Martial Artist Promoted to 7th Dan, Master Instructor

Mrs. Lynn Jessee Earns the Rank of 7th Degree Black Belt and the status Master Instructor

On Sunday, February 10, 2019, Grandmaster Clifford C. Crandall, Jr. (10th Degree-black belt,

founder, and head of the American Martial Arts Institute), promoted Lynn Jessee to 7th-Degree Black Belt and Master Instructor in American Eagle Style. This promotion was awarded to Master Jessee after she successfully completed a year-long testing, meeting all of the high standards of her new rank and status. The announcements comes after she completed her requirements following yesterday's Adult Seminar Day.

In the American Eagle Style the status of Master is earned and added to the student's name at the rank of 7th-Degree Black Belt. This is not an administrative title. Unlike a chief or senior instructor, which is an appointed title denoting a level of responsibility within the school, the status of Master in the Style is earned and linked to the rank of 7th-Degree Black belt and comes with a permanent certificate signed by the Grandmaster. While the demands of earning this rank mean that it will only be earned by a select few, there is no limit to the number of individuals who may earn this prestigious distinction.

The requirements to earn the prestigious rank of 7th Degree Black Belt are rigorous, and they require the demonstration of katas, self-defense skills, and advanced techniques, extensive research, teaching and instructional skills, and the completion of two pages of additional objectives.

Master Jessee is the sixth American Eagle Style student to successfully complete the requirements for 7th-degree and earn the status of Master. She had to demonstrate 44 empty-hand black belt katas, from America, Korea, Japan, and China including advanced forms such as Su San Hung, Hwarang-hyung, Se Jong Hung, Arena, Hansoo, Sil Lum, Cheongwon, Sip Jin, Bassai Sho, and many others. This also included the demonstration of skills and katas with all twelve weapons required by the American Eagle Style such as naginata, bo, sai, escrima, cane, tonfa, sword, eku, and others.

Some of the additional requirements that Master Jessee completed included: co-authoring the book Women's Self Defense in a Changing World, forthcoming next month, the development and documentation (in writing and on DVD) of a black belt level kata (Journey, which becomes a requirement for those preparing for 8th Dan), and the promotion of American Eagle Style and Grandmaster Crandall internationally.

Master Jessee has been training under Grandmaster Crandall since the early 1980s. She is also a 9th Degree co-founder of the American Eagle Cane Style of martial arts (with co-founders Grandmaster Crandall and Master Eric Stalloch). She is a Senior Canemaster in the American Cane System, under Grandmaster Mark Shuey of Cane Masters International. With Grandmaster Crandall and Master Stalloch she helped to produce the 8-instructional DVD series: American Cane System Ranking Series. She also helped to produced the DVDs, Cane-Fu Moving Beyond Disabilities and Practical Cane Self Defense, Volume 1. She is co-author of American Eagle Cane Style instructional textbook, and serves on the board of directors for Secure Living Online, teaching seminars on health, awareness, and personal safety for people of all ages, including individuals who are blind or visually impaired. These are only a few of her accomplishments with Grandmaster Crandall.

Master Jessee will be formally recognized at the next ceremonial black belt breakfast in April. Congratulations to Master Lynn Jessee.