Martin Faulks

Martin Faulks (born December 21, 1977 in Norwich) is an English Bujinkan and To-Shin_Do Ninjutsu author, publisher and prominent Freemason.

In The Media
In January 2011, newspaper,  television, and radio reports concerning Martin Faulks, the 'Norfolk Ninja', or the 'Ninja of Norwich', became prevalent. They concerned the heroic actions of Norfolk-born-and-bred martial-arts mystic Martin Faulks, who works for world renowned publishing company Ian Allan Publishing. The newspaper reports pictured Martin standing with Masaaki Hatsumi, the ninja Grand Master in Japan, and talked of his various forms of training, including learning to stand under a freezing-cold waterfall in the winter; training with Stephen K. Hayes, the world renowned martial arts expert and former bodyguard to the Dalai Lama, from whom he learned the arts of Buddhist meditation; through to training in the arts of stealth with former special-forces operatives. The book reports that Martin took part in a documentary which proved that he was as stealthy as a jaguar; however, this documentary doesn't appear to have ever aired on television.

The Bookseller claims that Martin is the bestselling martial-arts author in the country and that his book, "Becoming a Ninja Warrior," is the bestselling book on ninja since the '70s ninja boom.

Other appearances: Martin has appeared in a documentary for Channel 4 television about Freemasonry. He has also appeared on various radio shows and briefly, alongside his family, on the BBC2 television production Ben's Zoo

Biography
Martin Faulks has a black belt in the Korean martial art Kuk Sool Won and has won two gold medals in the UK National Kuk Sool Won Championships, as verified by the Kuk Sool Won website. He is also a holder of a third-level certification in fencing, and was a former Norfolk fencing champion, as stated on his website.

He has a black belt in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, which has been confirmed by martial arts expert Simon Yeo. However, it is stated that Noguchi Sensei gave him his black belt because of his extraordinary effort rather than his skill. Martin Faulks has also studied extensively under Bo Ou Mander, a Tai Chi master in Norwich, who originally trained in China.

He also practices meditation, including in adverse conditions. .

Martin has appeared on BBC's "Heaven and Earth" show and featured in the Channel 4 television series "The Mystery of Masonry" in 2009.

Writing
Martin is the author of numerous articles on Freemasonry and has contributed to magazines such as Freemasonry Today, The Square and the Scottish magazine The Ashlar. Martin wrote the foreword for the latest bestselling book by Robert Lomas titled Turning the Templar Key

He also compiled two joke books (How Many Freemasons Does It Take To Change a Light Bulb? and a sequel called "The Sign of a Mason") with all proceeds going directly to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institute (RMBI) and the Masonic Samaritan Fund (MSF).

Martial Arts
Martin wrote a book on the lotus position entitled "Becoming the Lotus". He has another two books on health and spirituality with Watkins Publishing, including a volume about the Chinese health and youth restoring exercises called Yijin Jing. Martin has also written articles for Europe's leading yoga magazine Yoga and Health and a UK edition of Combat Magazine. In addition to all this he is also a regular contributor to various periodicals including Pentacle, and Paranormal Magazine.

Books

 * Becoming a Ninja Warrior: A Quest to Recover the Secret Legacy of Japan's Most Secret Warriors (Ian Allan Publishing, 2010)
 * Gateways to Health: Secrets of Rejuvenation (Watkins Publishing, 2009)
 * Butterfly Tai Chi: Health, Energy and Tranquility in 10 Minutes a Day (Watkins Publishing, 2009)
 * Becoming the Lotus: How to Achieve the Full Lotus Posture (Merkur Publishing, 2009)
 * The Sign of a Mason (Lewis Masonic, 2008)
 * How Many Freemasons Does It Take To Change a Light Bulb? (Lewis Masonic, 2007)

Martial Arts Qualifications and Achievements

 * Black belt in Kuk Sool Won
 * Black Belt in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu
 * Blue Belt in To Shin do