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USAMA BLOG

Raising the standards of the martial arts

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What Is A Diploma Mill?

8/20/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon
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After our recent announcement that the US Association of Martial Arts will no longer be offering certification services to our members (click here), our detractors have tried to spin this as an admission that the USAMA was a diploma mill and now we have seen the error of our ways. This could not be farther from the truth, but it does bring up a rather interesting discussion that I'd like to expand upon. 

Unfortunately, like the term "fraud," the concept of a diploma mill gets thrown around the martial arts community so often that it has lost all meaning. It is most often used to describe a school or organization that doesn't live up to the standards of the accuser. What the accuser doesn't take into account is that quality is subjective, and there are absolutely different levels to this. A degree from Harvard is worth more than one from your local community college. Both are still valid. ​​

​In contrast, a diploma or rank mill merely sells rank with bare minimum requirements (often simply a successful payment). They offer meaningless pieces of paper in exchange for a fee without any consideration. While I will admit there are plenty of schools who issue ranks merely based on attendance, I still wouldn't call them diploma mills. Just because they do not live up to my standards does not mean they are fake or fraudulent. Everyone's training goals are different, and we need to take that into account when judging others. Where it becomes a problem is when the issuing authority, whether that's the instructor or an organization, is dishonest about what is being offered such as saying you teach self defense but it's really cardio kickboxing, or an organization recognizing a rank/title you already hold but you present it as the source of your credentials. An organization acknowledging and recognizing something that has already been legitimately earned is not the same as an organization selling you a piece of paper no questions asked.


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USAMA Membership Process

8/17/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon
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I am both honored and humbled at the amount of inquiries we've received to join the US Association of Martial Arts over the last few days as a result of the recent attention by our detractors. There is a silver lining in everything I guess. Rather than typing largely the same response in numerous emails, I thought it would be best to write this article detailing the entire membership process that I can then link new inquiries to. 

The absolute first step in the membership process is to fill out the form on the "Join USAMA --> Individual Membership" page of this website (click here). After that, you will be contacted by either myself or one of our officers to begin the application process. 

Membership into the US Association of Martial Arts is for instructors, and therefore you must hold a minimum of Dan grade ranking or equivalent in your style. Yellow belts should not be joining an organization independently of their instructor. After filling out the form above, you will be asked to supply a series of documents:
  • Proof of rank
    • ​This must be a physical certificate (scanned copy will suffice) and no digital diplomas are accepted. We then contact the issuing authority for verification, as well as look into their authority to issue such credentials in the first place. If they cannot be contacted, as often happens with an in-school certification that later shuts down or the instructor passes away, the prospective member may still join our organization but there will be no rank recognition offered.
  • Copy of SafeSport certification
    • ​All new members as of August 14, 2020, must complete the online training offered by the US Center for SafeSport on sexual abuse. There are no exceptions. Course can be found here. 
  • Valid government-issued photo ID​

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The USAMA Supports The Joyful Heart Foundation

8/17/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon
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As a professional organization committed to the martial virtues of honor, integrity and respect, the US Association of Martial Arts firmly stands against sexual abuse in all forms.

Therefore as part of the fight against sexual abuse in the martial arts, in addition to now requiring SafeSport certification for all new members and encouraging current members to obtain it, we proudly have donated to and pledge support for the Joyful Heart Foundation (click here), a leading national organization that aims to 
transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, support survivors’ healing, and end this violence forever. 

The Joyful Heart Foundation was founded by Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay (shown above) in 2004. They carry out their mission through an integrated program portfolio of education and advocacy. We also encourage all members and supporters of the US Association of Martial Arts to donate and support the Joyful Heart Foundation as they work to combat sexual abuse through such projects as ending the backlog of unprocessed rape kits (click here) and other impactful programs. 

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PSA: Patrick Justice (Part 2)

8/17/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon
Following our recent public service announcement (click here) regarding former president of the American Jidokwan Association, Patrick Justice, and the situation that has unfolded surrounding it, Mr. Justice has reached out to us and voluntarily provided the following statement to be posted on his behalf. Included here is the handwritten statement provided by Mr. Justice, and a transcript below:
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What Is San Budo Sogo Bugei?

8/15/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon
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Those who follow me on social media will notice I heavily promote American Yoshinkan Aiki Jujutsu, one of two arts that I inherited from my teacher, Steven Hatfield, alongside Satori Ryu Kokusai Goju Kai. Many will say I share more about American Yoshinkan than I do about my own art! If that's true, it's simply because I love aiki. I love the sophistication and intricacy. I love how advanced this system of internal power is. I love... Hold on. I'm doing it again. Let's back up and discuss the art that I have poured my blood, sweat and tears into developing. 

San Budo Sogo Bugei 三武道総合武芸 is a modern interpretation of traditional Japanese and Okinawan warrior arts, with an emphasis on practical self defense and survival training. Primarily derived from Aiki Jujutsu, Goju Ryu and Kajukenbo/Kempo, the art of San Budo Sogo Bugei offers a complete self defense curriculum designed to address the realities of the modern world built upon centuries of proven training and fighting methods. 

While San Budo Sogo Bugei (herein referred to as "San Budo") is derived from numerous arts, it is not merely a mix of these systems. San Budo is 
an expression of my personal philosophies, beliefs and training methods. After all, that's what any style is at its core. There's only so many ways to cause physical damage to another human being, so what separates styles from each other are the principles behind them.

In this article, we're going to explore the curriculum of San Budo, what makes it unique and the source of its legitimacy as an independent style of martial arts. 


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Academic Degrees In Martial Arts

8/15/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon
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Among the sea of inflated ranks and titles flooding the martial arts today is the use of academic titles and degrees issued by various organizations. Nothing more than an honorary recognition, as martial arts degrees are not accredited in the United States, these degrees are a cool novelty but otherwise meaningless. While our Asian counterparts have the opportunity to study the arts as their major in college, I assume working towards a career as an instructor, the idea hasn't really caught on here.

​To my knowledge, the only legitimate academic degree available in martial arts offered in the United States is through the University of Bridgeport (click here) with their B.A. in Martial Arts Studies program. In addition, as they are Olympic sports, some colleges offer scholarships for sport Taekwondo and Judo, but do not offer degree programs for these arts. Everything else you see in the martial arts with regards to "academic" degrees ranges from conversation pieces to outright misrepresentation. The difference, in my opinion, comes down to how such piece of paper was obtained and how it is used. Is it something you were ceremonially awarded, or something you consciously applied and paid for? Is it a footnote in your resume along with other honorary awards or are you calling yourself "Doctor?" Unlike martial arts certifications, there actually is a universally accepted standard when it comes to academic degrees. So like anything else, the legitimacy of having such all comes down to what you claim.

That said, I do not think any serious martial artist takes these degrees as anything more than what they are. When I read about someone having one or see it on their wall, I say "cool" and move on. My own teacher has one in fact. However, as any sane person does, he calls it what it is: something nice given to him by someone as a gesture of respect. In today's world, acknowledging respect is something we need to do more of and encourage. 

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OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT - UPDATED MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

8/14/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon
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Effective immediately, in addition to the already stringent requirements of membership that include a background check and in-person meeting to determine if we are a good fit for each other as we are primarily a training and networking organization, the US Association of Martial Arts will now require all prospective members to be SafeSport Certified and present their certificate of completion with their membership application. This applies for all new memberships, and we will work to ensure all current members receive this training as well. 

The US Center for SafeSport is the national standard for sexual abuse awareness training and how to recognize the red flags of emotional, physical and sexual misconduct, and then what to do if abuse does occur. Through small steps like this and taking action, we can end sexual abuse in the martial arts together. While those who belong to the sport NGBs for Taekwondo and Judo will already be required to hold SafeSport certification, this training is available to the public for minimal cost ($20 at the time of this writing). For more information regarding the SafeSport program and to enroll in training, please click here. 

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PSA: Patrick Justice

8/13/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon
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Recently some information has been made public about a former member of the American Jidokwan Association, an organization I run alongside my instructor Steven Hatfield. Patrick Justice was a lifelong friend and student of Hatfield's in the art of American Jidokwan Taekwondo. In 2011 he was made President of the organization, a position he held until 2017. During this time, his involvement in the martial arts ranged between teaching adult students privately and being inactive at various periods. His position in the American Jidokwan Association was largely administrative and symbolic, as at the time Hatfield was not teaching Taekwondo and the other schools in the organization operated independently. 

​Customary for our organizations when accepting new members (especially in an administrative capacity) is to run a background check on them. Due to the friendship between Hatfield and Justice, this was never done on Justice. In late 2016 I became actively involved in the American Jidokwan Association on an organizational level, having been a member for several years, becoming the Florida State Representative as the organization began expanding outside of Ohio. In 2017, as Hatfield and I were sitting around discussing the organization's growth and other prospective members, the topic of Justice's background check came up and we realized one had never been done. What we found was shocking, to say the least. 

In 2004, Patrick Justice was convicted of sexual battery and served three years in prison (view source). We immediately confronted him about this, giving him the option to either step down or be removed publicly. He was upfront about his record and chose to step down. He turned in his certifications and was dismissed from the American Jidokwan Association entirely. On October 3, 2017, I replaced him as President of the AJA which I hold to this day. 


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What Is A Martial Arts Fraud?

8/13/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon
The most insulting thing you can say to a martial artist is that they are a fraud. It's right up there with being a pedophile, rapist or other vile criminal. Where martial artists pride themselves on upholding the virtues of honor, integrity and respect, the accusation that one is a liar, a conman or otherwise dishonorable is a blow that many never recover from. Unfortunately, the words "fraud" and "fake" get thrown around way too much in the martial arts community, almost to the point where they don't mean anything other than the accused belongs to a different group than the accuser. When we break it down, the actual definition of a fraud is:
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So we can see very clearly what a fraud is and isn't. A fraud is someone trying to deceive others. Therefore, everyone who throws around the word "fraud" simply because the other person does not meet their standards, either in their skillsets or in their affiliations, is simply wrong. There is a difference between being a low-quality martial artist and being a fraud and since quality is subjective to begin with, everyone is entitled to their opinion. But let's explore this world of fraudulent martial artists even further, shall we?

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OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING CERTIFICATIONS

8/12/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon
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The purpose of the US Association of Martial Arts has always been to offer networking and training opportunities for our members. We have in the past also offered avenues of certification and rank recognition for those who needed help becoming legitimate or seeking an affiliation, but this has always been secondary to our purpose and mission. It was never our intention to become a sanctioning body.

​However, due to the massive stigma in the martial arts community regarding diploma mills and multi-style organizations, we have decided to no longer offer this service. Therefore, effective immediately, the US Association of Martial Arts will no longer be offering certification of any kind. During the membership application process, upon successful induction in our organization, we will provide a welcome letter validating the rank you currently hold (provided that it can be verified to our standards) but this is not a certification issued or endorsed by us. Moving forward, we are returning to our initial mission of providing training opportunities, seminars, events, etc.

We thank you all for your understanding, and look forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming Taikai on Sunday, August 30th. Please remember due to space limitations and COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, you must be pre-registered in order to attend. No walk-ins will be allowed. 



EDIT (August 13, 2020) - We have received several inquiries as to what it means to have your rank "verified to our standards." When a prospective member submits their application to the USAMA, they must include a copy of their most recent rank certification from their instructor or governing body. This must be a physical certificate (scanned copy will suffice) and no digital diplomas are accepted. We then contact the issuing authority for verification, as well as look into their authority to issue such credentials in the first place. If they cannot be contacted, as often happens with an in-school certification that later shuts down or the instructor passes away, the prospective member may still join our organization but there will be no rank recognition offered. For more information about the membership process, please click here to contact our headquarters. 
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