Category: Etiquette

How Low Can You Go? (Part 2)

11/24/2020

Author: Bret Gordon

Watching the trolls of BSMA slither down their scum-filled slide of decency has become somewhat of a sport for me, and every day they cross new lines that leave me wondering what depths they will really go to. This article is in response to yet another (I think we're up to 35 total) written about us under one of their many fake names, as well as the latest video by Dale Dugas and the subsequent comments.

In their efforts to find any dirt on me, it appears they've contacted nearly every martial arts school in Clermont where I taught from 2007 to 2018 (I am now in a different county entirely). From referencing a 13-year-old feud with a former instructor of mine, who was upset that I opened up right around the corner from him although we've since shaken hands and moved on, to even throwing out that at one point after moving to a new location it took a few weeks to get the utilities sorted and we borrowed electricity from our neighbors, they really are grasping at straws as if any of that relates to my credentials or abilities.

One school owner's response, which they posted, was the apparent coup de grace of this article, although they apparently missed the part where it backs up things I've claimed in the past. Let's start there...

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Alcohol And Martial Arts

11/23/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon

Kagami Biraki supplies

In the United States, we heavily associate martial arts as being just another youth activity. The majority of schools that saturate our strip malls cater to children, and therefore the idea of alcohol being present in the school seems taboo to our Western mind. But what if I told you that not only is it culturally appropriate, it's actually part of the training?

In traditional Japanese dojo, each new year is celebrated with the Kagami Biraki. This event is usually tied to the hatsugeiko (first practice of the year) and may be heavily ritualized. One of the components of the ceremony involves a round of sake, first offered to the dojo shrine and then to each of the attendees. However, that's not where it stops.

Both the Japanese and Okinawan cultures are known for their alcoholism, and so it only makes sense that it would permeate the culture of the dojo as well. The first time I experienced alcohol in the dojo was at a Daito Ryu seminar in 2014. We opened the seminar with a round of sake, and broke continually to refuel our "aiki juice." Apparently this was pretty tame as I heard stories at this event of training sessions where they would in fact set up a full bar in the dojo, and after each round of taking ukemi they'd stop for another shot before getting back in line to be thrown. I later learned that Okamoto Seigo (founder of Daito Ryu Roppokai) himself was an avid aficionado of adult beverages, and when asked why he trained so often with Horikawa, he joked that he wanted to get away from his wife and they served alcohol. I think Okamoto actually gave one of his students a "Menkyo Kaiden" in sake drinking. I would've loved to have trained with him, and one of my biggest regrets is not getting the chance before he passed.

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The Bushido Fallacy: Character Development In Martial Arts

10/19/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon

Integrity. Respect. Courage. Honor. Compassion. Sincerity. Loyalty.

Few martial artists are unfamiliar with the seven virtues of Bushido, the honor code of the feudal Samurai. Often equated with the European code of chivalry, Bushido has been been used as everything from a propaganda tool by the Japanese Imperial Military to the ethical conscious of modern corporations. The only problem is that Bushido as we know it has almost nothing to do with the Samurai (at least as we picture them), and even less with martial arts.

Because of our fascination with all things Eastern, and the fact that American school owners have figured out that character development brings in more students than intense training and bloody noses, many commercial schools have latched on to the image of the Samurai and their code of honor. The virtues of Bushido have become taglines on flyers, and soccer moms are rushing to drop off their kids for the parenting they failed to provide.

The problem is that martial arts training rarely builds character, it reveals it. If we truly believed that martial arts training built character and made people better human beings, we would suggest enrolling every convicted felon in the local dojo for rehabilitation. After all, if martial arts are the secret to becoming a compassionate, honorable person, there should be nothing to worry about, right? I shouldn't have to clarify that last statement as sarcasm, but this is the internet. No person in their right mind would take a violent criminal and give them the tools to make them more skilled at violence (though codified prison-based fighting systems do exist as it is).

Do you know what martial arts training does a really great job of building though? False humility. The kind of humility that makes people point out that their humility makes them better than you. This is the same trait that drives people to ostracize those they feel are arrogant and condemn them for their egotism. It's the same trait that leads people to become trolls, attacking others for not conforming to their beliefs. If you were truly humble, you would understand the actions of others have no bearing on you and would mind your own business, leaving people to their own devices. I would prefer someone who is loud and arrogant over someone who pretends not to be any day. At least one is genuine... So if martial arts training does not really build character, what about the Samurai? How did they exist as these semi-mystical beings devoted to a life of honor and a divine sense of virture and righteousness?

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SafeSport Investigation Results

9/28/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon

Thanks to the trolls that continue to plague us, the US Center for SafeSport contacted both myself and Hatfield sensei with a formal investigation into the matter surrounding Patrick Justice after several people made anonymous complaints. SafeSport is the leading organization in the fight against sexual abuse and misconduct in youth sports, and is established by federal law with the jurisdiction to investigate claims of those matters. For those who are unaware, the summary of the situation is that:

In 2004, Patrick Justice was convicted of sexual battery. However, this conviction was kept hidden from both myself and Hatfield sensei, allowing Patrick to be installed as President of the American Jidokwan Association in 2011. In 2017, we became aware of Patrick's prior conviction and demanded he resign his position immediately, and I replaced him as President on October 3, 2017. Two years later, I registered the American Jidokwan Association with USA Taekwondo which required that we become SafeSport certified, which was completed on November 19, 2019.

However, our detractors are so determined to cause us harm that they reported us to SafeSport for failing to report Patrick's conviction and prior affiliation. Why they felt we had an obligation to report an incident that occurred two years prior to us joining Safesport (where the actual conviction was 15 years prior) in the first place is beyond me, and the investigator from SafeSport echoed my sentiments.

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Bullying In The Martial Arts

5/31/2020

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Author: Kevin Hughes

There is a disgusting trend in some "martial arts" circles. That trend is to bully others. Notice the quotations around the word martial arts. I put it in quotes because martial artists do not bully others. In addition, bullies cannot be warriors.

A martial artist and warrior is charged with defending others. For example: As a soldier in the US Army, I was charged with defending every citizen in the USA regardless of who or what they are or were. As a warrior, martial artist, and former soldier, I defend and protect even those whom I disagree with.

These groups that bully seek to harm. They seek out frauds. Ok, here, I agree that frauds in the martial arts can be dangerous. It would be like hiring a surgeon who has only read a book and claims to be an expert cardiac surgeon.

However, not all martial arts frauds are dangerous:

Some may have fraudulent lineage.
Some may have fraudulent credentials.
Some may have fraudulent ability.

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Can We Stop Making Things Up Now?

5/26/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon

I just read the most ridiculous assertion on Hapkido (and therefore Daito Ryu) history... That is that Takeda Sokaku told Choi Yong Sul that it was time to take Daito Ryu back to where it started and where the Minamoto Clan originally came from - Korea. Yeah, I'm just as shocked as you are. I don't know what's worse. The fact that we're just making up history now, or the comment below saying he knows this is true because his grandmaster told him so.

The oral history of Daito Ryu traces the art to Minamoto Yoshimitsu (1045-1127) who allegedly developed an advanced fighting system by dissecting corpses and then passed on this art in secret through his family line. His grandson adopted the surname Takeda, and then the art would continue being transmitted through the Takeda family until Takeda Sokaku began teaching publicly in 1898 and giving it the name "Daito Ryu" after Yoshimitsu's birth place.

But the Minamoto family certainly does not come from Korea! Minamoto was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted to the ranks of the nobility. The Minamoto Clan is also called the Genji Clan depending on how you read the kanji. The hereditary line of Japanese Emperors can be firmly traced back to Emperor Kinmei (509-571), and possibly to the legendary Emperor Jimmu (660BC). Regardless, to say that the Minamoto clan came from Korea is just flat-out lying.

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Spotlight: Tanemura Shoto

4/11/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon

It is amazing what you can accomplish when you start young, meet the right people at the right time, and have an extraordinary level of dedication and personal drive, often going above and beyond what most believe to even be possible. Tanemura Shoto of Genbukan fame is one of the most well-known and respected martial artists of his time. To date, he has either fully inherited or been awarded Menkyo Kaiden (highest level attainable) in no less than 23 different martial arts styles and serves as the President of the Genbukan World Ninpo Bugei Renmei, Kokusai Jujutsu Renmei and the Nihon Kobudo World Federation. On behalf of the US Association of Martial Arts, I would like to extend an overdue congratulations to Tanemura sensei for setting the bar so high, and I hope one day to have half of his credentials.

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Etiquette & Protocol For Supplemental Training

5/25/2018

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Author: Bret Gordon

As instructors, we need to admit to ourselves that we're not perfect. We don't know it all, and sometimes a student is looking for something that we can't provide. Our responsibility as instructors is to provide for our students and guide them on the path that helps them achieve their goals, not ours. One of the hardest things to hear as an instructor is that your student wants to train with someone else, but we have to understand there's a lot more to it. Often times, it's not that they want to replace their training with you but rather supplement it to fill in the gaps. There is no style, and no instructor, that is the best in the world at everything. It's this situation that I want to address in this article, from both the student and instructor's perspective.

Respect and loyalty form the foundation of the instructor/student relationship. It must be mutual and constant. Many things we may not give a second thought to are actually considered to be very disrespectful, and should be avoided.

Earlier tonight, I was contacted by someone who currently trains at another school but was looking to supplement their studies with more realistic self defense training. Upon learning that they were a student elsewhere, I immediately turned them down. If you are a student somewhere, and there is something you have an interest in but are not currently learning, your first responsibility is to talk to your current instructor. Often times, we can accommodate you. I certainly do not teach everything I know within my main program, and many instructors are the same. Perhaps what you're looking to learn is also on the minds of other students in the school, and this "want" can influence your instructor to add an additional class/program, or even offer private training.

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PSA: Ryon Connery

5/24/2018

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Earlier this week, I was contacted by a gentleman named Ryon Connery who was interested in receiving certification as the founder of his own style. As per our regulations, he sent me the three following certificates below as verification of his rank:

Now, obviously he does not hold high enough rank to be considered for a founder's license, but what struck me as even more odd is that he tried passing off his 8th Kyu (yellow belt) Bujinkan certificate as a black belt rank. But, like we do for all prospective members, we looked up Mr. Connery. What we found was shocking, and so we decided to publish this public service announcement. Unfortunately, here are the results:

Ryon Thomas Connery is a Level 2 sex offender, and has two convictions of child molestation (2nd degree) and one conviction of attempted child molestation (view source). The comments on the attached website read:

"In 1999 Connery was convicted in Lewis County Juvenile Court of Child Molestation 2nd Degree for the Sexual Assault of a 13-year-old female. At the time of the offense Connery, then 17-years-old, became romantically involved with the female and coercing her into sexual activity. As a result of the conviction he was sentenced to 156 weeks of confinement. While he was in custody for that offense another sex offense came to light. This involved a then 13-year-old Connery having sexual contact with an 8-year-old female. He was convicted of this new offense and served his sentence concurrently with the other crime. After his release from juvenile custody in 2002 additional sex offenses came to the attention of authorities. Those crimes, occurring prior to his 1999 conviction, involved sexual contact with female children that were known to him. In 2002 he pled guilty to the single offense of Attempted Child Molestation 2nd Degree. As a result of that conviction he was sentenced to 60 months in prison. Since his release for the sex offense, Connery received a conviction in Lewis County Superior Court in 2014 for Assault of a Child. Based on the type of crimes committed, Connery has been classified as a clear risk to re-offend and this notification in required."

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Knowing Where You Sit At The Table

11/7/2017

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Author: Bret Gordon

One of the most overlooked aspects of martial arts training is the culture in which the arts themselves were created (for the purpose of this article, I will be specifically referring to Japanese martial arts). Here in the States, we have a unique culture (for better or worse) that drives our everyday lives. However, once you step through the threshold of the dojo, everything changes. Once you bow at the door, you're in a whole new world.

In this new world that is the dojo, there is no such thing as freedom of speech or expression. There is no such thing as equality. A traditional dojo functions like a family, something I've addressed in several previous articles. But also as a family, there is a clear hierarchy. There is a parent, and there are children. While as human beings we all have a basic right to be treated with dignity and respect, there is a clear order of succession. There is a rigid hierarchy, driven by both rank and title/license, that establishes your place in line.

It is generally assumed that you are training in that specific school because you trust the instructor enough that they can help you reach your training goals. You trust that they have more experience in their given field, and therefore their expert opinion is what you should be following. If you do not trust that they have more experience and knowledge than you do, why are you training there? So that being said, you must also trust that they know what's best for you and how to best guide you on your path once you have clearly established what your goals in training are. You must trust that they know what they're talking about. This does not mean to blindly follow your instructor or to never ask them to clarify why they say or do something a certain way. Lord knows, the martial arts are full of cultists today who never question what they are taught. But what I'm talking about goes much deeper than simple curiosity or willingness to learn, so let's explore it...

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<<Previous

USAMA BLOG

How Low Can You Go? (Part 2)

Alcohol And Martial Arts

The Bushido Fallacy: Character Development In Martial Arts

SafeSport Investigation Results

Bullying In The Martial Arts

Can We Stop Making Things Up Now?

Spotlight: Tanemura Shoto

Etiquette & Protocol For Supplemental Training

PSA: Ryon Connery

Knowing Where You Sit At The Table

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