Mr. Scott, I have tried to access e-budo but had to re-register and am awaiting permission to access the forum so I can post. Frankly, I do not like to participate in internet discussions. Too many uneducated, illtrained opinions without life experiences to back them up.
However I will comment to you and you may feel free to post this in its entirety.
1]My Panther tapes were done in 1988 as a commercial venture to make money. It was an attempt to capitalize on the "Master Series" that Panther was putting out and having been trained and ranked under Katsumi Yonezawa[Daito Ryu KodoKai Shihan until he broke away] I used the Aikijujutsu title. Although I objected to the title of Master, Mr. Jennings insisted that it was the way his tapes were put out to the market. He being the producer and director, I had to go along. These were also made up rank requirements for commercial purposes not the true rank requirements of either my dojo or the Kodokai.
2] My new series of DVDs takes a student through the ranks of white,orange, yellow, green, 3rd,2nd,1st Brown and finally Black. It is a true depiction of the minimum requirements for ranking to those levels in my organization.
3] As you know in addition to the high Dan ranks I have been awarded in Jujutsu, I am also a legitimate holder of Shodan and Nidan in Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu KodoKai under Katsumi Yonezawa and Sandan in Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu Bokuyokan also under Katsumi Yonezawa.
4] What can I tell you about my patch. Its a pretty design. I'm sorry you and others may not like the quality of the patch. I've been using this company for many years and I'm satisfied with it. As to the "rip off", I'm sure there are many other martial arts practitioners out there who don't know their ps and q's that you can pick on without getting me involved in controversy. At least I teach my art as I was taught by my jujutsu instructor, Antonio Pereira[MiYama Ryu Jujutsu] and by Katsumi Yonezawa[Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu]. And in my own way pay tribute to their systems by not denying my roots or making believe that I invented or received a golden shower from which I devised the many techniques I teach. I don't bother anybody and keep to myself teaching realistic street effective jujutsu and aikijujutsu.
I've put in 40 years of training with 24 consecutive years teaching. During the last 25 years I worked in Law Enforcement executing warrants, gang suppression and intelligence work. My training proved to work extremely well for me while battling the many crack heads, gang bangers and others on the streets of N.Y.
I hope you are satisfied with my response and please do not hesitate to contact me again should the need arise.
Again please feel free to post this since I'm having a hard time posting it myself. Thank you.
Miguel Ibarra, Kaiden Shihan
Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu Yamabushi Kai