A while ago my friend came to me all excited about this guy he'd just met who was some "martial arts master". Over the course of a few months, he became very good friends with him and I started to hear stories of what this guy claimed he could do/had done. So here's a basic run-down:

He was an ex-mafia member who used to be a bodyguard for some mafia boss. He had gone to Japan for a few years to train in some secret form of martial art that was without a doubt the deadliest form in the world. In fact, he did say that he could defeat a guy we know who is a former Australian superheavyweight kickboxing champion and now works as a bouncer (the former champion is about 6'5 and HUGE, I'd guess he weighs about 120kg whereas the "master" is about 5'5 and has a pretty standard martial artist build and couldn't weigh more than 70kg). Another thing he said is that kicks are useless in a real fight and "serious" martial artists only use their hands.

So eventually he agreed to train my friend, after impressing him with a few stunts - which included concentrating his "chi" between his hands and supposedly heating up the air between them and admittedly beating my friend (who is by no means a "master", but has done some kickboxing and is pretty fast) in a short sparring session.

From what I gather, they had about two training sessions. Before they started, the "master" said to my friend "I made a promise to my master who taught me what I am about to teach you that I would never train anyone else in this style untill he died. He is dead now, so I can teach you, but I need you to make me that same promise." Then they started training, which from what I understand involved a lot of sitting uncomfortably in a cross-legged position and "meditating to control your chi" as well as a lot of punching with your fists at your waist rather in the guard position (similar to shotokan karate), except they were standing in a low squat position.

Do you know the name of this "master?"

Before they started, the "master" said to my friend "I made a promise to my master who taught me what I am about to teach you that I would never train anyone else in this style untill he died. He is dead now, so I can teach you, but I need you to make me that same promise."
I have to go to work, but this is very familiar--we've encountered this story at least once before. I'm not sure how you'd search for it, but it would be interesting to know if it's the same guy or he just saw the same anime.

Call a law enforcment proffesional now - your friend is being groomed and before you know it will be hanging about the docks doing favours for sailors. The low squat is to increase glut strength enabling a faster turnover of johns.

Seriously he should just walk, the guys talk of a criminal past should give you a view that for one reason or another you should not be alone with him.

Yeah, because it boils down to this: Either he is telling the truth, and he has been a mafiosi, wich i arguably not a good thing, or he is lying to your friend about his background to impress him. That, and his very weird attitude and training methods, should be more then enough reason to walk away from this ****, NOW.