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Title Supersedes Rank

8/24/2016

Author: Bret Gordon

Due to the great response of my last article, and numerous people messaging me on Facebook about it, I decided to do a follow-up to discuss another misunderstood concept in the martial arts ranking debate. In addition to your kyu/dan rank, there are certain titles which if you are awarded them supersede whatever rank you hold. This is because they come with certain responsibilities or authority you need to carry out regardless of what your rank is. Keep in mind, this article will solely focus on the Japanese martial arts and titles. I am not as familiar with Korean or Chinese titles and arts, so rather than try to pull something out of thin air I'll just leave it alone.

There are two types of titles in Japanese arts, teaching titles and organizational titles. Teaching titles are specifically awarded to instructors and bring with them various levels of authority within the system. It's as if they have they've replaced the old menkyo system (which some systems still award in addition to title and kyu/dan rank). So the question is, which titles mean what and how do you earn them?

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Your Argument Is Invalid: The True Origins Of Rank

8/23/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon

Every single martial art student has heard the urban myth that the colored belts came around generations ago, that when martial artists would practice they would wear a white belt and over time through blood, sweat and dirt it would gradually change colors until it was completely black. Just stop it! Every time I hear this, I have to fight back the deepest eye roll and urge to chime in with an extremely arrogant, "Uh... Not so much!"

In this article, I hope to explore the true origins of rank, as well as settle once and for all the debate on age and rank. So many martial artists fight over who is eligible for what rank, what life skills must they possess or what experiences they have to go through before becoming eligible for a colorful piece of cotton, and it's enough. The purpose of rank has become bastardized as everything from a way to make money off your students to a lofty, unattainable goal that we are obligated to venerate. But what's the truth?

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That's All Folks! Taekwondo Is Dead!

8/21/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon

Today is the closing ceremony of the Rio Olympics, and at this point I'm glad they're behind us. If watching the degradation of Judo from a reputable martial art to nothing more than collegiate wrestling wasn't enough, the Taekwondo competition was simply pathetic and heart wrenching. Many blame the electronic scoring system, and while that certainly is the straw that broke the camel's back, it is not the underlying problem. You can't blame the athletes for figuring out ways to score, even if it compromises technique. Don't hate the players, hate the game.

When Taekwondo debuted as an official medal event at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, the world was ecstatic! Taekwondo was known for its lightning fast kicks, powerful knockouts and excitement from bell-to-bell. Highlight reels from 2000, 2004 and 2008 flooded the internet, with my favorite still being the +80kg gold medal match between South Korea's Moon Dae-Sung and Greece's Alexandros Nikolaidis in Athens 2004. But in 2012, there were very few notable moments and I think I speak for all us when I say that these Olympics in Rio are best to be forgotten. But what happened? How did Taekwondo become the laughing stock of martial arts?

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Bullying In The Martial Arts

8/19/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon

In the world of anti-bullying, you'd never think there could be martial arts bullies. However, in no other community do grown men argue about colorful pieces of cloth and pretty documents than in the martial arts. Think about it. How many times have you heard groups of "masters" and "grandmasters" publicly shaming another practitioner because of what they wear around their waist? How many of them call out other martial artists because they belong to another organization, therefore their piece of paper is not worth as much? How many times have school owners written a negative review of their competitors for absolutely no reason, simply to deter students away from their competitors so they can make an extra buck? Hell, there's an entire thread on bullshido about me and yet if you read the entire thread my hater was called out specifically for posting negative things simply because he was a competitor. It happens every day.

Whenever there's a group of people, bullies will find a way to infiltrate even the most noble of circles. They seek out a target and sink their venomous jaws into them, for reasons such as jealousy, inferiority, self consciousness, etc. More often than not, these snakes have little experience with their victims and are speaking from a place of ignorance and hate. The truth is that they're intimidated, and feel that should their victim gain any success it undermines them. Now, my first martial arts instructor when I was a little kid made it a point to tell me that we're all on our own journey and nothing anyone else does affects us in anyway. Apparently, these cowards didn't get the memo. Here's just one story in the sea of martial arts bullies (in the interest of anonymity, their names will be kept out of this article).

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Is MMA Good For Martial Arts?

8/15/2016

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Author: David Orman

In the 80's it was the era of the Ninja, thanks in part to the slew of movies that came out on the topic. That phase passed. In the 90's, it was the era of Aikido, thanks to Steven Seagal and again, the silver screen. That phase passed. Now it is the era of Mixed Martial Arts, thanks mainly to the UFC. This phase continues to grow.

For those involved in UFC and competitive fight organizations, knowing aspects of several martial arts are a requirement. No one can survive, yet alone win with just a stand-up game or a ground game. It was individuals such as Georges St. Pierre and Randy Couture, who were the complete package and thus, the great champions. But for the rest of us who do not regularly partake in the "joy" of an elbow-to-the-chin, I pose the question, "Is MMA really good for martial arts as a whole?"

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Nostalgia Is A Funny Thing

8/14/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon

It's no secret that I am a self defense fanatic. However, with the Olympics currently going on I can't help but feel nostalgic about a time when all I wanted was to compete. Shocking, right? When I write articles about the degradation of true martial arts when people favor competition, I'm writing from my personal experience. In the years leading up to, and certainly during, my competitive career I pushed everything to back burner that wouldn't help me in the ring, so I completely understand the motivation to do so. But it's been six years since I've fought competitively, and my entire outlook on the arts has changed.

The thing about the Olympics that has triggered me though is the fact that I was on Team USA as well. In 2009, I was scouted by Hanshi Alberto Friedmann, head coach of the US Martial Arts Team, to compete the following year at the World Martial Arts Games in Las Vegas. Unlike any other open martial arts competition, the WMAG was sanctioned by The Association For International Sport For All (TAFISA) which is governed by the International Olympic Committee. So although open sport martial arts isn't part of the Olympic Games, medals and titles won at the WMAG are Olympic recognized, and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

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The Difference Between Healthy Tai Chi & Fighting Tai Chi

8/14/2016

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Author: Richard Clear

Recently it has come to my attention that there is a distinction being made here in the USA regarding a so called difference between Tai Chi for health and Tai Chi for self defense. Having studied for the last 30 years from over half a dozen senior Tai Chi masters and directly from 2 different original Tai Chi family lineages (Yang and Wu styles) including Wu style family members who are the world heads for Tai Chi I must admit that at first I found this very confusing. When you ask any senior Tai Chi master about the “difference” between Tai Chi for health and Tai Chi for self defense you either get a funny look or a fairly excited answer about the current sad state of affairs and that there is no difference between Tai Chi for health and Tai Chi for self defense.

Tai Chi is Tai Chi. There is No difference between the Tai Chi that is healthy and the Tai Chi that is for fighting / self defense. Of course there are a lot of “so called” Tai Chi teachers in America today who would like the public to think that these things are different. Why? The unfortunate and simple answer is that so many of the folks who are teaching Tai Chi only for health got their Tai Chi certification in a weekend workshop and the only way that they can try to compete in the market place with someone who actually knows Tai Chi is to try to say that those who have more knowledge and information are somehow teaching something different. Hopefully, this begs the question concerning what exactly is Tai Chi for health and what is Tai Chi for self defense?

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Distinguishing Chi Frauds From True Internals

8/13/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon

Mention anything related to energy or internals to the average person, and you're sure to be met with a look of both criticism and arrogance. There are so many videos of people claiming to use chi (ki in Japanese) to overcome an attacker with little to no physical contact. Subsequently, when facing a live attack they're embarrassed and seriously hurt. Therefore, the greater martial arts community writes off anything or anyone teaching energy work or internals. And you know what? It's our fault! Very few people in the internal community have spoken out against the frauds. Instead, they simply write off people's disbelief as ignorance and go on about their day.

But here's the thing. Aiki Jujutsu was once regarded as the highest form of jujutsu by such notable masters as Kano Jigoro, and to see it fall from grace for no real reason other than ignorance and frauds hurts me on a personal level. When you're looking at a demonstration of anyone claiming to use internal power, there are very specific bodily responses that you must look for. Unlike external arts where you can watch a technique and replicate it, internal arts must be directly transmitted through hands-on experience because the nuances that internalize the movements cannot be seen except by the expert eye. So how do you distinguish the diamonds in the rough from the slew of frauds and garbage polluting the internet?

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YouTube Sensei Has More Students Than Us All

8/13/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon

Just admit it. We've all watched videos of other practitioners, seen something we liked and tried to replicate it. It's ok, there's nothing wrong with that. It's not any different than watching a demonstration and trying to copy what you saw. In fact, it may actually be better because you can replay it as many times as you need. The problem only occurs when people forego physical training with an instructor to learn from videos exclusively or try to skip ahead in your training. There are minute details you can never pick up simply from video, if you have no experience with that particular system.

Sure, a high level Goju-Ryu karateka can watch a video of another Goju-Ryu kata that he hasn't seen yet, and replicate it very well including the small details. This is because his experience in the system has conditioned him to the finer points of Goju-Ryu and he already has an understanding of the dynamics and principles of the system. The same would be true for any high level practitioner watching techniques from their system. Notice I clarified this by saying "high level practitioner." Someone with only a few years of experience, or even a Shodan or Nidan (and probably Sandan), needs to stay off the internet. I'd say about 4th Dan is when someone has enough understanding of their system to be able to watch a video and replicate what they see accurately, and without developing bad habits their instructor will hating them for.

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The Demise Of Aikido, And How To Fix It

8/12/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon

In the era of MMA, it's becoming increasingly hard to defend Aikido's combative efficiency when the majority of aikidoka are wrapped up in love and harmony. Aikido Journal's Stanley Pranin wrote a great article, entitled "Are You An Unwitting Participant In The Demise Of Aikido?" and I encourage everyone to read it. As an Aiki Jujutsu instructor, I have a soft spot for Aikido (no pun intended). I see the combative potential in the techniques, but unfortunately most aikidoka that I know would rather pursue the art as only a path for self enlightenment. There's nothing wrong with that, as the term Budo can be ultimately be translated as "the path to enlightenment through the hardening of the spirit by combat." That being said, you can't get upset when the new generation of fighters look down on Aikido as being little more than a choreographed dance. You can only use the excuse that "while our techniques can be used for self defense, our main focus is the betterment of self" so many times, and the number of videos polluting the internet of aikidoka being embarrassed by low-level grapplers is starting to irritate me. So how do we restore the art to what it was supposed to be?

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In an effort to share information, each year we publish a book containing all of the articles written that year. This book is an excellent supplemental training tool for the beginner and master alike! To order the most recent volume, click the image below. For previous years, please contact our headquarters.

Articles of 2016

USAMA BLOG

Title Supersedes Rank

Your Argument Is Invalid: The True Origins Of Rank

That's All Folks! Taekwondo Is Dead!

Bullying In The Martial Arts

Is MMA Good For Martial Arts?

Nostalgia Is A Funny Thing

The Difference Between Healthy Tai Chi & Fighting Tai Chi

Distinguishing Chi Frauds From True Internals

YouTube Sensei Has More Students Than Us All

The Demise Of Aikido, And How To Fix It

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