More on Oklahoma Martial Arts Frauds

So help me, one of the things in life that just "gets" me is how easily otherwise skeptical people will fall, when it comes to seeking out martial arts instruction, for the most pathetic lines of BS imaginable. They may have figured out that certain television evangelists are frauds, they may have figured out that Tibetan Go-whatsis-berry juice isn't really the fountain of eternal youth, and so forth, but let someone claim that they created the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, or have teacher's level certification in Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do, or have multiple tenth-degree black belts, or to have mastered multiple martial arts systems by the age of twenty-five, and does their bullsnort detector go off? Do they even bother to google the supposed "master" to check out his claims?

God forbid!

We have a few martial arts frauds in Oklahoma. I will not name names. At least one of them is notoriously litigious. But to reiterate what I have said before: if you are not fairly experienced in martial arts--and I am not claiming to be an expert myself, mind you--the odds are **** good that, confronted with someone who is a little bit better than you are and who can spew a good line of swill, you won't be able to tell the difference. In other words, you, Mr. Joe Off-the-Street-Smuckatelli, who's never gotten past yellow or green belt in anything, just by looking and watching, you will not be able to tell the difference between someone who's gotten fairly good at some material that he learned by ordering DVDs on kenpo and pressure points and someone who's actually been practicing in person under established instructors for twenty years. More often than you might think, you will not be able to tell the difference between different systems of martial arts. If I put them all in the same uniforms, like as not, you wouldn't be able to tell the Shotokan guy from the Japanese Goju Ryu guy from the ITF Taekwon-do guy. You will not be able to tell the diffence between somebody who is really good at Ed Parker's Kenpo and someone who's picked up a little kenpo from videotapes and added it to his taekwon-do repertoire.

And people do lie about their martial arts backgrounds. There are people who've made up whole systems based on God-knows-what, and are passing themselves off as "masters."

How the heck do you find out?

Well, for a start, you might take the obvious step of googling them. If you google the name of a "master" of a purportedly old system of martial arts, and you can't find out who his instructor was, or who his instructor was, and so forth, that's usually a red flag. In the older systems, everybody knows his "lineage." That is, they can all tell you, "I took from so-and-so, who took from so-and-so, who took from so-and-so."

If you google his supposedly classical martial arts system and find that all the results point directly or indirectly back to him, well, that doesn't seem terribly likely, now does it?

If you google the guy's name and find out that the folks at Bullshido have made him a running joke, that's not a good sign.

If the guy claims to have invented the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, you might, for the love of all sanity, google "who created the marine corps martial arts program."

Exactly why the heck people would make stuff like this up, I'm not sure. Yes, there's a little money in it. If you've got fifteen dupes students, each coughing up fifty-sixty-seventy simoleons a month for whatever it is that you're teaching, sure, that's pretty good pocket change. It just seems to me that if you're going to tell whoppers of that magnitude, you ought to be getting more than that sort of chump change out of it.

Look, there is good martial arts instruction to be had in Oklahoma. There are two RyuTe instructors, though one of them (mine), due to ill health, is not likely to take any more students. There are actually several pretty good Japanese Goju Ryu teachers, who can trace their lineage very clearly right back to Yamaguchi Gogen. There are some Okinawan Goju Ryu instructors. There are some very legitimate instructors of Ed Parker's Kenpo. There are a whole cluster of good Aikido clubs.

Every single one of them can be checked out on the web and their claims investigated. If you're interested in martial arts, for your own sake, CHECK THEM OUT!

End of rant.

Just Some Interesting Google Results for Oklahoma Martial Arts

Some time back, on a lark, I googled Oklahoma Shorei-kan (Shorei-kan being the name of Seikichi Toguchi's organization, and me just happening to be wondering about it) just to see if anything came up. Much to my surprise, there were hits in addition to Haggerty's Karate in Oklahoma City, which I already knew about. Here they are, if you're interested in Okinawan Goju Ryu, as opposed to Japanese Goju Ryu, which, thanks to Lou Angel's long-ago dominance in this state, is by far the most well-known flavor.

The difference between Okinawan Goju Ryu and Japanese Goju Ryu? Practitioners of these arts will no doubt differ with me, but if I had to pin down the differences, I'd say that the most notable one is that Japanese Goju Ryu doesn't make anywhere near the use of hojo undo that Okinawan Goju Ryu does. Other than that, they seem like substantially the same art to me, at least on the surface. But that's just my opinion. I don't practice either one. At any rate, here they are:

Stillwater Goju Ryu in Stillwater, Oklahoma

Shorei-Kan Goju-Ryu Karate in Enid, Oklahoma

There are multiple links to various Japanese Goju Ryu sites in my sidebar, if you're interested.

Would you believe that you can find Shorin Ryu, too? There's a club, mostly Baptist, from what I gather, in Oklahoma City.

Much to my shock, there appears to be a genuine American Kenpo school or club here in Tulsa. There used to be more of a kenpo presence here in Tulsa. A long time ago, we had a "Tracy's Karate" (Jim and Al Tracy were some of Ed Parker's most noted students) franchise here, and I am sure that there are a few of the black belts from that old school still practicing in their garages or something. Also, Roger Greene, if I'm not mistaken, teaches somewhere near Tahlequah. But if you're interested in Ed Parker's American Kenpo, that's what The Tulsa Academy of American Kenpo Karate claims to teach. They also claim to teach it with something of a "zen" perspective--whatever that means. In my experience, with most folks, it doesn't mean much! But you may want to probe the subject in more detail before enrolling.

As I've said elsewhere, I have a lot of respect for American Kenpo, if taught decently. Whatever you might think of its origins, and they are in hot, hot dispute, American Kenpo as Ed Parker left it seems to have become a pretty decent self-defense oriented system. If RyuTe instruction were not available to me (Thank God it is!), I would certainly consider American Kenpo.

I must also say one other thing about American Kenpo: there are a lot of charlatans, including one here in Tulsa, claiming high ranks in kenpo, or to have created their own systems (sometimes multiple systems!), out there. Be very suspicious when looking into kenpo. That's all I'm sayin'.

Speaking of RyuTe, there are, in fact, two instructors under whom you can learn RyuTe in Oklahoma. One of them, mine, is not in the best of health, and he has already told me that unless someone already in the association moves into the area, or someone who manages to demonstrate to him that he is likely to remain in the system and take it seriously asks to be taught, he is not likely to take any more students. The other gentleman is, as far as I know, taking students. If you're interested, you can probably contact him through the organization's website.

There are more martial arts-related links in my sidebar. Some of those organizations are in Oklahoma. Please be aware, also, that there are more than a few people teaching "martial arts" in Oklahoma that are so absolutely full of bovine by-products that it boggles the mind.

An Absolutely Fantastic Riff on Oklahoma and Tulsa

Saying I share a lot of these opinions is understating the matter.

I love Oklahoma, especially rural Oklahoma. I even like Tulsa, despite it not being rural. There are parts of town--like mine--where you won't know you aren't in small-town Oklahoma 'til you turn that last corner out of the neighborhood. And if you drive twenty minutes in any given direction, you're in the countryside. Here are a couple o' snips. Read the whole thing.

Oklahoma is an ultra conservative state. Of course, we have our liberals, but they are still the minority here. Most people around here are “good old boys” who believe in the right to bear arms and fly their flags proudly. We do have abortion clinics but the majority of people are pro-life. The most popular denomination here is Baptist, mostly Southern Baptist, although we certainly have churches for every denomination you can think of. Men still open doors for women and help old ladies carry things and cross the street here (well, usually).

[snip]

We have some really cool and unique restaurants here as well. Of course we have all the normal stuff: McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Chili's, On the Border, etc. But we have a few places you won't find anywhere else. Casa Bonita is famous not so much for it's food (which is good, but pretty much just like every other Mexican restaurant) but for the décor. The whole place looks like you're outdoors in some Spanish town. Especially fun are the cave room and the waterfall room. They also have an arcade! Arnold's Old Fashioned Hamburgers (which is literally right across the street from me) is an old-fashioned 50's themed place. It is definitely the place to go for the best malts ever. The best thing about this place is that the people who own it are Christians, in fact, the husband also helps manage some gospel singing groups! They are closed on Sundays and early on Wednesdays so their employees can attend church. Knotty Pine BBQ is one of those places that looks kind of shady from the outside (and honestly is not in the best looking part of town) but the food is supposedly to die for. I don't care for BBQ myself, but everyone else says it's the best. Recently they had a fire so are temporarily closed while they rebuild. Ollie's Station Restaurant is down-home comfort food. It is built around an old railroad/train theme. There are displays of model trains and towns, and three different trains run intermittently on tracks around the ceiling of the restaurant. The kids love it!

Now, on to the good stuff! The things that make Tulsa and Oklahoma in general a great place to homeschool!

First of all, Oklahoma is the only state to have it in our original state constitution that parents have the right to educate their kids however they want, including homeschooling. There are no rules, no requirements, no qualifications. You do not have to get anything approved or report to anyone. You do what you want, how you want, when you want. It's awesome!

Here in Tulsa, we have an amazing store called Mardel that is a Christian store carrying music, toys, apparel, books, movies, and...educational supply! They have aisles and aisles devoted to homeschooling curriculum and supplies. We also have a great used bookstore that caters specifically to homeschoolers called Bibliomania.

Our library system is wonderful as well. You can search the entire catalog online, reserve the books you want and pick them up at the branch of your choosing when they're ready. You can also see a list of all the books you have checked out (very useful when trying to round up 25 books at once) and pay overdue fines online. Your first library card is free and if you lose it, replacements are only $1.

There are multiple homeschooling groups in Tulsa.

I don't know if Knotty Pine is the best barbecue in Tulsa; lots of folks love Wilson's, and Elmer's, and Big Daddy's, and there are certainly others. Personally, I think the best barbecue in northeastern Oklahoma is to be had at Massey's Barbecue in Okmulgee. I also have to aver that I make some pretty decent barbecue with my backyard cooking equipment.

Knotty Pine is certainly very good, though.

I love that Oklahoma is, as she says, "an ultra-conservative state." The reddest of the red states, as I have often reminded people.

Bibliomania is run by a long-time friend of mine.

There are lots and lots of homeschoolers here.

Man, I love it here. There is lots more in the original post. Go take a look.

"Some Cowboy Dude"

So, I'm up at the church participating in a phone blitz--just calling around, letting people know about our new Sunday School Lifegroup year that's starting soon, and so forth, and I get to the last call.

Turns out to be the best one of the night.

Hello?

Howdy, is --------------- there?

Huh?

This is ----------, with ----------- Baptist Church, is -------------------- there?

Just a minute...

Dad, there's some guy on here, I can't understand what he's saying, he sounds like some cowboy dude or something...

And then they hung up--with me grinnin' like a monkey on the other end.

If you ever happen to hear me speak, remember that I'm not putting on an act. My family on both sides has been in Oklahoma for a long time, and I rally dew hayev an ayeksint jist thicker'n na her own uh dawg's bayek.

Beware Oklahoma Martial Arts Frauds

It is with some regret that I find that some people are still being taken in by tellers of lies and tall tales.

People, please understand: it is actually not all that uncommon in martial arts circles for people to tell lies. There is money in it. All someone has to do is convince people that he really does have rank from multiple organizations or arts, or has created his own art, or--one of my favorites so far--that his art was revealed to him in a dream by the ghost of a long-departed samurai, and people will actually pay to learn basics the likes of which can easily be picked up off basic instructional videotapes.

Or he might offer to instruct you via video and even promote you based solely on your performance of his techniques--on video! Yes, in some cases, it's true: you need neither actually attend classes nor actually do your belt tests in person. All you have to do is order the tapes, practice, and then have someone videotape your performance, and then send it in for evaluation. And pony up a fee, of course.

There are at least two notorious martial arts frauds in Oklahoma. I will not name names, as the modus operandi of at least one of them seems to be to respond to inquiries and criticisms with threats of lawsuits. Not that the fraud can't be verified, but last I heard, just fighting a lawsuit is an expensive proposition even when you win, so instead of just flat-out telling you who these people are, let me caution you: not every martial arts instructor in Oklahoma is telling you the truth about his qualifications and background. Be skeptical--very skeptical--about claims of extremely high rank in multiple systems. Take the simple step of googling his name and looking for criticism.

And lastly, don't exaggerate your ability to judge martial arts proficiency. Unless you have spent considerable time training in the martial arts, your ability to distinguish between a genuinely high-level martial artist and someone who is decently competent at a handful of basics may be worse than you think. In other words, the fact that your prospective instructor looks good to you may not amount to a hill of beans! Be careful before you waste time and money on a fraud.

AFTERTHOUGHT: I just looked, and much to my amazement/amusement, both these gentlemen have actually taken the risky step of putting up little videos on YouTube. No, I will not link, for the reasons stated above. But they are amazing, they really are. One of them showed a defense against a knife thrust, and this is what interested me: to the uninitiated, or to someone who was only familiar with sport karate, it had a surface appearance that looked very attractive. What the defense amounted to was a basic deflection, followed by rapid multiple hand slaps--ok, he did have a "knife" in one hand. It was done very fast, and if you didn't slow it down (I did), you might have missed the facts that:

A) They were just slaps, all slap and sting, no weight or power or zip behind them. For darn sure not palm strikes. Anything done with the non-knife hand was going to be little but annoying. And I'm none too sure about what was being done with the knife hand.

B) Not only did they appear to be largely undirected to specific targets, let alone vulnerable targets, it looked to me--heck, "look" isn't strong enough, they did--land on, in some cases, the sides of the attacker's upper arm. Understand: those weren't "checks" or "traps" or strikes to pressure points. The attacker just got slapped on the upper arm.

Oh, heck, go ahead and thlap me on the upper arm, you bwute! Yeah. That'd work.

C) Considering that the gentleman in question is touting his credentials as an instructor of an art that showcases trapping skills, it is interesting that, not only did the attacker's weapon remain completely uncontrolled, it actually wound up directly beneath the intructor's scrotum at one point. I am not certain that he noticed this himself, but it goes without saying, I should think, that you might want to avoid your attacker having his cutlery directly under the family jewels.

I will not criticize the total compliance of the "attacker." Demonstrations are demonstrations, after all, and as a rule, I don't expect the attacker to do more than go through the motions, since the instructor is usually attempting to illustrate possible responses rather than engage in high-intensity simulated close combat.

The upshot? It was precisely the sort of thing I would expect to look good to someone who was not actually all that familiar with the martial arts, but not at all like something I would be impressed with in the real world. You can deliver a barrage of relatively undirected slaps at an extremely high rate of speed. Try it yourself on a bag sometime. But that doesn't mean that they amount to a hill of beans.

Again, buyer beware. In this case, the buyer should be aware that, last I heard, this man charges something like sixty or seventy simoleons a month for one lesson a week.

And the other guy? He didn't look so hot either.

Maybe I'll recommend some martial arts videos...