Blog Archives

Prestigious How?

11/29/2015

Author: Bret Gordon

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For those who have been following my articles, you'll know I've been discussing legitimate credentials and ranks so now I'd like to share with you a little of my personal experience. When I first stepped out on my own and began claiming my own system, I looked around the martial arts community for an organization to join. While I wanted to be independent, I also wanted to be a part of something larger and I think that's something we all want - a place where we belong. I joined multiple groups, was "recognized" as a founder (see my previous articles about foundership credentials) and awarded the rank of 10th Dan (which for the record I do not claim or see myself as). I was continually searching for new associations, new affiliations and ultimately, it was a paper chase. However, I was always left wanting more.

Most martial arts associations today offer very similar benefits: rank recognition, instructor certification, school charters, style recognition, etc. Our Association offers the same credentials to our members, and there's nothing wrong with that, but unfortunately that's where the benefits of most organizations end. Some will give you a patch, feature you on their website, give you the opportunity to host them for a seminar at your school, opportunities for rank advancement and all of this is great but where is the real benefit? Everything I've just listed is superficial. Don't get me wrong, having legitimate credentials is of the utmost importance but what else can an organization offer you besides that? Unfortunately, the biggest incentive of these organizations is to be able to name drop, to say you're affiliated with some well known people. It's a big ego stroke, but nothing more.

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Too Many Chiefs...

11/25/2015

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Author: Bret Gordon

As the follow-up to my previous post, "Legitimate Foundership?" I'd like to discuss the growing epidemic of 10th Dans in the martial arts community. As I said previously, it seems that everyone nowadays has founded their own system and assumed the rank of 10th Dan. The thought behind this is "It's my system, I am the head of it, therefore I am the highest rank." While as the founder you are automatically the headmaster of the system, rank is something entirely separate.

Funakoshi Gichin, founder of Shotokan Karate, was once asked what his rank was after the implementation of the kyu/dan system and I believe his response exemplifies the mentality we all should maintain. He stated simply that his rank was of no significance, that rank was merely for the students. Rank was designed to be a tool to measure the progress of the student within a given system by the instructor. Therefore as the headmaster of that system, you technically have no rank within that system. Numerical rank is unnecessary as you automatically hold the highest position. Position and title ultimately supersede rank as it is, so to self proclaim 10th Dan is not only redundant, it's just wrong. When I say title supersedes rank, this means (and is a very exaggerated example) that a low level practitioner who is named the inheritor of a system by the previous Soke assumes all responsibilities and authority as the headmaster of that system regardless of their personal progression and rank. From that point on, it is up to those higher up in the system to aid the new Soke as advisers and get them up to par but that does not negate their actual authority to issue rank and licenses to any level. So if holding the rank of 10th Dan is unnecessary for the headmaster to fulfill the responsibilities of their position, where did the trend come from?

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Legitimate Founders?

11/23/2015

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Author: Bret Gordon

Take one look at the American martial arts scene, and it seems like everybody has founded their own system. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with stepping out of the box and bringing something truly unique and innovative to the table. At one point, every traditional system started out as just an idea in someone's head and went through the same rigorous process I am about to describe. I, myself, am the founder of my own system so before you call me a hypocrite for what I'm about to say, however, and believe that I am bashing other founders or placing myself above anyone, please read this article to the end. That is not my intention, and if anything I'd like to educate those who may not know what the process is to obtain legitimate foundership credentials.

As I said, every system we now call traditional or classical had a starting point. A practitioner of an existing martial arts system branched out, modified their teachings, brought forth new ideas or training methods, and was recognized for their efforts. A Westerner doing the same thing often is subject to more criticism however (refer to my previous post, "Racism in the Martial Arts") but more often than not, it's rightly so. More often than not, these new systems are nothing but a mixture of previously existing techniques presented in a shiny new package, but when you open it up there's nothing inside. There's no innovation, there's nothing unique. The argument that "my system was designed for real self defense" has been beat to death, and has been done so many times that it is no longer enough to justify the claims of a new, unique, independent style. So before I discuss how one receives legitimate recognition as a founder, let's discuss what even justifies a "new" style.

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Is Aikido A "Martial" Art?

11/23/2015

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Author: Bret Gordon

Recently a video interview between MMA commentator Joe Rogan and an Aikido instructor went viral concerning the effectiveness of Aikido, specifically in the cage. As an Aiki Jujutsu instructor with some cross-training in Aikido, I have to admit my first reaction was to fiercely defend Aikido without prejudice but after hearing the same criticisms repeatedly, I thought it only fair to do some more research and make an objective analysis.

For those unfamiliar with the history of Aikido, here is a very brief summary. Ueshiba Morihei began studying Daito-Ryu under Takeda Sokaku in 1915, and his official affiliation lasted until 1937. In 1919, Ueshiba moved to Ayabe and began his study of the Omoto Kyo religion. There, he also began teaching martial arts unofficially. In 1922, Takeda visited Ueshiba and lived with him for six months, at the end of which he awarded Ueshiba a kyoju dairi (representative instructor) certificate. Interestingly enough, on Ueshiba's certificate is the first written mention of Daito-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu instead of simply Daito-Ryu Jujutsu. There are several theories as to why Takeda made this distinction, but my personal opinion is that while Ueshiba's teachings were still Daito-Ryu in nature, Takeda felt they had been modified too much to be pure Daito-Ryu Jujutsu. Throughout the late 1920s and 1930s, Ueshiba continued to modify techniques emphasizing the concept of mutual harmony - that while you can and should defend yourself, there is no need to cause permanent damage or worse and both parties should walk away. The continual evolution of Ueshiba's art is evidenced by the various schools of Aikido, ranging from the rigid and combative Yoshinkan school to the moving meditation of the Ki Society, and is due largely to the time frame that the respective branch founders studied with Ueshiba. Throughout the years, Ueshiba called his teachings Aiki Budo before settling on the name Aikido.

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Racism In The Martial Arts

11/19/2015

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Author: Bret Gordon

Even in the turmoil of today's society, the hypocrisy of certain individuals never ceases to amaze me. One need only turn on the news to know of the racial tension growing among the American population, but this is not the racism I am referring to. What I'm referring to is the self-inflicted inferiority complex of American martial artists to their Asian counterparts.

When discussing the topic of young masters, the argument always references the maturity level of the practitioner as well as their life experience (or lack thereof). If the study of Budo is a lifelong journey, how can someone under the age of 35 (still pushing the boundaries) have enough life experience or even martial arts experience to claim high rank in any martial arts system, let alone multiple systems, or even worse - claim to be the founder of their own system! This argument generally comes by way of traditional/classical practitioners who may have reached the peak of their martial arts progression. They use the argument that in a true traditional system, mastery cannot be achieved at such a young age. However, the history of their own system(s) seems to get conveniently overlooked.

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Who Said Krav Maga Was The Best?

11/18/2015

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Author: Bret Gordon

Everyone wants to believe their system is the most effective when it comes to self defense. No system has made as many claims to this as Krav Maga, and I'd like to clarify something. True Israeli military grade Krav Maga is sweet! It's nitty-gritty, effective and for lack of better terminology, bad ass. Unfortunately, the majority of Krav Maga courses offered to the general public are nothing more than a glorified cardio kickboxing class with some partner drills masquerading as self defense and frankly, it will get you killed! "Civilian" Krav Maga is a joke, and is an insult to the name. Even LEO grade Krav Maga dances on the line between military and civilian, because while they do cover some of the more effective, combative techniques, their rules of engagement are drastically different when dealing with the public than the military's are dealing with enemy combatants. Especially in today's society, when everyone is recording police officers and filing excessive force law suits, who can blame LEOs for watering down their defensive tactics to not cause permanent damage? The problem is that's the whole purpose of Krav Maga: to teach someone in a very short time frame how to be deadly effective in hand-to-hand combat should they lose their weapon on their battlefield.

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Where's The "Hapki" In Hapkido?

11/17/2015

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Author: Bret Gordon

Before any of my Hapkido friends jump in and say "Well it was taught to the Presidential body guards, it must be good enough for them," let me clarify that I am not saying that the techniques of Hapkido are not practical or effective. I love joint manipulation and it plays a huge part in my teachings. What I AM saying is that Hapkido lacks the understanding of internal martial arts, and is merely a Korean equivalent of Nihon Jujutsu. Therefore, it is wrongly named. When I say internal martial arts, I am not talking about breathing methods (Danjun breathing, for example) or pressure points. Hapki as a principle is not redirecting the opponent's force and momentum to use against them. Mainstream Aikido suffers from this problem too. The principle of Hapki, which I will now refer to in this post as Aiki (the Japanese translation, since I am a Japanese practitioner), goes much deeper. Aiki is the systematic use of receiving, processing and returning force. It is the manipulation of not just joints but also soft tissue and skeletal structure to create bodily distortions and off balancing. The pain associated with Aiki techniques often resonates in the lumbar region, regardless of where the point of contact is, because the practitioner is connecting with your entire body and spiraling force throughout it. It feels as if your entire body is elongated and compressed at the same time, breathing becomes difficult and all you can think about is self preservation. Techniques do not rely on pain compliance, but work because of the understanding of biomechanics and human anatomy.

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Red Belt: Who Cares?

11/16/2015

Author: Bret Gordon

There's an interesting trend going on the martial arts concerning the use of the red belt and I'd like to weigh in on it. Everyone tries to be humble and say "A belt is only good to hold your pants up, it only matters what you can do on the mat" but they're also the first ones to jump on the bandwagon and attack someone who wears a color of cloth that doesn't meet their standards to wear that particular color of cloth. First and foremost, the use of kyu/dan s...ystem as well as various colored belts to denote rank was instituted by Kano Jigoro (the founder of Kodokan Judo). This system of rank, eventually replacing the older Menkyo system in most styles, served several purposes. Mainly, it served as a way for people in class to distinguish practitioners from one another and there were only two belts: white and black. The common myth that all practitioners wore a white belt which through age, dirt and sweat turned black as a symbol of your proficiency is just that... a myth. Belts were deliberately white and black. Over time, this system of belts was adopted by other forms of martial arts and new colors were added. In 1930, Kano designed a red and white alternating panel belt, using the national colors of Japan. In 1943, he designated an optional solid red belt for holders of 9th and 10th dan. I'm sorry it isn't more elaborate or mysterious, but that is the origin of the kyu/dan system as well as the belts. Now, here is the issue. Kano implemented this ranking for HIS style. Nearly everyone has adopted the rank system, and made their own adjustments. There is nothing wrong with that, but it leaves a big margin of error. What a specific belt color represents in one system may or may not be what it represents in another. Do not be so quick to judge. If all of you truly believe that ranks and belts don't matter... If all of you truly believe that a combination of skill, application, understanding and maturity is all that matters, then stop! Stop arguing over whose piece of paper means more. Stop arguing over whose colorful piece of cloth is more prestigious. What happened to the days when brotherhood and the share of knowledge were more important than what's around your waist? That is the world of budo I signed up for.... Just saying. And don't get me started on the use of the red belt in Korean styles. That's a rant for another day.

Japanese Sword In Sport Karate? Just Stop!

11/15/2015

Author: Bret Gordon

Having been involved in the Sport Karate world for so long, in addition to my study of traditional and practical martial arts, my biggest pet peeve is seeing anyone using a Japanese sword (Nihonto) in traditional kata competition that is not doing a traditional iaido/iaijutsu style kata. More often than not, their forms show complete lack of understanding on proper sword mechanics and training, in addition to just being disrespectful. The nihonto is not just another weapon, and should not be treated as such. However, if you feel you MUST put together a tournament style "traditional" kata using nihonto, please make an effort to use it properly. The two biggest mistakes people make are proper grip of the sword, as well as their cuts. Proper grip is shown below. Instead of choking the tsuba (hand guard) as most people do, you must give the sword room to "breathe." Also, there are no chopping motions done with a nihonto. It is curved for optimal SLICING and all cuts should reflect that. The kissaki must move first, not your arms. And if you don't know what the kissaki is, please put the sword down and do some research. I am NOT the be all and end all of Japanese sword work, and I do not claim to be an expert in traditional Kenjutsu, but if you're going to do something, be respectful and do it right at least.

USAMA BLOG

Prestigious How?

Too Many Chiefs...

Legitimate Founders?

Is Aikido A "Martial" Art?

Racism In The Martial Arts

Who Said Krav Maga Was The Best?

Where's The "Hapki" In Hapkido?

Red Belt: Who Cares?

Japanese Sword In Sport Karate? Just Stop!

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