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

The 2007 cover of Black Belt  magazine featured the late Richard Bustillo, a pioneering martial artist and direct student of Bruce Lee....

The following is a snippet of a feature found exclusively in the Spring 2025 issue of Black Belt Magazine. Since 1979, Burton Richardson...

The August 1982 cover of Black Belt Magazine featured Grandmaster Remy Amador Presas (1936–2001), known as the Father of Modern Arnis....

Attack is imminent, you're ready with a stick strategy – and then life gets in the way! As a practitioner of arnis—or any other stick-based martial art—you devote a ton of time to training, especially to fine-tuning your offense. It's totally understandable because, after all, who doesn't want to be the first to land a clean, precise stick strike in a self-defense encounter that could turn deadly at any moment? But what happens when your opponent does something that takes you

Every traditional martial art exists in the present because at one time in the past, it was used successfully in battle.

Biceps, chamber, hip, point. Thrust, slash, cover. The rhythmic shouts come from a kali master instructor, and they’re echoed by hundreds of students who are mimicking his every move. It’s part of the training that’s taking place at the 2018 Martial Arts SuperShow in Las Vegas. In attendance are police officers, former SWAT team members, Special Forces operatives, U.S. Marines, and ordinary martial artists representing disciplines that range from krav maga and taekwondo to Br

In his writings, Bruce Lee attempted to depict a street fight in its empirical form and not through the prism of any style or system....

Anyone who’s been around the martial arts long enough no doubt has heard a certain boxing maxim: Make him miss and make him pay. That’s all well and good, but what if there was a way to just make him pay and immediately reverse the momentum of the fight? It just so happens that there is. The Filipino martial arts teach a strategy called “defanging the snake.” It has you literally attacking your opponent’s incoming limb before it can do any damage. While this fighting tactic c

Martial arts have fascinated humanity for millennia, blending physical prowess with mental discipline in a way that transcends mere combat.

Whether you’re aiming to soar like a superhero or deliver epic fight scenes, mastering martial arts is key....

In August 1984, the cover showcased Dan Inosanto demonstrating his nunchaku skills. He is recognized as the instructor who taught Bruce...

When escrima — which is often used interchangeably with the terms arnis and kali — was introduced to America, it was done mainly as a...

Dan Inosanto's August 1984 Cover The cover story featured a young Dan Inosanto who would later become a national martial arts treasure,...

FEATURED ON: The Master’s Way BACKGROUND: Black Belt Hall of Fame, former point-karate champion, founder of the West Coast Demonstration...

Jared Wihongi is a full-time International Close-Quarters Combat (CQC) Instructor. His TRICOM combatives system is an integration of...

A master in Jeet Kune Do, Burt Richardson has spent his life in pursuit of the mastery of several martial arts styles including BJJ and Filipino Martial Arts. Under the tutelage of such greats as Dan Inasantos, Tony Diego, the Machado Brothers, and Carlson Gracie he is on a constant quest for knowledge. He’s an author and teacher working with people from law enforcement to civilians. We are thrilled to reconnect with Black Belt Hall of Fame inductee Burt Richardson.

A master in Jeet Kune Do, Burt Richardson has spent his life in pursuit of the mastery of several martial arts styles including BJJ and...

Plus more on his remarkable career mastering multiple disciplines. This is part one of a written Q&A with Burt Richardson. Subsequent...

Diana Inosanto on the set of Ahsoka via StarWars.com If you aren’t in the martial arts world, you might not notice that the driving...

Graciela Casillas I was staring down the barrels of a shotgun. At that precise moment, I realized that I was not fully prepared to defend myself. It was by the grace of God that I was able to get out of that situation. In other words, I was incredibly lucky. This near miss served as a stark reminder of my vulnerabilities. That was the moment I began my journey of self-defense and empowerment, determined to break through the barriers that society had placed before me and every

Many martial artists aren't just known for their physical prowess, but for their philosophical strength, too. We collected some of the...

Ah, close your eyes. Visualize a world where you are fully immersed in the culture of your chosen martial art. Imagine you were born and...

The use of terminology in Asian-based martial arts is always a hotly debated topic. Most of the non-Asian practitioners of these arts...