Innholdsfortegnelse for June - July 2017 i Black Belt Magazine

As you thumb through this issue of Black Belt, you’ll no doubt notice that we’ve upped the page count. That didn’t happen just because this is a special issue devoted to Bruce Lee and his timeless art of jeet kune do; plans call for the extra thickness to be permanent. For that reason, I thought I’d take a few minutes to tell you about some of the changes. Due to popular demand — and the overabundance of martial arts action on television and in theaters — we’ve decided to bring back the Screen Shots column. Helming it is Dr. Craig D. Reid, a veteran fight choreographer and film critic who cut his teeth in the Taiwan movie biz. He’s also the author of our book The Ultimate Guide to Martial…

If you have a light that produces more than 100 lumens, you’ll effectively diminish anyone’s vision at night. Laws vary greatly from state to state, and the last thing you need is to ?ind yourself jammed up because although you legally defended yourself, you did it using an illegal weapon. The same can be said for using an inappropriate yet legally carried weapon. For example, a folding knife may be legal, but it might not be appropriate for the circumstances — yet it’s the only thing the intended victim has with him or her, so it gets used. Introducing any weapon into a violent situation can be problematic. Courts generally take a dim view of hurting someone with a weapon unless the situation clearly supports its lawful use in self-defense.…

“He was around 60, but he threw us all,” Thompson recalled. “I asked him how someone as old as he was could be so fast, and he said, ‘How can someone as young as you be so slow?’” Years later, things have come full circle with Thompson, now a grappling veteran, showing the kids a thing or two. In 2008 the 55-year-old Thompson qualified for the U.S. Olympic Tri als in judo for a record fifth time. He says he’s contemplating coming out of retirement once again in 2017 to compete in the U.S. National Championships at age 63. Not bad for someone who began his judo career with only two throws and didn’t expand his arsenal for nearly a decade. “I STARTED at age 13 when I earned a…

There’s been so much news from the Bruce Lee universe — both the real world and the cinematic world — that we just had to call Shannon Lee to get the scoop for this special issue of Black Belt. We know you’ll be as excited about these developments as we are. — Editors You’ve released a comic book titled Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises. How did it come about? The genesis of the comic book was straight from the heart and straight from my childhood self. My brother Brandon used to read comic books all the time, so they were always around the house. Of course, I would pick them up and start reading them, and I got to be a fan of the characters. Then I went to high…

In addition to forgetting, one of the problems with aging — oddly enough — is remembering. “I remember when you could get a cup of coffee for 10 cents.” “I remember when gas was 25 cents a gallon.” After hearing me make a few statements like that, a young student asked, “What about judo? What was it like back in the day?” This is the way I happened to experience it. DECADE — THE 1940s Setting: World War II erupts and then ends when ?irst Germany and then Japan are defeated. The United Nations is created. Casablanca and Citizen Kane are released, as are Disney’s Dumbo and Pinocchio. In Judo: The grappling art is relatively unknown and mysterious. There’s barely a hint of a national organization in the USA. Several…

The plank is not even a sensible active recovery. It’s simply something we’ve adopted for no good reason. To serve up such results, countless tips and tactics have been and are still being offered. Problem is, some of the “wisdom” reeks of superstition, some of which is rooted in market dynamics (aka turning a buck). In an effort to shed some light on this, I will now tiptoe through the mine?ield of ?itness. Keep in mind that what you are about to read are merely my opinions and observations. THE PLANK: Holding the body in a ?ixed position occasionally takes the athletic world by storm. Whether that ?ixed position is the plank, the wall sit/ Hercules chair or the horse stance, we’re supposed to believe that by staying stock-still, we’re…

Martial arts phenom Bruce Lee reached his peak in the late 1960s and early ’70s and then, as we all know, tragically passed away in 1973 at age 32. Yet 44 years later, his combat creation, that which we call jeet kune do, remains as popular as ever. That fact speaks volumes about Lee’s genius. In this tutorial, second-generation jeet kune do instructor Lamar M. Davis II — who’s trained under Ted Wong, Joe Lewis, Howard Williams, Patrick Strong, Jesse Glover and other JKD luminaries — offers advice that’s guaranteed to help you fine-tune your understanding of Bruce Lee’s fighting method. — Editor Joe Lewis wanted to be faster and more deceptive [in tournaments], and Bruce Lee provided solutions in the form of … the strong-sideforward stance, the weapon-first strategy and angular…

ALUNA AND AMBASSADOR UNIFORMS Country's new Aluna Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gi comes in black, white or blue and has a jacket that features a pearl weave. It’s great for new students and can easily be customized for school programs. The new Ambassador Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu Gi, available in black, white or navy, has reinforced stitching on stress points for added durability. It’s designed to meet the needs of experienced practitioners. $90 (ALUNA), $140 (AMBASSADOR) CENTURYMARTIALARTS.COM PROFORCE SEMI-CONTACT KICKS Point and semi-contact fighters will love these easy-on/easy-off foot pads. They’re made of injection-molded foam that’s covered with vinyl for durability. Reinforced stitching is used for enhanced longevity. An elastic strap with a hook-and-loop closure ensures a secure, comfortable fit. The open, non-slip bottom design keeps you kicking and pivoting with precision. $50…

My instructor du jour was Frank Aycocho, a master based in Manila. He was the first person on my list of martial artists to track down in country, and I was looking forward to getting some training time with him. The lesson began abruptly, with Aycocho demonstrating several throws that involved using your foot to scoop your opponent’s heel. Once you have his foot off the ground, he said, you can use your hip for leverage or hit him in the solar plexus with your shoulder to knock him to the ground. At any point in the exchange, he said, you can unload a kuntaw hand technique or three. I already could tell it would be an eventful session. KUNTAW TEACHES that when you’re attacked, you should move away from…

WHERE’S THE GREAT WALL? D’OH! If you forget your glasses while watching the on-andoff, Irish-accented Matt Damon in hair braids playing William the European mercenary in the $150 million budget, Zhang Yi-mou–directed The Great Wall, don’t worry. The film is a spectacle filled with digital dragons called taotie trying to breach the wall and overtake China as the Chinese heroes spout messages of trust and cooperation. The last hope for mankind is five Nameless Order military units stationed along the barrier: the blue-armored, female rope-fu Cranes; the close-quarterscombat Bears; the stallion-rider Deer; the pulverizing siege-engine Tigers; and the crack archer Eagles. The film is set during the teenage years of Renzong, an emperor (1010- 1063) during the Song dynasty. While William and sidekick Tovar (Pedro Pascal) search for black powder,…

When facing a real attack, creativity and quick thinking are critical for survival. Problem is, in moments of stress, most people resort to a single, familiar response — whether it’s worked in the past or not. The goal of martial arts training is to help you avoid that pitfall. It aims to develop your ability to solve a variety of tactical problems during a crisis. To achieve this, training cultivates several attributes, perhaps the most important of which is the mental flexibility needed to make good tactical decisions. What may be surprising to many is that traditional self-defense arts develop this flexibility through kata. Combat the Old Way Kata have been taught in Asia for hundreds of years. The attribute that makes them so effective as a learning tool is…

When Al Tracy and his brothers began studying karate in 1957, no one could have predicted that they were laying the foundation of what would become the world’s oldest and largest chain of self-defense studios. The secret of their success is that there is no secret. They relied on a mastery of the basics reinforced by a propensity to innovate and a willingness to work hard. Al Tracy, now a 10th-degree black belt, is recognized around the world for his Certified Tracy System of Kenpo Karate, a compilation of techniques and kata organized in a manner that’s conducive to learning. The lineage started with James Mitose and passed through William K.S. Chow to Ed Parker, who was Tracy’s teacher. Tracy deemed the material he learned effective and efficient, so he…