WHY YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING “COBRA KAI”
Black Belt|Black Belt December/January 2021
Because I’m somewhat familiar with the Black Belt demographic, I can safely say there’s a good chance you’re a lot like me. You probably grew up in the martial arts, and when The Karate Kid came out in 1984, you loved every minute of it.
- ROBERT W. YOUNG
WHY YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING “COBRA KAI”

You likely watched The Karate Kid Part II when it was released in 1986 and fantasized about jetting to Okinawa to learn karate (and perhaps to fall in love with a local lad or lass).

You might have been somewhat less enthusiastic about The Karate Kid Part III (1989, with Terry Silver: “A man can’t stand, he can’t fight!”) and The Next Karate Kid (1994, with Hilary Swank assuming the role of the student in need of Mr. Miyagi’s morality), but still you watched — and in all likelihood reminisced about your formative years in the arts.

Then came the black hole, the period when seemingly no martial arts movie could capture the philosophical side of our passion — you know, the reason we all train for life. Fortunately, that black hole collapsed in on itself when YouTube announced in 2018 that it was resurrecting the Karate Kid storyline in the form of a series called Cobra Kai.

We all waited with bated breath for Cobra Kai to debut, and when it did, we were pleased with the direction it took, with more philosophy, better fights and deeper characters — including the bully Johnny Lawrence, who now has a sympathy-inducing back story, and Daniel LaRusso, who seems to have grown into an often-annoying adult. Even though many of us didn’t have a subscription to YouTube Red, we devoured the first season when it was made available for free.

But afterward, we said to ourselves, “That was great, but I don’t need another subscription to a streaming service. I already get Netflix. Besides, I don’t have a lot of free time — I’d rather be training!” So we let it go. And then YouTube revealed that Season 3 of Cobra Kai was not happening. Bummer!

この蚘事は Black Belt の Black Belt December/January 2021 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は Black Belt の Black Belt December/January 2021 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

BLACK BELTのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
HOW TO CREATE A MARTIAL ART CASE STUDY: COMBAT HAPKIDO
Black Belt

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.

time-read
4 分  |
Summer 2023
MARTIAL ARTS ANATOMY 101
Black Belt

MARTIAL ARTS ANATOMY 101

PHYSIOLOGY OF THE LIVER SHO

time-read
3 分  |
Summer 2023
LOCK UP
Black Belt

LOCK UP

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

time-read
9 分  |
Summer 2023
KILLER CHARACTER ACTOR
Black Belt

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\"!

time-read
10 分  |
Summer 2023
A DEEP DIVE WITH BENNY URQUIDEZ
Black Belt

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.

time-read
6 分  |
Summer 2023
PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, PART 1
Black Belt

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

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

time-read
5 分  |
Summer 2023
THE DAY JUJITSU DIED
Black Belt

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.\"

time-read
5 分  |
Summer 2023
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? GUY MEZGER: FROM MMA FIGHTER TO HEALER
Black Belt

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.

time-read
5 分  |
Summer 2023
KILLER INSTINCT
Black Belt

KILLER INSTINCT

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

time-read
6 分  |
Summer 2023
HAPKIDO'S BONG SOO HAN: THE MAKING OF A MARTIAL ARTS LEGEND
Black Belt

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.

time-read
5 分  |
Summer 2023