Aikido Frauds

John Riggs wrote: The 6th dan in aikido on the site mentioned above is interesting. He was awarded it by UMAA Founder who held two 5th dans in aikido (combat aikido and this sites style: http://www.ndcma.com/SokeJorgeLuisGarcia-Ortiz.html). Another one added to my list.

Does he know he has been added to your list? I wonder what he would make of that?

Call the cops! I been had! I got my 10th Dan certificate on eBay for $25.00, but it didn't come with no damned VIDEO!

Research is the best defense against fraud. Nowadays, with the internet, it much easier than when I started in martial arts (1982). Some pitfalls that prospective students can fall in, especially with AIkido, is not really knowing what Aikido is in respect to other arts. You watch The Karate Kid, you know the basics of karate, you watch a Jackie Chan movie and see what Kung Fu is like. But, you watch a Segal movie, see all the whoopin going on, and then are started by the contrast of walking into a Aikido dojo.


Displayed accredidation is also another problem. It does indeed add a level of authenticity to the dojo/teacher, but can easily be faked. Actual authentic rank certifications/certifications of affiliation tend to use Japanese/Chinese, but if you can't read these words, they just "look nice".

Just for fun, I started to think of how easy it is to "fake a dojo". A rented place for the dojo, city issued business license, a few printed out "fake" rank certificates, found a "fake" organization (ex: The Virginia Martial Arts Rank and Certification Association- I made this up), then get a website for both. Any prospective student would then see flashy certificates in the dojo( in languages they cabnt read) and websites that seem to back up the credibility. Even though they researched the place, they still may be fooled.

WIth so many martial arts out there, it's nice to see that Aikido has a credible and traceable history, and that no matter what "style" you may practice, it is all traced back to one man and one place.

Shannon

Some Aikidoka inflate their rank beyond Aikido. Check out this thread for the whole story:

http://www.jiujitsugear.com/forum/in...ic=49765.0;all

When pressed for information about his BJJ lineage, the e-mail response included the following:

..."Matt holds a 3rd Degree Black Belt in BJJ and a 5th Degree Black Belt in Gendai Goshin Budo Jujutsu and a 4th degree Black Beltin Renzoku Jiu-Jitsu as well as running the Midwest Grapplers Challenge events.

Thanks for your interest.

Master Williams"


Now there's a sale on the Banks American Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Home Study Course (as opposed to the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu course offered a few weeks ago). What a deal! And no test fees for the first 25 students!

http://www.blackbeltinyou.com/id22.html

http://www.blackbeltinyou.com/id17.html

Oh brother, who is this Sensei Frank Williams of the Kazoku Dojos and Northmont Martial arts. He is selling a course for $499.95 to get you to godan in aikido by home study. And to think I wasted all these years on the mat. This one is definitely in the right forum section. They have a half off September special-buy two and get one free.

This is the first home study get your black belt in aikido I have run across-now we are big time. The mail order guys have elevated us to home study status. Do I hear a duck?

Someone ought to take this guy on for fraud. He doesn't even claim a black belt in aikido yet awards them to godan.

Someone might be able to get them to remove the O'Sensei picture but other than that what could you do?

Here is more on this guy:
Education
Concord High School, Concord, NC: Graduated 1977
University of Maryland: Graduated 1988 - Bachelors of Arts in Business Management
Troy State University: Graduated 1990 - Master of Science in Education
LaSalle University: Graduated 2002 - PhD in Business Administration (MAIL ORDER PH'D)
Martial Arts Experience and Credentials
I began Tae Kwon Do training in 1973
I began teaching in 1982
I began teaching full time in 1990
I lived and trained in various martial arts in Okinawa, Japan for a total of 12 years.
My instructor in Okinawa Shorin Ryu Kenshinkan was Grand Master Fusei Kise in Okinawa.
I am currently the President and Founder of the Universal Martial Arts Association. (RED FLAG)
I am the Director of The Family Karate Center, Inc.
I am the National Director for the United States Martial Arts Association for Okinawa-Te.
I am currently a Board Member of the World Karate Union.

Black Belts in: (RED FLAGS)
Nanadan (7th Degree Black Belt)- Okinawa-Te Karate
Rokudan (6th Degree Black Belt) - Shorin Ryu Karate and Kobudo
Sandan (3rd Degree Black Belt) - Zanshin Ryu Jujitsu
Nidan (2d Degree Black Belt) - Judo
Nidan (2d degree Black Belt) - Tae Kwon Do
Shodan (1st Degree Black Belt) - Motobu-Ha Shito Ryu Karate Kobudo
Shodan (1st degree Black Belt) - Matsukaze Ryu Jujitsu

Here's more: Sensei Williams has continued to study through the years and currently holds Rokudan Ranking in Idai Ryu. Idai Ryu is traditionally a family system and it is the main system sensei teaches his own daughters. Sensei Williams holds Black Belt ranks in ARC Ryu Combat Karate-Soke, Renzoku Jiu-Jitsu-Rokudan, Kempo Karate-Godan and Instructor Grade Ranks in law enforcement and military defensive tactics and weapons and the rank of Guru (teacher) in Sandata Ng Arnis/Kali. Sensei Williams has been inducted into 4 Black Belt Halls of Fame.

Impressive. I wonder how many he made up himself.

He's selling this tripe on e-Bay and getting lots of positive feedback (probably from himself). You probably couldn't even get him to take down O'Sensei's picture.

I was surprised when I checked this thread that you could name the frauds you found or experienced. Are there rules for this? Certain species, number of antlers, season,.....

Activates my BS alarm so much I've had to turn it off

I don't know about anyone specific and will always try to give the benefit of the doubt. Maybe someone is just superb natural and can attain high proficency in a few months or years. Probably not of course. It's frustrating to see empty methods and shiney but meaningless awards passed off as "verification" but ultimately it's up to the individual to teach themselves about the world around them. That includes learning about "frauds," whether they be aware of their phoney balogne or sincerely think they're the cat's meow. Teach where you can the best you can. That's all any of us can do.

John Riggs wrote: Impressive. I wonder how many he made up himself.

Actually, not that impressive. Take a look over on E-Budo - bad budo section - and you'll find guys claiming ten times that list - no exaggeration. By comparison, this guy's just a beginner, and almost credible. I would want to see him before I spoke against him.

I believe that the more this kind of crap goes on, the better it is for the martial arts. I know several people with high ranks from very respected organizations who are well below par in martial skills. The more these bozos give themselves rank and promote themselves all over the place, the more people will stop looking at rank and start looking at what individuals can actually do. On one of the links from this thread, an individual has actually given himself a phd from a (non credited) university that he made himself! His website actually lists his name with a "Dr." in front of it!

Charles

We have been trying to keep names out of this and quite successfully. As to mentioning names we only posted what was out there. I contacted Mr. Williams regarding the mail-order godan. Here was my e-mail to him: rather blunt. As well as his response. I haven't yet checked to see if he is off the radar screen.

-----Original Message-----
From: Dr. John Riggs <aikidoc1@yahoo.com>
To: fwwgodan@aol.com
Sent: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 16:11:19 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Aikido

You sir are an embarrassment to the art of Aikido. From what I can tell, you hold no legitimate rank in the art and yet are offering a home study course up to godan. People like you give all the arts a bad name.

His response:
Sir, though I normally ignore emails of such nature, I had no knowledge of what you were talking about, so I was curious. After checking the Blackbeltinyou web site, I saw the Master's package on both Aikido and Aiki Jujutsu. Neither were approved or allowed to be put on that site as we have several web sites around the world. Another company and two other instructors do our web hosting and market listings. I am not an Aikido stylist, Sensei Reser is. I am a Aiki Jujutsu Stylist and Jujutsu. I contacted the web hoster and had both packages pulled as you can read. We only allow as you put it, legitimate instructors in their arts to offer home study courses. If they do not have the rank to offer the art or to the level at which they wish to offer, then we do not allow them to offer systems through our organization. I have students all over the world and Dojos around the country and can understand your being upset. However, I do and have been in the arts for over 30 years with all the credentials to back it up and then some. I called Sensei Reser and informed him not to list things without the permission to do so. I can not for the life of me understand why the instructors put this package together and then listed it thinking it would fly with me. I would like to apologize for any heart ache this may have caused for you. I travel a lot and have not had the time to keep up with all the sites so I assigned the duties to others. I will not make the same mistake twice. Again thank you for the information and have a nice evening.

Master Williams

P.S. I just checked and this stuff is still on his site, contrary to what he said about both packages being pulled.

He called himself Master Williams. That's a red flag unless he is under 12.

I e-mailed him in response to his previous letter. Here is my response and his reply.
-----Original Message-----
From: Dr. John Riggs <aikidoc1@yahoo.com>
To: fwwgodan@aol.com
Sent: Wed, 21 Sep 2005 04:53:43 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Aikido


Thank you for your response. Aikido is one of the few arts trying to maintain legitimate rank structures. I tried to find information about your Sensei Reser and could not-apparently he did not register with any mainstream organizations. To even recommend someone for such a rank he would have to be a minimum of 7th or 8th dan in most aikido organizations. I keep an eye on the aikido world and have never heard of him. If he held such a rank he's been around giving seminars, etc. Your site had the distinction of breaking the mail order barrier. One I had hoped would not crop up in the art. Frauds are starting to rear their ugly heads in Aikido much like they have in other arts-gradiose self promotions and lofty titles are not a tradition in Aikido (grandmaster, soke, professor, doctor, etc). They usually end up getting slammed on e-budo. Egos abound.

His Reponse:

Mr. Riggs, thank you for your insight, I have asked our accreditation person who overseas the upkeep of instructors certification and verifies information to get me the information on how to contact Sensei Reser's Instructors who are still around and have schools in cities south of our Dojos who are not affiliated with us. Even though they have vouch for his credentials, I now feel the need to have the whole organization's lineage checked out. It is a delicate situation with approaching these schools and their instructors since they have been around for over twenty years. I will have to perform this task myself. I will however have it done within the next week. If I have the slightest doubt of any kind, then the system will be pulled from our sites and not offered any longer through us.

Again thanks for your information,

Master Williams

It should be interesting to see what happens. If he is an instructor with integrity he will seriously investigate and resolve this if there are discrepancies. Personally, I have considerable difficulty with mail order ranking systems.

Rob Liberti wrote: He called himself Master Williams. That's a red flag unless he is under 12.

"Master" is ok with me - it's the way sensei gets addressed in the tae kwon do dojang I've been in and is likely used in some MA schools for arts other than TKD. "Master" is likely a a translation from a Chinese, Korean, or Japanese word and may not be an exact match for the English word "master."

Also - the web page at www.blackbeltinyou.com/id17.html has been updated to say "Aikido Master's Package pulled off the market by Master Frank Williams. I do not want this set offered by Sensei Reser. I will only say it was not approved by me or the Kazoku Dojos. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone. Sincerely Master Williams." The page is still offering a $180 package to nidan.

I personally would give this guy the benefit of doubt though am also skeptical that AIkido, or any MA, can be learned well from videos and home study/practice.

Marc

If you could learn martial arts on video in your own home then I would have been a Kung Fu Master by age 12 after all those Saturday afternoon movies I watched.

Marc Kupper wrote: "Master" is ok with me - it's the way sensei gets addressed in the tae kwon do dojang I've been in and is likely used in some MA schools for arts other than TKD. "Master" is likely a a translation from a Chinese, Korean, or Japanese word and may not be an exact match for the English word "master." Also - the web page at www.blackbeltinyou.com/id17.html has been updated to say "Aikido Master's Package pulled off the market by Master Frank Williams. I do not want this set offered by Sensei Reser. I will only say it was not approved by me or the Kazoku Dojos. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone. Sincerely Master Williams." The page is still offering a $180 package to nidan. I personally would give this guy the benefit of doubt though am also skeptical that AIkido, or any MA, can be learned well from videos and home study/practice. Marc

Sorry, Marc, but in trading in correspondence with the man, I was told, in brief, yes, I could obtain a black belt in any style they have on the site by sending in videos. I posed BJJ as an example, and on further posing the problem of showing grappling by oneself, I posed, I kid you not, that if I grab some townies who I do WFF style wrestling with and send the tape in, this is what we do? His answer was an unqualified, "yes, it's that simple!"

Paul: that's disturbing. I also checked to see if LaSalle University offers a Ph'D in business. It's not in their curriculum-could have been in 2002. I wonder whether the ranks came from the association he formed?

http://www.universal-martial-arts.org/

Check this site out. If you follow all the info it's disturbing. Recognized by board member who has rank of 5th dan and started his own style/org, etc. It's the old inflate your resume that some engage in when doing this stuff. His nidan stuff is still up. Guess you can't get to master of aikido anymore by home study.

Hey! According to the UMAA schedule... I should be a NIDAN! I'm gettin' ripped off!

NO FAIR!!

WHAAAAA!!

John Boswell wrote: Hey! According to the UMAA schedule... I should be a NIDAN! I'm gettin' ripped off! NO FAIR!! WHAAAAA!!

Okay, okay. Shazam! You're a NISSAN!

John, I got you beat...I could be a rokyudan.....hot damn! Wonder how much that will cost me in money and dignity?

Brenda