Category: Rank

If Our Lineage Is False - A Shout Out To David Falcaro

5/10/2020

Author: Bret Gordon

I need to give a quick shout out to David Falcaro, founder of Neji Gekken Ryu Sogobujutsu, for this wonderful video response a few years ago to the same trolls that are now plaguing me and my instructor with the same false accusations. To summarize, if the founder of our art never existed and we made all of this up, we must be the most amazing martial arts geniuses in history to have replicated such advanced material with no legitimate training or background. Thanks for the compliment!

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Spotlight: Otsuka Ryunosuke

5/8/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon

Occasionally, someone comes along and confirms everything you believe in. While there are countless historical examples of Asian martial artists reaching the highest level of their respective arts in record timeframes that would make the "time-in-grade" crowd start to seethe, I'll admit it's not as common for us wide eyes to do the same legitimately. However, when someone sets an undisputed precedent, in Japan no less, the results can't be ignored.

Born as Lösch Markus from Germany, Otsuka Ryunosuke moved to Japan in 2010 in search of classical martial arts. He met Otsuka Yoichiro of Hokushin Itto Ryu Hyoho, and quickly became a dedicated student and uchi-deshi. Just three years later, he was appointed Saiko Shihan (highest master) of the art. In July of 2014, Otsuka Ryunosuke earned Menkyo Kaiden (license of full transmission) from Yoichiro, who had since become the 6th Soke of the art. At that time is when he was taken on as an adopted son of Yoichiro and officially changed his name.

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The Purpose Of Certification

5/7/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon

One of the most misunderstood and abused customs of the martial arts is the issuance of various documents. Depending on the art or organization you belong to, it is easy to accumulate a stack of paper including rank certificates, licenses, titles and letters. In general, these are well-meaning and genuine symbols of acknowledgement from an issuing body to the recipient in recognition of meeting a certain standard. No one agrees on what that standard is. There are some commonly accepted norms, but there isn't a universal standard across all styles, systems and organizations. Anyone who tries to tell you there is, is flat out wrong... And that's ok! One of the most attractive things about the martial arts community as a whole is the diversity of the various arts, and truly being able to offer something for everyone, and meet everyone's needs and goals.

Now, with any type of "award" comes those who wish to abuse the system and acquire something they have not put the work in to earn. Unfortunately, this is something you'll never get rid of. There will always be people who circumvent the system, and that is just one reason why outside of the group they were issued in, they are meaningless. The truth is that certificates are only as valuable as the respect you have for the person signing it. The true measure of a martial artist is what they can do on the mat, and what they provide for their students and community. That being said, let's dive into what they actually are and represent.

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Forget Your Lineage - A Shout Out To Ryan Hoover

4/16/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon

I want to give a shout-out to Ryan Hoover from Fit to Fight® for one of the realist things that has ever been said in the martial arts community. In his video below, he sheds light on the unnecessary obsession with lineage and credentials that seems to permeate through the martial arts and is the source of countless internet trolls rushing to their keyboards to prove their piece of paper is more important than your piece of paper. The truth is that rank, titles or licenses never saved someone's life. The only thing that truly matters as a martial artist and instructor are your physical skills and knowledge, and your ability to impart that skill and knowledge to your students so they can protect themselves and their families. The rest is immaterial...

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The Myth Of Cross Certification

4/15/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon

As you progress as a martial artist, it is inevitable that your circle of affiliation will grow. You will develop a network of training partners and associates. You will grow strong bonds and friendships. You may even be asked to serve in an official capacity on the board of someone's organization. All of these are normal parts of being a martial artist, especially as the world continues to grow smaller thanks to high-speed internet.

Now as these connections grow, we begin to see another phenomenon: cross certification. What most people consider as cross certification is simply trading rank. Johnny has master rank in one style, Bobby has master rank in another style, and the two award each other black belt rank in their various styles to pad their resume. I think we can all agree this is simply bullshit. Rank itself serves only as recognition of one's progress according to the requirements of the system/organization, so receiving rank in something you have never studied is beyond pointless, not to mention outright fraudulent.

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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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No Standards In The Martial Arts

4/1/2020

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Author: Bret Gordon

For the better part of human history, martial arts prowess and authority has been determined by one's skill and knowledge. I mean, how else can you judge someone's legitimacy in skills of war except by their execution of those skills? It is only in the relative peace of the modern world that people began to even care about certifications, because we're so civilized.

Over the last few years, I have been blessed with numerous opportunities to travel the country and share my art. I've been able to network with some of the biggest names in the martial arts community, and have been asked to share my reviews and critiques as a "subject matter expert" on several projects by published authors. I'm truly grateful for every opportunity afforded to me, and I'd like to think the respect that I've earned is due to how I carry myself both on and off the mat.

It's been awhile since someone even insinuated that I or my instructor may be less than legitimate, so I'll admit the recent charade mentioned in my previous article (read here) caught me off guard. What's even more shocking is this "determination" was based solely on my age! In the martial arts community, there is a common sentiment regarding age and time restrictions when it comes to issuing rank and licensing, but as I've said before, there simply is no universal standard. Issuance of credentials are at the discretion of the headmaster or the governing body of that particular style, and their authority in such cannot be disputed simply because you disagree with their requirements.

But here's the kicker. Those same people wouldn't blink an eye at an Asian instructor with half of the experience claiming the same or even more. If my last name was Nakamura, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. For whatever reason, Westerners have this self-inflicted inferiority complex towards our Asian counterparts in what is considered possible and legitimate. We have a mystique about the Asian culture that clouds our judgement and leads us to revere those who really aren't that different from us.

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It Takes A Lifetime... Or Does It?

9/23/2018

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Author: Bret Gordon

One of the most deeply held convictions in the martial arts today is that it takes a lifetime to master a single art. Those who claim high rank in more than one art are often met with a scoff, and a condescending "That would never happen in Japan." Except that it did...

In this article, I want to explore the numerous cases of both young achievers of high positions (yes, plural) as well as those who were fortunate enough to attain mastery of more than one art. Now, before I do so let's get two counter-arguments out of the way. The two most common I hear are that times were different back then, they were able to train for 12 hours each day and so progressed much faster. That sounds great, except that even then they had jobs and families to tend to just like today. The second myth is that the life expectancy was so short, 20 was middle-aged. The global average life expectancy in the latter half of the 19th century was around 70, also much like today. When you think about it, the conditions were not different and so what we really have is a self-inflicted inferiority complex of the Western martial artist to their Asian counterpart.

So who were these superhuman martial artists that were able to do the impossible? Well, for the sake of time let's just include all members of the Samurai class pre-Tokugawa Shogunate who had to learn not just one, but demonstrate proficiency in 18 different martial arts (collectively called the Bugei Juhappan). In this article, I want to focus on the modern era (post-1868). The short list is as follows:

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You're Not A Soke!

3/11/2018

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Author: Bret Gordon

I probably shouldn't write this, because the more information you put out, the better people can lie. However, if just one person can avoid making the mistakes that so many of us have made when we were first starting on our own, then it's worth it. Let's be clear right from the start. If you are the founder of your own system, you are not a soke! But before I can clarify why, we must explore the most misunderstood title in the martial arts today. Keep in mind that everything I am about to write is done so from a Japanese perspective, based on tradition and historical precedent.

There are two types of titles in the martial arts, administrative titles and teaching titles (shogo). Administrative titles are technically positions, rather than titles to be addressed by, and establish your authority of overseeing the system and your level of responsibility. Teaching titles exist as an extension of the Menkyo (license) system. The various shogo titles indicate hierarchy between the instructors of a system, as they follow a preset order of progression, and establish your authority of transmitting the system. The most common shogo titles are Renshi, Kyoshi and Hanshi. Shihan sometimes get thrown in there as a teaching title, while other organizations/styles use it administratively, so that will specifically depend on the style we're discussing.

Soke 宗家 is an administrative title. It designates the holder as the inheriting headmaster of the art they represent, much as the CEO is the head of a corporation. It is never meant to be used to address the person, just as you would never say, "Good morning CEO Smith," and it's most certainly never to be used by the holder in referring to themselves. Rather, it is most appropriately used in writing of official documents or when talking about someone. Then, like all other Japanese titles, it is to follow the person's name (i.e. John Smith, soke). So now that we've clarified the proper use of the title, what exactly does it mean to be Soke?

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The Only Rank I Care Less About Than Mine Is Yours

11/12/2017

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Author: Bret Gordon

One of the reasons I write is to get people talking, because I've found that some of my greatest lessons have been through conversations with various other budoka and many times, a 10-minute conversation with the right instructor can be worth more than years spent training under the wrong one. In an age where conversation skills and public interaction are at diminished capacity, I take great pride in being the catalyst that sparks a meaningful discussion.

Well, my last article certainly got people talking but not in the way I intended. Many praised the article (which you can read by clicking here) and many respectfully disagreed with it, and that's fine. Yet still, others used it as an excuse to attack me on a personal level. In an inescapable amount of irony, how dare I offer my opinion to those who have been training 30, 40 or 50 years, many in the homeland of the arts we all love and teach? After all, my entire article was based upon knowing where you sit at the table and clearly, I got the seating arrangement confused.

Before I continue, I must say that I truly do have the utmost respect for anyone who has dedicated such a significant portion of their lives to anything, but especially such an honorable endeavor as the study of martial arts. Regardless of one's personal progression, the sheer amount of time that one has put in at that stage shows a level of discipline I can only hope I will attain. That said, time alone is not a measure of knowledge or progression. Time measured by the calendar is very misleading. As an example, let's take two practitioners who each study for a year. One casually attends class twice a week for 45 minutes as a hobby, while the other is a "dojo rat" who comes early and stays late at the school five nights a week, and takes private lessons from their instructor on the weekend. Both technically only have a year of martial arts experience, but I think it's clear who will progress farther. Therefore, I adamantly stress that it is the quality of one's time spent over the years rather than the number of years themselves that will determine one's level of understanding, knowledge and proficiency.

Now that we've settled that, let's get into why I feel this article is necessary. Keep in mind that everything I say is my own opinion, based upon my personal experiences and instruction from my various teachers. If you have had different experiences, please share them in the comments. I would love to hear from you and am always open to new information.

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<<Previous

USAMA BLOG

If Our Lineage Is False - A Shout Out To David Falcaro

Spotlight: Otsuka Ryunosuke

The Purpose Of Certification

Forget Your Lineage - A Shout Out To Ryan Hoover

The Myth Of Cross Certification

Spotlight: Tanemura Shoto

No Standards In The Martial Arts

It Takes A Lifetime... Or Does It?

You're Not A Soke!

The Only Rank I Care Less About Than Mine Is Yours

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