There are phonies and B.S. artists is all walks of life.SIMONCURRAN said:Good point, but even that isn't always the case, there are some who just cheat themselves (and worse still their students) by looking more towardas the rank than towards the associated skills for that rank.
You can buy mail order PHD's, be ordained as a minister by mail, or receive many other types of credentials without possessing much more skill then it takes to write a check.
If you stay in the martial arts long enough you'll know who's for real, and who's not.