CATEGORIES

IS JEET KUNE DO AN ENDANGERED SPECIES?

BRUCE LEE IS ALMOST UNIVERSALLY CITED AS THE BEST MARTIAL ARTIST EVER, SO WHY ISN'T JKD MORE POPULAR?

LEGEND OF BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU

RIGAN MACHADO WAS INTERVIEWED FOR AN EPISODE OF THE COMBAT SHOW ON THE BLACK BELT MAGAZINE CHANNEL ON JUNGO PLUS. AS YOU MAY KNOW, HE'S PART OF THE RENOWNED MACHADO FAMILY OF BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU MASTERS. (HIS BROTHERS INCLUDE JOHN, JEAN JACQUES, ROGER AND CARLOS.) PRESENTED BELOW ARE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE Q&A, BUT BEFORE WE GET TO THEM, HERE ARE THREE FILMS WITH THE BEST TITLES EVER THAT YOU'LL FIND ON OUR CHANNEL.

BEST PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES AND PALMS VS. FISTS, PART 1

In the June/July, August/September and October/November 2022 issues, I presented an overview of pre-emptive attacks as the lastresort option of proactive self-defense. In this issue, I will cover the two best strikes to use in that context and follow up with my thoughts on using palms versus fists.

MISTAKES OF THE VASTLY EXPERIENCED

\"But in all my experience, I have never been in any accident of any sort worth speaking about. I have seen but one vessel in distress in all my years at sea. I never saw a wreck and never had been wrecked nor was I ever in any predicament that threatened to end in disaster of any sort.\"

BULLETPROOF! MEET HALEY GLASS, NEWEST ADDITION TO TEAM PAUL MITCHELL KARATE

Glass was born on June 3, 2003, and raised in Orlando, Florida. She started karate at age 5 while her mom Giomayra Walker worked late every night to make a better life for them.

FIRST FAMILY OF NINJUTSU

THIS TALE STARTS WITH TWO PEOPLE WHOSE STORY COULD HAVE BEEN A TWILIGHT ZONE EPISODE. IT’S ABOUT A TIMELESS FORCE THAT BOUND A MAN AND A WOMAN FROM DIFFERENT WORLDS AND DIRECTED THEM TO BECOME ONE WITH THE PAST SO THEY COULD MOVE INTO THE FUTURE.

OLD SCHOOL

TRAINING IN A REAL MARTIAL ART REQUIRES AND BUILDS PERSEVERANCE AND FIGHTING SPIRIT. YOU ENJOY THE BENEFITS NOT ONLY ON THE MAT BUT ALSO IN DAILY LIFE WHICH 1S WHY THE ARTS REMAIN SO POPULAR CENTURIES OR EVEN MILLENNIA AFTER THEY WERE DEVELOPED FOR COMBAT. KNOW THIS BECAUSE I'VE SPENT THE PAST 60 VEARS FOLLOWING THE MARTIAL PATH.

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON RANK

NON-PRACTITIONERS OFTEN ASSUME THAT RANK IN KARATE AND OTHER MARTIAL ARTS IS A STANDARDIZED AFFAIR, CONTROLLED PERHAPS BY AN OFFICIAL BODY LOCATED SOMEWHERE IN JAPAN. THOSE WHO TRAIN, OF COURSE, KNOW THAT THERE'S NO SUCH THING AND THAT A SIXTH-DEGREE BLACK BELT IN ONE DOJO MIGHT NOT EVEN BE CONSIDERED A FIRST DAN N ANOTHER SCHOOL

Hit the Road

Fit to fight

3 Real Black Belts Who Appeared in

One has already resurfaced in "Cobra Kai"! Will the other two?

A CHIP OFF THE OLD (KARATE) BLOCK

IT'S NOT EASY BEING THE SON OF A FAMOUS SPORTS FATHER. FOR EVERY PEYTON AND ELI MANNING, THE SONS OF NFL QUARTERBACK ARCHIE MANNING WHO FOUND MASSIVE SUCCESS IN THE SAME SPORT AS THEIR DAD, THERE'S A JEFFREY OR MARCUS JORDAN, THE SONS OF BASKETBALL LEGEND MICHAEL JORDAN WHO DID NOT. RICHARD AVERY PLOWDEN IS DECIDEDLY IN THE FORMER CATEGORY.

NEW FRONTIERS

WITH THE RISE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, WOMEN ARE LEVERAGING NEW POWER, AUTONOMY AND IDENTITY IN THE MARTIAL ARTS. WITH THOSE, THEY'RE CREATING MORE PLATFORMS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEMSELVES THAN EVER EXISTED EVEN A GENERATION AGO. TODAY'S WOMEN ARE EXPLORING NEW TERRITORIES AND BREAKING THROUGH OLD GLASS CEILINGS TO DEFINE THEIR OWN REALITIES. LISTED BELOW ARE A FEW EXAMPLES.

FIGHTING WITH ROPES AND SASHES

THE WORD "THUG" CAN BE FOUND IN ANY DICTIONARY OF MODERN ENGLISH, BUT FEW PEOPLE KNOW THAT IT ACTUALLY ORIGINATED IN ANCIENT INDIA. THERE, MEMBERS OF CRIMINAL GANGS BORE THAT NAME, AND THEIR ACTIVITIES WERE KNOWN AS THUGGEE IN THE LOCAL DIALECT.

A THOUGHT FROM "SENSEI LOWRY"

IN JAPANESE, TITLES GO AFTER ONE'S NAME. IN ENGLISH, IT'S JUST THE OPPOSITE. SO MR. SUZUKI WOULD BE ADDRESSED IN JAPANESE AS SUZUKI-SAN, AND PROFESSOR SMITH WOULD BE SMITH SENSEI.

THE LAST RESORT OF PROACTIVE SELF-DEFENSE, PART 3

Returning once again to the scenario I described in the June/ July 2022 issue: You've done everything possible to de-escalate the volatile confrontation, all to no avail. It's crystal clear that the aggressor is about to attack at any moment. After doing everything you can to de-escalate the situation, you make the decision to get physical.

HOW BRUCE LEE INSPIRED THE EVOLUTION OF COMBAT SPORTS

IN A NEW EPISODE OF THE COMBAT SHOW ON THE FREE BLACK BELT MAGAZINE CHANNEL ON JUNGO PLUS, GEORGE CHUNG INTERVIEWS SCOTT COKER, FOUNDER OF STRIKEFORCE AND CURRENT PRESIDENT OF BELLATOR MMA. COKER HAS BEEN A MARTIAL ARTIST FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE. THAT, COUPLED WITH INSIDER ACCESS AT HIS FIGHT SHOWS, HAS GIVEN HIM A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMBAT SPORTS. BEFORE WE BEGIN, HERE ARE A FEW OF THE CHANNEL'S HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE COMING MONTHS.

BENEFITS OF LONG-TERM STUDENT CONTRACTS, PART 2

In the August/September 2022 issue of Black Belt, Floyd Burk began his examination of the value of student contracts for martial arts schools. Here, he concludes his interview with Marcia D. Watters, Esq., who operates Mr. Jimmy's White Tiger Martial Arts in Hagerstown, Maryland, with her husband Jimmy Smith.

HOW HE BEAT BULLYING AND BECAME A WRESTLING AND MMA CHAMPION and How He's Giving Back!

Justin Wren began making a name for himself in our world when he embarked on his MMA career in 2006. He went on to build a respectable record of 13-2 in the UFC, Bellator and other orgs. But he really started to shine when he dedicated his life to helping the Pygmies in Africa improve their lot in life by building water wells and eventually a school and a hospital. Now the 35-year-old Wren, whose ring name is "The Big Pygmy," is taking aim at a problem that's plagued society forever: bullying.

STREET CRED

TOP 7 STYLES THAT WILL SUPERCHARGE YOUR SELF-DEFENSE QUOTIENT!

HIDETAKA NISHIYAMA

STUDENT OF GICHIN FUNAKOSHI EXPLAINS KARATE'S REAL GOAL - NOT TO BASK IN THE GLORY OF ACHIEVEMENT BUT TO PUSH FORWARD TO THE LIMIT OF YOUR CAPABILITY! -

PUT UP YOUR DUKES

SHOULD YOU SUPPLEMENT YOUR MARTIAL ARTS SKILLS WITH BOXING? HERE ARE THE PROS AND CONS!

THE MANJI SAI

HOW TO HANDLE THE LESSER-KNOWN COUSIN OF THE UBIQUITOUS SAI

“Made In Chinatown” Finding Love, Culture And Heritage

Question: What’s crazier than sending your horse to audition for The Godfather, wackier than two parrots saying, “Are you talking to me?” and wilder than the Scarecrow introducing Toto to the Wizard of Oz by stating, “Say hello to my little friend,” and thereafter referring to himself as the Scar-crow?

MISTAKES CAN BE EMBARRASSING

THAT A DIRECTOR OF MY CITY’S OPERA COMPANY WOULD CALL ME SEEMED A LITTLE ODD. THERE ARE PROBABLY SOME MONKEYS WHO KNOW MORE ABOUT OPERA THAN I DO. BUT THE DIRECTOR WAS INVITING ME TO LUNCH, SO OF COURSE, I WENT.

THERE'S A NEW “SHERO” IN TOWN, AND HER NAME IS GILLIAN WHITE!

GILLIAN WHITE HAS WORKED IN FILM AND TELEVISION FOR 25 YEARS — FAR LONGER THAN SHE’S BEEN MARRIED TO MICHAEL JAI WHITE, WHOM SHE WED IN 2015. RECENTLY, SHE’S CREATED A BUZZ IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY BECAUSE OF HER ROLE AS ZARA INTAKE BACK, A MOVIE THAT ALSO STARS HER HUSBAND AND TEACHER, AS WELL AS MICKEY ROURKE. AFTER EIGHT YEARS OF HYBRID TRAINING THAT INCLUDES KYOKUSHIN KARATE AND AN ARRAY OF EFFECTIVE FIGHTING STYLES, GILLIAN WILL STEP INTO HISTORY AS THE FIRST BLACK FEMALE MARTIAL ARTIST TO PLAY THE LEAD IN AN ACTION FILM WHEN TAKE BACK IS RELEASED THIS YEAR.

PURPOSE, FEAR AND MINDSET

WHEN THE SUBJECT OF SELF-DEFENSE COMES UP, THE AVERAGE PERSON GENERALLY THINKS OF THE PHYSICAL TECHNIQUES AND TACTICS THAT ARE INVOLVED. WHEN I COME ACROSS SUCH A PERSON AND GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE SOME KNOWLEDGE ABOUT REAL SELF-DEFENSE, I USUALLY START BY INFORMING HIM OR HER THAT SOME IMPORTANT PREREQUISITES NEED TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE DELVING INTO THE PHYSICAL ARENA.

DEAR HOLLYWOOD: REBOOT “WMAC MASTERS”

IT’S TIME TO REBOOT WMAC MASTERS. YEAH, I SAID IT, AND I MEANT IT. IF YOU WEREN’T A KID IN THE 1990S, YOU PROBABLY HAVEN’T EVEN HEARD OF THE FICTIONAL WORLD MARTIAL ARTS COUNCIL AND THE TV SHOW BASED ON IT. IN THAT CASE, YOU’RE IN LUCK BECAUSE I’M ABOUT TO GIVE YOU THE LOWDOWN.

FINAL DESTINATION? NO WAY — WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED!

IF YOU’RE UP ON YOUR MARTIAL ARTS HISTORY — OR YOU FREQUENT OUR WEBSITE OR FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA — YOU KNOW THAT BLACK BELT WAS FOUNDED IN 1961. IF YOU’RE EVEN MARGINALLY PROFICIENT AT MATH, YOU KNOW THAT MAKES THE MAG 60 YEARS OLD THIS YEAR.

Return of the king

COVID Might Have Won Last Year, But THE U.S. OPEN — the World’s Biggest Martial Arts Tournament — Is Back in Action!

CREATING UNBEATABLE PARENT-INSTRUCTOR TEAMS

“IN A TRADITIONAL MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOL, PARENTS AND INSTRUCTORS BECOME AN UNBEATABLE TEAM HELPING SHAPE CHILDREN FOR THE PATH TO SUCCESS.”