Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2019 i Black Belt Magazine

Back in the 1970s and ’80s — that probably sounds like the Dark Ages to some segments of the Black Belt demographic — there was plenty of fake news floating around the martial arts world. The crucial differences between fake news then and fake news now is we didn’t have a catchy label for it and we didn’t have the internet to propagate it around the globe. All we had was word of mouth, and that kept it local while, in a way, making it more believable. Here are two examples retrieved from the recesses of my memory. One summer, after watching a couple of Chuck Norris movies followed by a Bruce Lee double feature at the drive-in, two friends and I decided to sign up for martial arts lessons.…

Karate Combat: Hollywood was recently broadcast live from the Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles. The full-contact competition took place in front of a star-studded audience — with actor Danny Trejo serving as pit announcer. Luiz Rocha of Brazil won the main event, in which he defeated Myrza Tebuev of Russia by split decision. In the co-main event, Elhadji Ndour of New York by way of Senegal beat Scotland’s Calum Robb by unanimous decision. The event saw two dramatic first-round knockouts: Abdallah Ibrahim of New York finished off newcomer Kevin Walker of Atlanta after only one minute with a head kick, and Brazil’s Teeik Silva KO’d Kevin Kowalczik of the United States. “As always, the Karate Combat karate’s delivered again,” said Bas Rutten, who shared commentary duties with Sean Wheelock. “You…

On February 16-17, 2019, the International Academic Conference for Taekwondo took place at Stanford University in California. The conference featured numerous academics from around the world, as well as representatives from several taekwondo global organizing bodies. It was the third such event organized by Ron Dziwenka, Ph.D. (Salisbury University; Salisbury, Maryland) and John A. Johnson, Ph.D. (Keimyung University, South Korea). This year’s meeting was conducted in partnership with Stanford University’s Center for East Asian Studies and Stanford Athletics. Many notable figures in taekwondo academics and competition attended, including Herb Perez, Woo Jin Jung, Ali Ghafour, James Kim and Jin Song. The event received further support from Ken Min, Tim Ghormley, Russell Ahn and Allan Bäck. The conference highlighted the most recent taekwondo research projects while focusing on the social sciences.…

YOU PROBABLY KNOW about Greek pankration and its long lineage, and you may know about the more recent but no less fearsome hybrid known as American Frontier Rough and Tumble. Both remind us that fights which encompassed more than just boxing and fights which included more than just grappling have always been of great interest to the public. Most of us know that we should never make the mistake of thinking that a kicker knocking out a grappler means kicking holds superiority or that a grappler choking out a striker means grappling is the be-all and end-all. It merely means that in a particular instance, a specific athlete prevailed — or luck had its way. With that preamble out of the way, we must admit that no matter what may…

If you’re a casual watcher of MMA, you might not have heard of Demetrious Johnson. Although the Kirkland, Washington–based mixed martial artist, who now competes for ONE Championship, is respected as perhaps the most skilled technician in the sport, flyweights don’t garner as much press as heavyweights. Some have argued that if Johnson weighed a little more than his 125 pounds and stood a little taller than his 5 feet 3 inches, the man who’s nicknamed “Mighty Mouse” would be as much of a household name as Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Rickson Gracie. He certainly has the right attitude — as you will see. For our readers who aren’t familiar with you, could you briefly explain your background? In middle school, I went out for wrestling and did very…

“When the samurai went into battle, no one screwed with them,” Dana Abbott says. “But when there were stragglers coming back from battle, that’s when farmers and others would take them on. “You couldn’t put a sai against a guy with a sword unless he was drunk or injured. So if a layman was forced to take on a swordsman, the best thing for the layman to use would be a ladder. The layman and two other guys with ladders could easily pin a swordsman down while another stuck him with the sai again and again until he bled out — kind of like the lions do to the wildebeest.” In reality, it was nearly impossible for a person without a sword to take on a person with a sword…

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“WHEN YOU’RE FIRST STARTING in the martial arts, it’s so much on your mind if you’re really into it. But as far as I’m concerned, 15 years ago my mind was so much a part of the physical fitness and fighting that when I walked down the street and people would be approaching me from the opposite direction, I would try to project my mind away from my body. “As a guy’s walking toward me, my mind’s really focused on him. And at that point where I feel he’s just coming past me, I can feel my whole body move inside. Like, if he just twitches the wrong way, I’m going to hit him. I’m not saying I would actually do that to someone on the street. This has always…

OUR FIRST PRINCIPLE is “Go Armed.” Some incorrectly interpret this as advice to carry a firearm. While that certainly may be a good choice for some, it may be impossible or inappropriate for others. Going armed means having in your possession a legally concealable device — even if it’s hidden in plain sight — that will materially aid you in a self-defense situation. The range of suitable devices is enormous: bludgeons, point-impact tools, edged weapons, aerosols, electronic stun guns, hand-held lights and so on. Choosing wisely is important for several reasons, but first let’s talk about what the most important attribute of any weapon is. The most important attribute is not its usefulness in combat; it’s the weapon’s usefulness as a trigger. If you suddenly find yourself thinking about, touching,…

ON THE WALLS OF CAMBODIAN TEMPLES, bas-relief artwork dating back to the 13th century depicts men fighting with knee and elbow strikes. Other images show armed combat, including the use of sharpened bamboo poles that are tied to the forearms. Additionally, two large statues believed to represent ancient wrestlers have been unearthed in the country. Given that Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia — sharing a border with Thailand, the birthplace of muay Thai, and Laos, the home of muay Lao, and not far from Myanmar, which has given the world lethwei — it seems logical that Cambodia should have spawned an ancient fighting art of its own. Sadly, however, there’s no written evidence of one, just a handful of carvings and statues that don’t even mention a name. This…

The Senior Edition In its April 2006 issue, Black Belt published an article I wrote titled “Toughest Men on Planet Earth.” I profiled the 20 martial artists I considered the most capable in the context of street fighting. It was meant to generate discussion, and it certainly did. Fast-forward 13 years. The editor of Black Belt asked me to write a follow-up piece, this time focusing on martial artists who are at least 60 years old. I accepted. To keep the playing field level, I mentally evaluated all of them as if they were 60 years old. Those of you who read the first article no doubt will notice that 12 of the 20 people on this new list were also on the previous list. That shouldn’t come as a…

On a Question of the Day BLACK BELT: Have you ever grappled with someone who was so far beyond you that even though you were trying your absolute best, you knew you had ZERO chance? I’m my case … Gene LeBell. Hopeless but fun! DrAnnMaria: Yes, Margot Sathay, when I was 17. She kicked my ass on a regular basis. Also, Diane Pierce, who beat me in the finals of the US Open, also when I was 17. Fortunately, I got better. [For those who don’t know, Dr. AnnMaria De Mars won the 1984 World Judo Championships.] Paul AP: Most def … every time I get to roll with Mario Aiello or the brown/black belts at Gracie Jiu Jitsu Valencia-Ca. It’s how you grow! Doug Greene: Yes, my opponent was…

NEAR THE BEGINNING of our conversation, Kanan recounted that the first martial arts film he saw was Chuck Norris’ 1980 hit The Octagon. “He was such a badass,” Kanan said. “Years later, my dad attended an event and got me an autographed picture of Chuck that said, ‘Sean, keep on kicking.’ It was a treasure for me. I later did an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger — it was a dream come true to be in a fight scene with Chuck.” The seed had been planted. By the time he saw Karate Kid in 1984, Kanan was a student of shotokan karate under William Stoner. Later, his instructor told him about an incredible martial artist named Fumio Demura. Stoner eventually converted to shito-ryu, which is Demura’s style. Around the same…

Taekwondo has been called the most popular martial art in the world. The majority of the schools in which the Korean art is taught have an affiliation with the World Taekwondo Federation or the International Taekwon-Do Federation. With the WTF being based in South Korea and the ITF’s founder, now deceased, having been exiled from South Korea years ago, it should come as no surprise that the two organizations seldom see eye to eye. The ITF governs its students and instructors using its own rules for fighting and forms. The WTF — which re-branded itself World Taekwondo in 2017 but is still waiting for the abbreviated name to catch on — does the same and it oversees the sporting side of taekwondo, and that gives it great power because of…

Let’s get right to the point: Your ability to use traditional kobudo weapons will benefit greatly if you apply the movements and principles taught in Japanese sword arts like kendo and kenjutsu. That message was delivered to me by Dana Abbott, Black Belt’s 2004 Weapons Instructor of the Year, and I found it intriguing, to say the least. I bet you do, as well. What makes me say that? Most martial artists train with kobudo weapons, including traditionalists, eclectic practitioners and even those who claim to have no style. In my lineage, for example, we did all the weapons, and we got very good at manipulating them. We could perform awesome demonstrations and do well in tournaments. And if we ever had to use one of these tools in self-defense,…

Vol. 17, No. 12, $1.50 • “It’s not so much a different style of martial art,” says Larry Tatum, kenpo instructor, “but it’s a system that adapts to the American way of life.” • Tatum is an advocate of starting kids in the martial arts at a young age. “When I’m teaching children under 6 years old, the thing I’m teaching them is coordination — and concentration,” he says. “I’m just using the art as a vehicle, that’s all.” • A report on a national jujitsu tournament in Maryland mentions two practitioners whose names no doubt will be familiar to modern-day Black Belt readers: George Kirby and Ken Harte. Both have contributed to the magazine in recent years. • Paul Maruyama, America’s judo coach for the Pan-American Games, announces, “I…