What It Is Strictly speaking, san da is a Chinese martial arts amalgam composed of kickboxing, throws and wrestling-style takedowns. What It Isn’t Some writers have referred to san da as “Chinese MMA,” but that’s inaccurate because it normally doesn’t include ground fighting or submissions. Furthermore, in competition, san da fighters are permitted to clinch, but they’re not allowed to hit while doing so. Also What It Isn’t Some people have dubbed san da “Chinese muay Thai,” but that moniker...

The Renaissance Man, Arcenio James Advincula Arcenio James Advincula embarked on the martial path for a reason that was far from unique. Being small in stature and of interracial heritage, the youth was a frequent victim of bullying. After one serious encounter with a group of young thugs, his father hired two former Filipino army scouts to school him in combat judo and escrima. Most styles of escrima emphasize stick fighting, but the soldiers chose a different tactic: They trained young...

Joe Lewis first met Bruce Lee in 1967. “He wanted to convince me that I should use my strong side forward (when fighting),” Lewis recalls. But Lewis, who had successfully employed strategies of his own without Lee’s help, didn’t believe in changing his fighting stance at the time. By 1970, however, Lewis had become a full-time Lee protégé and was “road-testing” Lee’s jeet kune do theories in tournament competition. According to Lewis, the primary theme Lee stressed was simplicity . Although...