When it comes to Fake martial arts instructors, in every
case that I have encountered over the years, they all exhibited sociopathic and psychopathic behavior. Most frauds are not impressive in any sense of the word. Not successful in life or their life choices. Unimpressive physically and they often exhibit below average level intelligence. But their delusional believe is they are smarter than everyone else around them. They didn't and couldn't even graduate high school. They had poor grades and even poorer social skills, a lot of them bullied and victimized girls and weaker class mates in school, this made them feel superior.
As for being productive adults they can hold only down menial dead end kind of jobs such as a janitor or night time security guard, positions with little supervision. The only accomplishments they have are one that they just make up. Like developing their own martial art style or claiming some sort martial art superiority.
Every fraud I have encountered and dealt with all were previously early on in life (as in high school
or early on in the military), professionally diagnosed as being mentally unstable ie. sociopathic, psychopathic, pathological, delusional, and having a lack of empathy.
These traits are ultimately dangerous
to students that they can take advantage of and those they feel that they can victimize.
When you look these fake martial arts instructors' behaviors, what is scary is they fit the same psychological profiles of serial killers, This includes having a
lack of remorse or guilt, impulsivity, and a need for control, predatory
behavior, a fantasy life, self-delusion and interpersonal traits. The same as serial killers these BS instructors may exhibit superficial charm, a grandiose sense of self-worth, pathological
lying, and the manipulation of others.
The one major sign that a instructor is fake:
The so called "master" is under the age of 50. For
example, a rank of 6th degree black belt and above will require 30 plus years
of training….after receiving the rank of 1st degree black belt. So, if a 30 something
year old instructor is claiming a rank of sixth degree black belt or higher in
anything or multiple high ranks it should be a glaring indicator that you could potentially be dealing with a fake instructor.
Here are some behaviors that are exhibited by a fake martial arts instructor who may be sociopathic and psychopathic:
1. Exaggerating Skills and Experience
Fake instructors may claim to have high-level certifications
or experience in martial arts that they do not actually possess or are too
young to possess. This could be done to gain respect, authority over others
(even their own teachers), or financial profit.
These instructor's are known to
fabricate grandiose claims about their abilities or past to manipulate others. They may claim to have trained with (even from an early age) some mysterious
Japanese master or a famous well known martial artist like Chuck Norris, Jean Claude Van Damme or Jeff Speakman.
2. Manipulation and Deception
They often manipulate students by portraying themselves as
all-knowing or infallible. This behavior serves to establish control and
intimidate their students, making it harder for people to question their
methods or ask for verification.
They use manipulation tactics to create an environment where
questioning their authority is discouraged or punished. Sociopathic individuals
excel at controlling others through psychological manipulation. They often will groom vulnerable students coming off as charming and caring they often prey on students
who are new to martial arts or looking for a sense of belonging or self-esteem.
3. Lack of Empathy and Disrespect for Students
A fake instructor can come off as charming and caring but in actuality he may not actually have genuine concern for the
well-being or growth of their students. Sociopaths often lack empathy, so they may not care
about the harm they cause to others, as long as they benefit.
4. Aggressive or Exploitative Behavior
Fake instructors might use aggression or intimidation to
maintain authority. This can manifest in physical bullying, emotional
manipulation, or even psychological abuse to those who are weaker than they are. Sociopaths often use these tactics to
assert dominance over someone who they think is weaker or to get what they want.
They may disregard the feelings, personal or family obligations and boundaries
of the students.
A.) This may include the instructor taking a student's non attendance of a class as an affront. They may attempt to discipline the student, strip them of the rank that the student bought and paid for, suspend them from class for a period of time, or dress them down for missing a class.
B.) They may take it as an affront when a student quits and leaves the school. They may even threaten the student with litigation, especially if they deem that their "authority" or background are questioned.
5. Victim Blaming and Gaslighting
When confronted or questioned about their qualifications or
behavior, a fake instructor may resort to gaslighting—convincing others that
they are wrong or imagining things. They might blame their students for not
"understanding" the martial art, or accuse them of being disloyal or
disrespectful for questioning their methods. And will go so far as to threaten to sue the student, kick them
out of the school and later tell grandiose lies about that student.
6. Avoiding Accountability
If their teaching methods are ever questioned or challenged,
a fake instructor may avoid accountability by deflecting blame or denying any
wrongdoing. Sociopaths are typically skilled at avoiding responsibility and are
quick to project blame onto others.
7. Chronic Lying
A fake martial arts instructor may be consistently caught in
lies—whether it’s about their rank, training background, or personal history.
These lies are often intended to bolster their reputation or manipulate
students into continuing to follow them.
8. Pathological Lying
Stories that contradict reality: Pathological liars are
skilled at weaving complex lies that appear convincing on the surface. Their
stories often shift, and their claims change and or evolve over time. When
challenged, they often deflect by accusing others of being jealous or ignorant
as they have a inability to accept criticism or scrutiny. Fake martial arts
instructors can be very convincing due to their ability to weave intricate
lies, and their pathological nature can make them difficult to confront.
9. Creating a Sense of Dependency
Fake instructors may deliberately cultivate a sense of
dependency in their students, making them feel as though they cannot succeed
even in their own personal life, personal choices or personal careers, outside the dojo without the instructor’s approval or
guidance. This manipulation ensures the instructor retains control over the
students.
10.) Psychopathic Intimidation Tactics
Using intimidation tactics to control students outside the school environment is not normal behavior and is a good indicator that the fake instructor is also a psychopath and potentially dangerous.
When a student leaves his school for any reason and the instructor
may resort to threatening to sue the student if he talks to anyone about his school or leaves a bad review.
The instructor may lie about the student to others in the school and even harass the student outside of the school, such as stalking the student by driving across town to where that student lives and driving by his house multiple times to intimidate the student. He may even attempt
to ruin and interrupt the student's personal life by trying to get them fired from their job.
11. Money and Power Focus
Fake instructors often prioritize financial profit, using
students as a source of income rather than focusing on their development. They
may promote and sell unnecessary and dubious products and services
(e.g., special uniforms, equipment, or seminars, memberships into shell
organizations that that the instructor himself manufactured) that add no real value to students or
their ranks but only inflate the instructor’s income.
Conclusion
A "instructor" who deliberately misrepresents their martial arts
abilities to exploit or manipulate their students and exhibits concerning
personality traits, including a lack of empathy, a grandiose sense of self, a
willingness to deceive and the use of harassment and or intimidation tactics of
any kind are red flags that a fake instructor has serious psychological issues.
I heard personally from several former students of a fake martial arts instructor that the instructor upon putting forth a challenge to fight. It seems the instructor tried to get his former students to gang up on and kill the guy who had agreed (and signed a waiver) to show up for the challenge. Plotting someone's murder simply because he didnt want to risk potentially being exposed as a fraud is a serious indicator that the fake instructor is indeed a psychopath.
