial Evolution”.

Today we carry that recognition forward through the use of "Sogo Budo Ryu", which allows for a formal and proper recognition without all the resulting nonsense.

The USBBF has long been recognized as a “governing body of the Martial Arts” worldwide and has worked in leadership and partnership with many other groups.