Although the first TV program to feature a martial arts storyline was a Chinese kung fu soap opera seen on ATV (Asia Television) in Hong Kong in the late 1950s, the first time martial arts were featured on American television was in an early episode of ABC’s series The Detectives (1959-1961). The martial art was karate.
Television in Hong Kong and Taiwan was soon flooded with martial arts dramas that ran for months. American television came around much slower. However, some groundbreaking American programs infused their action with martial arts, such as The Wild Wild West (1965), The Green Hornet (1966) and Kung Fu (1972). These shows are still considered by many critics to be among the best American-made martial arts TV shows ever.
With the advent of pay-per-view, cable and TV movie channels and the influence of Hong Kong action on Hollywood films like The Matrix (1999), martial arts programming is now a normal part of the American TV landscape.
– February 6, 2012
You’re an alpha male who eats “tough” for breakfast. You’re a fierce female competitor who can conquer any obstacle and keep pushing forward.
If that description fits you, here’s your chance to prove it on television by signing up for the American Ninja Warrior tryouts.
The nationwide search is on for the
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– July 10, 2011
For much of the world, MMA was born on November 12, 1993, when the Ultimate Fighting Championship debuted in Denver. Most martial artists know otherwise, however. They know the date was actually December 2, 1963, the day “Judo” Gene LeBell stepped into the ring to face boxer Milo Savage. Black
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– July 1, 2011
On March 8, 2007, reality-based self-defense expert Mick Coup visited the offices of Black Belt to be photographed for a feature article in the August 2007 issue. In the article, “Reach Out and Touch Someone,” Mick Coup discusses the role of indexing and how this age-old skill–when properly tuned up
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– June 21, 2011
On March 8, 2007, reality-based self-defense expert Mick Coup visited the offices of Black Belt to be photographed for a feature article in the August 2007 issue. In the article, “Reach Out and Touch Someone,” Coup discusses the role of indexing and how this age-old skill–when properly tuned up and
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– May 24, 2011
Like most netizens, we love Chuck Norris jokes. But Chuck Norris is more than just an aging action hero. As this classic interview with Sara Fogan shows, the former karate champion is also a deeply spiritual man who has devoted his life to helping children. Here are the real Chuck
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– May 6, 2011
It was 1 o’clock, and I was sitting at Jun Chong’s taekwondo school in Los Angeles getting ready to work out. In walked Dolph Lundgren, 6 feet 5 inches tall and built like a brick [outhouse].
He said, “You’re Bill Wallace, right?”
I said, “Yeah, and you’re Dolph Lundgren.”
I stood up and
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– April 19, 2011
Sarah Dzida gets the lowdown regarding Jujitsu Figure-4 Locks straight from the author George Kirby! A Black Belt Hall of Fame member (Instructor of the Year, 2007), Kirby has been teaching the art since 1967 and is the author of several jujitsu books. His latest book, Jujitsu Figure-4 Locks: Submission
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– April 1, 2011
Black Belt magazine’s Rachelle Lagnado takes aim on the set of Spike TV’s Deadliest Warrior during a visit to the show’s weapons shop. Weapons maker Dave Baker shows her how to hold and shoot a bow and arrow. The result? Well, nobody was injured in the filming of this exclusive
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– March 26, 2011
As the line from The Karate Kid, Part III goes, “A man can’t breathe, he can’t fight.” Scott Bolan takes the philosophy to heart, and with partner Mike Gillette he presents a methodology for dynamic breathing, breaking and power development. In this EXCLUSIVE VIDEO, Gillette demonstrates these methods by rolling
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– March 23, 2011
Watch UFC and WEC veteran Frank Mir as he is photographed for the July 2010 issue of Black Belt at Big John McCarthy’s Ultimate Training Academy in Valencia, CA.
