Chief Master Dave Weatherly, World Martial Arts Academy, Fenton, MI: 5th & 8th Dans?

[Sam Browning]

So once again, were you threatened?

[Rene "Zendokan" Gysenbergs]

He evidently went into the posts themselves to erase the text as verses simply deleting the posts. I don't know how to restore after such editing.

Ask a tech. Normally the database will be back-upped, if the back-ups don't overwrite eachother instantly, there should exist a back-up with his posts. Time is crucial, because the older back-ups get first overwritten.

[Rob L]

Hi my name is Rob. I know this post is rather old but I stumbled upon it and felt the need to respond.
I have just started training at a local HapKiDo school in my small town. The head instructor claims to have studied under GM DW and possibly Master Ma as well.

I have researched several search engines and can find nothing about Great Grand Master Jae Sun Ji. Further more the only thing I could find about GM DW ranking was on this site http://www.certainvictory.com/credentials.html where it has GM DW listed as a 2nd Dan Black Belt North American Hapkido Association. I can find nothing to date about him being an 8th or a 5th Dan.

I also found another site http://www.northernmartialarts.com/about.php making the claim that GM DW is highest ranked Korean Certified American in HapKiDo (8th Dan) but this school is an affiliate of World Martial Arts Academy in Fenton, Michigan, which is owned by Grand Master David Weatherly. Make your own conclusions on that one.

Since I have never been the shy type, I plan on asking all involved with this school everything about GM DW. Their answers will be the guide as to whether I stay or not.

Just wanted to added my 32 cents to this thread.

[truthskr]

There is a class offered in my community taught by Master Weatherly. Is the general concensus of this forum that he is a fake master? Please post

[Sam Browning]

I don't know if anyone can speak for the forum and offer a "general concensus" it is also not clear if he is a "fake master" said term is undefined. I think I would say that when one of his former students said negative things about him, he evidently called them and put some real pressure on them to retract their statements.

[desertrat0512]

truthskr:

I studied "under" Dave Weatherly in Northern Michigan, some years back. At the time, the only rank he claimed was that of 8th Dan HapKiDo Master. Even then, information about his legitimate bona fides was hard to come by. Out of great curiosity, I've done a good bit of Google-fu to try to track down Weatherly's actual certifications without much success. Most of the information about Weatherly that is out there is mainly from his own sites and posts. Even this site has had a lot of heat and not much light in regards to who and what he really is. Recently there have been a couple of statements that Weatherly is now claiming a high Judo or Aikido master rank.

While I was a student, Weatherly was said to have studied in Korea under certain masters, and was variously reported to have been the youngest champion of some type, and to be the first non-Korean to have achieved 8th Dan rank (9th being highest and 10th only awarded to Grand Masters who had passed away). He was supposed to have been hand-picked by the Korean Grand Masters to bring HapKiDo to the US in the form of the North American HapKiDo Association. NAHA was allegedly the only US HapKiDo association recognized by the Korean government agency charged with promoting and protecting Korean martial arts.

NAHA does not appear to have any association with anyone but Weatherly, and didnt' find any mention of it on the WWW that didn't eventually refer back to Weatherly's own schools in Michigan. I also found no mention of Weatherly related to any martial arts championship or titles, besides those on his own web pages. The style he used to teach (Sun Moo Kwan) seems to be strongly connected to Weatherly himself, but the information is sufficiently murky that it may be coincidental.

That's what I know...which isn't much. Draw your own conclusions.

CS

[Matt Phillips]

I received this email today regarding this thread:

Mark Tripp to me
show details 11:49 AM (36 minutes ago)

Interesting thread. Before I begin let me say I have been to the Fenton School twice. I have met Mr. Weatherly once, but spoke to him at great length. However let me begin with Mr. L’Esperance.
I know Henry quite well. He was a regular participant at the Spirit of the Eagle Camp, and taught many classes there. He is a solid Judoka, with solid skills.
He is also an elderly gentleman who wears a colostomy bag. That kind of limits what you do and do not do on the mat.
However, I have known him for several years. He called me a few years ago and asked me if I could stop by and help him with a class at the location you are speaking of. Henry had just had surgery and was concerned with teaching the class.
I went to the school, taught some simple throws and pins to a small group of people. I made no comments about the other programs but IMHO it was a typical McDojo that was adding Judo to the “menu.”
A few days later Henry called me and said Mr. Weatherly was upset I was teaching at his dojo. I went back the following Saturday to speak with Mr. Weatherly and put his mind as ease about my presence.
I spoke to Mr. Weatherly, in his office, for well over an hour. AT NO TIME did he EVER express knowledge, let alone rank, in Judo OR Yudo, period. If he legitimately had the ranks he claims, at that time he would have had to be a 4th Dan in Judo/Yudo and one would think he would have expressed that.
During this discussion a class was on the mat, and a student was having real problems getting the basics to O Goshi (major hip throw). I excused myself, kicked my shoes off, went over and fixed the problem, and then went back to his office. I corrected the errors but made no negative remarks about the school or its programs.
I never asked why Mr. Weatherly was upset with me, as I felt if he had a problem he should express it. He had a moment right then to say why he had a problem with me teaching on his mat. He never said a word about it. So after a bit, I said it was nice meeting him and excused myself. I said my good bye’s to Henry, gave him a hug and left.
Later Henry told me Mr. Weatherly was really upset I went on the mat to correct a problem. I said “He had over an hour to tell me that but didn’t. I think it best that I do not return.” I never did.
However, the claim that Mr. Weatherly has legitimate Judo skills is fatuous at best.
Mark Tripp