Innholdsfortegnelse for August/September 2019 i Black Belt Magazine

A side from the fundamental philosophical argument that every human being is unique and, therefore, cannot be duplicated, there are at least three reasons why there will never be another Bruce Lee. When Lee skyrocketed to fame in the late 1960s and early ’70s, film was the vehicle that carried him. Back then, hit movies, if you recall, would stay in theaters for a very long time. I remember the first Star Wars episode, released in 1977, playing in our local mall for more than one year straight! Much of Lee’s initial popularity, both in Asia and in the West, stemmed from his work in classic movies that stayed in theaters far longer than films do in 2019, when some are on the marquee for just a few days. In…

Black Belt: In the old days, people used to say that if you’re confident, no one will mess with you. Based on your experience as a martial artist and a police officer, is that still the case in the 21st century? Damon Gilbert: Statistically, you’re probably less likely to be a victim, but sometimes it doesn’t work because the attacker has a mental illness or because he has so much hatred for what you stand for that he doesn’t care if you look him in the eye and are very confident. It all depends on the subject and his motive. But it is very important for women’s self-defense programs and anti-bullying programs to teach people to look confident and stand their ground. Potential attackers do not want to be identified.…

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I’D NEVER BEEN ATTACKED in broad daylight like that before,” said Heggstad, now 65. “But the only thing that really counts in martial arts is what you can do in chaos.” It didn’t take Heggstad long to recover his poise, then execute a shoulder throw on the man choking him. He hit a second man with a low roundhouse kick that crumpled him. When the rest of the would-be assailants took flight, Heggstad chased after them, laughing to himself with the realization that he probably shouldn’t be doing that. But it was hardly the first time Heggstad found himself in perilous situations doing things he probably shouldn’t be doing, nor was it the only time the martial arts may have saved his life. The most notable of these incidents occurred…

WHEN YOU’RE THE ONE who made it, it tastes especially good. You want others to know how good it tastes, so you tell them. But you can’t help yourself, so at the same time you tell them how bad Flavor Aid and Crystal Light taste, comparatively. You become known for making great-tasting Kool-Aid, so much so that your reputation would take a hit if you ever admitted (grudgingly) that Flavor Aid and Crystal Light taste pretty damn good, too. You know there are some things about Kool-Aid that aren’t so good, but it wouldn’t further your cause to highlight them, so you don’t. Instead, you focus exclusively on its great taste, low cost and many uses. (You can even make popsicles with it!) When people point out the drawbacks of…

When Shannon Lee isn’t working on Warrior, she’s focusing on other ways to spread her father’s message. “I’ve written a book that’s coming out at the beginning of next year: Be Water, My Friend,” she said. “It’s about my father’s philosophy, telling some of his stories, my stories and how to use and benefit from his philosophy in your life.” The Bruce Lee podcast has moved into a new season, she added. “I hope everybody listens to our conversations about applied philosophy. “And we’re growing Camp Bruce Lee. This summer, we’ll have one in Culver City, [California], and at Seattle’s Wing Luke Museum. It’s for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. We teach them a mind/body/spirit approach to life, introduce martial arts for body movement, physically create confidence, and talk…

The potential for injury exists in all physical pursuits. You can sprain an ankle by inadvertently stepping in a pothole while crossing the street just as easily as you can by putting a foot down incorrectly after executing a kick. You can experience an overuse injury that stems from spending hours in front of a computer screen just as easily as you can from repeatedly sweeping an opponent with the same leg. BOTTOM LINE: When we use our bodies, anything can happen. When we repetitively use our bodies in a specific manner, we subject ourselves to potential muscle imbalances that can lead to chronic pain and instability. For martial artists, the stakes tend to be higher than for sedentary people. In the dojo, there are lots of impacts and plenty…

1. Never underestimate your opponent. Always assume he is dangerous. 2. Never show your opponent that you are a skillful fighter. The element of surprise is your best weapon. 3. Don’t get fancy. Use simple, effective techniques. 4. Learn to react instantly. Be quick and accurate. Do not hesitate. 5. Use full power when delivering all techniques and always fight aggressively. 6. After attacking or counterattacking, never lose sight of your adversary. Be alert for a possible continuation of the attack. Never be caught by surprise. 7. Deliver your blows to your opponent’s weak areas: knees, eyes, groin, throat, etc. 8. Kiai when delivering a technique. This will momentarily distract your opponent and give you an edge. 9. Whenever possible, use any available object as a weapon to help subdue an…

AN ENTHUSIASTIC STUDENT might spend hours per week practicing kata, but if the training is unfocused, he or she may see only moderate gains. If the training is done with purpose, however, problems will be corrected, movements will be assimilated and the student will be motivated to take it to the next level. A great kata performance must combine precision, flow, power and spirit, and good students spend considerable time and energy honing these qualities. Their training may be disciplined, but it also should be intelligent, and sometimes a little expert guidance is necessary to keep them moving in the right direction. To that end, here are five strategies you can use to encourage your students to optimize their kata practice. SPOT-TRAIN DIFFICULT SECTIONS: Learning a kata is like learning…

• The editorial pays tribute to Black Belt publisher Han Kim, who passed away at age 43 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. • “We have two dragons in our minds,” says Byong Y. Yu, 44. “If you let the evil dragon gain control over you, with all that anger and violence, that’s bad. You’re just a terrible person. But let the good dragon gain control over you, you become a humble, nice, beautiful person. And meanwhile, the dragons have tremendous power that is strength.” • The award for the most inexpensive item found in an ad goes to Asian World of Martial Arts for selling a Korean flag patch for 95 cents. • Bodybuilder/kung fu practitioner Mike Dayton sets a record on a TV show called Guinness Game. In less…

On July 20, 1973, Bruce Lee, founder of jeet kune do, passed away in Hong Kong. He’ll always be remembered for his movies, which continue to captivate audiences around the world. Perhaps that’s why he was named one of the top 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Lee’s legacy lives on, and his art of JKD is practiced daily in countless countries. One of his many devoted followers is Dr. Z, a practitioner of the martial arts and the medical arts, as well as a filmmaker. He has a fascinating background and is planning an equally fascinating future. Could you discuss your relationship to Bruce Lee and jeet kune do? Martial arts is a way of life for me. Therefore, I think, breathe and practice it every day. I…

A sia-based ONE Championship announced a partnership with the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts, the independent governing body for the sport of MMA. Based in Amsterdam, GAMMA is a nonprofit organization founded in 2018. It’s composed of MMA thought leaders and pioneers across five continents. GAMMA is headed by Alexander Engelhardt, and its membership encompasses national federations in 60-plus countries. The group’s objective is to obtain international recognition for MMA as an Olympic sport. As part of the partnership, ONE Championship will support GAMMA’s efforts to obtain Olympic recognition for MMA. In addition, ONE will work with GAMMA to develop and promote best practices in the health and safety fields, anti-doping regulations and competition rules for amateur MMA. “ONE Championship is thrilled to announce a multiyear partnership with GAMMA,…

On a Bill Wallace Photo We Posted BLACK BELT: Second to none! There’s no better kicker in the martial arts world. #Superfoot Terry Wetsu Robbins: He has blessed us all, and we are better kickers and fighters because of it! Jess Pontiayu: A deadly gentleman! On a Question of the Day BLACK BELT: Know these gentlemen? Thomas M. O’Brien: Tak Kubota and Charles Bronson Jasso Raul: Wow. Charles Bronson and sensei Kubota, from The Mechanic! Douglas Yonker: Love that movie! Big fan of Bronson, who grew up a few miles from me. He was a WW 2 veteran as well. Tak Kubota was, in his day, an awesomely fierce martial artist. He was also in another excellent action flick, The Killer Elite. On a Local News Story in Phoenix BLACK…

WE REMINISCED about our training mates at Shanghai University of Sport and wondered what they were doing now. One of them, a judo major, told us he couldn’t graduate. He’d competed for three years but accumulated no academic credits. Someone had convinced him to open an MMA gym, but it was failing. China just doesn’t have enough people yet who have money and want to train in MMA, it seems. Meanwhile, Zhengtong said he was struggling to get his own MMA career off the ground. Because there’s no money in judo or wrestling, MMA is the only option for many guys. Unfortunately, after a lifetime of training in exactly one discipline, it’s nearly impossible for most of them to learn new ways of fighting. We were reminded of an older…

ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL This film, which is written and produced by James Cameron and directed by Robert Rodriquez, takes place in the future gloom of dusty rusty Iron City, the last remnant of human society born out of the Fall, an apocalyptic war that ended the evolution of technology. A man is seen rummaging through garbage that’s raining down from the affluent sky city Zalem. He picks up and then stares at a skull. It’s the graveyard moment when Hamlet pines about death and humanity to the skull of a court jester he loved as a wee lad: “Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well.” The man is cybersurgeon Ido, and the skull is a cyborg head he christens Alita (Rosa Salazar). She subsequently grows into a metal-jacketed fighting machine…

When Bruce Lee opened his school in Seattle in 1960, he wanted to create a place where anyone could learn a self-defense method that was good for the spirit, good for health and good for selfprotection. Although many Asian elders opposed his decision to teach foreigners, Lee believed that race should not be a factor. As long as the individual was sincere, Lee said, all were welcome. To this day, his student Taky Kimura and Taky’s son Andrew hold true to that principle. From 1960 until Lee’s passing in 1973, Taky Kimura has kept the ideas and ideals of Jun Fan gung fu alive and kicking in Seattle. For him, upholding his best friend’s legacy has never been a chore; in fact, he says, it’s been an honor. The gravity…

Anyone who’s been around the martial arts long enough no doubt has heard a certain boxing maxim: Make him miss and make him pay. That’s all well and good, but what if there was a way to just make him pay and immediately reverse the momentum of the fight? It just so happens that there is. The Filipino martial arts teach a strategy called “defanging the snake.” It has you literally attacking your opponent’s incoming limb before it can do any damage. While this fighting tactic clearly stems from the influence that armed combat in the Philippines has had on the greater martial arts community, one should not think for a moment that it doesn’t apply equally well to emptyhand skills. In the empty-hand training sessions I organize for my…

THIS WAS THE GOLDEN ERA OF karate, and those who wore a crisp white gi and a black belt had a special swagger. The martial arts were provocative and mysterious, and if you wanted to learn their secrets, Bill Viola was your man. Unbeknownst to him, the Viola name and Pittsburgh karate would soon resonate throughout the region. VIOLA WAS A NO-NONSENSE disciplinarian who lived the mantra, “The more you sweat in here, the less you bleed out there.” With this philosophy of intensity, he trained thousands in the art of self-protection. Over the ensuing half century, his powerful brand of punches and kicks camouflaged life’s most important lessons, those that revolve around respect, discipline and focus. Among his many messages to his students: “Character is a commodity that can’t…

The Woolsey Fire caused widespread damage in the Conejo Valley area of Southern California, nearly destroying the Israeli Martial Arts Academy in Westlake Village. That prompted its staff and students to show their gratitude after the flames were extinguished. “We hosted a karate sparring fundraiser called Fighting for Our Heroes,” said Ethan Snyder, office manager at the school, which is owned by Hezi Sheli. (See the August/September 2018 issue of Black Belt.) “The [youths] ages 10 to 15 sparred continuously for 50 rounds of one minute each. The adults sparred continuously for 90 rounds of one minute each. With the community’s help, we raised over $2,900 for the firefighters.” After the 2018 Borderline shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, and the Woolsey Fire, the martial artists felt the energy and spirit…

KAPPA ARE CURIOUS BEASTS of Japanese mythology. With the body of a human and the shell and beak of a turtle, they live — legend has it — in streams and rivers. Kappa attack people, particularly children, the stories go, and disembowel them in a particularly gruesome fashion. You can envision the origin of such creatures: to serve as a deterrent to children who are tempted to go swimming or wading. The proverb about kappa being taken downstream, like the one about the monkey, is a reminder that even something that lives in streams can, on occasion, be swept away by the current — just like those monkeys that live and play in trees all day long can sometimes take a tumble. THESE PROVERBS can be heard in the Japanese…

RESEARCH INDICATES that approximately 30 percent of us delegate tasks between hands, the socalled ambidextrous. But if you dig deeper into this, you’ll find that it’s not true equality. Even this 30 percent will show a hand preference for fine-motor-skill work. Disclosure: I’m a righty who boxes southpaw, signs my name with my right hand, works the Bowie knife and tomahawk with my right hand, but finds that my left hand is more suited for gun work. I’m in that 30-percent twilight zone, but when I’m confronted with a new task or when my skills deteriorate during stress training (extreme cold, etc.), my right-hand dominance manifests more starkly. So keep in mind that ambidexterity is not a true 50-50 proposition — for me and for most people. Consider the case…

Like most martial arts, karate originated as a system that was designed for hand-to-hand combat. However, things gradually changed over the ensuing decades. As the style began to spread around the world, more and more emphasis was placed on the sport aspect. Meanwhile, its combative side was downplayed. In 2020 karate will debut at the Tokyo Olympics, which many practitioners worry will amplify its sport orientation. Karate’s usefulness on the street, it’s feared, will be minimized even further. Shotokan, perhaps the world’s most popular style of karate, has not escaped this transition toward competition. That’s precisely what motivated me to create “combat shotokan.” This back-to-basics system reverses that troubling trend away from self-defense. As one might expect from its name, it emphasizes effectiveness in personal combat rather than effectiveness in…