Christine Bannon-Rodrigues, the legendary karate world champion from Warwick, Rhode Island, has forged one of the most influential careers in modern martial arts. A 9th-degree black belt and student of Don Rodrigues, she earned nine World Championships, including an extraordinary streak of three consecutive W.A.K.O. World Titles. Her dominance in both forms and fighting helped redefine expectations for female competitors and opened doors for women in martial arts, stunt work,

Once avoided for fear it would lead to unwanted weight gain, dietary fat is now embraced by health-conscious martial artists. Scientific research confirms the benefits of eating this macronutrient: It helps your body break down fat-soluble vitamins, increases satiety, provides and stores energy, and even improves heart health. Not all fats are good for you, however, and even the beneficial ones can have their drawbacks.

Q:  You talked about lifting conventional weights for enhanced martial arts performance. What about other forms of weightlifting? A:  There is another type of weight training that deserves discussion. It entails attaching extra weight to your body — specifically, your ankles, wrists, or torso — and then engaging in functional martial arts training. Before I begin, let me say this about “functional training.” All too often, people use the term to refer to a hodgepodge of movem

"In judo, off balancing an opponent is accomplished by moving him in any number of directions. It is essential whether you plan to just move him or to throw him.” So writes Black Belt Hall of Famer George Kirby in his book Jujitsu: Advanced Techniques for Redirecting an Opponent’s Energy.

Celebrated on the Black Belt Magazine  cover in January 2000, LeBell embodied both the grit of a true martial artist and the showmanship of a Hollywood insider. Truly a larger-than-life figure whose legacy continues to straddle two worlds: the discipline of judo and the spectacle of cinema. Long before MMA was mainstream, LeBell was already blending styles, demonstrating how throws, locks, and submissions could level the playing field. Known as “Judo” Gene LeBell, he was more

It will be fascinating for you, if you have the opportunity, to visit one of the museums in the West that have suits of Japanese armor. That’s because feudal Japan took a different approach to body armor than we find in Europe. To some degree, the samurai traded protection for mobility. Rather than using rigid, curved metal sections like the European knights did, the Japanese constructed their armor from an elaborately woven series of leather panels. Roughly half the size of

The July 1981 issue of Karate Illustrated spotlighted two of the South’s most formidable fighters — Tommy Williams of Oklahoma and a young Raymond McCallum from Texas, both in their fighting prime. Renowned for their explosive transitions from point fighting to full-contact competition, the pair represented the cutting edge of the era’s martial artistry. Their kicking prowess was especially legendary; Williams earned the nickname “The Tornado” for his blistering, high-speed

The knife hand strike, once the crown jewel of karate demonstrations, has had quite a fall from grace. Once upon a time, every martial arts student dreamed of chopping through boards like a lumberjack with an anger management problem. Instructors would proudly line up pine planks, and students would step forward with the confidence of someone who definitely wasn’t about to bruise their hand. These days, though, the karate chop feels like it’s been filed away with other retro

“The only thing scarier than the monster… is the Black Belt who fights back.” As Black Belts, nothing scares us. Not sparring. Not spinning back kicks. Not even a flying side kick gone rogue. But there’s one thing that’ll make even the toughest martial artist flinch… Evil monsters, maniacal villains, and blood-sucking vampires! Halloween has crept into the dojo, and we’re celebrating the only way we know how — with a roundhouse-ready movie marathon that’ll have you screaming

The 1988 issue of Black Belt  magazine featured Paul Vunak , the renowned master of Jeet Kune Do, Kali, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. A dedicated student of Dan Inosanto , Vunak spent more than three decades refining his craft under the tutelage of one of Bruce Lee’s closest disciples. The cover story explored Vunak’s dynamic interpretation of Kali , highlighting his innovative approach to blending Filipino martial arts with the principles of Jeet Kune Do. His work emphasized adap

Q:  When it comes to lifting weights, they say slower is better for building muscle, but some people insist that you need fast moves to build the explosive striking power that’s required for martial arts. Which approach is right? A:  There’s no short answer to this question because what’s right for one person isn’t always right for another. However, there are some nearly universal truths for building power with iron that can translate to explosiveness in the dojo. Before I ge

I'm amused — and, in some ways, delighted — by the comments that still get posted on YouTube regarding the 1987 matchup of Rickson Gracie and me. Judo enthusiasts say they're proud I was able to upend Gracie a couple of times. Any advantage I received, however, disappeared as soon as we hit the ground and I was caught in an armbar. So judoka say judo won, while Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylists insist their art won. It's a true win-win situation for the martial arts.

The streets of Krasnograd in eastern Ukraine didn't offer much to its children. What it did offer was free time spent outside with friends, lessons learned through experience rather than textbooks, and the understanding that if you wanted something in life, you'd have to build it yourself. For a young Roman Kryklia, those humble streets became the foundation for something extraordinary.  On Friday, November 7, at ONE Fight Night 37, the towering 34-year-old Ukrainian stands o

Nominations Form 2025-2026 Black Belt Hall of Fame The deadline for nominations is December 1, 2025. Submit your nomination for the martial artist you believe is most deserving of recognition among the legendary figures of the Black Belt Hall of Fame Click the button to make your nomination Since its founding in 1968, the Black Belt Hall of Fame has represented the highest honor in martial arts achievement. Recognized as the most prestigious distinction in the discipline’s hi

The famed Tong Dojo of New York — home to black belt champions like Thomas “La Puppet” and Hawk Frazier — was led by George Cofield. Cofield established the Tong Dojo in 1959, becoming one of the first Black instructors to commercially teach martial arts in the United States.

In the June 2001 issue of Black Belt , a young Alex Gong was spotlighted as the founder of the U.S. branch of Fairtex. A world champion in ISKA Muay Thai (junior middleweight), Gong held an impressive professional record of 27–2. Gong also appeared as a fighter in the Walker, Texas Ranger  episode “Legends,” sharing the screen with martial arts icons Joe Lewis, Bill Wallace, Don Wilson, Jean-Claude Leuyer, and Danny Steele. Beyond the ring, Gong opened a Fairtex Gym in San Fr

As the theme song to the 1978 Burt Reynolds movie Hooper noted, “There ain’t nothing like the life of a Hollywood stuntman.” A lot of martial artists take those words to heart. There’s a seeming army of skilled — and not-so-skilled — practitioners of karate, taekwondo, kung fu, and other arts trying to break into the motion-picture industry by making use of their ability to kick and punch, but how realistic is this? What do martial artists interested in stunt work need to kno

Some people spend their entire lives searching for purpose. Gilbert Nakatani found his in the most unlikely place – a martial arts gym in California, discovered during a period when his life could have spiralled in a very different direction.  At ONE Fight Night 37 on Friday, November 7, the American flyweight will face Indonesian MMA star Eko Roni Saputra in Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, carrying with him a story of loss, redemption, and the unbreakable human spirit that refus

On January 29, 2015, the British Journal of Sports Medicine  posted the results of a research study that examined 131 MMA fighters and 93 boxers. It concluded that “greater exposure to repetitive head trauma is associated with lower brain volumes and lower processing speed in active professional fighters.” Although not surprising to many, this inevitably will lead to questions from martial artists who wish to continue to make head contact during training but want to maximize

When asked about the aesthetics of a certain martial arts bout, Helio Gracie  once replied gruffly, “A fight is a fight.” It wasn’t that he didn’t see beauty in the art of jiu-jitsu. He merely thought it was imperative to emphasize that fighting is a serious affair with potentially dire consequences for the loser — and sometimes for his or her family. Judging whether a martial art is good is very different from judging whether a dance or a painting is good. Dancing and painti

NASKA World Ratings are as follows.