This knuckle head screams "poster child"!!!!

RRouuselot

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I got this from some people at VeriSEAL Group (the guys that can tell you if someone was a SEAL or not)

This knuckle head screams "poster child"

http://www.nashvillerage.com/features/archives/05/01/65998141.shtml

[size=+2]Southern Samurai [/size]
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[/size][/font] [font=arial,helvetica][size=-2] By Hollie Shulick
Staff Writer
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When you walk into Executive Martial Arts, it may take a few moments to notice some of the differences that set it apart from any of the hundred other martial arts studios in town.

It could be another local instructor fitting in a lesson before heading back to his own place, or maybe the swords and archery equipment lining the walls, along with imitation guns and knives. Or the bale of hay hanging from the ceiling, strictly for the purpose of testing the sharpness of the aforementioned swords.

The least intimidating thing in the studio is owner Chris Garland - at least on first glance.

Chris could be any 31-year-old you’d meet out on the town - good-looking, longish hair, muscular body. But he’s more than he seems. He could very well be the most dangerous man in town.

And that’s a good thing for local women.

Chris, grandson of bluegrass legend Vassar Clements, has his grandfather to thank for his 27 years of experience in the martial arts.

" I was raised as a music child, and I would go overseas with my grandfather when he would do gigs, " Chris says of his introduction to martial arts at age 4. " It was always the Asian way to give gifts. So my grandfather asked them to give me what he wanted me to have (lessons in the martial arts), without really realizing what was going to happen years down the road, and what they would turn me into. " And that’s Samurai, trained in a wide variety of martial arts practices, particularly the sword.

His skill was immediately recognized, and Chris spent every summer until his teens training in Korea and Japan. He was a black belt by 7, teaching his own students by 16, and by 17 was infantry in the army, training special forces.

After four-and-a-half years of active duty, Chris became an independent contractor for the Special Forces. He has recently retired and is now teaching self-defense full-time in Nashville.

Ex-Marine Jennifer Smith has been training with Chris for the past five years, and even she admits she doesn’t know what she was getting into. Having just moved here from Hawaii, she signed up with another mother who didn’t want to go to self-defense classes alone. Now, Jennifer is one of Chris’ top students; she even teaches classes herself.

" He was so intense, " Jennifer says of her initial meeting with Chris. " But I liked him immediately. At the time I didn’t understand the depth of his knowledge, or what a treasure I had found right here. "

His knowledge includes proficiency in all ways of the Samurai, including Hapkido, swordsmanship, archery, horseback riding, swimming and - most importantly for his students - turning the body into a ready-made weapon.

" I don’t ever have to worry about being defenseless, " Jennifer says. " I’m my best defense, and that’s what Hapkido teaches you. "

" What I provide to the women is realism, " Chris says. " I provide them with the ability to feel safe. " That means using whatever is available for self-defense, from your hands to your shoelaces, to get away from an attacker.

According to Jennifer, just going to the first lesson is a step in the right direction.

" We (students of Samurai) are a ‘one hit, one kill’ martial art, " she says. " When you learn it, you carry yourself with a confidence - you don’t allow yourself to get in a position to get attacked. You learn self-confidence, self-discipline and self-protection. "

Chris knows how intensive his training is, but hopes that instead of shying away from the challenge, more women choose to empower themselves with knowledge of self-protection.

" People sense that and they don’t want to mess with a woman who’s like that, who has that kind of confidence level, " he says. " The world is becoming very volatile. It’s out there - it’s down the street, it’s next door. "

Jennifer agrees, citing how many women who are just made to feel uncomfortable by a man, much less raped or attacked. " We want our children to get a good education, so we send them to school, " she says. " But we tell them all the time how dangerous the world is, and we don’t equip them the skills to deal with it. "

Chris Garland's Excutive Martial Arts
850 Hillwood Plaza, Suite 8A
615-356-3131 Hapkido, Karate, kickboxing — which is right for you? With so many martial arts places to choose from, it’s good to know which one you want before you sign up for a class. Many places will let you come in or sign up for a single session, so shop around to make sure you have a good rapport with the instructor and that the type of instruction meets your goals.

There are lots of reasons why people sign up for martial arts classes. Decide why you want to train, and finding a studio will become much easier.

To help you on your quest, here are descriptions of four martial art forms and their benefits, courtesy of tkdtutor.com:

Self-defense: The purpose is to resolve a violent situation. The technique is for high-risk situations that must be resolved immediately.
Self-discipline: The most commercial schools, such as Taekwondo, Karate, Judo, Kung-Fu, and so on. The greatest benefits are found in these styles, such as exercise, self-confidence and mental-focus. These styles are also very social.
Spiritual: These develop inner peace, and include Tai Chi. These techniques do not teach self-defense.
Sport: Tournament fighting requires dedication and intensive practice. Entire martial art styles are dedicated to sport, such as the sport version of Taekwondo.
 

Bammx2

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Teaching special forces at 17...........

what a crock:shrug:

name and shame!
name and shame!
 

Aegis

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Samurai did hapkido eh?

The first thing that struck me about this thread was the sword. Specifically the grip. Finger pointing out like that = missing finger if you do it long enough! other than that it doesn't seem as atrociously bad as many.
 
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RRouuselot

RRouuselot

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Aegis said:
Samurai did hapkido eh?
Yeah......I must have missed that part in my Japanese martial history lesson.
I guess in some parts of the US smoking crack is more prevalent than others.
 
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RRouuselot

RRouuselot

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Here is another guy that has some outrageous claims and bogus rank.

http://www.tokoshi.com/dr__manson_bio.htm

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Bio for Dr. Tom Manson
Dr. Manson began his martial arts career in 1971 in Chillicothe, Ohio. He started studying Seiei Kan Karate under Master Don Madden. In 1988 Dr. Manson had the good fortune to meet Master Merritt Stevens. Master Stevens teachings made him realize the study of Karate alone would not answer all of his self-defense questions. At this time Dr. Manson began the study of other martial arts and discovered the answers to many of his questions. To this day he still considers himself a student of martial arts. Dr. Manson has worked for fifteen years in the correctional system in Ohio. He began as a correctional officer at the Correction Reception Center. He then became a training officer at the Corrections Training Academy and presently is a training officer for the Division of Parole and Community Services. In 1995 Dr. Manson along with Shihan Tim Jones wrote the Response to Sexual Violence program currently taught by the State of Ohio Department of Corrections. He has taught countless correction officers, probation and parole officers as well as many members of various police and SWAT team members. Dr. Manson is certified as a Firearms Instructor, Edged Weapons Instructor, Pepper Spray Instructor and Field Tactics Instructor. He is in demand for seminars around the country. Dr. Manson has taken the skills he has learned and founded the Tokoshikan Bujutsu system. In 1998 he was awarded the title of "Soke" (founder or head of a martial arts system) by the Black Belt Board of Tokoshi Martial Arts Federation. Dr. Manson considers himself to be a student of martial arts as long as he lives. Some of his achievements are as follows:

Founder of Tokoshikan Bujutsu
Inducted into United States Martial Arts Association Hall of Fame as Martial Arts Founder in August, 2000
Inducted into World Martial Arts Hall of Fame as Headfounder of the year 2001 & 20th Century Contributions to the Martial Arts. Also awarded the title of Doctor and the rank of 10th Degree
1) Jiaoshi (master instructor) Tai Chi/Qigong
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[font=Arial, Helvetica] 2) 9th Degree Black Belt Shotokan Karate[/font]
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[font=Arial, Helvetica] 3) 9th Degree Black Belt Jujitsu[/font]
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[font=Arial, Helvetica] 6th Degree Black Belt Seiei Kan Karate[/font]
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[font=Arial, Helvetica] 4) 4th Degree Black Belt Kachido Aikijitsu[/font]
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[font=Arial, Helvetica] 2nd Degree Black Belt USJA Judo[/font]
-----------------------------

1) Jysoshi in Chinese just means "teacher", it doesn't mean "master instructor. Yet another example of an incorrect use of an asian word. :rolleyes:

2) Really? Impressive.....I wonder if the Shotokan Honbu knows about this....I doubt it since a 9th dan would make him the highest ranking person in Shotokan!
3) Really> what kind of Jujutsu and from whom?
4) "kachido"....what is that suppose to be Japanese or something???

and here is a link to one of his "Soke" buddies.
http://free.hostdepartment.com//K/KaizenDojo/index.html

And another "Soke" sight on his links page

http://www.yamatanidojo.com/contents.htm

Check out the Bios page

 

Aegis

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34 years training and TWO 9th dan, a 10th dan and the titles "soke" and "doctor"...?

Where do you find them Robert?
 

Andrew Green

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Sad thing is, after about 10 years of training, anyone with some skill, imagination and charisma can convince people with no training of just about anything as far as thier credentials go...

Yes, a 9th dan Shotokan... and he is American...

If your gonna claim a unrealistic rank at least make it a more obscure style, 5 minutes on the internet looking at Shotokan stuff would be enough to raise doubt, another 5 and it would be confirmed...
 

The Kai

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Renshi Mobely-22 years old, and wearing a Kung Fu uniform
 

arnisador

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Aegis said:
"doctor"...?

Sadly, when I see someone in the martial arts calling themselves "Dr." it inclines me to think it's more likely that they're a fraud. At least, that's been my experience... :(

Much less so if they don't use the title to refer to themselves, but others just use it to refer to them.
 

Seig

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Michael Billings was absolutely correct in locking this thread and moving it for my review.

Upon discussion with Bob Hubbard and a review of the thread, I will reopen this thread provided it is limited to this particular individual or others making false Special Forces/Seal claims.

The subject of this thread has been verified as a fraud
http://sec-global.com/services/ctp/vsg/list.html
Therefore, members of this board are not fraud busting when discussing these individuals.

Seig
MT Ops Admin
 
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RRouuselot

RRouuselot

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Seig said:
Upon discussion with Bob Hubbard and a review of the thread, I will reopen this thread provided it is limited to this particular individual or others making false Special Forces/Seal claims.

The subject of this thread has been verified as a fraud
http://sec-global.com/services/ctp/vsg/list.html
Therefore, members of this board are not fraud busting when discussing these individuals.

Seig
MT Ops Admin

Just so I get this straight.....we have to limit our discussion to only the individual I first mentioned and anyone else claiming SF/SEALness????
What about others mentioned in this thread?
 
J

Jaymeister

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I will reopen this thread provided it is limited to this particular individual or others making false Special Forces/Seal claims. The subject of this thread has been verified as a fraud http://sec-global.com/services/ctp/vsg/list.html Therefore, members of this board are not fraud busting when discussing these individuals.
I think that says it all. The first guy has been proven to be a liar, so therefor you're not risking lawsuits for the site by bashing him.
 

hardheadjarhead

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I wonder if his grandpa is REALLY Vassar Clements? If so, grandpappy might be interested in knowing his son is doing this.

For those that don't know, Clements is perhaps the greatest fiddle player in America. I believe he's still alive...maybe not.


Regards,


Steve
 

Tgace

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Where is the line drawn between "fraud busting" and exposing some scam artist claiming 10 high degree black belts, Navy Seal history and the "death touch" ability drawn?

I fully realize the necessity to control rampant "fraud busting" activity because of the politics of MA being what it is, but sometimes if it "walks like a duck".......
 

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