Although young, the country has deep roots. Part of those roots is the warrior culture that was created by a series of battles. With such a history, it comes as no surprise that Saudi Arabia is now establishing itself as a top breeding ground for martial artists and combat sports athletes.
In an effort to foster that and to boost the health and fitness of his nation’s youth, Prince Abdullah looked for inspiration to the United Arab Emirates and its promotion of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. That’s when he decided to invest in the martial arts in Saudi Arabia. In 2010 two advisers from the Arena Group traveled to the United States to conduct research and network with various American martial arts teams. That led to the decision to join forces with me to build the largest martial arts facility in the world in Jeddah. Known as Arena Saudi, it spans more than 100,000 square feet, and its construction is recognized as a milestone in advancing martial arts, combat sports, and fitness.
In 2014 Arena merged with an entity known as 22. Mohammed Fayez, who worked as a banker and owner of 22, took over the administration of the martial arts facility. Now the CEO of the Arena Group, he’s vowed to continue to improve the quality of life for all Saudis through the martial arts.
— Ricardo Liborio
WHAT IS YOUR HISTORY WITH THE ARENA GROUP?
Mohammed Fayez: Arena began in July 2014, concentrating mostly on martial arts. I was running my own facility. Ultimately, we merged with Arena, rebranding 22 to be Arena. This allowed the facility to become more of a specialized functional training center and offering martial arts like BJJ and muay Thai.
Denne historien er fra December/January 2020-utgaven av Black Belt.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December/January 2020-utgaven av Black Belt.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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.
