Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2022 i Black Belt Magazine

Train in the martial arts long enough, and you’ll begin to notice connections between things you watch or read and things you do in the dojo, and you’ll find them in all sorts of unlikely places. Some are simply amusing, while others leave you pondering — or perhaps they motivate you to hit the mats with a new purpose or to test a new theory. One such source for me has been the novel Dune. It was first published in 1965, after which it spawned a cult following — as well as a series of sequels and prequels (at last count, there were 19), a 1984 feature film directed by David Lynch and two TV miniseries. In 2021 there was a $165 million reboot from Warner Bros. In all likelihood,…

The Martial Arts History Museum in Burbank, California, officially reopened on September 18, 2021. California museums were ordered to close last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and have started to reopen only in the past few months. Smaller museums, which rely on donations from attendees to fund their operations, are facing severe financial hardships because of the extended closure. To celebrate the reopening and raise funds, the Martial Arts History Museum held a ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with demonstrations and celebrity appearances. On the museum’s schedule for the remainder of 2021 are events honoring Karen Sheperd, Gregg Wooldridge and Benny Urquidez. For more information, visit martialartsmuseum.com.…

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and her husband, former UFC heavyweight contender Travis Browne, recently announced on Instagram the birth of their daughter La’akea Makalapuaokalanip? Browne. Rousey, the first UFC women’s champion and one of the most notable fighters in the history of mixed martial arts, hasn’t fought since a knockout loss to Amanda Nunes in 2016. She went into pro wrestling, appearing for the WWE in 2018 and 2019. Rousey married fellow UFC fighter Browne in 2017, and the couple announced that she was pregnant in April 2021. This is their first child.…

As a tribute to the world’s greatest martial artists, the Museum of Sport Karate has released a book titled Sport Karate Museum History Book. It features more than 100 martial artists who are considered pioneers and influencers in competition. Readers can expect to learn about the forefathers of modern-day martial arts as they discover how training has impacted their lives through the application of the arts’ principles. The Museum of Sport Karate was founded by Gary Lee, a lifelong martial artist who co-wrote the book (with Jessie Bowen). Lee said he hopes the book, like his museum, will serve as inspiration for current and future students and competitors. For more information, visit sportkaratemuseum historybook.com.…

Wes Manko: I remember seeing my first Bruce Lee film when I was very young and being motivated to pursue martial arts. After studying several arts, I chose to learn and teach “systema - Russian martial art” and women’s self-defense. During my journey, I ran across several students and teachers who, like myself, were influenced by Bruce Lee. It is incalculable to know just how many people were saved from violence or death by learning and teaching martial arts due to the influence of Bruce Lee. I support Shannon Lee’s response to the depiction of her father in the movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. As someone who has actually trained military personnel including Marines, law enforcement and private contractors, there are a number of errors in that fight…

The will-to-win feeling you’ve ingrained through training will become apparent when you engage an adversary who has bad intentions. So the more physical experiences you have to test your resolve, the more ingrained it will be. You’ll develop a never-give-up, never-give-in mindset. You’ll become unconsciously competent at combat, just like you probably are at driving a car. Listed here are two ways to cultivate a potent combat mindset. The first is to barrage a heavy bag as hard and fast as you can for one minute. You want to blitz the bag like a machine gun — with real, substantive punches. Try to emotionally feel that determination, that will-to-destroy mentality that fuels your physical fury, especially toward the end when the lactic acid builds and starts slowing you down. This…

On several occasions over the past year, in an effort to celebrate Black Belt’s 60th anniversary, we’ve written about the magazine’s history. Here, in the final issue of 2021, we’re adopting a different approach: passing along nuggets of wisdom that most readers never encountered when they first hit print but that have retained their value over the ensuing decades. It’s our hope that the quotes provide as much guidance for modern martial artists as they did for our fighting forebears. ON THE GOAL OF JUDO: “The use of mental and physical strength most effectively in judo is the principle of maximum efficiency. It is a strength not based upon brute force alone. It relies upon ‘giving away’ or harmonizing with the opponent’s force.” Source: Jigoro Kano Date: Vol. 1, No.…

The 2020 Olympiad, held in 2021 because of COVID-19, marked the debut of the third martial art in the Games. (We know — boxing, wrestling, shooting, fencing and so on are also martial arts, but we’re limiting this discussion to sports derived from Asian arts of self-defense.) If you’re a fan of the Olympics, you probably watched the judo, taekwondo and karate competition already. For that reason, we’re not going to cover it here. Instead, we’re serving up commentary from three experts who have strong opinions on what took place in Tokyo. OLYMPIC MARTIAL ARTS: KARATE AND JUDO EXPERT: BILL WALLACE QUALIFICATIONS: UNDEFEATED FULL-CONTACT KARATE CHAMPION, JUDOKA, THREE-TIME BLACK BELT HALL OF FAMER AUTHOR: FLOYD BURK Unbeknownst to many, Bill Wallace has a black belt in judo in addition to…

In the spirit of full disclosure regarding this article, which pertains specifically to martial arts icons who would have excelled in MMA if it existed in the 1960s and ’70s, I must acknowledge that vale tudo (anything-goes fighting) already existed in Brazil at this time. In fact, it dates back at least to the 1920s. The combatants who participated in those full-contact, nearly anything-goes matches were primarily from Brazilian jiu-jitsu and luta livre. I decided that if I included them here, they would have dominated the list. Thus, I did not include any of them. On a related note, I believe that some catch-as-catch-can wrestlers from this era would have done well in MMA. Many of them had boxing backgrounds to complement their grappling skills, and that would have enabled…

▶ Some young martial artists might be able to kick straight up in the air, but most orthopedic doctors recommend against forcing your hip joints to extend out to such an extreme degree. Obviously, stretching exercises help keep your joints and muscles flexible, but proper technique and alignment can go a long way toward keeping your hip joints from overextending. Turning slightly to the rear before you extend your side kick can reduce the pressure on the ball-and-socket joint of the hip. This actually helps rotate the hip forward and prevents the femur from pressing against the pelvic bone. Turning the supporting foot into the kick also promotes proper alignment. By the way, never throw full-power side kicks — or any kicks, for that matter — while wearing ankle weights.…

VOL. 19, NO. 3, $1.95 ■ “Some students never show up for contact workouts,” says David German, the martial artist featured on the cover. “If you have a sparring class and someone gets aggressive, you could have a 30-percent dropout rate in your next class. Contact is not for everybody.”■ “If you learn only sets and no sparring, you can’t call yourself a complete martial artist because you won’t know where your focus and power are actually directed,” says Hong Kong–based choy li fut instructor Koon-Hung Lee. “And if you only spar and practice no sets, you’ll have no form or understanding of the moves.”■ Linda Denley, a tang soo do black belt who has been a tournament champion since the 1970s, stars in a new ad campaign from Century…

“What will martial arts 2.0 look like?” When George Chung, five-time world martial arts champion and the CEO of JungoTV, asked that question to make a point in a meeting, he knew that he and Black Belt were perfectly situated to answer it. To ensure that the martial arts community improves generation after generation, it needs a publication to serve as a standard-bearer, Chung said. “With so much social media and the ability to amplify one’s message, it becomes increasingly difficult to determine what is authentic versus what is self-promotion. Black Belt magazine continues to represent authenticity by providing high-quality martial arts coverage while balancing the awesome responsibility of bringing new and exciting coverage to the masses. Black Belt has always represented elite coverage and has created an unparalleled standard…

In its most recent update, the Oxford English Dictionary added 26 Korean words, the most notable for martial artists being tang soo do. The dictionary has now enshrined it with an official definition: “A Korean martial art using the hands and feet to deliver and block blows, similar to karate.” The entry notes the first known English-language use of the term came in a 1957 issue of Pacific Stars and Stripes (Tokyo), which identified tang soo do as a form of karate. The changes to the dictionary also include a revision for the taekwondo entry with an updated etymology.…

Hakuho, the most successful sumo wrestler in history, announced to the Japan Sumo Association that he’s decided to retire from the sport. Born Monkhbatyn Davaajargal in Mongolia, he’s the son of an Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling. Moving to Japan at age 15 to train as a sumo wrestler, he joined the Miyagino stable and was given the ring name Hakuho. Quickly ascending the sport’s ladder, Hakuho achieved sumo’s highest rank of yokozuna in 2007 at age 22. What followed was an unprecedented streak of success: He collected 45 tournament championships, smashing the previous record of 32 held by Japanese legend Taiho. Hakuho also set the record for most wins as a yokozuna and most career wins with 1,187. But recent years have seen Hakuho hampered by injuries. A…

Although it was founded back in 1982, the World Tang Soo Do Association has encountered some of its biggest obstacles in the past few years. In 2012 the organization lost its founder and leader when Jae C. Shin, a member of the Black Belt Hall of Fame, unexpectedly passed away. The board of directors immediately elected Bob Beaudoin, Ed.D., to take over. Even though this responsibility was thrust on him, Beaudoin did an outstanding job. When he died in January 2020, Bill Strong, Ph.D., took the reins and has served as leader of the WTSDA since then. Then the pandemic hit in 2020, and the martial arts world experienced untold turmoil. Many schools closed their doors because of restrictions that prohibited large gatherings. Some studios adapted and managed to survive…

Vanessa Thomas: My martial arts tournament training music includes Fight Song by @RachelPlatten. Miss those days! Drew Shutter: Rocky IV soundtrack on a loop DrGrumpy: Would have to be the theme from Enter the Dragon Steven Johnson: Tao of the Machine by The Roots (from the Blade 2 soundtrack). J.R.FireFire: Kumite on the Bloodsport sound track. We warm up to it in class. Buon Giorno: Hustle Hard - Ace Hood Rancid Panther: Raining Blood by @Slayer Phil Lewis: (Everybody was) Kung Fu Fighting, clearly. Lady Serrada: ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST.…

Google her name, and you’ll see that she shook up the world before there was even a genre called MMA. She prevailed in competitions in a variety of martial arts. Between 1994 and 1999, she was a three-time world kickboxing champion. Between 1986 and 1988, she was a three-time world taekwondo champion. Between 1995 and 2001, Gibbs — fighting as “Lady Jack Johnson” — was a professional boxer. She was also a Kodak All-American in track and field and played pro basketball in Germany. And her popularity is still growing thanks to a nine-minute video titled The Most Dangerous Woman — The Fredia Gibbs Story on YouTube. It’s gone viral, amassing more than 1.8 million views and thousands of comments. The greatest fight of Gibbs’ life was never televised, however.…

The guard is one of Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s most brilliant and useful developments. While present in original Japanese jujitsu, the guard was taken to great heights by the Brazilians, and it continues to evolve as a tool of combat. In most grappling arts, a person is considered to be at a disadvantage when flat on his or her back. Pinning an opponent is actually a way to win in many wrestling styles. But in BJJ, the supine position is just a starting point, especially against a larger, stronger opponent. In fact, in the early days of jiu-jitsu in Brazil, rules for matches involving wrestlers had to clearly state that being flat on one’s back did not constitute a loss. It was actually a tactic to lure an unsuspecting opponent into the…

“People don’t realize this, but we (humans) are made to lift our legs to the side about like a dog does when he goes potty. But we (martial artists) do all these stretches, we side-kick to the head, and we hit the heavy bag and people with our legs. We wear out our hips.” Those are the words of Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, a man who knows what he’s talking about. He’s had both hips replaced — twice! Yes, Wallace has had the surgery known as total hip replacement. So have many other well-known martial artists like Chuck Norris, Dan Anderson and even me. It wasn’t all that long ago when hip replacements were considered risky and the possibility that they would wear out within the patient’s lifetime was considerable. But…

In a recent speech, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un promised to build an invincible military to counter the United States. Perhaps hoping to prove this invincibility, he attended a martial arts performance by members of the North Korean army that showcased soldiers smashing objects and being smashed. Although the mainstream media characterized the demonstration, which was watched by a grinning Kim and a throng of military officials, as “brutal,” it highlighted standard routines that look spectacular but involve special setups designed to limit the damage done to the performer. Among the feats shown were soldiers lying on beds of nails and broken glass while concrete blocks were smashed atop their chests with sledgehammers, people having two-by-fours broken across their backs and a variety of breaking techniques featuring typical taekwondo kicks.…

Willie “The Bam” Johnson — seven-time karate and kung fu world champion, two-time All-American champion and member of the Black Belt Hall of Fame — has written the script for a new film titled 1 Out of 100. It stars Johnson’s sons Marshieh and Zarion, as well as a host of other world-champion black belts. The movie’s message revolves around the notion that a little extra effort can put a person ahead of 99 percent of the population — the people who are predisposed to quit when the going gets tough. One of the most powerful forces that can cause people to give up, according to the film, is the negative self-talk that lives inside all of us. The film addresses this via real-life events that make it a coming-of-age…

Martial arts columnist and author Karen Eden Herdman received the World Tang Soo Do General Federation Journalism Award from the Seoul, South Korea–based organization. Signed by Koe Woong Choung, the award was given because of her ongoing contributions to the Korean arts. “I have been writing and representing Korean martial arts for over 30 years,” said Eden Herdman, who has a seventh-degree black belt in tang soo do. “I never thought anybody noticed that — especially not all the way in Seoul, Korea!” It’s no surprise that the American master is an accomplished writer. A broadcast journalist, she worked as an anchor and reporter for NBC and Fox News affiliates and has recorded reports for Animal Planet. She’s written four books and pens columns for several martial arts magazines, including…

Arizona Sixkiller’s House of Kenpo Karate 1570 E Northern Ave., Suite B Kingman, AZ 86409 (928) 607-0021 sixkillerjr.jess@yahoo.com California Blain Cort’s Total Self-Defense 2955 McMurry Drive Anderson, CA 96007 blaincort@gmail.com Golden Tiger Karate 9501 Flushing Quail Bakersfeild, CA 93312 (661) 345-4371 goldentigerkarate@yahoo.com Kuk Sool Won - Rohnert Park Martial Arts 311 Professional Center Drive Rohert Park, CA 94928 (707) 494-1151 Kuksoolwonrp@yahoo.com Red Dragon Championship Martial Arts 1603 Garnet Ave. San Diego, CA 92109 (858) 263-4212 reddragonpb@live.com Budokai (Budokaikan Association) 4616 Park Granada #72 Calabasas, CA 91302 (747) 444-7940 senseialex@budokai.net Connecticut New England Rendokan 1845 Silas Deane Highway Rocky Hill, CT 06067 (860) 628-1022 Info@ner1.net Florida All American Martial Arts & Krav Maga Academy 4255 US Highway 1 South, Suite 4 St. Augustine, FL 32086 (904) 797-2262 lessons@staugustinetaekwondo.com Georgia Kombative Academy…

Because of obvious range restrictions, the shoulder is part of your closed-quarters arsenal. (In deference to the origin of the term, I call it “closed quarters” in the piratical naval-melee sense. I prefer not to use the modern evolution of “close quarters.” Yeah, I’m that guy, a stickler for details.) There are three broad ways to use the shoulder in closed quarters: slams, butts and grinds. There are just two attack paths: inward and upward. First, let’s examine a drill that will enable you to find your power with your shoulder, after which we’ll traipse into specifics. Mission No. 1 is to reverse-engineer the shoulder slam from a strike you may know inside and out: the hammer hook. For those who haven’t learned it, the technique starts when you raise…

This medium-length sword is part of the Dana Abbott Signature Series from Century Martial Arts and Abbott, Black Belt’s 2004 Weapons Instructor of the Year. What makes it special is that unlike blades designed for display or, at most, demonstrations, this one is made for test-cutting. Even better, it’s reasonably priced. An attached tag says CAS Hanwei, which indicates the forge in China, and that gives me comfort because of Hanwei’s reputation for making quality products. Abbott likes to refer to such swords as “steak knives.” In other words, the blade is sturdy enough for a lifetime of tameshigiri, but it won’t break the bank when you purchase it. The fit and finish are precise — none of the rattling you sometimes see in cheaper swords. Note that the 20-inch…

When the editor of Black Belt proposed an article on prominent fighters from the 1960s and ’70s who would have excelled in mixed martial arts if MMA had been created three decades earlier, I found the concept intriguing. After some thought as to what methodology I could use, I agreed to write it. Much research and analysis followed, then I settled on a dozen names. I based my selections on the following. First, all the people had to be well-known fighters in that era. Second, all had to be legitimate competitors/champions in their martial art or combat sport or had to have legitimately proved themselves in combat behind closed doors. Third, all had to possess full-contact experience. Fourth, all had to have the talent, fight IQ, open-mindedness and adaptability to…