Do you need a certificate to teach self defense?

I am just curious if you could start a business teaching self defense if you don%26#039;t have a certificate or anything like that ...you know like how bartenders need to have a liscense,etc.|||You don%26#039;t have too, but you should have mastered the type of self defense your teaching. And a certificate would help bring in buisness.|||i dont know about everywhere,but generally no but most get accredited anyway for their own benefit.technically your black belt is your certificate.|||No, unfortunately it is not.





HOWEVER, there are people who will investigate, expose and challenge you if you don%26#039;t or print fake certificates.





There are MA watchdog groups out there that will expose and embarass your friend if he doesn%26#039;t really have the credentials he claims to have or runs a %26quot;mcdojo%26quot;.





It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow, but it will happen if he runs a shop without the skill or ability or falsifies his credentials or exaggerates them and makes false claims to get students.





You or your friend should register an account with www.bullshido.net if you want more specific information about how to open a school and have questions about what is proper and not.|||Yes you need certification to teach Martial Arts, or Self Defense.





If you are NOT certified in ANY discipline of Martial Arts, then you shouldn%26#039;t be trying to teach self defense.





if your friend wants to try then I suggest they find themselves a good lawyer to back them, because when the lawsuits start rolling in especially if any of their %26quot;students%26quot; get injured during class, their school will go under faster than a boat made of chainlink fence.





Anyone planning on opening a Martial Arts or self defense school should have SOME kind of viable certification that can be backed up by a nationally recognized organization, other wise they%26#039;l just be another McDojo%26#039;s, and one of the WORST kind at that.





Usually once a person has reached Black Belt status (backed by an official certificate signed or endorsed by the instructor and or organization governing the school they learned the discipline from) in what ever discipline they%26#039;ve studied, it does mean that they can teach the discipline, but most aren%26#039;t allowed to OPEN a school unless they are a third or fourth degree blackbelt or above, which takes years to get to that level (at least 10yrs or more).





another thing is that the person should be business savvy, if they%26#039;re not then they%26#039;re gonna wind up in a quicksand pit of debt and possibly legal problems. I%26#039;ve seen several great teachers worthy of their Blackbelt in the discipline, but they%26#039;re still whitebelts in running a school or business; and the school shuts it%26#039;s doors in a year or less..





so I%26#039;d advise your friend not to try this before they dig themselves in a hole they won%26#039;t be able to climb out of.





anyone can BUY a Black Belt and tie it around their waist and say they know Martial Arts or Self Defense, but backing it up is another story entirely.|||You need one.


If you know of an organization running without one it is a not recommended you join.|||The reason you are getting different answers here is that some people are taking your question incorrectly. The answer is No you do not HAVE to have one, but you certainly SHOULD and no one with any kind of honor, ethics or legal responsibility would teach without one. The problem would arise when a student of this %26quot;instructor%26quot; would get his rear end kicked around and found out that his instructor was blowing smoke up his nether regions. Imagine you get into a bar fight and find out at the wrong time that your instructor was teaching you to block incorrectly and everything was hitting you anyway. After you got out of the hospital, you sue the bogus instructor for millions...if the instructor did not have SOME kind of certifications, his own instructors or a Martial Arts organization backing him up, he is screwed.


Hope this helps clear it up for ya...


Sensei Cox|||I agree with Hood_12. just go to some online school and get a certificate like ths one two guys did who want to teach JKD. I was nice enough to report them to the Bruceleefoundation for using Bruce Lees name and photos. Believe it or not that has a copyright on it. Anyways if your friend does start a school he might want to have some formal training and be certified so if something goes wrong he can say he was certified. Becuase if a student gets hurt and they want to see his certification and he doesn%26#039;t have when then he might be in a world of legal trouble. but if he does get a certificate and he does it over the internet. Make sure he doesn%26#039;t use famous peoples image and name to get business. And make sure the certificates look legitimate not with the name done in Marker.|||no.|||Unfortunately, no.|||Yes, you will need to be certified. It%26#039;s for your own good believe me. You will also need insurance|||No, just look at those two idiots who have fake certs in JKD...





LOL their myspace page is great!|||I can print certificates, and so can you. they are not worth the paper they are on. experience and the ability to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, is what you need.





certificates if legit, only represent a snap shot of a persons ability.


the proof is in the teaching.





if they dont know sh!t, they will be exposed soon enough. REAL people will eventually come for a look, and know the difference between a con, and a pro.





so if your friend is determined, let him go for it. but let the con man beware, he may deal with sheep for a while and laugh, but the wolves are never far.|||No, but it is important to be affiliated with a professional and recognised body such as the MAA (Martial Arts Association) so that you are covered with insurance and a legal department in case of law suets etc, this will also make it eassier for your clients to enter into competitions if thats what they would like.





Good luck