CATEGORIES

HOW TO CREATE A MARTIAL ART CASE STUDY: COMBAT HAPKIDO

On October 22, 2022, the International Combat Hapkido Federation celebrated its 30th anniversary. As you might expect, we're proud of our organization's longevity, stability and success.

MARTIAL ARTS ANATOMY 101

PHYSIOLOGY OF THE LIVER SHO

LOCK UP

THE CLINCHING LESSONS TAUGHT IN THE ANCIENT GREEK MARTIAL ART OF PANKRATION ARE STILL RELEVANT - AND EFFECTIVE!

KILLER CHARACTER ACTOR

When Scott Adkins Isn't Headlining His Own Action Movies Like \"Boyka: Undisputed,\" He's Stealing Scenes in Blockbusters Like \"John Wick\" and \"Ip Man\"!

A DEEP DIVE WITH BENNY URQUIDEZ

Few fighters have a reputation as formidable and a record as impressive as Benny “The Jet” Urquidez. As you will see, his path from the traditional martial arts to full contact and then to kickboxing had more than its share of bumps.

PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, PART 1

In my six previous columns, pre-emptive striking featured prominently.

THE DAY JUJITSU DIED

Let us look at one historical instance that illuminates a lesson in task saturation, or what Miyamoto Musashi called \"sword flowers.\"

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? GUY MEZGER: FROM MMA FIGHTER TO HEALER

To be successful in mixed martial arts nowadays, you need an all-around game.

KILLER INSTINCT

It's not the size of the woman in the fight but the size of the fight in the woman.

HAPKIDO'S BONG SOO HAN: THE MAKING OF A MARTIAL ARTS LEGEND

Much has been written about Bong Soo Han (1933-2007), his career as a hapkido master and his connection to the Billy Jack films.

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

Be skeptical when anyone suggests changes in your karate training.

ENDLESS DRILLING

A common question from martial arts rookies and intermediate practitioners — and, if we’re honest, even some long-timers — is “What’s next?” “What’s the next supersecret neato technique I have to master?”

BEST PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES AND PALMS VS. FISTS, PART 3

Palm-strike detractors like to point out that fingers are vulnerable to fracture because they stick out when making contact. This definitely can happen, but no one I know personally who has used palms — including Bas Rutten — has ever fractured a finger in barehanded combat.

MARTIAL ARTS 1, STROKE O

Statistics state that 1 in 5 people will suffer a stroke.

THE HOWARD UNIVERSITY TAEKWONDO CLUB, PART 1

Even though I’ve studied the martial arts for decades, I had no idea about the astonishing history of taekwondo at Washington, D.C.’s Howard University, one of the top Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the United States.

WHY THE AMERICAN TAEKWONDO ASSOCIATION'S TOURNAMENTS ARE THE PLACE TO BE!

The martial arts are bifurcated. A significant percentage of our community loves competition, while probably a similar portion has no interest. If you’re a tournament lover, read on to learn about a unique circuit you might want to join. If you’re a tournament hater, you’ll want to read on, too — you just might change your mind afterward.

WHERE ARE YOU?

In the late 1960s, Donn F. Draeger represented shinto muso ryu at a prestigious public demonstration in Tokyo. Many of Japan’s oldest martial arts — its classical koryu — were demonstrated. It was one of the first times a non-Japanese had been invited.

GROW YOUR SCHOOL WITH WOMEN'S SELF-DEFENSE WORKSHOPS

“It doesn’t matter why they come in. All that matters is that they do. If people were coming in to get free pencils, that would be just fine.”

FINAL-PHASE: JEET KUNE DO

HOW TO USE NO WAY AS YOUR WAY!

ANKO ITOSU

YOU MUST DECIDE IF KARATE IS FOR YOUR HEALTH OR TO AID YOUR DUTY

PUNCH. KICK. REPEAT.

WITH MARTIAL ARTS PIONEERS JOE CORLEY AND JEFF SMITH AT THE HELM, THE NEW PKA IS ON THE HUNT FOR THE GREATEST STRIKERS ON THE PLANET!

MASTER THE ARMBAR

THE RESULTS FROM THE GROUNDBREAKING ARMBAR RESEARCH STUDY WILL SERVE AS YOUR SECRET WEAPON!

MEAN DOGS & MARTIAL ARTISTS

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF

CLARESSA SHIELDS HAS CONQUERED PRO BOXING AND THE OLYMPICS

NEXT ON HER TO-DO LIST: BECOME AN MMA WORLD CHAMPION!

DISCIPLINE, RESPECT AND THE DOJO

Discipline is a weighty part of the martial arts experience. That's because discipline figures into so many of the features and details the arts offer. While these can vary from one system to the next, there are key components that affect every training hall.

FAREWELL, GENE LEBEL

Martial Arts Community Loses a Grappling Legend

HOW KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR MET BRUCE LEE

AND DISCOVERED JEET KUNE DO He ducked his head as he walked through the door. When he stood up straight, his head almost touched the ceiling. Everyone in the office paused as the well-known figure nonchalantly strolled into the display room to browse through our books. \"He's tall!\" I murmured.

FOOT SWEEPS TO PUT YOUR OPPONENT DOWN AND OUT!

What if I told you that you could learn a technique that will send your opponent crashing to the ground, regardless of that person's size or strength?

SHANNON LEE REVEALS THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BRUCE LEE UNIVERSE

Black Belt started working with Bruce Lee before he was a star witness our October 1967 issue, which featured him on the cover at a time when his name was deemed less attention-getting than the phrase Green Hornet's Kato’ Does he really practice kung fu?” Since he passed away, the magazine has continued to work with the Lee family to keep readers up to date on all the projects that are inthe works. In that vein, we present our annual interview with his daughter Shannon Lee, who has her hand in so many projects that it’s hard to imagine her ever resting.

THE RISE OF ATA NATION

HOW THE WORLD'S MOST POPULAR MARTIAL ART SPAWNED ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST MARTIAL ARTS ORGANIZATIONS!