I met a chap who claimed to be quite a martial arts expert, how do I know if he's telling the truth?

Question

He claims a black belt 4th dan (whatever that might mean), yet looked quite scrawny and not exactly very manly. He said he studied under a master in Honshu, Japan, for several years and has reached the highest level of attainment in ikebana of any westerner. How is this possible?

Answer 1

Sneak up behind him and punch him in the back of the head.

If you land the punch, he's lying.

However if he blocks it, he may well be a martial arts expert.

Answer 2

Sounds like a load of **** Although body built has little to do with how good you can be at martial arts. I've personally trained under western martial arts masters that were 5th and 6th dan, although it can always be a different style (ikebana sounds like b*llocks to me too, never heard of it as a martial art, that's for sure). Highest dan level in martial arts is 10th I think by the way. Quite an easy way to see if he's had any training is just aiming a punch at his stomach..if he's quick enough to block it he mustve had some training, if he attempts to block but fails, he's had some training maybe but definitely isn't 4th dan:D

Answer 3

I am in total agreement with Judomofo. I have trained for 18 years and only my family, my close friends, and people i work with know, and many of them train. i do not announce it to anyone I meet.

chances are he is trying to impress you and pick you up.

Kind of true stormy but no one her really knows me, and if you ever see me walking down the street you would have no clue. lol

Answer 4

Test him out.

Answer 5

Anyone who tells you a lot about martial arts when they are just getting to know you is usually full of c**p.  The more they say, the more they're trying to impress you, the less they actually know.

It's the same for guys in the military.  The ones you never knew were in the Marines or the Army are the ones who've done the most and seen the most.  The ones who talk about it all the time are usually the guys who didn't do anything.

Answer 6

it doesn't matter if hes scrawny, martial arts is about your heart!Test him ask him to show you his black belt.Also tell to fight a tree.LOL,ROFL.

Answer 7

just ask him to go to his school or demos or something.if he keeps saying no the hes probaly lying. i dont agree with some of the answers. because if i met a girl. i would tell her just to try and get her to study with me. i had a girlfriend that wouldnt try martial arts but complain about me spending so much time with the girls in class. and some schools encourage you to go out and recruit pepole

Answer 8

Threaten to beat him up. While he is delivering the statutory warning, hit him with a straight right!

Then run like h**l!

Answer 9

B wary of anyone whom uses martial arts to try and impress you. in most styles 4th and 5th Dan grades are given rather than earned. there is no such thing as an expert, this is ego, and contradicts all the arts stand for. looks and size mean nothing in martial arts, truth and honour do. If he is really such a grade maybe he should actually run a club...all good teachers pass their knowledge down the generations, this is how our children learm.

Answer 10

4th dan is a 4th degree blackbelt, it is highly unlikely he achieved the highest rank of any westerners, as in pretty much any Japanese art there are westerners who are much higher rated than that.

But the easiest way to tell he is lying is that he is telling you all this stuff.

People I worked with don't even know I do Martial Arts except for a select few who I invited to some of my fights or to train. I definately don't advertise it to people I just met, even if they are talking about Martial Arts.

So more than likely by the mere fact he is bloviating about it, means he is probably lying.

Just my gut feeling.

Answer 11

maybe he is Shihan in "origami/おりがみ" too.

does he just "fold up" when some-one hits him?

ps.

if he was a real martial art expert, he would probably keep quiet about it.

"an able hawk hides his talons"

いけばな/ikebana is flower arranging BTW.

Answer 12

Ikebana (生け花, Ikebana? "arranged flower"[1]) is the Japanese art of flower arrangement,

Does he wear flambouyant clothes?

Answer 13

ask him to teach u martial arts

answer mine please

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/ind...

Answer 14

IMO-

guy sounds like a fraud.

1- braging about rank,

2- the "i'm the only white person to study in japan under xxxx master" is one of the biggest bull c**p lines ever. they think that such "foreign" claims cannot be verified so using a foreign country to validate and "hide" thier claims bolsters thier lie and prevents uncovering it- but only in thier minds.

3- there is a website dedicated to rooting out these frauds, if you want to cause him some level of embarassment I suggest you go to bullshido.net and ask for help there.

they actually do investigate these kinds of claims. now if he is a guy trying to teach students and is teaching c**p and teaching under false pretenses they will partictularly take interest.  like they did with a well-known fraud nammed "coda scott" as well as numerous instances of debunking and even leading to the arrest of one of these "false masters".

bieng "scrawny" is not an immediate warning sign by itself- it does affect his ability to fight, but that doesn't mean he can't use what little muscle he has.

sounds like you don't care much for this guy anyway, I would suggest you go for someone more "manly".

Answer 15

Google the style he claims he's a 4th Dan in and find out as much info as possible on it and ask him questions on it .

Then make up your own mind, best wishes :)***

Answer 16

In my experience, anyone claiming to be a martial arts expert (or a member of the SAS for that matter) is talking c**p.

Answer 17

HMMMM 4th dan black belt ?

is he bragging to you about it or has it come up conversation and he mentioned it ?

you obviously don't think this guy is being straight with you. I would go with your 1st feeling untill he proves other wise.

  I have met many 4,5,6th dan black belts the all of whom stopped training many years ago and are out of shape.

Answer 18

Well I cant really help but my partner said he was good at various forms of martial arts and such and I had to take his word on it. Except that he has a gorgeous physique..Washboard stomach and considering he is 6" and has a very toned body, he has incredibly fast reflexes and is incredibly flexible body in general. Plus he is a Helluva lot stronger than he looks! I`d pit him against most guys i know any day!! (and some are 6"+ and built like brick **** houses. I would think someone that proficient would have some proof or photos at least. Sounds like there may be a lot of bragging goin on there.

Answer 19

Sounds like a case of "big smoke -- no fire!"

Answer 20

Attack him,See how he reacts.

Answer 21

Another clue - Honshu is an island, not a city.  It happens to be the island where Tokyo is located, sometimes called the "main island" of Japan.  If he says he studied "in Honshu" that's like saying he lived "in Maui."

However, it is possible to have a dan level in ikebana.  It's also possible in Go, Renju, or tea ceremonies.  The entire concept of the dan system was originally invented for Go.

Answer 22

black belt 4th dan means hes done his black belt 4 times, he would be very good if hes this far done, ask him if you can go along and watch him training...

also Ikebana (生け花, Ikebana? "arranged flower"[1]) is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kadō (華道, kadō? the "way of flowers").

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is more than simply putting flowers in a container. Ikebana is a disciplined art form in which nature and humanity are brought together. It is the philosophy of developing closeness with nature. Ikebana is a creative expression with certain rules of construction. All the materials are with life may it be branches, leaves, grasses, and flowers. The beauty of each arrangement is the result from its color combinations, natural shapes, graceful lines, and the meaning behind the total form of the arrangement. Ikebana is definitely more than a mere floral arrangement.

maybe hes fibbing...do u no any of his friends u can ask..good luck  

Answer 23

It sounds like he's pulling your leg.  Next time he tries it, laugh along with him, and explain that you would like to see his flower arranging skill.

Judomofo and Katana - Lol! it sure sounds to me that you're not 'hiding your talons' there.

Answer 24

He's a lying sack of c**p trying to mask his severe wusitude.

Just smack him and watch him cry like a baby and pee his pants.

Answer 25

4th dan in any style martial art is quit an attainment. It takes years of dedication. The first thing to conceder is he old enough to have attained this high level.  I don’t think this is likely if he is under 25 years old. Second these are obscure arts and hard to check credentials. So I would be curious about that. One does not have to be built like Hulk Hogan to be a good martial artist.

Most martial artist that are high level rarely confide that knowledge with those who the do not know very well. They are usually closed mouth about their martial arts to outsiders.