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Navigating the Digital Age: The Unyielding Tradition of Kendo and Its Modern Adaptations
The digital revolution has touched nearly every aspect of our lives, including the way martial arts are taught and learned. Kendo, the...
Black Belt Team
Feb 12, 2024


Jim Arvanitis Resurrects Pankration: The First Mixed Martial Art
There’s no denying that Jim Arvanitis is a skilled martial artist. He moves like a 30-year-old both on his feet and on the ground, where...
Black Belt Team
Feb 12, 2024


What Is a Kiai?
Two Japanese characters make up the word: Ki means “energy,” and ai means “to unify.” The concept appears often in the traditional...
Dave Lowry
Dec 27, 2023


Learn the Real Chuck Norris Facts
Like most netizens, we love Chuck Norris jokes. But Chuck Norris is more than just an action hero. As this classic interview with Sara...
Black Belt Team
Dec 26, 2023


Chuck Norris: How to Choose A Martial Arts School
In a recent letter, someone mentioned his interest in taking karate lessons. He wanted to know what questions he should ask a prospective...
Black Belt Team
Dec 25, 2023


A New Look at Samurai Swordsman Miyamoto Musashi
When it comes to martial arts and strategy, only a few books are considered must-reads. One of them is The Book of Five...
Noel Plaugher
Dec 24, 2023


Can Traditional Martial Arts like Aikido Still Grow in the Age of MMA? Part 2/2
by Antonio Terrone Last week we published part one. Part two offers final suggestions for keeping traditional martial arts alive. There...
Black Belt Team
Dec 19, 2023


Why do Thai Boxers Dominate Kickboxing?
This is the second of two articles about kickboxing and Muay Thai, and why kickboxers don’t succeed in Muay Thai the same way Thai Boxers...
Andrew Bryan
Dec 16, 2023


Can Traditional Martial Arts like Aikido Grow in the Age of MMA? PART 1 of 2
by Antonio Terrone There has been much clamor in the aikido world about a recent study suggesting that practice of the traditional...
Black Belt Team
Dec 12, 2023


Martial Arts: A Journey to Physical, Mental, and Emotional Well-Being
Martial arts are not just about learning to defend yourself. The discipline and training involved can lead to physical, mental, and...
Patrick Sternkopf
Feb 1, 2023


Bruce Lee's Legendary Power
As an avid weightlifter, I am all for resistance training and what it can do to improve your martial arts. It undoubtedly assists in...
Ian Lauer
Dec 13, 2022


UNESCO Declares Cambodian Martial Art Bokator an "Intangible Cultural Heritage"
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the Cambodian martial art of kun lbokator, more...
Mark Jacobs
Nov 30, 2022


The West Point Program
In the Israeli Army, where I served, new recruits have six months to go from high school graduates into soldiers. Instructors need to...
Raz Chen
Nov 24, 2022


A Brief Anatomy of Strangling, Choke, and Triangle Techniques
This week’s blog is by my good friend and colleague by Steve Scott. Using strangles and chokes is serious business and is not for the...
Gary Goltz
Nov 17, 2022


Father of Bermudan Karate Frederick "Skipper" Ingham Dies
Frederick "Skipper" Ingham, regarded as the father of karate in Bermuda and a quiet force in the development of professional sport...
Mark Jacobs
Nov 11, 2022


Appreciating Modern Female Martial Artists
I invite you to stop a moment and ask yourself to remember your grandmother’s, great-grandmother’s, great-great-grandmother’s lineage....
Annika Kahn
Oct 21, 2022


Point Fighting - What's the Point?
If you’ve been in the martial arts for a while, you have probably been to a tournament or two. You likely have even competed in forms and...
Ian Lauer
Sep 12, 2022


Repetition: The Key to Success
I’ve been a lot of things in my life (musician, writer, entrepreneur, martial artist, etc), but success at any of them was never easy....
Noel Plaugher
Aug 29, 2022


Before We Were Martial Artists
I believe that all human beings are martial artists. Some of us have embraced the artist's way and others are latent with potential. But...
Annika Kahn
Jul 22, 2022


Bruce Lee and Jeet Kune Do: The Anxiety of Influence
A great artist is measured not just by his fame or even his achievements; he’s measured by his influence on others. Fame alone is...
Keith Vargo
Jul 19, 2022


2 New Grappling Books Focus on Details of Judo, Jujitsu
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” This well-known...
Noel Plaugher
Jun 27, 2022


Correcting a Common Misconception About Kenpo
You don’t have to spend much time on social media before you stumble across videos of people performing martial arts techniques,...
Ian Lauer
Jun 9, 2022


5 Things You Did Not Know About Combatives
When you hear the term “combatives,” maybe you immediately envision a tough, muscular, ex-military brute beating the crap out of you...
Conrad Bui
Mar 24, 2022
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