The Issue with Bret Gordon

No adult should ever threaten a child or use someone’s child against them online. However, Bret Gordon did this very thing to a 13 year old girl, the daughter of someone I know. Anyone who knows me, even those who hate me, will tell you one thing….. I don’t suffer grief from anyone in any form. Back in 2020  Gordon who at the time was claiming to be a 5th degree black belt in judo tried to defame and slander me in an online article. Long story short Gordon's article was debunked by the very people that Gordon himself tried to get after me, a blogger by the name of Greysmith.

Gordon hates my guts quite literally because I am an authority in my field and a legitimate black belt in judo and he isn’t. I have a verifiable background in judo and Gordon doesn't. What he does have is a lot of hate for me or anyone affiliated with me apparently…. and this incident proves it. 

It seems Gordon and a colleague of his, threatened the 13-year-old daughter of one of my long-distance students to harass him. Gordon had dropped the little girl’s name online less than 24 hours after Randy received a death threat toward his daughter over the phone. It seems both Gordon and the caller knew Randy's daughter's name and where she was that particular weekend. According to Randy, he reported it to the Ohatchee police and filed a complaint. 

The Ohatchee police, took the threats extremely seriously but had to verify that this wasn't a false report. The officer contacted Gordon by phone. During the call with the Ohatchee Police, Gordon incriminated himself along with others involved with making the threats. Gordon went so far as to try and justify threatening the little girl to the police by telling the police that Randy was Graysmith, the blogger I mentioned earlier in this article. The Police were able to determine that Randy was NOT Graysmith and that Gordon was indeed involved or behind the threat or at the least he knew who did it and why. Gordon had dropped the little girl’s name online the day after Randy received the death threat toward his daughter. According to Randy, the police have also supposedly identified the other party (person) involved.

SIDE NOTE: Gordon has accused me being Graysmith back in 2020, Gordon was mad that I was able to verify my back ground to anyone who asked. Gordon then wrote another article online and demanded that I show him a picture of my arms. Apparently Graysmith has a arm tattoo(s). I don't have any arm tattoos.  https://combatjudo.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-shit-that-spews-from-bret-gordons.html

Gordon was advised by the Ohatchee Police that making terroristic threats against a minor is a felony in the state of Alabama. The investigators came to the conclusion that the real reason Gordon had targeted Randy and his daughter was because Gordon holds a grudge against me. Police advised Gordon if Randy received any more calls, or threats from anyone, they would hold Gordon personally responsible and he would face more charges. The threats and harassing calls then stopped. 

THE COMPLAINT BECOMES A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

Three months later, in May, Randy started receiving more threatening calls and harassment via social media, Gordon was once again contacted by the Ohatchee Police and Gordon incriminated himself during the officer’s interview by actually naming the person helping him, someone supposedly named Adam Mckinly. Gordon also told the police that he had told “his people”  to leave Randy alone.

According to Randy, Gordon was informed by the investigators of the Ohatchee Police Department that he is under an open criminal investigation and likely facing multiple felony charges. After Gordon’s phone call with the police the social media accounts that some of the threats emanated from started disappearing, taken down by its users, Gordon or the person(s) helping him. Needless to say Randy is pursuing this and wants them punished to the full extent of the law for targeting his daughter, as well as he should. He has also obtained help from attorneys.

If anyone has questions or ANY information regarding this matter please feel free to contact the Ohatcheee Police Department, 7801 Al-77, Ohatchee, AL 36271  Phone: (256) 892-3156 https://www.facebook.com/OhatcheePolice

THE SHIT THAT SPEWS FROM BRET GORDON'S MOUTH

One handed hand on belt seoi nage throwing drill

There are facts and there is the truth! Then there is the shit that has spewed out of Bret Gordon's mouth online. For example, in 2020 Brett Gordon wrote a defamatory article about my judo background. Gordon ignored all then current credentials then purposely and willfully fabricated his entire article, in an attempt to damage my reputation. In short Gordon fucking lied. 

I am sure Gordon tries to feign some sort of innocence and tells people that he didn't do anything and that he doesn't know what my issue is with him. However, Gordon stated in his blog article that a USJA state level 1 coaching credential (pictured left) that I had earned in 1998 was fake. In fact it was only expired as I had let my USJA membership lapse. However that didn't mean my credential wasn't still valid. Gordon intentionally ignored all my still current judo credentials in 2020 and used the expired credential to build his bed of false information concerning my back ground. Gordon claimed I was fake and then went on to write that my original judo instructor, Terry Tucker, was a fictitious non existent person. 

Gordon implied that I promoted myself by forging or fabricating NGB certificates and signatures of  the person(s) who Gordon stated were fictitious.  Gordon intentionally ignored the Winter Haven judo club's blog http://winterhavenjudoclub.blogspot.com/2008/01/newspaper-article-on-judo-club.html where there were pictures of myself and Mr. Tucker from a 1997 news paper article online in a 2008 blog post. Terry Tucker was clearly identified in the 1997 news article and shown to be my instructor and myself as his assistant instructor. 

Gordon tried to imply in an edit he made in July of 2020 that I  lied about my sandan rank in 2020. Gordon wrote that since the writing of his article in may of 2020 that I "obtained the Sandan rank that I previously claimed to have". My sandan rank was already earned, validated, verified and recognized thru USA Judo in 2018, two years prior to Gordon writing his defamatory article (date of recieved sandan circled in red below). 

USA JUDO - SANDAN - AUG. 27 2018

The only thing that happened in 2020 was that my coaching status changed from state level coach to National Level coach in the United States Judo Association (USJA) and then in USA Judo, two of the three National Governing Bodies for Judo in the US. Gordon wasn't concerned with telling anything that was remotely close to the truth. The truth would prove my legitimacy and Gordon would rather lie than be proven wrong.  

Gordon also stated in his article that he did not know me or know who I was. Gordon did indeed know who I was and what I was teaching. Three years prior to writing his article, Gordon sent a private message to me on Facebook in 2017. 

2017 FaceBook message from Bret Gordon

I have been doing judo since before Gordon was even born. My entire Judo back ground was meticulously documented through the NGBs from kyu ranks onward, still Gordon continued with lies and slander in later articles. He didn't stop there either, later in several posts, Gordon started accusing me of being an anonymous blogger by the name of Greysmith. Gordon wanted Greysmith to come after me. I believe Gordon wanted to paint me as a fraud....so the fraud busters would go after me instead instead of exposing him more and more. In one of these articles Gordon posted a picture of Greysmith claiming it was me. Gordon blew up the picture of the guys arm on his blog and even demanded to see my arms (pictured below). 

There isn't a pretender that I am afraid of. They re all wannabes. We called them pussies back in my day and quite frankly they all are.  I got zero problems telling ANY of them that to their faces. There is a saying birds of a feather flock together. Tough guys don't hang out with candy asses. Pussies surround themselves with people who are more pussy than they are. There isn't a mother fucker out there that I would hide my face from. Much less hide my arms from a pretender who can only run his meat sucker. 

So Bret, do my arms make your vagina wet?

Gordon even claimed he was capable of doing what I could do physically. I doubt he could even come close and I am 30 years older than Gordon. Gordon has never been in the kind of shape I am at almost 60 a day of his life. What I had to do to overcome takes hard work, dedication and sheer fucking will, a will that is preternatural.  Which are things Gordon doesn't have. He's a candy ass. The only thing Gordon can probably do is compete in local pie eating contests.  

Gordon has even claimed on multiple posts he has no problem getting on the mat and proving his skills to anyone who doubts him. Well I do doubt anything that spews from Gordon's mouth. Gordon posted the following on Hatfield's old article Fantasy, Narcissism and Lack of Honor in the NGBs......

I am going to call Gordon on his shit talk here. Bragging about being in the company of high level judoka (pictured above) does NOT make Gordon a judoka. He certainly doesnt prove his claims are true. Attending a clinic and posing with legit judoka doesn't mean anything in and of itself. I have a picture of myself as a brown belt in judo attending a Gracie Seminar back in the 90s. I have a picture of Royce Gracie coaching me in the guard (picture below) but that didn't make me his student nor did it make me a BJJ practitioner of any level. As awesome of an experience as it was.....it just meant I attended a Gracie seminar. 

Trying to ride the coat tails of high level judoka doesn't make Gordon or his instructor legitimate nor does it validate the ranks they claim to have in judo. YOU VALIDATE YOUR RANK AND SKILL BY GETTING ON THE MAT! ITS CALLED RANDORI!

Interestingly enough, Gordon went on to write (highlighted on screen cap 3 paragraphs above) that the only thing that "matters is what you can do on the mat". You certainly don't see Bret exhibiting any real Judo skills at all. He certainly wont get on the mat with me. I think it is pertinent to mention here that Gordon literally brags about "having worked with several high level judoka" in the screencap, yet he isn't even man enough to get on the mat with the guy he called a judo fraud. I guess that's "Kuntei Judo" for ya. 

Gordon wrote a lot of untrue stuff about me and he knows it. He flat out fucking lied! He knows I am a legitimate Judoka. Gordon has an open invitation to come by and randori ANY TIME. All sessions are videoed! I am NOT threatening Gordon or challenging Gordon to a fist fight. I am NOT threatening to beat him up, knock him out or injure the guy. I am just talking about getting on the mat to randori.....But Gordon is too scared to even do that!

The real reason Bret Gordon wont get on the mat with me is that he knows I would make a fool out of him him in seconds on the mat. AND I DO MEAN SECONDS! Gordon knows that he would be embarrassed and unequivocally exposed to ALL as someone who is totally unskilled at judo. 

MY THROWS ARE NINJA AND I DONT FORGET

People who know me and those who even hate me will tell you one thing.....I don't suffer grief from anyone in any form. I don't turn the other cheek and I dont fucking forget. If you're going to talk shit online then you best be willing to back it up. Bret Gordon can talk tough online but he cant back his tough talk up. Back in 2020 Bret Gordon from Clermont Florida wrote a defamatory and slanderous article about me. Gordon went to great lengths attempting to paint me as a fraud. He claimed I had no judo back ground, that my judo instructors were non existent people. That I had fabricated my ranks through the National Governing bodies. 

 Koga variation of Ippon seoi nage - left versus right situation

Gordon claimed that the coaching certification I earned in 1997 thru the USJA Coaching educational Program was fake and that my rank certificates were not only fake but forged. Despite the fact that my ranks and certifications are recognized and verified not just in one NGB but in multiple legitimate Judo organizations. You can read more about the lengths he went to here:  https://combatjudo.blogspot.com/2022/10/public-statement.html 

If you're gonna be willing to lie to call someone a fraud online multiple times then you should be willing to back it up. As a judoka for me that means get your fucking ass on the mat and we will see what is what. Gordon even went so far to say that he wasn't past showing up at my front door. Three years later despite living only 45 minutes away and all the bullshit he wrote about me he still hasn't paid me a visit.  

Grip fighting drills

When someone goes to the lengths that Gordon did, lying to attempt to defame me, there's only one thing left to do....get on the mat.... randori...unless.... you're too much of a candy ass. Gordon let his mouth over load his ass, and like the pussy he is, he realized that he wouldn't stand the slightest chance against a legitimately trained judoka like me and he wouldn't. 

According to the Kontei Judo site Gordon teaches Kodokan Judo the way Kano intended and claims the scope of the competition part of judo is "limited". You would think, at the least, he would be willing to prove his stance that competition judo is limited. Gordon however wont get on the mat with me a guy who he called a fraud online. Gordon likes to run his mouth but at the end of the day its simple, don't run that meat sucker if you cant back it up. 

Blue defending against a over the top grip attempt by White.

In 2020 Gordon was claiming to be a 5th dan in judo. Gordon claims he started training in judo some where between 2013 and 2017. A 5th dan rank in judo takes about 35 years to attain. Bret was in his mid twenties at the time. Caught Gordon claimed it was a typo then changed his story and claimed to be a second dan through the USA TKJ an organization that is NOT affiliated with the Kodokan.  As for his second dan that takes approximately 14 to 20 years to attain. 7 to 10 years to attain first dan then you have to have 7 to ten years time in grade at first dan to even be eligible for second dan. 

Less than 2 years later in 2022 Gordon was claiming 3rd dan. A rank that requires a time in grade at second dan of 7 to 10 years. So even if we were to take the minimum requirement of time in grade, 7 years at each dan rank thats 21 years minimum. So where are any early pictures of Gordon training in judo? I was doing judo before Gordon was born and can provide pictures of training at a kyu rank back in the 90s. 

Gordon according to his own bio started training in 2013. That's only 10 years to present. Not enough time, by any legitimate judo standards, to garner the rank he now claims. He has also claimed he got his judo and BJJ black belts due to "previous experience in other martial arts". That isn't a practice that any legitimate judo or BJJ organization recognizes or condones.

Gordon ranks in judo and BJJ are a joke. He cant even seem to keep his stories about his "Judo black belt" straight. Gordon's judo ranks do not adhere to any Kodokan recognized international or national governing organizational or school standards. PERIOD. 

One handed seoi nage drill with back step entry

I don't care, if someone wants to fudge their judo rank and call it Cuntei Judo, or what ever, but don't start claiming or even implying you are better skilled than those of us who have adhered to the highest standards in judo. Especially when you're not even willing to randori against someone who is capable. Gordon tried to imply he was better than me but aint got the sack to back it up. He wont randori. He knows I will make a fool of him. 

Shiai is the testing of oneself. The time when a student must put his skills to actual use..The phrase is made up of two Japanese words. "Shi" means "to test" and "ai" means to meet. The term "randori means free sparring it is practiced under conditions of actual contest/competition/shiai. 

Ippon Seoi nage from lapel only step and pivot entry

Gordon has called me a fraud openly online, belittled sport judo, and legitimate judoka. He is good at running that meat sucker, you would think he would actually back up his bullshit and get on the mat or stand behind calling me out as a fraud. But he won't. I am thirty years older than Gordon. I'm in shape to do judo, in shape to randori. Gordon is in shape to compete in a hot dog eating contest. Think about this he is afraid of me, a guy that he called a fraud PUBLICLY. Gordon won't randori against me under any circumstances, too scared too. 

A lot of big claims and talk have come from Gordon. Deeming yourself a black belt in judo doesn't make one a judoka, a pretty certificate on the wall doesn't prove your judo rank, what you can actually do on the judo mat does! Randori is the proving ground in judo! PERIOD! It definitively shows who is a skilled judoka and who is just a bunch fucking hot air. Gordon is no legitimate judoka.......if you cant get on the mat and prove it, then you aint it. 

Ippon seoi nage split step entry

So how much of a pussy is Gordon? I am NOT challenging Gordon to a fist fight. I am NOT threatening to beat him up, knock him out or injure the guy. I am just talking about getting on the mat to randori.....But Gordon is too scared to even do that. 

Gordon is welcome to get on the mat and randori with me and prove me wrong ANY FUCKING TIME! I am on the mat everyday of the week. I personally don't think Gordon is even physically capable of handling a randori session with a skilled judoka like myself. Gordon knows I would put him on his ass in seconds. He wouldn't even know what hit him. I would make a fool out of him in seconds. And I do mean literally in SECONDS. So fast Gordon would run off the mat crying.  

If Gordon is too scared to take me up on randori. I will most certainly roll with him too. I have no intentions to injure Gordon but I will embarrass him. I will put my Carlson Gracie Jiujitsu white belt on and put it up against Gordon's so called "bjj black belt" ANYTIME and submit him just as fast as I would throw him standing.  

UNVERFIABLE INSTRUCTORS EQUATE TO SUBSTANDARD JUDO SKILLS

I am addressing two articles that were written by Bret Gordon and Steven Hatfield, "The Myth of the National Governing Bodies" and "Fantasy, Narcissism and lack of honor in the NGBs". I want to point out that both Gordon and Hatfield spread only disinformation when it comes to the inner workings of judo and how organizational and Kodokan ranking procedures really work. These articles were an attempt to rewrite the actual procedures of the Judo ranking system and to cover up Gordon's and Hatfield's own judo claims and backgrounds are non existent and UNVERIFIABLE. 

A lot of effort and hard work is put into learning judo in legitimate judo organizations and the Kodokan recognized national Governing bodies for judo. Judo is regulated and those who claim judo ranks can easily be verified. Judo keeps a clear record via the Kodokan and all its international and National governing bodies. Because of this it is easy to vet who are legitimate judo instructors and who arent. 

Be warned it is buyer beware when dealing with judo instructors with unverifiable back grounds. You are not getting Kodokan Judo by any standards, you are getting garbage!

The cold hard facts are that Neither Gordon or Hatfield are certified teachers, coaches or certified or endorsed instructors from any Kodokan regulated organization. The judo ranks both Gordon and Hatfield claim are not the result of actual Kodokan judo training of any kind.  They're self proclaimed judo instructors who literally garnered their ranks overnight, fabricated them and then bought rank from a non recognized organization, the USA TKJ. Only pussies buy a rank in this manner instead of earning it the right way.  

The article pictured above was written by Bret Gordon. He claims the NGBs are all about sport and nothing else. Gordon is purposely misleading because there are things he just doesn't want his students to know. First off the three NGBs (USA judo, USJA, USJF) that Gordon speaks of follow standards that were set by the Kodokan. These three NGBs in the US are the only ones the Kodokan recognizes. The Kodokan does not recognize USA Traditional Kodokan Judo (USA TKJ). The USA TKJ is not affiliated in any way to the Kodokan in Japan. 

Statement from Bruce Bethers, President of USA TKJ circled in red.

For any American Judoka the only path to the Kodokan is thru the NGBs then to the US Kodokan Committee then to the Kodokan in japan. THIS IS THE ONLY PATH! The Kodokan vets American judoka through the NGBs (USJA, USJF USA Judo) only. There is no skirting the NGBs in any country. The NGBs are who the Kodokan uses to vet all foreign Judoka around the world who want their ranks registered through the Kodokan.

The three NGBs themselves are represented by a US based Kodokan Committee. Anyone who has earned a shodan in the NGBs can submit their rank to the US Kodokan committee, if they qualify it will get passed on to the Kodokan in Japan. The Kodokan in japan will vet the application and check on all verified experience. If, involvement in the sport of judo is minimal you will not be granted a rank from the Kodokan. If a higher rank like a sandan wants that rank recognized and has not applied for rank recognition from the Kodokan before. The applicant will not be recognized at sandan, he will be recognized at shodan provided he has the commensurate amount of tournament experience. His time in grade will start on the day his shodan was recognized by the Kodokan. Basically starting over to earn his higher ranks. 

Secondly, what Gordon doesn't say is that the NGBs do cater to non competitive judoka. The NGBs have different sets of standards for judoka involved with the sport and those who aren't. There are four classifications. These four classifications range from the very competitive judoka, lessor competitive judoka to the Non competitive judoka. The competitive judoka make up only a small percentage of judo practitioners. There are not enough competitive judoka to sustain a NGB let alone the three NGBs in the US. Most of the people in the NGBs are non competitive judoka. The bigger numbers of non Competitive Judoka are who really sustain the NGBs. The NGBs recognize that not everyone has a desire to compete. Those who are more involved with Judo like sport judoka will garner ranks about 30 to 40 percent faster than those who don't compete.

Gordon goes on to state in his article that the NGBs aren't the real authority or influence on governing anything related to the traditional arts (judo). This is an out and out lie, the NGBs are the authority, no question. The Kodokan is the birthplace of Judo.  Judo is regulated and it is structured in a very specific way. The structure was indeed established and set forth by the Kodokan through its National Governing bodies all over the world. Because of this structure there is a distinct difference between verifiable judo rank which is capable of being proven true or real and a fabricated or unverifiable rank that is not objective and can't be proven.

I don't expect Gordon to speak knowledgeably about the workings of the NGBs he has never been involved in judo outside his own imagination. Gordon is being purposely misleading about what the NGBs true functions are. Gordon doesn't want his students to know that the NGBs true purpose reflects that of the Kodokan's. 

Fabricating ranks or buying them from non qualified organizations or sources is NOT a practice that the Kodokan or the NGBs engage in and seriously look down on. Gordon's and Hatfield's issues are really about the standards the Kodokan and its international Governing bodies ALL have. Neither Gordon or Hatfield meet those standards and requirements.  

UNVERFIABLE INSTRUCTORS EQUATE TO SUBSTANDARD JUDO SKILLS

What one gets from an unverifiable instructors is very sub standard at best..... meaning black belts who can easily be beaten by even a legitimate white belt. What Gordon tries to teach in the way of judo is very very substandard in comparison to the NGBs and the Kodokan. For the non competitive judoka or the judoka who does very little in the sport to achieve green belt level would typically be three years. To give an idea about how substandard Gordon is he promotes students to green belt in less than a year. it would take more than a year for a competitive judoka to reach that rank. Neither Gordon or his instructor have exemplary skills by any stretch of the imagination and sadly pass their non existent to substandard skills to their students. Their so called judo class/program is a literal joke. 

Gordon's method of fast tracking students thru judo ranks is disastrous for the student. It is generally the students of these types of instructors who pay the price. The instructors themselves would not dare step on the mat with legitimate judoka. They know what the poor skills that they are passing on aren't good or effective. This why Gordon will never step foot on the mat with someone like me. His piss poor skills would be no match, he would lose and lose badly.  

Some of Gordon's former students, believing they were the ranks Gordon had promoted them to, visited other judo schools. The poor level of training they received from Gordon became quickly apparent and they were embarrassed in front of everyone. The white belts with less than six months training were beating Gordon's green and brown belt students it spoke volumes of Gordon's lack of  judo skills. 

With that being said I want to stress this was one hundred percent Gordon's fault NOT his former students. Gordon is not a judo instructor, he teaches garbage. He has never been a judoka. He convinced his students that they didn't need years of training but only months and they would be ranked judoka. It was unfortunate that they found out the hard way that they were taught garbage that wouldn't work nor was it even remotely effective.

 Like Gordon's article, Hatfield attempts to put out false and misleading information (pictured above) to hide that the fact he is not even remotely qualified to teach or coach Judo. Hatfield sports a red white belt in judo, laughingly he isn't even old enough to have such a rank in judo. To say it is inflated is an under statement. He claims he started training in judo roughly in 2012. To obtain a 5th - 6th degree black belt in judo would require 35 plus years of judo training and experience. Hatfield's whole article gears around what he calls the uselessness of certifications and that they aren't really needed.   

Despite what Hatfield tries to say in his article, certifications show a specialty that goes beyond just an individual achieving a black belt rank in judo. Earning a Black belt rank isn't any indication of ones teaching or coaching ability. The NGBs, the Kodokan, even the founder Jigoro Kano all recognized this. Kano himself wanted qualified teachers and instructors. Simply getting your black belt in judo wasnt enough even back in Kano's era. This is why there are teaching/coaching programs and certifications today within the NGBs as well as educational programs within the Kodokan itself.  

Coaching certifications and accreditations are specific in that it shows an area of a judoka's expertise....TEACHING AND COACHING. It indicates that not only can the instructor do judo himself but he is a credential instructor and coach in other words, he is a professional. It cannot be stressed enough that coaching education doesn't stop with gaining a certification it is continuing education program. Personally I have coaching credentials and do continuing coaching education programs in three different legit Judo organizations as each hae their own coaching education programs. 

YOU ARE EITHER VERFIED OR YOU ARENT SHIT

The unverified uncredentialled instructor is substandard in comparison to the person who has specialized in judo by taking and garnering his certifications. Likewise when going to a school that is run by a instructor who is unverified....you are just getting a sub standard level of instruction. Substandard instruction can leave these types of schools and instructors wide open to civil litigation. Failure to provide adequate instruction is when a teacher instructor or coach has not adequately or properly instructed students in any or all phases of judo. It is the instructor's/ coaches duty and responsibility to adequately and properly instruct all students in correct technical and safety skills of judo. 

From a legal stand point it is never a good idea to lie about or exaggerate your expertise for several reasons. If you have to bull shit people it means you are hiding your lack of knowledge. It also means you aren't even confident in your own abilities if you have to make them out to be more than what they are. Judges see right through practices like a play on words. Those kinds of BS tactics certainly wont help you in legal proceedings. In court you will be required to prove every last one of your claims. Unverifiable claims will not be considered evidence. 1000 unverifiable claims doe not equate to a single truth or fact.

Hatfield's school ad on left - Kodokan member card on right

It is never a good idea to advertise or represent yourself as something as something that you are not. Hatfield has claimed to be a licensed and or endorsed with the Kodokan (pictured above on left). The truth is Hatfield doesn't hold a single rank through the NGBs. According to the Kodokan them selves he holds no rank with the Kodokan either. Hatfield's Kodokan judo rank and instructor claims were false. He isn't licensed nor is his school, his Kontei Judo or Sieken Judo Jiujitsu Association. Also if Hatfield's rank was recognized by the Kodokan the rank would be on his card. It clearly isn't (pictured above on right). 

According to an email from the Kodokan in Japan (pictured left), Hatfield isnt an instructor of any rank or of any licensed status with the Kodokan. ALL Hatfield did was buy a Kodokan member card. Anyone even non judoka can purchase a Kodokan member card. Kodokan member cards are easy to get.  Tourists can purchase them from a vending machine at the Kodokan with ever stepping on the mats to do judo. They can be purchased online without ever training in judo or physically stepping foot in the Kodokan. 

The Kodokan member card is not  proof of a license, rank or endorsement. The card's only function is as a gym card, you show it to get in. Trying to say its proof of endorsement or a license as Gordon and Hatfield implies is misrepresentative of the card's actual purpose. The way Gordon and Hatfield attempt to word things and imply on their websites and other public media is quite misleading. 

It is not a good idea from a legal standpoint to claim to be something that you are not. Neither Hatfield or Gordon should make things out to be more than what they really are but they do. They both have implied an affiliation with the Kodokan that isn't there. This quite literally leaves them open and vulnerable to litigation. It gives their students grounds to break any and all contracts they may have signed with Gordon or Hatfield schools immediately and even start litigation to regain the monies the students paid to them. Uncredentialled instructors can also be held liable for committing fraud. Claiming to be a judo instructor when you are not a verified judo instructor opens many doors for civil legal litigation. They can be held liable for any and all injuries that occur in their classes. 

Hatfield has no understanding of the certification process or even what it means and blatantly attempts to say in his article that standards, certification training and requirements that all legitimate judoka must meet means nothing. 

Being a credentialed, certified or accredited instructor is considered a professional and goes a long way in the eyes of the legal system. Attorneys do call instructors who are recognized by the NGBs into court proceedings for professional assessments, evaluations and testimony as they are noted credentialed experts. An instructor that is trained and certified through the NGBs could be called to testify against an instructor who isn't credentialed or certified. Example, I am an authority in my field, I am credentialed and certified in multiple legitimate Judo organizations. My testimony in court would hold more weight than that of Hatfield's or Gordon's. I would literally be there worst nightmare in a litigation. How important does being certified sound now?

The more educated you stay the better. It shows everyone that you are just not another instructor, it shows you are not an amateur or self proclaimed expert or self promoted instructor. Certifications from National recognized institutes and organizations shows that you are a capable professional Judo teacher, instructor and coach. Teaching judo cannot be taken lightly nor should it be, the more credentialed a judo instructor is, the more it helps protect the instructors themselves from legal litigation. If one isn't qualified to do CPR and offers assistance anyway and the subject dies as a result. Even if  their intentions were good, legally they would and could be held responsible for the death.  

Whether Gordon and Hatfield and others of their ilk like it or not,  Judo IS regulated, with the standards and requirements being set by the Kodokan. The three NGBs in the US are ALL comprised of professional teachers, instructors, coaches and athletes ALL who have met certain standards and criteria to be such.

Hatfield's skills are very substandard, a beginner level of white belt.  His poor level of skill and knowledge is evident in the videos he has on social media attempting to demonstrate judo techniques. He is clearly not a ranked judoka with any legitimate judo organization nor is he ranked with the Kodokan. He didn't go through the hard training or the effort that comes with judo and it shows. Calling  himself a 5th degree black belt master....now that's a joke. Like Gordon, he's a pretender and a candy ass. Hatfield cant and doesn't meet any standards in judo not even at a beginner rank. Hatfield calling himself a judo instructor is like someone trying to claim they're a attorney without having to go to law school and pass the bar. Lastly, only a pussy would buy a judo rank from a joke organization instead of actually training in it to earn it. 

PROTECTING YOURSELF FROM UNVERIFIED JUDO INSTRUCTORS 

I would like to point out to readers that unverifiable judo instructors or instructors who fast track you through judo ranks are practices not recognized and that these type practices are looked down upon by the Kodokan and its NGBs! There is no skirting the NGBs in any country. The NGBs are who the Kodokan uses to vet all foreign Judoka who want their ranks registered through the Kodokan. 

There is nothing wrong with a student or potential student independently verifying an instructor's information for themselves. Only those with stuff to hide will take it as an affront. If your instructor is claiming things like he is a Kodokan black belt and that he will get your rank registered with the Kodokan my advice is to CONTACT THE NGBs and THE KODOKAN DIRECTLY!  Website: http://www.kodokanjudoinstitute.org/  Email: int@kodokan.org