Thanks to the efforts of my personal press corps, I have unfortunately become quite a public figure in the martial arts. Naturally, the question regarding my legitimacy remains the topic of discussion and while I feel I am not responsible for continually justifying myself, I thought it best to catalog my claims, my credentials, and my viewpoints in a single article that I can simply reference in the future when the topic inevitably comes up.
First, let's define what it means to be a fraud...
Quite simply in a martial arts context, a fraud is someone who misrepresents themselves by lying about their credentials and training. Is that something I have done? I don't think so, but let's really get into it. Let me apologize, because this won't be a short article.
I began training in martial arts at the age of 4 in Kukkiwon Taekwondo under D.S. Kwak and Mark Bivens in Centereach, NY. I would earn my 1st Poom (Junior Black Belt) in 2000, before my family moved to Rocky Point. There, I took up the study of Shaolin Kempo (sometimes called Shaolin Chuan Fa) under Rich Spatola and Enzo Aliotta while they were part of the United Studios of Self Defense franchise. Due to my prior training experience, I was brought in as a 7th kyu purple belt. After earning my 1st kyu brown belt, Rich and Enzo broke away from USSD and affiliated with Kimo Ferreira's Kempo Jutsu Kai. During their transition, they began calling their system "Kempo Jiu Jitsu," and when I tested for my 1st Dan, that is what was written on my certificate.
It was through Arnaldo Lugo that I met Alberto Friedmann, student of Michael McGann and then-coach of the US Martial Arts Team. I was scouted by Friedmann to compete as part of Team USA at the 2010 World Martial Arts Games in Las Vegas.
I competed in Point Fighting, Kickboxing, and Team Point Fighting, taking home gold in all 3 events and earning my World Championship titles. This was the last major tournament I competed in, deciding to focus more on teaching than anything else.
By 2011, I had made several online friendships in the martial arts world, most notably Kevin Pereira and Leon Major. It was through them that I met Steven Hatfield, who has become my instructor for numerous martial arts as well as a father figure since my dad's passing in 2013. On May 19, 2012, I went to Columbus, OH to test in front of Hatfield to have my system of San Budo officially recognized.
Though I had the certification from Lugo and others online, by Japanese tradition it takes the inheritor of a style to be able to officially recognize a founder, and so none of the prior certifications were official by those standards. After what I can only describe as the most grueling and physically/mentally/psychologically exhausting experience of my life, I walked away with a probationary founder's license.
Also in 2011/2012, I began revisiting my roots in both Taekwondo and Kempo. I got in contact with Bart Pontecorvo, who also trained under Kwak and Bivens but now had his own school, about converting my 1st Poom to a 1st Dan. He suggested I learn the required poomsae and just test for my 2nd Dan, so that's what I did. I also contacted Sil Crino, who trained under Spatola and Aliotta but was now under Kimo Ferreira directly (the formers were by this point and are still independent). Crino, taking all of my training into account, also tested me for 2nd Dan.
Through Hatfield, I would eventually study the arts of American Yoshinkan Aiki Jujutsu, Goju Ryu Karate, Jidokwan Taekwondo, American Jidokwan Tang Soo Do, and Judo. To date, I have earned the following ranks and licenses from him directly:
Presentation of American Yoshinkan Sokeship
January 12, 2020
You'll notice above I have also included my Goju Ryu Kudokan 4th Dan certificate, issued by William Valdes. After years of friendship and mutual training, Valdes recognized my then-4th Dan in Goju Ryu under his organization. I have since been promoted to 5th Dan under Hatfield, on September 25, 2019.
Now, let's address the first elephant in the room. Hatfield lives in Columbus, Ohio, and I live in Central Florida, so how did I train under him? Simply, we both traveled A LOT. Every few months, either I would go up there or he'd come down here for in-person training. For when we couldn't share the mat physically, the internet was an amazing tool for video and distance learning... Something the rest of the martial arts world would advocate for in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. We were just ahead of our time I guess.
Outside of my training with Hatfield, I have also been awarded the ranks of 5th Dan in Kojido Jutsu by current headmaster Dell Sharpe. Kojido Jutsu is the personal art of Jack "Papasan" Stern, and largely based on his Judo training. I've also earned my Okugi Kaiden license in the art of Ryukyu Te Kempo Jutsu under Leon Major, and have become the Vice President of the organization that governs it, the Zenkoku Ryukyu Te Kenkyukai.
Now, I am sure the first question in your mind is how did I have the time to study each art individually and work my way up from white belt in every system to the ranks I currently hold. The simple answer is that I didn't and never claimed to have. But I also do not claim anything I do not have the physical certification to support.
Karl Geis, one of the most distinguished American martial artists, once stated "The true masters know that once a student has achieved the essence in one art, the fundamental secrets of all other arts will be within his grasp." Geis held the ranks of 10th Dan in both Judo and Aikido, and a 9th Dan in Jodo. I go into a lot more detail on the subject of cross-ranking in my article "Earning Rank in Multiple Arts" (click here to read), but it's true that many martial arts systems are related. What separates individual styles, in many cases, are minor differences that can be learned and grasped quickly with diligent study. My prior training prepared me for each step in the journey, and I was accepted into each art at a higher level of proficiency than someone without any experience, and graded accordingly. We can argue about the validity of cross-ranking or bringing someone into the art at an already high level, but it is no different than universities accepting credits and degrees from other universities. Martial arts is a field of study like any other, and rank is issued at the discretion of the issuing body/individual for many reasons. You don't have to like that or agree with that, but it's just a fact. The next question is how can I possibly teach all of these styles? Again, I don't. In my school, Trio Martial Arts Academy, I offer regular training in Taekwondo and Judo for children, and for adults I teach Taekwondo, Judo, my art (now called) San Budo Sogo Bugei, and American Yoshinkan Aiki Jujutsu. For those that may think I offer more, here is my class schedule:
I am very clear in what the students will be learning, as well as where the credentials they will be earning come from. For Taekwondo, I register all Dan-level students with the World Taekwondo Jidokwan Federation. For Judo, I register all Dan-level students with the USA-TKJ. For both San Budo and American Yoshinkan, I am the headmaster and so their certifications come directly from me and the hombu dojo. My own certifications in the arts that I regularly teach are also readily available in the school for verification.
So to answer the question of am I a fraud? If the definition of a fraud is someone who deceives others or misrepresents their credentials, I believe I've shown otherwise. The only other argument to make is whether or not my skill level and knowledge is representative of someone in the positions I claim, but skill is a subjective measure. Some people think I'm great, some people think I'm terrible. Either way, I find I have little trouble sleeping at night...
UPDATE (2/5/24) - Two other certifications I would like to elaborate on are my 6th Dan in Aiki Budo from the All Japan Budo Association, and my 8th Dan from the National Karate Jujutsu Federation.
In the martial arts, in addition to style-specific organizations meant to govern a particular art, there are multi-style organizations that attempt to provide a consistent level of standard across a myriad of systems. Both the AJBA and the NKJF serve this role. The ranks above are not ranks in an entirely separate martial arts style, but rather recognitions of my rank in American Yoshinkan Aiki Jujutsu.
The AJBA does not issue style-specific certifications, and breaks their groups down into Karatedo, Judo, Jujutsu, and Aiki Budo (a generic term for all aiki arts), and because of my age at the time the highest they would award me is a 6th Dan. The NKJF certification, on the other hand, clearly states it's a recognition of my American Yoshinkan rank. For Part 2, click here
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
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:
Aiki Jujutsu Blog Taekwondo Blog Judo & Jiu Jitsu Blog Archives |