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A Tribute to Takayuki Kubota: The Legacy of a Martial Arts Legend
Takayuki Kubota's journey in martial arts began at the tender age of four under the watchful eyes of his father, a jiu-jitsu and ju-kendo..
George Chung
Aug 16, 2024


Gabriella Willems Stuns the World when She Overcame Career-Threatening Injuries to Win Olympic Bronze in Paris 2024
Gabriella Willems has made history for Belgian judo by winning a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, breaking a 32-year drought...
Black Belt Team
Aug 14, 2024


Fixing Modern Taekwondo, Here’s What We Can Do to Start Fixing the Problem
As a martial art/combat sport, taekwondo has gone through several transformations. Each generation of practitioners is plagued by critics...
Herb Perez
Aug 10, 2024


Martial Arts and the Olympics: 6 Great Champions you need to know
As we marvel at the athletic skill in the 2024 Paris Games, we are inspired to revisit some of the greatest martial arts champions..
George Chung
Aug 9, 2024


Gentle Spirit of Jiu Jitsu: The Origin and Benefits of Ju-Shin Practice
During the early part of the Tokugawa era (1603-1868), there lived in Japan’s Saikaido province a respected samurai...
George Kirby
Aug 6, 2024


Shi Yan Ming: Bringing Shaolin Martial Arts and Shaolin Philosophy to America!
Displaying the shaven head and orange robes of a Shaolin monk but with a hip gray hoodie tossed on top, Shi Yan Ming....
Mark Jacobs
Aug 5, 2024


Event of the Week: The Internationals
The Long Beach International Karate Championships is an international karate and martial arts tournament first launched in Long Beach...
Black Belt Team
Aug 3, 2024


Leo Fong’s Winding Road to Wei Kuen Do
The only Asian on campus, he found himself surrounded by a group of students during recess. They began throwing racial slurs at the newcomer
Adam James
Jul 30, 2024


You’ve Got to Get Hit in the Face, The Missing Element in Your Martial Arts Training
No matter how good a training hall is, he said, “you’ve got to have people hitting each other in the face sometimes...
Keith Vargo
Jul 28, 2024


Judo Back in the Day - A Revealing Look at the Early Days of the Grappling Art in America
After hearing me make a few statements like that, a young student asked, "What about Judo?" This is the way I happened to experience it....
Hayward Nishioka
Jul 21, 2024


Bekauri Poised for Olympic Judo Title Defense on Day 5 of 2024 Paris Olympics
Day five of the Paris Olympics is set to be a thrilling day in the judo tournament, especially in the women’s U70kg and men’s under-90kg...
Black Belt Team
Jul 20, 2024


Event of the Week: Dragonfest (August 3, 2024)
This week we feature DragonFest, the official event sponsored by the Martial Arts Museum.
Black Belt Team
Jul 20, 2024


Day 4 of Judo at the 2024 Paris Olympics: Anticipated Showdowns in Judo's Middleweight Categories
The fourth day of the Judo tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics is set to be electrifying, showcasing the highly competitive middleweight..
Black Belt Team
Jul 19, 2024


Martial Arts Worldview: Training in Hapkido, Watching 'Billy Jack' and Becoming a Sheepdog
As a 23-year-old graduate student in Middle America in the early 1970s, I was hungry for whatever I could learn about the Asian martial arts
James D. Brewer
Jul 18, 2024


Do Karate Students Need to Know About the Japanese Sword?
In short, karate and swordsmanship are both fighting arts, but there’s little in the way of technical or strategic overlap..
Black Belt Team
Jul 16, 2024


Fighting Stars Cover Story Throwback: Angela Mao Ying
The October 1974 cover of Fighting Stars featured a 22-year-old Angela Mao Ying in her unforgettable role as Bruce Lee's sister...
Black Belt Team
Jul 14, 2024


The Sword Behind the Smile: Samurai Poker Face
I remembered one that I heard as a child: umi no uchi no katana, “the sword behind the smile...
Dave Lowry
Jul 9, 2024


The Bhagavad-Gita: A Martial Artist's Guide to Violence and Mystical Vision
It’s a relatively short dialogue between a hero named Arjuna and his charioteer, the god Krishna...
Keith Vargo
Jul 5, 2024


Master Wong: Awareness in Training and Becoming a YouTube Sensation
All martial arts are good, Master Wong says. However, people often believe otherwise because they see moves that are done differently...
Black Belt Team
Jun 19, 2024


Want to Maximize Your Fighting Ability? Try Combat Chess! QUEEN OF ALL MOVES!
One of Bruce Lee's preferred techniques was the straight right lead. He also taught the lead-hand finger jab, which is technically faster...
Harinder Singh Sabharwal
Jun 19, 2024


Fighting With Blades: Let Us Not Slash History to Shreds
A few like-minded associates and I recently were comparing notes on the historical blade work of some indigenous cultures...
Mark Hatmaker
Jun 13, 2024


Karate Illustrated Cover Story Throwback: Benny Urquidez 1974
The cover of the July 1974 Karate Illustrated issue showcased a 23-year-old Benny "The Jet" Urquidez executing a flawless side kick. This...
Black Belt Team
Jun 9, 2024


Daito-Ryu 101: Aikijujutsu Has Influenced Many Martial Arts - Its Time to Learn More About It
Daito-ryu aikijujutsu is definitely not the world’s most popular martial art. It’s not even close...
S.D. Seong
Jun 6, 2024


3 Words All Instructors Should Know
THAT MIGHT SEEM ODD. As a sensei, after all, you’re supposed to know. That’s why you’re a sensei, isn’t it?
Dave Lowry
Jun 4, 2024
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