# Anybody know who Glen Levy "ninjitsu expert" is?



## ginshun

He is listed as a "leading stuntman and ninj*i*tsu expert" in the synopsis for a new show on the science behind martial arts that is going to be on the National Geographic Channel this August?

Anybody ever heard of him?  What is his actual bacground?

I think he had something to do with the XMA bs that was on the discovery channel, so that can't be good.


see here

http://www.realitytvwebsite.com/news070606c.html


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## Cryozombie

ginshun said:
			
		

> He is listed as a "leading stuntman and ninj*i*tsu expert" in the synopsis for a new show on the science behind martial arts that is going to be on the National Geographic Channel this August?



Yeah, I recognize the name, he was a Mighty Barfing Power Ranger.


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## Kreth

The ninjitsu spelling alone is a red flag. Google turns up nothing other than a claim of 5 dan ranks on IMDB...


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## crushing

Just looked him up on IMDB.com.  Yeah, he was involved with XMA on Discovery.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1355683/


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## Brian R. VanCise

I think that I have just lost interest in watching that show!

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com


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## Kreth

Brian R. VanCise said:
			
		

> I think that I have just lost interest in watching that show!


Yeah, it's kind of like "Masters of the Martial Arts Presented by Wesley Snipes" from 1998, featuring Ron Duncan. 
A side note: someone must have goofed at IMDB. The Ronald Duncan listed as appearing in that show died in 1982. :lol:


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## Bigshadow

Brian R. VanCise said:
			
		

> I think that I have just lost interest in watching that show!
> 
> Brian R. VanCise
> www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com



Yep, me too!  I am removing it from my calendar as we speak.


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## samurai69

ginshun said:
			
		

> He is listed as a "leading stuntman and ninj*i*tsu expert" in the synopsis for a new show on the science behind martial arts that is going to be on the National Geographic Channel this August?
> 
> Anybody ever heard of him? What is his actual bacground?
> 
> I think he had something to do with the XMA bs that was on the discovery channel, so that can't be good.
> 
> 
> see here
> 
> http://www.realitytvwebsite.com/news070606c.html


 

Yeh i saw that.......guess i will wait for the show to air........


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## Bigshadow

> Glen&#8217;s lack of ego and hunger for filmmaking has made him several connections and warm friends in the entertainment industry, both locally and internationally. Glen continues to train and teach &#8220;hyoujutsu&#8221; a Martial Art he created through the combination of several other fighting forms, emphasizing fluid defensive movements with superior angling methods.



Source: Glen Levy

IMHO, this is not going to be anything beyond pure entertainment, with regards to Ninjutsu.

It airs on 8/20.


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## Carol

Dang.  



			
				Carol Kaur said:
			
		

> My AIM ID is: *SS7Expert*


 
I'm only an SS7Expert.   And I can't get a dan rank in that either.  I'm starting to feel deprived.


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## Kreth

> Glen continues to train and teach hyoujutsu


Ah, I see. This must be some type of spin-off of the Bronx, NY-based style F-you-jutsu... :lol:


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## ginshun

Well, the show has some good martial arts representation (a Gracie, Dan Inosanto, ect.), but it looks as though they really dropped the ball when it came to their "ninjitsu expert"


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## Bigshadow

ginshun said:
			
		

> Well, the show has some good martial arts representation (a Gracie, Dan Inosanto, ect.), but it looks as though they really dropped the ball when it came to their "ninjitsu expert"


Who knows.... He may be a ninj*i*tsu expert.


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## ginshun

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> Who knows.... He may be a ninj*i*tsu expert.



Good point.


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## Brian R. VanCise

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> Who knows.... He may be a ninj*i*tsu expert.


 
I think that is a safe bet!  I will bet that he is definately not an expert in Ninjutsu.  At least not the authentic traditions past on to us by Hatsumi Sensei!

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com


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## imaybehurt

I just stumbled upon this thread and I have found this hilarious.

We as martial artists should be able to stop fearing what we dont understand and upmost, realize that you cant judge on face value. 

I am one of Glen Levys students and have been for many years. I have heard first hand of the stories from the States.

The art we are taught is called Hyoujutsu, which is more a series of concepts than an art.

My teacher studied Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu for 12 years, which makes him more than qualified to speak on the subject. Although, he also told the producers of the Nat Geo show, that what he was demonstrating is more a hybrid of the 13 systems that he has learnt in the last 25 years than it is of Ninjutsu. 

Upon arriving back from the states, we heard how Glen continued to ask production to change the spelling, as it was wrong, and to stop calling him an expert. One of the first lessons Shidoshi Levy told us was to not call him Shidoshi, and that nobody is an expert because there is always someone who is more of an expert than you and there is always more to learn, and that is how we evolve.

As Americans, surely you know how the film industry blows everything out of proportion in order to make copious amounts of money.

I had been learning martial arts for 12 years before meeting Glen, and despite the fact that he can perform superhuman feats, which rival most Shaolin monks, (No offense) he is the most humble and nicest man I have ever met.

He doesnt want fame or money he just wants to share his love of the martial arts to the world, hence agreeing on the invitation to appear on the show for free. This is what made me choose him as an instructor over the many meat-head instructors that I have met world wide. He doesnt wear uniforms or any of the many belt rankings he has achieved.

Remember Judging at face value on the street will get a man killed not that smart for anyone that has studied Ninjutsu. ie Hensojutsu, Gisojutsu etc

David Chan


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## Cryozombie

imaybehurt said:
			
		

> My teacher studied Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu for 12 years,



With who?

Reason, I ask, see, is that its the traditon I am most interested in, but It was my understanding no one was teaching it specifically... that you had to learn Koto and Gyokko first... and their are 7 other ryu in there as well.


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## Don Roley

imaybehurt said:
			
		

> My teacher studied Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu for 12 years, which makes him more than qualified to speak on the subject.



Not in my opinion. He has been trainining less than a lot of people here. And it is probable that he has not been as exposed to the subject as you may think. 

Take a look at someone like Kizaru, who speaks and reads fluent Japanese and lives in Japan training in the art. Quite simply put, he has far more ability to see _and understand_ the lessons of Hatsumi. If your teacher claims to have been training in Togakure ryu for 12 years, my guess is that maybe he does not even know the difference between Koto ryu and Togakure ryu 'cause what Technopunk said is correct.

Of course, you probably are getting a few things wrong yourself. What you say is not exactly what your teacher probably said so there will be a lot of confusion. You might want to check and get exact quotes from your teacher before you respond. I have been misquoted before by well-meaning folks. I suggest you make your teacher aware of this thread and either get exact quotes or have him come here himself to answer questions. And if he does not want to bother, you might want to take that as a hint from him to not speak in his name.


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## rustyself

well, reguardless of his history, he has great balance

i know nothing of the art, except for a local guy that taught ninjitsu in the local community center.  i was 7 and was also in judo, and when we passed our first test, he had us dye our belts......

thats when i left.


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## Zaii

imaybehurt said:
			
		

> I just stumbled upon this thread and I have found this hilarious.
> 
> We as martial artists should be able to stop fearing what we dont understand and upmost, realize that you cant judge on face value.




I agree with you about juding things on face value, but not quite in the way you mean.
 


> The art we are taught is called Hyoujutsu, which is more a series of concepts than an art.
> 
> My teacher studied Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu for 12 years, which makes him more than qualified to speak on the subject. Although, he also told the producers of the Nat Geo show, that what he was demonstrating is more a hybrid of the 13 systems that he has learnt in the last 25 years than it is of Ninjutsu.




A google search for "Hyoujutsu" yielded this: http://www.thatninjaguy.com/

The URL of that website says volumes and the content appears to be geared around using the NG show and the stunts performed on it as a publicity piece. 




> Upon arriving back from the states, we heard how Glen continued to ask production to change the spelling, as it was wrong, and to stop calling him an expert.




Curiously, he had no problem continuing with filming despite misrepresentation, no?




> As Americans, surely you know how the film industry blows everything out of proportion in order to make copious amounts of money.




The film industry doesn't deal in reality all the time, or even a majority of the time, and it's debatable if they ever truly do. This is a common fact, as you've said. Given that knowledge, if a person had qualms about a project, why would they participate in it?
 


> I had been learning martial arts for 12 years before meeting Glen, and despite the fact that he can perform superhuman feats, which rival most Shaolin monks, (No offense) he is the most humble and nicest man I have ever met.




The "Shaolin" by and large today is a fantastic parlor trick put on by some skilled stage magicians and various performers, and while quite captivating, has very little to do with authentic martial arts. There are no "Shaolin" monks in this day and age, bu there a bunch of actors who are quite skilled in wushu, putting on an excellent show.




> He doesnt want fame or money he just wants to share his love of the martial arts to the world, hence agreeing on the invitation to appear on the show for free.




He appears to be a talented acrobat and performer, but what was on that show delivered by him had very little to do with martial arts, and if he isn't after hype, why did he agree to play along with the whole "ninja warrior" bit? I particularly am amused by that silly hammerfist spot, and the "explanation" following it that really didn't explain anything at all. Yes, people can die from well placed blows in certain places to the body, but that hammerfist demonstration was ridiculous.




> Remember Judging at face value on the street will get a man killed not that smart for anyone that has studied Ninjutsu. ie Hensojutsu, Gisojutsu etc
> 
> David Chan


Again, when their credibility or the credibility of their teacher is threatened, everyone invokes "the street" as part of their explanation. That's often a cop out.


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## Don Roley

imaybehurt said:
			
		

> Upon arriving back from the states, we heard how Glen continued to ask production to change the spelling, as it was wrong, and to stop calling him an expert.



Ran across this on his web site



> Glen has achieved international recognition as one of the worlds foremost martial artists and teachers.



Kind of hard to convince me that this guy did not want to be called an expert when his own web site builds him up as one.


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## Don Roley

I did a web search and something struck me as odd.

If this guy has been studying Togakure ryu for twelve years, how come *nobody* seems to have talked about him at all? No one in the Bujinkan, Genbukan, Jinenkan or Toshindo seems to have come forward in any of the forums to say they know this guy, nor is there any posts I can find of people talking about meeting him at training. 

If you punch in the names of most people that have been involved in the art for 12 years and are teaching, you will get a few hits of people on places like Kutaki talking about meeting and training with them. People talk about having a beer after training and things like that all the time for a lot of people.

But for this guy.... nothing.


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## Bjorn Olav

I just seen the show, and one thing that had my wonder abit was his blocks. After he walks on this pedestal things, he shows a couple of blocks. He moves his body, sliding his feet, then he lift his toas of the ground so that just the heel is touching. I checked this pressure point technique as well, where he hit's just below the armpit. Same thing again, has he moves he tilts his foot so that the toes are high above the ground, only heel touching.

Im fare from an expert in the field, but I have been training in Bujinkan for around 7 years or so. Lifting your toes like that would be a no-go in the dojo have been training in, and it made me google his name. Seems he's a poweranger, not a practioner of ninjutsu. Abit sad they could not find some of the real experts in the field, seems they got a good collection of skilled people for various other arts. Why the heck the taikwondo (sp?) guy was using a katana I wonder about aswell, as fare as I know they dont use a katana in that style (not that I have any experience with is what so ever).


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## Rich Parsons

crushing said:


> Just looked him up on IMDB.com.  Yeah, he was involved with XMA on Discovery.
> 
> http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1355683/




So, there are ( uncredited ) and ( unknown episodes ) which makes me think this could be an area for buffing a resume.


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## Rich Parsons

Don Roley said:


> I did a web search and something struck me as odd.
> 
> If this guy has been studying Togakure ryu for twelve years, how come *nobody* seems to have talked about him at all? No one in the Bujinkan, Genbukan, Jinenkan or Toshindo seems to have come forward in any of the forums to say they know this guy, nor is there any posts I can find of people talking about meeting him at training.
> 
> If you punch in the names of most people that have been involved in the art for 12 years and are teaching, you will get a few hits of people on places like Kutaki talking about meeting and training with them. People talk about having a beer after training and things like that all the time for a lot of people.
> 
> But for this guy.... nothing.




Maybe just maybe he was undercover and had a stage name when training with others.  


Seriously, one should find someone somewhere who knows someone who has seen him or trained with him.


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## Brian R. VanCise

There is always a chance that he trained.  However what he showed on the TV show was definately not authentic Ninjutsu.


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## shinobi_ashton

So is the Glen Levy a fraud or what?

Like Ashida Kim?  I heard Ashida Kim has secret jedi powers..........

Is Ashida Kim a 10th KYU?

Did Hatsumi really tell Ashida Kim, "Ashida you have no hope!"

Is anyone reading this or what mannnn?

:shock:


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## shinobi_ashton

has anyone seen the post thats sopposed to be from one of his students?
the only masters i trust are hatsumi and his personal students.
p.s. does anyone know why my profile says i am a white belt because i'm not i am a senior student who has been training since 9 years old!!
:soapbox:


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## exile

The white belt doesn't refer to any MA rank you hold. It refers to how much you've posted on MartialTalk. Look at the FAQ forum on the MT index page for an explanation of what belt rank corresponds to how many posts.


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## just_visiting

hi all

i'm just visiting.. and not planning to hang around (being that i don't actually 'do' martial arts). that said...

i was just googling some people... as you do, and one of them was 'glen levy'. don't ask me how i know him, but i do. it was a few years ago now.  i found this thread and couldn't resist 2-cents-ing it.

he was just a beginner stunt-person when i knew him. he has a ridiculous level of self-belief, regardless of whether it is justified.  he blagged his way into roles and what-not. even if you think the guy is a tool, he certainly has a knack for getting where he wants to be. self-promotion or not.

he just made up his own art because he felt like it. he is a very bold and out-there person. he was a massive dreamer back then, in many ways, and i suppose he just forced things to happen for himself.

did i think he was as good at everything as he thought he was. hell no. on his website he says something about combining 'his studies in'... all those things. none of those were formal studies, btw. he just had his acupuncture kit and home text books.

pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.  he's doing a really good job at tricking the world.  

ps. haven't seen him or had anything to do with him for a really long time. i'm as shocked by the imdb thing as everyone else.


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## LilDaemon

Well, this has certainly been informative, although it hasn't dampened my interest in Ninjutsu at all. The question is...where can I find good teachers? I've been interested in learning this art for quite some time, but I have a hard time tracking one down. (BTW I"m new to the boards, and I"ll go introduce myself now. )


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## exile

LilDaemon said:


> Well, this has certainly been informative, although it hasn't dampened my interest in Ninjutsu at all.



It _shouldn't!_. There's a tremendous world of high-quality Ninjutsu out therelook at all the X-kan threads on the board, for startersno reason to get qualms just because there's are people of questionable MA qualifications posing in one way or another... that's just a fact of life in the MAs these days in general. 




LilDaemon said:


> The question is...where can I find good teachers? I've been interested in learning this art for quite some time, but I have a hard time tracking one down.



Right, that's the $64 question... but there are plenty of people on the Ninjutsu threads who are qualified to help answer it. 




LilDaemon said:


> (BTW I"m new to the boards, and I"ll go introduce myself now. )



Excellent idea!


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## fish-iod

check these url 
http://www.thatninjaguy.com/ it seems he has made hes own martial art 

http://guardianoftherealm.com/actors.html


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## Gotkenpo

So Did anyone actually see the national geographics "Fight Science" show last night? It showed a Kung Fu practicioner, a Tae Kwon Do Practitioner, A Karate (unknown style) practioner, a Boxer, a Muy Thai guy, and a Ninjutsu practioner. They talked about the force generated by the punches delivered by each art. The Ninja guy generated over 2115 lbs of force in a hammer fist blow to the chest. Anyway, I was interested in the "Plum Flower poles" they showed. This guy was extremely agile. Are the plum flower poles something you usually use in ninjutsu training?
The show was interesting but the part where they talked about the forces generated by each styles attacks was a bit off in my opinion because the practitioners were of a wide range of sizes. (The kung fu guy was maybe 125lbs were the Boxer was about 225lbs) So I am just curious what you guys thought about that show.


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## Brian R. VanCise

No plum flower poles are not used in authentic Budo Taijutsu training nor is Glen Levy an authentic practitioner of the Takamatsuden arts.


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## MsEvil

I don't know what all your problems are. 

I've known Glen Levy personally for years and he is a self-motivated, modest, and enthusiastic martial artist. 

Who are any of you to judge him? I don't see any of your names on IMDB or performing on huge networks like National Geographic.  

He has worked his way up from a kid in New Zealand into an experienced martial artist in Los Angeles, doing films and shows.  He's got a lot of talent.  More than I can say any of you in this thread have. 

If you knew the man personally, you would see in him what I and many of his colleagues see in him as well.  Stop judging because you're jealous.  

A mistake in spelling is not in any way his fault and none of you would walk away from an opportunity to share your skills just because of a single mispelling of a word.  Get real.


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## Kacey

*ATTENTION ALL USERS:

Please, keep the conversation polite and respectful.

-Karen Cohn
-MT Senior Moderator-*


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## jks9199

MsEvil said:


> I don't know what all your problems are.
> 
> I've known Glen Levy personally for years and he is a self-motivated, modest, and enthusiastic martial artist.
> 
> Who are any of you to judge him? I don't see any of your names on IMDB or performing on huge networks like National Geographic.
> 
> He has worked his way up from a kid in New Zealand into an experienced martial artist in Los Angeles, doing films and shows.  He's got a lot of talent.  More than I can say any of you in this thread have.
> 
> If you knew the man personally, you would see in him what I and many of his colleagues see in him as well.  Stop judging because you're jealous.
> 
> A mistake in spelling is not in any way his fault and none of you would walk away from an opportunity to share your skills just because of a single mispelling of a word.  Get real.


I don't think anyone has questioned his athleticism or his performance skills.  Yep -- he's on TV and in movies.

But, rather than put forward what he does as his own thing -- which it is -- he allows himself to be put forward as a "ninja master" while he's got at best tenous ties to the few reputable ninjutsu-related organizations.  And what he demonstrated on the National Geographic show wasn't recognizable as any form of ninjutsu/budo taijutsu...


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## Blotan Hunka

Its not a matter of skill, its a matter of "truth in advertising".


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## MsEvil

I understand both of your points, however the point is that Glen Levy himself has no involvement in the matter of advertising what he demonstrated. The fact that they call him a "ninja master" is not a title he requested for himself.  If anyone is to blame, it is the writers and narrator of Fight Science.  Glen Levy was asked to perform the plum flower poles; he did not choose it himself.  Just like any television production, the directors in charge and recruiters called him up and told him this is what he would be doing.  If they described it as a form of ninjutsu or anything else that it was not, then that is not his fault. It is the fault of those in charge of the episode.


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## Carol

I'm not buying it, especially when Glen Levy's own website is ThatNinjaGuy.com


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## Bigshadow

I would like to reiterate, nobody is saying he isn't a talented, friendly, and nice person.  The gist of this whole thread is that what he did on the Fight Science show was simply NOT Ninjutsu.  Whether or not it was the directors or him, the fact remains it wasn't Ninjutsu.  He was the subject matter "expert" the directors called in for Ninjutsu, therefore his (not the directors) credibility will automatically be in question by those who do train in the art.

As Carol pointed out...  I don't buy it.


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## kaizasosei

i can see it being a very tricky and sensitive thing when it comes to traditions...usually people make up their own styles once they have become well founded in some reputable martial art.  i can appreciate if someone is humble and doesnt even show some belts.  but to be truly humble i wonder if one could so easily ignore or put aside the traditional elements of the subject at hand.  
i mean i think i saw this show...when i saw it i had no idea who he was and just assumed he was a from bujinkan xkan...?  aside from complete and authentic skills, i would think definately better to get a legitamate reputation before venturing out into the world of ninja ignorance.
  when i saw the show, i thought it was cool because to anyone who knows nothing or little of ma, the socalled ninja was able to cross the poles whilst i think all others failed.  so as far as advertising goes, it might have been a little positive or some glory for the ma of ninjutsu...-still i think shows like this don't say much in my opinion and are grossly lacking in information and objectivity. but maybe someone could get some inspirtation...? so might not be that bad.  his movements were fairly catlike and stable-  i can understand everyones opinions, but i personaly don't really have much of an opinion as to whether he be real or fraud.  if i held belts in bujinkan or xkan, i could see myself maybe being little more protective or investagative. 



j


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## jks9199

Bigshadow said:


> I would like to reiterate, nobody is saying he isn't a talented, friendly, and nice person.  The gist of this whole thread is that what he did on the Fight Science show was simply NOT Ninjutsu.  Whether or not it was the directors or him, the fact remains it wasn't Ninjutsu.  He was the subject matter "expert" the directors called in for Ninjutsu, therefore his (not the directors) credibility will automatically be in question by those who do train in the art.
> 
> As Carol pointed out...  I don't buy it.


Or, quite simply, if he had simply said "I'm not a ninja guy."

If National Geographic, CNN, YouTube, or anyone else knocks on my door, and offers me money to be a ninja master on a documentary style show -- I'm gonna tell 'em I can't help 'em.  I'll be glad to do what I do (Bando) -- and call it that -- but I won't go on the show as "the ninja."  And I won't set up a website calling myself "That Ninja Guy" unless I'm using it clearly and definitely to debunk the connection falsely made.

Dale Seago was recently on *Mythbusters*.  Everything he did is recognizable part of the instruction students are receiving today in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu (aka ninjutsu for discussion purposes).  He's not responsible for the myths the show's producers chose and hosts tested.  He's got legitimate, highly respected, ties and ranking within the Bunkinkan; that's what he showed.  He'd have been as wrong or as off had he presented his material as "kung fu" or "karate" or "Bando".


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## blood shadow

I dont think anybody out of bujinkan would have done a better job on the plum flower poles.


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## kaizasosei

i bet there are hundreds within bujinkan that could cross the poles just the same and maybe some even better.  the poles werent even that challenging. rather than being so skillfull, it was the disadvantaged competition that made it look so good.  

no big deal really.   after all,  it was all  national  geographic idea, the  ninjadude  has nothing to do with it.  he sacrificed his own teachings for those of the tvshow.  

j


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## RONIN

Hello humble readers, 

  I'm new here and I just happened to stumble on this thread. 

  I know the last post was a few months ago but I thought I would add my thoughts here anyway for what its worth. 

  I have given some thought as to Glen Levys claims of being that ninja guy.

  Firstly, why am I even remotely qualified to comment on this? Well I have been associated with the Bujinkan in Australia on and off for 18years.   

  Now to Glen Levy. If Glen is originally from New Zealand and he refers to what he was taught as Togakure Ryu Ninjustsu then he was probably a student of the Wayne Roy Dojos in the late 1980s early 1990s. That's what it was called back then when Roy first started teaching it. Before the name was changed to Bujinkan.  

  From Glen Levy's sloppy kamae like ichimonji (did anyone else notice that?) I would guess he probably did a couple of years with Roy dojos and then moved on to something else. The way kamae was taught in Roys dojo was dodgy to say the least. I should know I was there for 6 years and I had to unlearn all those bad habits when I went to a real Bujinkan school.

  When I saw that weird kata he was doing on NatGeo I couldn't help but think that looked very familiar and then it dawned on me it look suspiciously like the rubbish Ashida Kim does. Do a search on you tube for Ashida Kim death touch kata or some garbage like that, it looks almost the same.  

  This is all my speculation of course but it wouldnt surprise me if the actual series of events that led to Glen Levys tenuous association with Ninjutsu went something like that. 

  See you in the shadows or not.


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## Dean Whittle

Ronin,

As a fellow old timer (been training for 21yrs in Australia) I was wondering who you trained with, and are training with?

Also if Glen Levy trained in New Zealand then he probably trained under Michael Gent or one of his guys.

With respect


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## allenjp

If anyone here saw the spot, he obviously claimed to be a ninjutsu practitioner, while he was performing his convulsions he was saying things like "THIS is ninjitsu..." and the like. And the fact that he is an actor and stunt double in my opinion makes him suspect from the word go...just MHO.


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## Obi Wan Shinobi

This really shows how much research the National Geographic Channel did in regards to Ninjutsu. That program was really disappointing.


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## dark artificer

Just some clarifications, does it mean to say that not everything National Geographic shows are scientifically accurate?  They have been around for ten successful years already and i don't think they would show something to the public that is inaccurate. In the show Fight Science, they have scientists from different fields analyzing the data. Could the data be scripted and the results a scientific hoax? Some of the shows i really like are Megastructures, Air Crash Investigation & Perfect Weapons. Are some of the infos they provide tends to be misleading? i believe it takes them several months of preparation and well out research before conducting a show. Hope somebody can shed a light on this issue.


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## nitflegal

dark artificer said:


> Just some clarifications, does it mean to say that not everything National Geographic shows are scientifically accurate?  They have been around for ten successful years already and i don't think they would show something to the public that is inaccurate. In the show Fight Science, they have scientists from different fields analyzing the data. Could the data be scripted and the results a scientific hoax? Some of the shows i really like are Megastructures, Air Crash Investigation & Perfect Weapons. Are some of the infos they provide tends to be misleading? i believe it takes them several months of preparation and well out research before conducting a show. Hope somebody can shed a light on this issue.



To be blunt, they picked a ninja practitioner who doesn't appear to have studied much ninjutsu.  NG does a generally good job but at least in my field of amateur research (WW2) they've done some real howlers as far as capabilities and such.  Not nearly as bad as the "History" channel but still.  Hoax is a strong word but having spent a fair chunk of time with people who've been part of such documentaries (get some of the Higgins armory guys to talk about portrayals of western medieval martial arts of the people at the Patton museum on tanks) they are done quickly, relatively inexpensively, and they are geared for entertainment first and information second.  If one has to be sacrificed, it's not the one that get viewer share.  

NG is supposed to do a very good job on anthropological documentaries.  Even then, examples such as their skew on their Judas documentary a few years ago, show that they're not perfect.  Also, remember that in most cases there is a script for the documentary before there is anything filmed.  In this case, you've got a documentary crew working off a script and a small budget doing the best they can.  They find a local "ninja" who looks good, does some visually impressive things (ever watched good taijutsu? Boring as heck for a spectator in many cases.) and doesn't need plane fare.  The fact that their ninja does things that people who've spent 2+ decades in the art say isn't part of any established lineage and who nobody can trace back to advanced training in any of the accepted schools casts a bit of a shadow on the guy's expertise.  I strongly doubt it's a hoax, probably just a guy working his tail off to get a documentary in the can who had a guy with a rep who fit what he needed when he just didn't have the time to dig further.

Matt


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## Obi Wan Shinobi

Well I just watched the Fight Science on Special Forces and MMA. To be honest we all know that Special Forces and MMA are some real badazzes. But this program makes them seem almost superhuman. With dedication and hard training and "believing" in your training will always bring out the best in anyone. But as for this Glen Levy guy I just looked at his website and saw that he pretty much blended a variety of martial arts to make his Hyoujutsu. But it does not mention Togakure Ryu at all....


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## aguy

I found this thread whilst looking for something else.

Although it's an old thread I would like to add to the discussion.

I'm a student of Bujinkan Ninjutsu and I also happen to work in Television and Film Production. I have worked on producing shows for National Geograpic and I can tell you that these shows are barely accurate in their presentation of stuff ... calling them infotainment is almost a stretch. Often times people who appear on these shows are just cases of "I know a guy who knows a guy who can do it"

The last show I worked on we finished a scene by grabbing a guy from the cafeteria who was making a coffee and chucked a hardhat on him and put him in the show as an "Engineer" discussing the item in question. 

Yes the show would have insisted on calling him "Ninja Master"

Many of the other people in this series would just have been someone from whatever local dojo could come and show some stuff.

Watching these shows and expecting any sort of factual realism is a waste of time - they are there to show exciting stuff to people who dont know any better and to sell ads.

- a


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## snyderkv

Am I just late or can nobody collectively agree on who is a real ninja master?

Regardless of how you or the ninja master spells it, or whatever kids show he's been in, I'd like to know who a real master is who at the same time can fight in real life and has a school open. 

Otherwise, everyones ASSumptions about this guy are just that. Personally, I think everyone here is just embarrased to say that guy represents my style (anything less than a disapearing flying ninja)

Once you all can admit that "real" ninjitsu is just the crap you see everyday, we can move on and notice the talent in people like Glen Levy. I thought his forms looked pretty awsome, he punched hard and had great balance. I'm sorry that he didn't disapear in a cloud of smoke or throw ninja stars.


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## Muawijhe

snyderkv said:


> Am I just late or can nobody collectively agree on who is a real ninja master?


 
You are just late. Masaaki Hatsumi, Tanemura, or Manaka I would believe can be, for the most part, collectively considered as a "real ninja master" in their respective organizations.



> Regardless of how you or the ninja master spells it, or whatever kids show he's been in, I'd like to know who a real master is who at the same time can fight in real life and has a school open.


 
The spelling is important. If you'd like to know who a real master is with a school, perhaps a new thread, or using the Search feature for similar threads, would benefit you well. Also, a bit off topic, what is with peoples' hang-ups on putting "martial arts", "ninjutsu", and "fighting" together like they are synonomous? 



> Otherwise, everyones ASSumptions about this guy are just that. Personally, I think everyone here is just embarrased to say that guy represents my style (anything less than a disapearing flying ninja)


 
Represents _your_ style or _my_ style? As far as I know, he does not represent the "style" of anyone on this forum.



> Once you all can admit that "real" ninjitsu is just the crap you see everyday, we can move on and notice the talent in people like Glen Levy. I thought his forms looked pretty awsome, he punched hard and had great balance. I'm sorry that he didn't disapear in a cloud of smoke or throw ninja stars.


 
That first sentence just reeks of misunderstanding of Ninjutsu and possible an agenda to just troll (so not sure why I'm really bothering responding to this). Plus,regardless of Mr. Levy's form and ability to punch or maintain balance, what he does is not Ninjutsu.

If you do not have a troll agenda, hope some of that helps. If not, then I apologize to everyone else here for feeding the troll. >.<

EDIT - Seems *snyderkv* brought up Levy before here: http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1316635#post1316635 and has a "Tangerine belt in crazy". I feel I just wasted my time with the post above... =/


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## Bruno@MT

The show on nat geo was pukingly bad. The guy even had a ninja-to (the straight hollywood ninja sword which did not historically exist).

As for ninja grandmasters: the answer is simple. Even if we ignore the spelling issue, something can only be called ninjutsu if it was a direct transmission of something that was actually practiced by actual ninja, right? This has absolutely nothing to do with who can kick whom's ***. There are only 4 people alive who can make a claim to teach actual ninjutsu. Those people are Hatsumi sensei, Tanemura sensei, Manaka sensei, and Kawakami sensei.

Any system not deriving from one of them cannot be considered ninjutsu, if only because that system is something which no actual ninja actually used. Judo, jujutsu, karate, systema, etc are all great fighting styles, but no serious judoka or karateka would pretend that whatever it is the do is ninjutsu.


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## yorkshirelad

Bruno@MT said:


> The show on nat geo was pukingly bad. The guy even had a ninja-to (the straight hollywood ninja sword which did not historically exist).
> 
> As for ninja grandmasters: the answer is simple. Even if we ignore the spelling issue, something can only be called ninjutsu if it was a direct transmission of something that was actually practiced by actual ninja, right? This has absolutely nothing to do with who can kick whom's ***. There are only 4 people alive who can make a claim to teach actual ninjutsu. Those people are Hatsumi sensei, Tanemura sensei, Manaka sensei, and Kawakami sensei.
> 
> .


 What about Hayes Sensei?


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## tenzen

And Otake Risuke?


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## EWBell

yorkshirelad said:


> What about Hayes Sensei?


 

Nope, because Mr. Hayes holds no menkyo kaiden in any ninjutsu ryu-ha.


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## EWBell

tenzen said:


> And Otake Risuke?


 

There's a difference between being a master of a school that has some ninjutsu in its curriculum, and being a master of a school that is ninjutsu.


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## Bruno@MT

yorkshirelad said:


> What about Hayes Sensei?



What hayes is doing is a legitimate offshoot that can be called ninjutsu or ninpo because at Least Hayes was with Hatsumi sensei long enough to have learned the skills, or at least got a good teaching of the basics. Calling him a ninja grandmaster though is over the top because he did not receive grandmastership in the traditional ryuha.

I know this seems a bit nitpickish, but Hayes did not receive everything so his knowledge is not 'complete' for want of a better word. But what he is doing can at least arguably be called ninjutsu. Same for our member Chris Parker in Australia.


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## Martinp1975

I realise it's a bit late but just saw this. I used to know Glen way back in the day, we used to flat together with a group of others. At the time I was studying Bujunkan Ninjitsu under Sensei Wayne Christianson from the Manurewa dojo. I had attained my green belt, 2nd yellow tip so not an expert by any means.

Glen had certainly done some forms of martial arts (mostly TKD I believe), he had done a form of Ninjitsu, not Bujunkan though. He was just starting to develop his own style, Hyoujitsu. I always respected his ability as a fighter, he was certainly better than me.

He was always caught up in the film industry and did have that veneer, nobody's perfect. He did have one heck of a one inch punch though.


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