Innholdsfortegnelse for October/November 2021 i Black Belt Magazine

A few days ago, I was walking down a street in a small town in central Arizona when I spotted the sign shown in the photo. That was all it took for my brain to start time-traveling. I recalled how I used to react whenever I saw such signs as a kid. Details didn’t matter; all I needed to see was a simple phrase like “martial arts” or “self-defense.” The sign reminded me of the mystery that surrounded the Asian arts, especially in the eyes of a child whose only exposure to them came from 1970s network television and the occasional trip to the drive-in. I remembered how fantastic I just knew it would be to start training. “Mom, where’s the phone book?” The city outside of which I lived…

The Urban Action Showcase has established itself as the premier entertainment platform of its kind, celebrating diversity and honoring multicultural achievements within the blockbuster action genre. Independent-film competitions and screenings are a favorite of fans, and for those looking to get into the business, professional networking opportunities abound. This year, the virtual version of the show will enable attendees to visit a 3-D virtual-reality exhibit hall, which will offer an immersive user experience that includes browsing each booth via the attendee’s tablet, computer or VR headset. There also will be virtual screening rooms and photo booths. Seminars from industry veterans are bound to appeal to the martial artists in attendance. Those who dream of employment in the industry will have a chance to showcase their skills for stunt coordinators, directors…

Directed by Areel Abu Bakar, Silat Warriors: Deed of Death is one fight away from being a collector’s item. Amid Malaysia’s rice-paddy tranquility, exterminator Ali (Khoharullah Majid) is killing brown planthoppers and green leafhoppers that are sucking the life out of the local rice crop. Little does he know that he’ll soon be dealing with a different pest: loan-shark Kahar (Azlan Komeng), who’s sucking the villagers’ souls dry by forcing them to sell their land to his evil boss. Although Bruce Lee’s Big Boss (1971) was the first martial arts film Abu Bakar saw, he said Donnie Yen’s SPL (2005) influenced him to study silat for protection and health. Yet he was inspired to make Silat Warriors by the works of Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer) and Wilson Yip (Ip Man).…

After you read Shannon Lee’s comments about growing and evolving as a person, it will come as no surprise that she’s guiding the Bruce Lee Foundation in a similar manner. As the BLF gains strength, it’s able to do more to keep her father’s legacy alive, and that benefits countless people in the martial arts community. Here’s a glimpse of the foundation’s latest initiatives. CAMPS: Shannon said that Camp Bruce Lee will take place twice this year, once in Philadelphia and once in Seattle. Young attendees will learn martial arts basics, as well as take part in various art projects. Kids will build confidence by increasing their self-knowledge of mind, body and spirit based on Bruce Lee’s life and philosophy. MUSEUMS: Three upcoming exhibits are designed to share the life…

The power of the empty hand is synonymous with martial arts. As we all know, that power is often the product of endless encounters with padded posts and sand-filled buckets, after which it’s frequently tested on boards, bricks and concrete slabs. The art of breaking goes by many names, including tameshiwari in Japan and gyeok pa in Korea. But just how important is this traditional practice for martial artists in the 21st century? This article will help you answer that question for yourself by looking at both sides of the issue through the eyes of experts. OPINIONS MARTIAL ARTIST: Leif Becker ART: tang soo do RANK: fifth-degree black belt Leif Becker never met a piece of wood he didn’t want to break. He holds multiple world records in all sorts…

A surefire way to start a controversy is to create a top-10 list — in any field. Similarly, if you want to start an argument in the martial arts community, try telling a Bruce Lee follower who is and isn’t qualified to teach jeet kune do. You can relax. This article doesn’t attempt to do any of that. Rather, my intent is simply to identify individuals who have contributed and are still contributing to the ever-changing world of JKD instruction. Early Days Lee considered himself a “scientific street fighter.” He spent countless hours researching other arts, not to replicate their moves but to discover the best ways to counter any form of aggression offered by those styles. He also understood the importance of strength and conditioning and proceeded to build…

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is such an effective martial art in part because it never stops evolving. BJJ practitioners experiment. They often discover techniques taught in other arts — like sambo and wrestling — test them on the mat, and, if they’re successful, incorporate the new moves into their everyday training. Sometimes they rediscover a technique that was forgotten or overlooked. Such is the case with waki-gatame, a time-honored judo arm lock that manifests, with slight variations, in many martial arts. Presented below is an analysis of the move, which stands a good chance of becoming part of BJJ’s evolution toward improved effectiveness. “LOST” ARM LOCK Ude-hishigi-waki-gatame is often called simply waki-gatame. Its name translates to “arm-crush armpit hold” — for good reason. The mechanism involves the hyperextension of your opponent’s elbow,…

Back in 2005, Black Belt went Hollywood and held a black-tie soiree at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. It was a star-studded, red-carpet event with all the trimmings. One of the special attractions was Leif Becker’s attempt to set another world record. “My biggest breaking events began when I was competing on the world stage with the ISKA for ESPN,” Becker said. “That led me into world-record opportunities like the one-minute board break that I did at the Black Belt Festival of Martial Arts at Universal Studios, where I set a record for breaking 487 boards in 60 seconds.” Becker’s feat went off without a hitch, and he broke all his boards without so much as bruising his pinkie. But there was one casualty: A mob of rushing fans broke…

MARTIAL ARTS NEWS YOU CAN USE. READ IT - KNOW IT - LIVE IT JULY 25 U.S. WINS TAEKWONDO GOLD, SIBLINGS DOUBLE UP IN JUDO Eighteen-year-old Anastasija Zolotic became the first American woman to win Olympic gold in taekwondo since the martial art earned full medal status in 2000 when she defeated Tatiana Minina 25-17 in the finals of the 57-kilogram category in Japan. Dana Hee, Arlene Limas and Lynnette Love won gold for the United States back in 1988 when taekwondo was still considered a demonstration sport. On the men’s side, Ulugbek Rashitov of Uzbekistan won the 68-kilogram class over Britain’s Bradly Sinden 34-29. In judo, Japan added to its gold count as Uta and Hifumi Abe made Olympic history by becoming the first siblings to win gold medals…

ON THE WORLD BLACK BELT: IF YOU COULD STUDY MARTIAL ARTS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? the teapotmOnk: Right now? I’ll stay where I am thanks Gabriel Sims: Karate in Okinawa. Desmond L. Diaz, LMT: Okinawa, Philippines, Brazil ON THE PLOWDEN FAMILY Mike Bogdanski: I have been a Black Belt magazine reader for over 50 years. This is my first letter. As a competitor on the circuit in the seventies and eighties, I watched Richard Plowden as a great competitor and gentleman when that was not as cool as being a “tough guy.” I always admired him. Now I see his kids are at the top of the competitor pile, and I was not surprised. I guess I was not surprised too about their high level of…

Bokator could not look more different from Chinese kung fu, and yet they have some interesting commonalities — technically, culturally and historically. Bokator includes a Cambodian kickboxing component known as pradal serey and a Cambodian wrestling component called jap bap. Similarly, kung fu includes san da, the Chinese kickboxing style, and shuai chiao, Chinese traditional wrestling. It’s been this way for a long time. In The Method of Chinese Wrestling, shuai chiao master Tong Zhongyi (1879-1963) writes that in ancient China, wrestlers learned both striking and grappling. In the same way, bokator students traditionally learned both wrestling and kickboxing. Eyewitness evidence: When I was studying at Shanghai University of Sport, one of the mandatory courses for Ph.D.-seeking wushu students was san da ge do, which spans wrestling, kicking, punching throwing…

Imagine that you’re a coach who trains martial artists for competition. Also imagine that you’re informed that in the first match of an upcoming tournament, one of your students will face Bruce Lee, and you can select which student it will be. How would you go about choosing that person and how would you train him to face Lee? In this article — in essence, an elaborate thought experiment — I’ll give my recommendations based on the only available video of Bruce Lee demonstrating his fighting style, which is available on YouTube. While this is the best data we have, there are several limitations. First, the match lasted a little more than two minutes, as opposed to the normal three two-minute rounds we see in tournament sparring. Thus, it’s unknown…

Clinches, Takedowns, and Tactics from YMAA Publication Center. Joseph Estwanik, M.D., served as the ringside physician during the early years of the UFC. He’s the former president of the Association of Ringside Physicians, an orthopedic surgeon and the author of Sports Medicine for the Combat Arts. That means he knows all about arm locks like waki-gatame, including the medical implications of their usage. What injuries are associated with techniques that can hyperextend the elbow? Dr. Estwanik: A sudden, forceful hyperextension movement, which can occur in armbars, can end in terrible, sharp, burning pain. This intense pain comes from possible damage to muscle, ligament, bone and other structures of the elbow. Pain will be felt at the front of the elbow, and some swelling is possible. The biceps muscle may spasm…