Here is a thread that was written by M.C. Busman back in 1999 concerning the legitamacy of Frank Dux:
(updated 10/2000)Every once in awhile I get an e-mail from someone
asking about the Dux-Ryu ninja school, or if Frank Dux, the fellow who
claimed to have fought in numerous "secret" kumite (sparring) matches,
fought as a war hero, and set "world records" for things like speed,
number of knockouts in a row, etc. is for real.
If you mean Frank Dux is "real" in the sense that he breaths and takes
up space, I guess that probably comes pretty close to the truth. If you
mean to ask, is he a legitimate martial artist, or has a credible
military career, or is honest and truthful, the answer is a resounding
NO.
Dux is one of the biggest fakes--if not ~the~ biggest con in the
martial arts community. This isn't just my opinion, it's a fact. Here's
the evidence (see end for references). . .
In May of 1988 (over 10 years ago!), reporter John Johnson of the Los
Angeles Times ran an expose of Frank Dux and his numerous lies. He
showed once and for all that Dux has never been in any international
"Kumite", or any tournament at all, for that matter. His only trophy,
which he had supposedly won in a secret competition in the Bahamas (all
those people, and it stayed secret except for Frank, who blabbed...),
had been manufactured in North Hollywood by the W.R. Moody Co. This is
not far from Dux's home town of Woodland Hills. Dux also claimed that
these supposed secret fights had been hosted by an organization called
the "International Fighting Arts Association", a group which reporter
Johnson said led only back to Dux himself! The most damning thing about
Dux though, even if one were to overlook his lies about having a secret
ninja teacher named Senzo Tanaka (Tanaka, like in James Bond films--no
evidence of such a person in the US or Japan has ever been uncovered),
rescued boatloads of Filipino orphans, or set any kind of martial arts
speed record (he didn't--please notice the only source for this spurius
information is Dux himself! His "knockout" and "speed" records have
never been proven or verified!), is the fact that Dux has ~lied~ about
his military career.
Frank Dux fabricated phony newspaper articles, including one from the
Washington Star, which painted him as some sort of military hero. When
LA Times reporter Johnson checked with the archives of the 'Star, they
told him no such article existed--another bold fake! In Fact, Dux's
records show he never even left the Continental US during his short
time as a RESERVE Marine, and in the words of Johnson, "His only known
war injury occurred when he fell off a truck he was painting in the
motor pool"(1988, 4). Johnson also writes that;
"His military medical file. . .said that on Jan. 22, 1978, he was
referred for psychiatric evaluation for expressing "flighty and
disconnected ideas." Though as a member of the reservs, which meant he
was on active duty only a short time, he reportedly insisted that he
was working for an intelligence agency." (1988:2)
Dux also made the blunder of mixing up Army and Marine awards on his
uniform, ~none~ of which were legitimately his. He even claimed to have
been ~secretly~ awarded the ~~Congressional Medal of Honor~~ by
Congress! Now, if you think hundreds of members of congress can keep
any sort of secret, you're really crazy! But Dux is somehow convinced
people will buy his lies (and surprisingly, many do!!). He doesn't
realize, or denies to himself that his tall tales hurt real veterans,
those who actually paid the price for our nation while he was a
youngster fantasizing about playing spy games and being a ninja master.
Dux's Book, "The Secret Man" is also completely contrived. Soldier of
Fortune did an expose on this fictional work of his, and debunked his
bogus military claims once and for all. The August 1996 issue included
a review called "Full Mental Jacket". The title of the article alone
should let you know what real military men think of his stories. SOF
mentioned this loser again in the Nov. 1998 issue in an article by
Larry Bailey entitled "Stolen Valor: Profiles of a Phony-Hunter". Dux
is shown wearing his incorrectly displayed and mixed Army and Marine
Medals! The book "Stolen Valor" by B.G. Burkett is over 700 pages long,
and is devoted to unmasking military fakes--he devotes 4 pages to Dux's
fakery, debunking his hollow claims once and for all.
If you're still in doubt about this psychopathic clown, check out Court
TV online for a recounting of his exaggerations and subsequent loss in
court to Van Damme in a lawsuit last year.
It is a fact. Frank Dux is a Lying phony who has profited from
gulliability and the sacrifices of truly honorable people. Don't just
take my word--research the sources below for yourself:
Bailey, Larry. (1998). "Stolen Valor: Profiles of a Phony-Hunter", in
Soldier of Fortune. November 1998, 58-61, 73. [SOF backissues available
online from SOF website]
Burkett, B.G. (1998). Stolen Valor. Verity Press, TX. [should be
available online. check www.stolenvalor.com)
Court TV Online. (1999). "Frank Dux v. Jean Claude Van Damme". Link to:
http://www.courttv.com/trials/vandam/index.html
Johnson, John. (1988). "Ninja: Hero or Master Fake?", Los Angeles Times
Valley Edition, Metro Section Part 2, pg 4. May 1, 1988. [call LA Times
archives at 1800-788-8804 for your copy]
Soldier of Fortune. (1996). "Full Mental Jacket". August 1996.
Don't be afraid to check this guy out. Recently his make-believe
empire composed of impressionable CSU students has started falling down
around his head. His students are slowly discovering that "The emperor
wear no clothes", i.e. that Dux has been lying about his past.
One more thing to consider about Frank Dux's claims to have been a
secret military operative, employed by the CIA, etc. Does anybody
think that if Dux were actually telling the truth, and TRUELY had seen
or done anything of value regarding sensative information, that ANY
government would take the chance of letting such a ~blabbermouth~
live?
As for his martial arts tales, NO ONE can verify ANY of Frank Dux's
claims, from secret teachers to secret competitions. There are
numerous skilled NHB fighters making the rounds today who make his
claims look downright fictional (fittingly). We are expected to
believe that even out of all the other supposed competitors and
sponsors, nobody remembers of talks of these events except for Frank
Dux! And--with all of the supposedly consecutive knockouts he did (56,
he claims!), not one was in any public competition, nobody can verify
any of this? With all the fellows he's supposed to have fought, how
did this thing remain a secret--until he "let the cat out of the bag"?
C'mon. The pathology on this guy is unreal. Even the best conditioned
guys today don't go undefeated, or claim 56 knockouts in a row, or have
20 matches or more a day--or go years without being able to show a
shred of proof for any of their claims. The sad thing is that so many
trusting people take him at his word, to extent that one so-called
"Martial Arts Hall of Fame" (Frank Sanchez's Sokeship Council in
Florida) awarded this pathological liar a "Lifetime Achievement
Award"! Too bad it didn't specify "For Fraud" on the plaque!
Frank Dux has a lot of gall. Gall that is neither normal nor a sign of
being rooted in reality.
Caveat Lector.
M.C. Busman
