Martial Arts Madness
Frauds and Scammers in the Martial Arts World

In today’s martial arts world, there seems to be frauds and scammers everywhere you look. The martial arts should be the last place that you find out-of-control egos, fraudulent claims, fake titles, fake ranks, and fake martial arts hall of famers, but as it turns out, it’s not. The martial arts community has become overrun with these kinds of frauds and scammers. And what’s worse is that these frauds are actually enabled by many people in the martial arts world who other martial artists consider credible or at least halfway credible.

It seems that everywhere you look, you find another so-called martial arts hall of fame. But are these so-called martial arts halls of fame credible? Can they even be considered legitimate halls of fame? The answer is a resounding NO, at least where the vast majority of them are concerned. They are nothing more than money-making schemes that prey on the fact that many martial artists have extremely big egos.

The vast majority of these so-called martial arts halls of fame are kind of last a fast food drive through. Martial artists nominate each other, or even nominate themselves for one of the multitude of award categories, send in their $250, and then become a martial arts hall of famer. It really is that easy.  And to make it even more convenient, they do not even have to show up for the over-priced chicken dinner in order to receive their award; it is mailed out to them and they don’t even have to get off the couch.

You might think that it is the martial artists who are getting scammed by these halls of fame, and in many cases, you are right. There are many good, dedicated martial artists who actually believe they are being honored. They are so honored to have been nominated for such an award, that they send in the money almost automatically, only later to discover that the whole thing was nothing more than a cheap money-making scam. It becomes blatantly obvious when the proud martial artist, who is nominated for “Grandmaster of the Year,” finds out that he was not the only “Grandmaster of the Year”; there are actually dozens of them at the exact same event!

On the other hand, there are other martial artists who simply use these scams as a marketing gimmick to bring in new students to their dojo. They consider $250 to be pretty cheap to buy themselves the title of a martial arts hall of famer; then they use that title to advertise and bring in more students. They go to these sham events, take photos with famous martial artists, then put these photos all over their dojo as if they are rubbing shoulders with the best known martial artists in the world. It is just another side of the same scam!

I wrote about this scam, and the other ways that these unscrupulous martial arts conmen ripoff good, unsuspecting martial artists, in my book, DEFIANCE: The Dark Side of the Martial Arts. In DEFIANCE, I delve into the dirty underbelly of the martial arts world. There are some extremely sleazy people in the martial arts who are doing many unscrupulous things behind the scenes from blackballing martial artists who refuse to play their games to outright character assassinations. And what’s worse, some of the same con artists who run these so-called martial arts halls of fame are the same ones going around libeling, slandering, and defaming legitimate martial artists.

These honor-challenged martial artists, (and I use the term “martial artists” very loosely here) have a specific system that they use to defame anyone who dares to stand up and tell the truth about them or anyone who they simply do not like. They make a few phone calls to their buddies, tell them that Mr. X is a fake and a fraud, and that he did this and that, all completely false of course, and then their minions spread the lies and slander like a wildfire.

I know of one guy who runs one of the biggest martial arts hall of fame scams; he calls his buddy that helps him slander others a “useful idiot.” Of course, he would have to be an idiot in order to have nothing better to do with his time than to spread lies and false rumors to everyone he knows; but this is exactly the kind of “useful idiot” that these people use to manipulate people’s opinions and to defame innocent martial artists. It is character assassination at its dirtiest!

Several years ago, I actually wrote about how these unscrupulous martial artists also sell and buy fake ranks and titles, and how they are destroying the honor and integrity of the martial arts. My article, Martial Arts Madness, was simply a prelude to my book DEFIANCE, which goes into much more detail on the subject. Things have only gotten worse since them, which is hard to imagine.

But things appear to be looking brighter for the martial arts world, as the mainstream media is starting to take notice of the major issues in the martial arts community. Famed reporter, Frank Parlato, who outed Keith Raniere and the NXIVM cult, has now taken an interest in those who are scamming the martial arts world by selling fake hall of fame trophies, and making bank by doing so. Frank has done an investigation into the largest of these so-called martial arts halls of fame and found out some pretty amazing facts.

(Keith Raniere and the NXIVM cult who were branding women)

And he must be ruffling some feathers, as the guy in charge of this so-called hall of fame, and his minions, have gone into total panic mode. They are now attacking the social media pages of those who dare to share Mr. Parlato’s article, making threats, and doing everything they can to stop Mr. Parlato from continuing to investigate deeper into their money-making scams. You can read Mr. Parlato’s article here: Martial Arts Halls of Fame – Cheap, Plentiful, and Bogus. Mr. Parlato’s article investigates Alan Goldberg, who calls himself the “Godfather of the Martial Arts,” and from his photos it seems that he relishes his title.

(Alan Goldberg “The Godfather of Martial Arts” and one of his Hall of Famers)
(Please try not to laugh!)

I am hopeful that Frank Parlato continues to investigate deeper into the working of these so-called halls of fame, as well as the underhanded actions of those involved, such as character assassinations, libel, slander, defamation, and physical threats. These people have no place in the martial arts world which should be fostering character, honor, integrity, and other positive character traits.

I will keep you guys updated if Mr. Parlato continues his investigation. Mr. Parlato is known to be a bulldog when he finds people or organizations which are using their power to abuse or scam others. We will see where his investigations lead.

For now, just beware if you get invited to participate in the Action Martial Arts Hall of Honors or the All Pro Tae Kwon Do Hall of Fame. These are two which are on the top of his list, and two which I personally know are very questionable at the least. A good rule of thumb is – if they ask you to PAY for your award, it is NOT an award; you are simply buying yourself a meaningless title.

Until next time, stay safe and stay alert!