The International Martial Arts Alliance / Martial Arts Australia have long been accepted as industry peak bodies for martial art instructors and school owners and it continues to grow and serve the industry. Let’s just look at the term ‘Peak Body’ because it should not be used lightly to gain false credibility. Martial Arts Australia is now deemed the largest and most respected peak industry body. It's measured by the size of its membership and the services it provides to support school owners and answer consumer questions about the industry.

The term ‘Peak Body’ or 'Professional Industry Body' is often used, but not easily defined. That’s because peak body means different things to different groups and people. Often, this term elevates an organisation to an industry representative. However, it is not realistic to assume only one peak body per industry. For example, you may have heard the terms CPA, ICAA or NIA . Perhaps your accountant uses one of these? Well, all these associations are peak industry bodies.

A number of associations such as AKKA (Australia Kyokushin Karate Association) or the AJJA (Australian JuJitsu Association) can also be called peak bodies. These groups represent thousands of martial artists within their membership and deserve to be acknowledged as industry leaders. However, each specialises in a particular system. Specifically, one is a Kyokushin Karate peak body and the other a Ju Jitsu peak body.

Martial Arts Australia (MAA) agrees and believe the following should be standard member benefits:

• Industry needs are served through active consultation
• Extensive services and products are accessible to industry
• Contribute to education and provide support and direction
• Provide a strong and united voice for the industry on state and national levels
• Generate and maintain a position of trust, confidence and respect in the industry
• Facilitate the availability of nationally recognised training
• Lobby and work with local and national levels of government
• Liaise with interests within the corporate sector
• Work to promote/expand and project the industry’s profile
• Become a reference point through industry expertise and knowledge
• Represent a substantial portion of the industry (large membership base)
• May be a private company, government dept or a non-profit association
• Governance should be transparent, with regular open industry-wide meetings.
• MAA and International Martial Arts Alliance (IMA) enjoy all these features.
  It has been a voice for industry since 1993, helping martial art school owners from all styles.

We acknowledge other associations and seek to work collaboratively with all styles and associations.
Our work helps to strengthen a united martial arts community so everyone benefits.

If you’re interested in the references we used to describe peak bodies, please refer to Dr Rose Melville’s '
Peak Body' study for the University of Wollongong and Australian Research Council.