Why I choose to take a stand against plagiarists

I write this in response to an online discussion about the treatment of my copyrighted works at http://on.fb.me/1pCpoXZ.

Craig, as I understand it you would like me to ‘stop griping’ about plagiarism. I would like to. However this is my position. Because it is rife is not a reason to be silent. In the 1950s (as I understand it) an African-American could not ride on the same bus or swim in the same pool or eat at the same restaurant or use the same bathroom as a white American. Racism was rife. On your advice African-Americans should have just shut up and got over it. Well, some didn’t, including Martin Luther King, and whilst he paid a massive personal price for this, the world is a better place for his decision and courage.

Now plagiarism and dishonesty in physical preparation may not rate as high on the scale of consciousness as racism, but the comparison is still valid. And the solution the same. Someone needs to take a stand, absorb the counter-attacks, and the world will be a better place.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke

"Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing." - http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Stuart_Mill

I don’t enjoy the time and energy the fight against plagiarism takes. But it’s a conscious decision following significant reflection. It is a cause that goes beyond the massive breach of my copyright. I have seen the unfathomable lack of integrity and I ask if they are willing to deceive readers at this level, what else are they lying about? There are too many young impressionable people who will be influenced by the ‘New Rules’ of publishing – lying, cheating and stealing. One could by you. One could be your brother or sister. One could be your child. One could be the trainer that shapes your body and your future health. I believe the implications go way beyond what one American sought to minimize as a ‘little misunderstanding’.

Shortly after I made the decision to blow the whistle on what I call the greatest intellectual property theft in the modern history of physical preparation I received an email from a former student, strongly recommending I quit. He was concerned that all I was doing was giving publicity to a person who didn’t deserve it. I agreed with him. This is a risk, and one that I don’t enjoy.

In making my decision to expose the ‘New Rules of (Writing about) Lifting’, I had to choose between two options.

The first was to say nothing. This was the easiest thing to do. The safest thing to do. The challenge was it goes against my beliefs to stand by and say nothing when I know of great wrong-doings being perpetrated on people. As I said this new industry standard is one that affects everyone, even those who belief it doesn’t affect them.

The other was to stand up and tell the world what was happening in their industry. This was the tougher of the two because I was aware that I may be drawing attention to a person who I didn’t want to give that attention to. That I would see my name in the sentence as this person, and in my opinion they didn’t deserve this. I’m happy to see my name mentioned in the same context as those who have trained athletes and innovated for the betterment of the world, not those who have turbo-charged their falsehoods with powerful marketing and strategic alliances. And I knew there would be those who would throw stones at me for challenging their perceptions of the person.

It was the classic between a rock and hard place, and you know the decision I made.

This is how I see it – I have spent a lifetime training athletes with a level of intensity, focus and work ethic that few possess. And then shared many of my conclusions with the world. I really don’t enjoy watching my life’s work being raped and pillaged. And then I look at my kids in the eyes and tell them what their daddy did throughout his life. In summary, I have created and shared more concepts with more power that have shaped the way the world train than most would do in a dozen lifetimes – but they would never know it because a few individuals with their own brand of integrity have republished them enmasse and passed them off as theirs. I specifically refer to the person subject to this discussion and the one who walked out of a north eastern seminar in 1999. The only difference is the latter works his keyboard a lot harder, changing up the words but still suffering from amnesia re the source.

Robert and others have talked about hearing the ‘other side’. I’m not sure what can be said. I read the ‘defense’ provided to the Lyle McDonald allegations http://bit.ly/LyleMcDonald. It was a really skilfully crafted response that a press secretary at the White House would be proud of. But it didn’t justify or excuse the act. Now it’s a bit tougher to say the dog ate the homework (on in the Warp Speed case ‘the page with the credits on was left off by the printer….which still didn’t explain how the content ended up in the NROL ‘book’ also…) when the copying covers so many publications - books, articles, seminar and DVDs - and is so extensive.

Take the ‘Bible’ publication, which I describe a the single greatest shameful example of plagiarism ever in the modern history of physical preparation. Fortunately we have succeeded in having this 'publication' taken off the market (or at least we believe we have….). It contained two references to myself. One was a singular reference in the text to one concept, the other a book reference in the ‘Recommended Reading’ list. Yet about 50% of the pages contained verbatim copy, and up to 25% more contained conceptual content copied from original works – all unreferenced. Sorry Bret, that’s not a little misunderstanding…And Bill, you did acknowledge he steals, but with all due respect this contradicts your claim that ‘the writer always tell you [the reader] where he steals from’.

Now Lou Schuler would have you belief that there were legitimate circumstances that apparently led me to give carte blanche permission to this person and his partner and their publishers now and into the future of any of my material. Wow. I’m have no idea what he is talking about and you would imagine such magnanimous actions would be supported by some sort of evidence. I wrote a personal and also a public letter to Lou Schuler http://bit.ly/1pkPJOg (a few years ago) - and I’m still waiting for his response....

Some of you wonder about legal action, and I will be sharing this story in full in the updated edition of ‘Winning & Losing’, but suffice to say there are obstacles to justice and these include commercial viability. I would really like to see a federal court ruling in this matter – not for me, because I know what’s gone down, but rather to ‘help’ those who choose to align with character traits like this that they should review their future associations - and so any one with law enforcement experience knows, if one is patient the repeat offender will go for it again and the trap will be set more securely.

Ted, I apologize for your less than optimal experience and I share your thoughts. In hindsight I was being used to provide intellectual property for ‘scraping’ and many things occurred with the running of this event that I was shocked and embarrassed by. We should have never done that event in that venue under those circumstances, and the whole experience was a trigger to do it differently in the future. As a person who was at that event, you do know firsthand how my teachings from that event now appear to have a new teacher. I have offered you a free two day seminar to make that up, and if that doesn’t suit I would like to gift you some e-videos. Just send me an email about this.

I really liked what you said Chris:

“…a culture of unprofessionalism on all fronts. It won't change until we change it from the inside and the major orgs stop perpetuating it. I like what you guys are doing by putting social pressure on people to be better than this….”

And that is the only way things will change for the better in physical preparation. I have had direct dealings with companies and professional bodies whose short-term commercial interests are tied to this individuals and this behavior, of which the full correspondence will be made available in time, and I know first hand how uninterested they are. However as commercially focused entities I believe when enough people take a stand, they will suddenly develop a conscious and change to match. It is no different that those who were written off as ‘greenie’s and ‘tree-huggers’ in the 960s and 1970s. Now every publicly listed company wants to tell us about their ‘green policies’. It did take a while, but it happened. There is some suggestion that we may see these changes embracing higher levels of integrity sooner than later. I believe the great late US innovator Buckminster-Fuller, who in 1984 sought to create an annual ‘integrity’ day, would smile with joy from the after-life at a society where honesty and integrity and respect were endorsed values.

Yes Khaled, referencing the level plagiarism is evident in my writings and will continue to do so until I it is changed or I pass away.

I don’t believe in the ‘new rules’ (being promoted by the very people whose actions personify them) – that lying, cheating and stealing are ok. I am intrigued by those who say they don’t mind if how they get the information, as long as they get it – yet if they came home and found say their TV had been stolen, would not be too happy. Ironic.

Finally Craig, forgive my ‘self-promotion’. I’d suggest that I have been one of the most humble persons in the industry about my achievements, but as you probably don’t know that it might be unrealistic of me to expect you to appreciate the humility I typically act with. Sometimes (I know, naughty me) I take the liberty of being what I call more accurate in my descriptions. I respect your opinion on this, however make two comments.

Firstly, I don’t mislead readers about who I am, what I have done, and who source of any works I publish. I do note that in the short term or even the long term those that do ‘embellish’ their achievements and competencies do make short term gains. What I wonder about is the long term implications. Does this get under their skin? Does it harden their heart? What will they say when they tell their life story to their making at whatever is their ‘Golden Gates’ on passing?

Secondly, I back my claims. I’ll go head to head in the area of training athletes with anyone, and will respect any lessons I get from this. In fact these are two reasons why I’m been so successful – I’ve been humble and honest, and as a result have during the last 30+ years developed concepts and methods that have been adopted universally. What I readily admit is I can’t market like this others, and I won’t deceive as they choose to do – which means I concede defeat in the arena of bullshit turbo-charged by marketing. They can content that title.

But will I roll over and shut up whilst someone who I believes is an inexperienced and failed strength & conditioning coach passes themselves of as having the experience and competence to develop my life work? No, sorry. Can’t do. And I encourage anyone who shares my view to starve this deceit of oxygen.

The challenge faced with anyone who chooses, knowingly or unknowingly, to be a student of deceivers includes this:

“You can teach what you know but you reproduce who you are.” --John C. Maxwell