ENDLESS DRILLING
Black Belt|Black Belt Spring 2023
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?”
MARK HATMAKER
ENDLESS DRILLING

I get this attitude. I mean, who doesn’t want some new bit of information to chew on, some new skill to toy with and occupy the mind? For some, familiarity breeds contempt, and if most of us don’t feel contempt for what we know that we must do, we at least can admit that sometimes another day in the dojo working on variations of the same things we did last week can lead to a bit of staleness.

Despite the occasional battle with What, this again? we must come to terms with and embrace the fact that this is the way in all great and serious endeavors. Let’s look to other sports for illustration.

If we were to step onto the court of any winning basketball team during practice, would we expect to see something unlike what we see in a basketball game itself — that is, athletes working on passing, shooting, rebounding, the full-court press and so on?

In football practice with any NFL team, you’ll see variations of the same drills and plays. In tennis, you won’t see athletes forgoing tried-and-true serves in favor of developing their jump-spinning back serve with a half-gainer twist.

Denne historien er fra Black Belt Spring 2023-utgaven av Black Belt.

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Denne historien er fra Black Belt Spring 2023-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.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BLACK BELTSe alt
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.

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4 mins  |
Summer 2023
MARTIAL ARTS ANATOMY 101
Black Belt

MARTIAL ARTS ANATOMY 101

PHYSIOLOGY OF THE LIVER SHO

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3 mins  |
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!

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9 mins  |
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\"!

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10 mins  |
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.

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6 mins  |
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.

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5 mins  |
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.\"

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5 mins  |
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.

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5 mins  |
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.

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6 mins  |
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.

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5 mins  |
Summer 2023