Author: Bret Gordon ![]() Once and for all, we have proven that there are no limits to the obsession, hypocrisy, and bias of our detractors. Over the course of the last 5 years, Steven Hatfield and I have been scrutinized under the most powerful of microscopes. The events of this last week provide further confirmation that this is nothing more than a personal vendetta, flamed by the fact that we wouldn't lie down and take it. The loudest complaint against Hatfield sensei and I is that we are martial arts frauds with unverifiable training backgrounds. I detailed my training history in a recent two-part article (click here for part 1), providing copies of my certifications (some of which will also be posted below as they are relevant to this article) and how I obtained them, and I wrote an article sharing many of Hatfield sensei's certifications (click here). So immediately on the face, if fraud is the misrepresentation of our credentials, sharing proof of those credentials is proof that we are not lying about having them. One of the caveats, however, is that we didn't have the "right" credentials for what we are claiming, that our certifications were from "low level" or independent organizations, and therefore not universally recognized. While it is my personal opinion that certifications only matter as much as the respect you have for the person signing it, and that the measure of one's martial prowess is their performance and knowledge, maybe they were right? For Taekwondo and Tang Soo Do, traditional practitioners hold that you must have rank from the country of origin, Korea, in order to be legitimate. As our lineage comes through both the Jidokwan and Moo Duk Kwan, we sought certification by the World Taekwondo Jidokwan Federation and the World Tang Soo Do General Federation. After having been certified, that wasn't good enough. Our detractors immediately determined these organizations were diploma mills. For Japanese martial arts, holding rank from Japan provides another level of legitimacy. Of course, American Yoshinkan Aiki Jujutsu is rooted here in the States and as the Soke I am the final authority for the art, but connecting to a governing body in Japan was still important to us. In 2021, we joined the All Japan Budo Association (under the Aiki Budo division). I was recognized with the rank of 6th Dan and the title of Shihan. As you can guess, our detractors immediately determined the AJBA was a diploma mill. For Judo, there are more organizations than one can keep up with. We initially joined USA Traditional Kodokan Judo, but they are not one of the National Governing Bodies for the sport of Judo and so this was just another "low level" organization we found because we couldn't qualify for the "legitimate" ones. It's no secret that in the past I have written articles condemning the NGBs for their corruption and elitist attitude, but it's also true they are universally accepted as legitimate. For years, our detractors (especially Barron Shepherd) wrote that any Judo rank not from the NGBs was fake Judo (ignoring that his 4th and 5th Dan came from independent organizations and aren't NGB recognized as of this writing). So, we joined both USA Judo and the US Judo Association. Hatfield sensei and I were recognized as 2nd and 1st Dan respectively, and yes we were willing to accept a downgrade in rank in order to appease our detractors and rise to their esteemed level of legitimacy. Which brings us to this week. On Tuesday, the President of the US Judo Association came to visit my school and work out with us. Having followed me on Facebook for a little while, he was understandably curious about some of the Aiki videos I share and he just simply wanted to meet up. After a great training session where I shared with him how we apply some of those Aiki principles in Judo, and he shared some ground self defense techniques, we did randori like any self-respecting Judoka would, and I'm not ashamed to say he tossed me with Tomoe Nage like I was a novice... And I would expect nothing less from someone in his position and with his level of experience. It's not often I get the opportunity to do randori with high-level judoka, and it was awesome to see where the holes in my game are. ![]() We had at great time training and an even better discussion afterwards that led me to put some trust in the direction the USJA was heading. The next day, I registered my school as an official USJA Club. No more than 8 hours after it was announced did Barron Shepherd rush to his keyboard to determine that, you guessed it, the Judo National Governing Bodies were diploma mills. What I'm gathering from all of this is that ANY organization that certifies me or Hatfield sensei must be a diploma mill in our detractors opinions, regardless of the fact that only days before did they hold the belief that these were the most legitimate and prestigious organizations in the world. Whenever they set a new barometer to measure our legitimacy, Hatfield sensei and I rise to meet it and then the goal posts are moved. Is it more likely that all of these organizations, which are universally accepted as authorities in their fields, are actually diploma mills, or that Hatfield sensei and I really are legitimate martial artists? Is it more likely that we have no training background, or there's information we keep to ourselves because it's no one's business?
At this point, it is obvious that we could be ordained by Christ Himself and they would call us devil worshippers. If the trolls would be honest and say all of this was simply because they hated us, I'd respect their efforts a little more. Go back to calling us Master Milkshake, Kaiso Krispy Kreme, and Hanshi Honeybun, because calling us "frauds" simply isn't sticking...
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Welcome to the official blog of Bret Gordon. Here is where I'll be posting articles relating to the politics of martial arts. For more style specific content, check out the following links:
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