How Frank Dux Inserted Himself into Martial Arts History (part one)

Karate in the 1960's was a different ballgame than it was today. Sure, there was point fighting matches but in those days the practitioners were usually former military men who trained in Japan or Korea enduring the same hardships as the students there even if for only a shorter amount of time.

Martial arts were taking the world by storm. And it was at the close of the decade when Victor Moore would face off against Mike Stone in Pasadena, California in 1969 and win the light-heavyweight championship in that match. Stone was coming off of a record 91-0 record against opponents. Moore was able to win the match and history records this part as true.

Victor Moore

There is another side to the story that a lot of people have been hearing a lot about over the last many years, though. It seems that was the same day a young, gangly thirteen-year old whiz kid who trained watching through the windows of other martial arts instructors would make his presence known.

Frank Dux, the future founder of Dux Ryu Ninjutsu would allegedly meet and challenge Moore to either a sparring match or a fight there after the match with Stone. Accounts on that part seem to vary as much as many of the details of Dux's entire training resume. But what is certain is that Dux claims he would emerge victorious against Moore and both he and Lawrence Day would then induct the young man into the Black Dragon Fighting Society as the youngest member in history ever. This would lay the groundwork for Frank Dux that he was an original student of John Keehan, the man known as Count Dante.

This would be one of many stories I have found along the way which prove Dux has attempted (and in some cases succeeded) in inserting himself into various legacies across the martial arts community over the decades. It would be with Moore however that his story seems to have a functional beginning. And I personally think it's time to set the record straight that this alleged match never took place. 

And I have the proof to the story for you, dear readers. 

Let us talk about....

How Frank Dux Inserted 

Himself Into Martial Arts History 

(Part One)

By Gerald J. Greysmith

Inserting Himself Where He Didn't Belong

Frank Dux remains an enigma in the martial arts. He has no verifiable training that can be found. Even the former students of Jack Seki stated that they don't remember him ever having been there. I've heard tales of him being a practitioner of Tae Kwon Do at some point. His stories of greatness in the CIA are also proven to be falsified. His military records themselves show he was in the Marine Corps Reserves for a number of years, but never a special agent of any kind. It was ironically the Marine Corps medical staff who would ultimately diagnose Dux as having "flights of fancy." Recent interviews and statements on social media show he hasn't changed a whole lot, either. Viking Samurai has been hosting various people on his own show who have stated outright that they never fought Frank despite his claims on another episode to have done so.

A request of Dux's military records shows that he served bravely as a wireman in

the United States Marine Corps Reserves. He didn't serve as a Captain as he said

in Bloodsport, but as a Lance Corporal. He entered in Los Angeles, CA, and

was separated in Kansas City, MO. No records of Hong Kong, the Phillipines, nothing.

Even his book "The Secret Man" was yanked from store shelves under threat of litigation if it wasn't removed and amended.

Dux has also claimed his upper-middle class parents were so poor they couldn't afford for him to have lessons in martial arts, yet witnesses said while in the presence of he and his mother whenever he would spin one of his stories she would just hang her head or roll her eyes at him. Even she knew he was telling fibs. 

What is known is that in the early part of the 2000's Dux's popularity was on the decline. A failed lawsuit against Jean Claude Van Damme coupled with several media outlets debunking his many claims in the military and martial arts led him to almost obscurity. Yes, Bloodsport was and always will be a popular film but Dux himself wasn't able to substantiate the claims anymore. So what was he going to do?

Well he began networking. For example in one scenario Dux and Bryce Dallas were in talks to forge an alliance and merge their respective systems. Dallas and Dux were friends and this is confirmed by former students who were present when the men were talking. Dallas even made a trip to California to meet Dux at one point years ago and allegedly pictures exist of this meeting between the two men. This continued up until 2008 when Cayce Lancaster exposed Dallas' lies of living in Japan to the world with high school photos and records proving Dallas never left the area of West, Mississippi and East Holmes Academy. 

Dallas was now useless to Dux. 

Bryce Dallas and Insei Saija/Hasaka Yutashi/Senzo Tanaka (pick one) 

in Spring 2006 during his one and only trip to Japan. This was financed

with an insurance fire of one of his students' mother's home according

to those who were members at the time.

So Dux moved on.

As pointed out in a previous article Dux then officially became a member of the Black Dragon Fighting Society in 2008 per Stoffel Van Vuuren, emailing members of the circle-jerk in October of the that year. Together it appears they decided to insert Dux into the legacy and history of Keehan/Dante, the organization itself, and each one of them would collaborate to help give the story an air of authenticity and for the sake of a documentary.

The email from Stoffel Van Vuuren, head of the BDFS in South Africa, stating implicitly that Dux had officially become a BDFS member in 2008, though Dux and others would claim later that he became a member in 1969 after a match against Victor Moore.

Using their collective brain power the story for Dux's entry in the annals of the BDFS begins in 1969 officially from their own statements. Ashida Kim's own website seems to begin the story in 2009....a full year almost after that email was shown. The actual earliest mention I can find at this point through their websites is one from Ashida Kim in 2009, the "Emerald Coast Seminar." Nothing prior to this shows much involvement on Dux's part to be in the BDFS or around the members. 

Dux and Van Vuuren, 2009

According to Konigun students who were present for his and Dallas' conversations Dux in the early 2000's wasn't too fond of the BDFS. He was quoted as having said they were "pretenders." 

Why join them then?

Concocting History

I think the reason Dux most likely joined the BDFS was out of necessity. Here he had a group of people willing to help collaborate and support his own story and anchor themselves to him. At this point it is well-known that many of them went around to former members of Keehan's dojo and began collecting stories. Some of these happened when Dux was in school at the time and no records show him in Chicago in the vicinity of Keehan at all. No witnesses remember him, either. But in order to obtain legitimacy he would have to sound legitimate. And to sound legitimate Dux would need stories from those who were there. 

In one story given to me by witnesses Dux and his student Sky Benson would take advantage of Lawrence Day. Day by this time was very sick and suffering from what his students said was most likely dementia. According to witnesses at an event for the BDFS members Dux and Benson took Day aside and filmed him being asked several questions. 

 

Screenshots from a chat I had with one of Day's former students who was present and saw Sky Benson and Frank Dux take Lawrence Day aside and ask questions pertaining to the past. The person in question has asked to remain anonymous at this time however this isn't the only person I have spoken with regarding this matter.

And so as with every great story you simply MUST have a beginning. Attaching himself to various stories of members of the BDFS is fine and dandy. But you have to have a start point. And as I said it all begins with Victor Moore.

Interview with Victor Moore

In a recorded call with Victor Moore I was able to ask questions regarding his alleged match with Frank Dux. According to Moore these events never happened as Dux claimed them. As a matter of fact it turns out Dux was not even there at the tournament where Moore and Mike Stone faced one another. 

Victor Moore interview, August 2022

"I'm not trying to bring Frank down, he was never up." Strong words from Moore regarding Frank Dux.

So....Frank and Moore didn't meet in 1969 as claimed? I'd argue this is quite a chunk out of Dux's story so far. And if he attempted to get Moore to tell him information back in 2009 at the BDFS Gatherig in Nashville, TN, this would fit the pattern of behavior he has shown with regards to Lawrence Day and others. Now while Day had his own issues with these matters it still doesn't give anyone the right to take advantage of him....or anyone else.

History As It Is

I guess it is safe to assume at this point that there exists not one story Frank Dux has said in recent years that can be backed by evidence to support it. However there IS proof that the stories didn't happen. From the claims of training with Keehan as a child, to sparring/fighting with Victor Moore as a teenager, to being an original member of the BDFS (it's youngest member no less!) none of these statements over the years are adding up.

Lawrence Day

They have attached themselves to Keehan through lies and manipulation of the facts as taken from older members such as Lawrence Day. Day isn't here anymore to refute their claims with regards to him and so we must rely on students or associates of him to debunk those stories. 

They attempted to do it with Sam Lonewolf, however luckily his own family was more than willing to step in and say something about that matter (as you all have seen.) Samantha herself has a blog dedicated to this matter and is seeking to bring the truth of the matter out. Dux would even attempt to claim a friendship with Lonewolf to me on Twitter. Emails exist however that show Lonewolf thought very little of Dux and his claims. These were made available to me after he made the following statement:

Dux has since blocked me on Twitter.

As for now Frank has blocked me on all social media platforms save one profile on Facebook he keeps. This would be his personal one. He has yet to answer any questions I have posed to him online and his stories seem to be falling apart faster than a Lego set in a tornado. But I assume he will persist with this. Dux's entire life hinges on these claims which now span back to his childhood. If these claims don't hold water then what does the claims that Keehan and Dux trained under Senzo Tanaka do under this stress? So far no evidence has come out that shows Dux ever knew a man by that name. The only "evidence" one can find of the man is offered by Dux himself. Allegedly he presented this photograph as a picture of himself training with the alleged man known as Tanaka sometime in recent years:

Ummmmm....

The picture above looks suspiciously like Jigoro Kano....as a matter of fact research shows that this was indeed....Jigoro Kano....not Senzo Tanaka. 

So Senzo Tanaka founded Judo, huh?

This is the kind of stupidity that ruins movies. I beg the Black Dragon Fighting Society at this point to get smarter about claims. As it stands there isn't anything any of you have collaborated on which helps prove Dux was an original member of the BDFS. 

It seems to me that every one of you lied to cover for Dux in order to appropriate the histories of elderly and deceased martial artists. I can scarcely wait to see what the next spin you all offer is.

Maybe you can get photos of Gichin Funakoshi and say he was a ninja master?