"Are you Lew Alcindor?" I asked. He nodded sheepishly.
I felt foolish afterward. How could he be anyone else? But then, what else could I have said to start a conversation? I'd seen him many times on television as he led the UCLA basketball team to the NCAA championship, but he didn't seem awesome until I was face to face with him. (Back then, he was known as Lew Alcindor, but he later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) The basketball star had just returned to Los Angeles from New York to finish his last year at UCLA. He'd studied aikido in New York from Yoshimitsu Vamada and wanted to continue with the martial arts.
"Do you have any book on tai chi?" he asked.
"Sorry, we don't," I answered. "But if you'd like to know about any Chinese martial arts, I know someone who can help you."
"Who is he?"
"Have you heard of Bruce Lee?" I asked.
"He was Kato on The Green Hornet TV series."
"No, I've never watched those shows," Abdul-Jabbar responded. I said that if he wanted to meet Lee, he should call me again.
THE BALLER
Later, during a visit with Lee at his Culver City, California, home, I discovered that the martial artist didn't know about the basketball player, either. "You mean to say that you haven't heard of Lew Alcindor?" I asked. "Gosh! Everyone has heard of him. He's the most sought-after college athlete in the country right now." "How would I know him?" Lee replied. "I don't know anything about basketball, baseball or football. The only time I ever got close to an American sport was when I had to walk across a football field when I was attending the University of Washington." After a long pause, Lee looked at me and asked, "What is so special about this Alcindor guy?" "He'll be the highest-paid athlete coming out of college," I replied.
Denne historien er fra December/January 2023-utgaven av Black Belt.
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Denne historien er fra December/January 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.
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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.
