Frank Dux [Martial Arts Master]

By: Editor | March 03, 2011 | Ten by Ten

Bloodsport, the Jean Claude Van Damme martial arts movie, is based on true events. Trained in Koga Yamabushi Ninjitsu, Frank Dux — the real life inspiration for his celluloid counterpart — encouraged a brand of defensive articulation in America, popularizing Western combat methods in the 1980s. Having adapted his traditional training techniques into the first of Americanized styles, Dux Ninjitsu — or FASST/Dux Ryu (Focus-Action-Skill-Strategy-Tactics) — was initiated and ordained into the fervent combative culture of military, law enforcement and citizen defense. His innovative style has been implemented in U.S. Navy SEAL Special Warfare training and, presently, his efforts are rooted around widespread Dux Ryu training in Southern and Northern California.

When was the last time you were truly embarrassed and why?
I was caught red-handed dipping into my stash of the world’s best tasting malt balls, which are not included in my diet while in training.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received, and who gave it to you?
“To be the best, you have got to fight the best” — my most memorable opponent USKA and PKA karate champion Victor Moore (known as: “The Man Who Fought and Bested Them All” (Bruce Lee, Joe Lewis, Chuck Norris, Mike Stone, Bill Wallace, Jim Kelly, Mike Foster, etc.).

What is the most important decision you ever made?
Miyamoto Musashi is Japan’s greatest swordsman, whose principles regarding strategy and tactics and how they may be utilized in living one’s life, influenced me greatly. One of his nine principles on strategy is “distinguish between gain and loss in worldly matters.” One of the most difficult decisions I had to deliberate upon in my world occurred when I was young, engaged and leading a double life. I chose to conceal part of that life from her in order to protect her. Ironically, it only hurt her, and I lost her and the best part of myself.

What is your favorite…
Restaurant: Depends on my appetite and mood.
Chevy Chase movie: Modern Problems
Animal (extinct, endangered or domestic): I love all of God’s creatures equally. However, I have a fondness for the flying horse as the Chinese named me (“pha-ma”) when I fought in Vale Tudo and Full Contact Kumite, the predecessor to MMA tournaments.
Song to make out to:  “Bolero”
Vacation destination: Exotic! Like exploring the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. But when in love, there is no place like Venice or Paris!

What’s the strangest number you have programmed in your phone?
Can’t think of one outside of instances in spoofing someone else’s phone number.

List three things you cannot live without:
Yin, yang and the potential for change — as in: the courage to affect change, willingness to accept what I cannot change and the wisdom to know the difference (the defining distinctions between existing and “living” life).

What contemporary artist do you admire and why?
Dale Chihuly. He is an innovator, a sharing teacher and leader. He takes a team approach to his creations that, from their very inception, are unbridled and experimental in nature. His altering body of work reflects that he rejects complacency, as he does not deal with permanency, choosing as his medium glass that is fragile, yet interacts with its foreboding natural or unnatural surroundings. I have lived my life with uncertainty, and so when his body of work dangles by single wire it resonates with me.

How will you spend this evening?
Sharing a beautiful candlelight dinner with the people I love, good discussion while relaxing by our fireplace and making sure everyone has what they need. Pets included, always!  If the mood strikes, a movie at our favorite theater.

What is your take on the WikiLeaks controversy?
The rub is that I am torn between my knowledge that secrecy is of vital importance in matters of national security and my knowledge that intelligent decisions cannot be made “by and for the people” when there exists a government that does not trust its people with the truth, which suggests the inspiring words of JFK and other national heroes need to be revisited and embraced by the new generation.

How would you define love?
A full heart, unconditional acceptance and the courage to risk loss.

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