Frank W. Dux - Legend Or Loser

The name Frank Dux remains shrouded both in fame and controversy. He is recognized as the founder of the Dux Ryu Ninjitsu that he claims to be the first American version of Japanese martial arts Ninjutsu. He is perhaps best recognized as the protagonist character played by actor Jean-Claude Van Damme in the action film Bloodsport.

Frank Dux was raised in Woodland Hills, California. He currently teaches his personal style of Ninjutsu with private trainings and seminars. Curiously, he claims to have been trained in the martial art just by neighbors as a teenager.

Claim To Legendary Fame

In the early 1980s, Dux figured as the subject of a well-known martial arts magazine, putting his career as an underground fighter for a secret organization located in Asia into question. A number of years later, Dux’s fighting career was the subject of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s hit movie, Bloodsport. The end titles credited Dux’s fight stats with 56 consecutive knockouts, the fastest knockout, and the most with 300 victories. It was incredible to the eyes of martial arts enthusiasts that Dux became the center of controversy. Regardless, Frank Dux cemented his stature as a legend in the world of karate kickboxing.

Dux ryu itself has never been considered a legitimate branch of Ninjutsu, but that assessment depends on who you talk to. The unarmed techniques are similar to Jujitsu-Frank Dux’s natural style. But like many martial artists who define their own personal fighting styles, Dux puts elements of other martial art forms into his own mix. Dux’ fighting style is premised on a philosophy with the acronym FASST, “Focus, Action, Skill, Strategy, and Tactics.”

He landed in a few fight choreography jobs but soon found himself jobless despite a running friendship with Jean-Claude Van Damme. Much of his notoriety centered on both his talents and his relations with Jean-Claude.

Controversy

Frank Dux is a controversial figure among martial arts followers as many of his claims have been questioned publicly. Foremost among his detractors was Solider of Fortune publisher Robert K. Brown whom Dux accused of smearing his reputation with a series of unflattering articles putting his Vietnam veteran status into question.

In fairness though, he never claimed to have fought in the war, but was involved in a number of war-related efforts. In a November 1998 article titled “Stolen Valor: Profiles of a Phony-Hunter,” published in the said magazine, photos showed Dux in uniform decked with both Army and Marine decorations and medals, inconsistent with his statements. Dux rebutted saying as he has stated time and again that those pictures were taken from a costume Halloween party.

But his most controversial was his claim to be the 1975 winner of a secret underground fight-to-the-death martial arts competition, “The Kumite,” as depicted in the movie “Bloodsport.” The claim is entirely unverifiable. Not a single known Martial Arts governing body will ever acknowledge the existence of the Kumite tournament or anything similar to its no-holds-barred competition conducted every 5 years in Hong Kong or anywhere.

Though by his own accounts, he won it in Jamaica not in Hong Kong. The “Kumite” is a Japanese term meaning “sparring.” It is one of the three elements in karate training; kata and kihon (form and fundamentals) are the others.

The Los Angeles Times said that Dux’s Kumite trophy had been ordered and picked up from a sports store quite close to Dux’s Southern California residence – as evidenced from a receipt the newspaper was able to get hold of. Of course, Dux rebutted the allegation since the receipt was not his because the spelling of his surname was wrong. It was spelled D-U-C-K-S instead.

In his 1996 book “The Secret Man,” Dux claims that the CIA Director William Casey attempted to employ him as a contract paramilitary agent for the Agency in undisclosed missions in hotspots around the world. Another famous martial artist and movie star, Aikido’s Steven Segal is likewise known to have claimed affiliation with the intelligence agency with a claimed history of secret shadowy missions. But all these are unverifiable as such disclosures are never confirmed nor denied by the CIA.

Bloodsport Revisited

Dux’s notorious controversy was just starting up when he sued Jean Claude Van Damme in October 1998 for breach of contract. Van Damme and Dux were friends, as Dux was even dating Van Damme’s sister-in-law. And it was Frank Dux’s biopic role that shot Van Damme to movie stardom. But the friendship soured as Van Damme’s promises of landing Dux in various martial arts choreography and fight trainer jobs in the sets of Lionheart and Double Impact never went through. The last straw was the release of the movie The Quest.

Dux wrote a script entitled “The Kumite”, designed as a sequel and a more detailed look into the story Bloodsport. Van Damme would reprise the role and direct it. After slow progress, Van Damme had another screenwriter revised the script into The Quest.

Dux claimed Van Damme reneged on a verbal promise to share the box-office profits from the film. He filed a complaint with the Writers Guild of America, and was awarded a writing credit and $50,000 in professional fees. Dux then sued Van Damme for breach of oral contract, but ultimately lost the suit in court. In that1998 trial, Dux’s friends said some of his claims were untrue and much of his testimony ruined his credibility.

The Future For Frank

Apart from conducting seminars for private audiences interested in his brand of Ryu Ninjutsu, Frank Dux is still hoping to get the Kumite recognized in the public’s eyes. He has embarked on getting screening time on the subject on pay-per-view television. With so much mayhem already attending much of today’s karate films and television shows, it is doubtful that a 25-year old to-the-death competition can command huge TV audiences.