My friend and colleague David Black from Australia recently submitted this for my weekly Black Belt Blog. Melbourne is experiencing unseasonably cold thunder storms in this late spring of 2022, but nothing was going to stop me from visiting the legendary Caulfield Judo Centre this night. The school is one of the oldest and most respected Judo clubs in Australia. Founded by Arthur Moorshead OAM, 8thDan, and Olympic Judo Coach, in 1961, it moved to its current location in 1963. For 59 years it has stood like a monument to Australian bushido and will be there for many more years to come. Arthur passed away on 29 January 2010 but his legacy still lives on with the school and the many students he has taught. Some have gone on to founding their own quality dojos in Australia, thus keeping this valued tradition alive. The club is nestled away behind the suburban shopping strip on Glen Huntly Rd, just opposite Carnegie railway station. You can just see the roof poking out when you pass by it on the tram. Arthur built this club himself. He was a builder by trade and often joked that he had to work so that he could pour all of his money into Judo. I trained there, 3-4 times a week enthusiastically from 1979 – 1981. During this time, it was my home away from home. I was living in an unstable family environment so attending Judo classes got me out of the house and into a place where I was treated with respect, made friends and was able to find a sense of achievement. Arthur was more than just my teacher and coach. He was also a life mentor. On one occasion, after I lost a match and was leaving the mat without shaking my opponents hand, Arthur sent me straight back. He later explained that the only reason I was able to do Judo was due to my competitor and that I should be grateful. If he had not shown up, then I wouldn’t have had a match. If he had not brought everything he had to the game, then the fight would not have been worth it. These words changed my way of thinking as well as my attitude. They’ve served me well throughout life. I often yearned to return there over the decades but until now, was too afraid. So much time had gone past. There would be new people there now. My fond memories were sacred to me and I just didn’t know if I would find myself overcome with emotion in front of strangers. I bit the bullet, visited the club and caught up with Fred Funnell, who is an active judoka and helps with the administrative duties. I was welcomed in like an old friend. Fred let me know that Arthur’s wife, Susie Moorshead still had my grading card from way back then. This place is more than just a school. It’s a family and my fears of returning were unfounded. Fred is a solid man of 61 years who started training with Arthur back in his days at Monash University in 1980. He and Susie are the backbone of the club and keep the spirit and tradition alive. While Fred and I were chatting away, Igor Arzhintar, 1st Dan/Shodan, was teaching an enthusiastic group of kids, which brought back memories of when I trained. These are the next generation of Judoka and some will go onto big competitions and maybe even run their own clubs one day. Before I knew it, Matthijs Klinkert, 2nd Dan/Nidan, had arrived to teach the seniors. Matthijs insisted that the only way to write this story was to experience it. Before I knew it, Fred had a spare Gi ready and I was on the mat. Being 58 years old was no excuse for me to get out of it because Fred has 3 years on me. Fred insists that Judo is for all ages. Training started with exercises and stretching. That might sound the same as every other club, but I could feel the camaraderie. This felt like old friends catching up and I was glad to be included. Next thing I knew, Sensei Matthijs was showing us an amazing move of how to get someone from hugging the ground into a figure 4 armlock. This was one that I had never seen in the Australian Judo Federation handbook, unless it was hidden away in the black belt section. It looked a bit too complicated for me at first, but I had always secretly wanted to learn something this spectacular. This was something that would be an amazing competition move and the Sensei did jokingly ask, “why am I teaching things that you could all use against me?” As funny as that sounds, there is a serious side to that because many of the schools pupils have gone on to win in competitions, including the Olympics themselves. As I was writing this, I found an article online from a major metropolitan newspaper called “The Age” from 18 years ago. It mentioned Maria Pekli winning Australia's first judo medal in 36 years at the Sydney Olympics in the year 2000. And yes, Arthur Moorshead was her coach, at Caulfield Judo Centre. Pekli had a stellar career in Judo, which you can read about in her Wikipedia entry. She won medals at the Commonwealth Games, Olympics and European Judo Championships. She was also the first female judoka to compete at five Olympics. Before the night was over, Sensei Matthijs let me take some pics for this article. Judoka Karl Bowdi was gracious in allowing himself to be thrown. He didn’t complain even when I needed to do a second shot of the same throw. It was great to return to the club of my childhood. Despite so many years having passed and me being one of hundreds to have trained there, it was amazing to see that I had not been forgotten. Caulfield Judo Centre will always be my family. I know that every current and future student will cherish their time there. Arthur’s legacy will live on through every student, whether he met them or not. Here are some of my medals and a trophy, plus a 2000 Olympic Story along with Maria Pekli’s Story .

The team behind Netflix's "Karate Kid" spinoff "Cobra Kai" announced , on Friday, that the upcoming sixth season will be the show's final one. In an open letter , the series' creators, Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, acknowledged the creative team behind the original 1984 "Karate Kid" movie, Robert Mark Kamen, John Avildsen and Jerry Weintraub, while adding that they were ending the series on their own terms. Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg did leave the door open for another spinoff , however, saying they hoped to be able to tell more Karate Kid stories in the future. Cobra Kai premiered in 2018 on the YouTube Premium service (then called "YouTube Red") before moving to Netflix and followed the lives and martial arts adventures of the original "Karate Kid" protagonists, Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, thirty years later.

I used to think it was a much bigger factor than I do today. Especially when you see how young fighters are when making it to the UFC. Take Raul Rosas Jr. for example, he won his contender series fight at 17 years old and just won his UFC debut at 18. Making him the youngest fighter to compete and win with the organization. After hearing something like that you have to safely assume that fighting is a young man's game, (which it mainly is) but let’s look at a few anomalies that stayed competitive into their 30s and beyond. Up first is Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, MMA’s golden boy, known for being the nicest guy around, his traditional martial arts background coupled with years in the kickboxing circuit has made him one of the most dynamic strikers we have seen in the UFC. Just last weekend, we watched Mr. Thompson pick apart Kevin Holland in their FOTN contender until Holland's corner had to put a stop to it. For someone that has competed as long as he has at that level and will turn 40 in just a couple months, he looks sharper than ever. Second is none other than the former light heavyweight champion, Glover Teixeira. Who just last year won the belt by choking out Jan Blachowicz and becoming the oldest UFC champion at 42 years of age. To say the least, it was highly inspiring to watch someone at his age not only perform at such a high level for so long but see him become a world champion. Glover is still competing to this day. He has since lost his title but thanks to some odd and unfortunate circumstances, he is scheduled to fight for the title again against Jamal Hill on January 21st, 2023. Last one I want to mention is the oldest outlier in our group, the Soldier of God himself, Yoel Romero. Former Cuban Olympian, Yoel has always been an unbelievable athlete over the years and has found a way to stay in amazing fighting shape past the age of 45. With amazing genetics and a life dedicated to athletics, it's incredible to see what the human body can accomplish under the right circumstances. Yoel is currently scheduled to face Vadim Nemkov on February, 4th 2023 for the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship. Honorable mentions here at the end are Guido Cannetti and Clay Guida, both men are in their early 40’s and are still competing in the UFC. While both are highly entertaining to watch, The Carpenter has been a fan favorite of UFC fans for 15 years. With the average age of fighters on roster starting with a 2, countered with the average age of UFC champions starting with a 3. There is a clear pattern demonstrating how critical experience is but claiming that once any person hits a certain age their performance just begins rapidly declining, is clearly false. I’m sure it’s always a factor when you do witness something like that happening, time is a fight that all of us lose but if you play your cards right, you can be world class in your 40s.

Here are some interesting answers by Chat GPT on Martial Arts I'm sure by now you have heard about the hype surrounding the new AI Chatbot called, ChatGPT. Well we took the time to ask it some questions related to martial arts to see what kind of AI answer we can get out of it. Check out the below questions and answers to what we thought was going to get VERY interesting to get feedback from an AI source. Chat GPT on Martial Arts, here are the answers. What is considered the best martial arts? There is no single "best" martial art, as different disciplines excel in different areas and have unique strengths and weaknesses. Some popular martial arts include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which is known for its effectiveness in grappling and ground fighting; Muay Thai, which is known for its striking and clinching techniques; and wrestling, which is known for its focus on take-downs and control. Ultimately, the best martial art for an individual may depend on their personal goals and preferences. The above seems to be a pretty basic responds, so we asked this follow up question: What do you consider the best martial art? As an AI, I do not have personal preferences or opinions. However, many people consider Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to be some of the most effective martial arts for self-defense, as they incorporate techniques from many different styles and also focus on ground fighting and submissions. Other martial arts such as Karate, Tae Kwon Do and Kung Fu are also popular and have their own unique techniques, depending on the style practiced. Ultimately, the effectiveness of a martial art depends on the practitioner's skill level, training, and ability to adapt the techniques to real-world self-defense situations. Ahhh, no you're adding in your AI flare, i see. Okay, let's try something a little bit more in depth. What martial arts is considered the elite art? It's subjective to say which martial art is considered the "elite" as different people have different criteria for what makes a martial art "elite". Some people believe that the martial art that is most effective in real-world self-defense is the elite one, while others might consider the martial art with the most demanding physical training to be elite. Some people might think that the martial art with the most ancient history or the one that is most widely practiced is elite. However, there are some martial arts that are considered as elite by some people due to their effectiveness, physical demands, and historical significance. Some examples of martial arts that are often considered elite are Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Muay Thai, and Krav Maga. These martial arts are known for their effectiveness in real-world self-defense and sport competition, as well as their demanding physical training and deep historical roots. It's important to remember that martial arts are personal and what is elite for one person may not be for another. O.K, now let's just have some fun with a few questions. BJJ or Karate in self defense? Both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and Karate can be effective in self-defense, but they have different strengths and techniques. BJJ is a grappling-based martial art that emphasizes ground fighting and submissions. It is known for its effectiveness in real-world self-defense because it teaches practitioners how to control and submit an attacker using leverage and technique, rather than brute strength. BJJ also includes techniques for defending against strikes and weapons, but its primary focus is on grappling. Karate, on the other hand, is a striking-based martial art that emphasizes punches, kicks, and strikes. It also includes grappling and joint locks, but they are not as emphasized as in BJJ. Karate is known for its strong focus on discipline, respect, and personal development. It is also known for its rigorous physical training and its traditional forms or kata. Karate techniques may be more effective for self-defense in situations where the attacker is at a distance and a strike can be used to defend yourself. While both BJJ and Karate have their own unique strengths, BJJ may be more effective in real-world self-defense situations due to its emphasis on ground fighting and submissions. However, it's important to note that no single martial art can prepare you for every possible self-defense scenario, and the effectiveness of a martial art depends on the practitioner's skill level, training, and ability to adapt the techniques to real-world self-defense situations. And one last one because i know we all want to know what an AI bot thinks of this... Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris? It's impossible to say who would win a fight between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris as it is a hypothetical scenario and they never fought each other. Both Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris were highly skilled martial artists with their own unique strengths and abilities. Bruce Lee was a martial artist, actor, and philosopher, known for his incredible physical conditioning and speed. He developed his own style of martial arts, Jeet Kune Do, which emphasized fluidity and adaptability. He was also a skilled boxer, wrestler, and Wing Chun practitioner, his skills and techniques have influenced many martial artist and have been studied by many. Chuck Norris is a martial artist, actor, and former professional fighter known for his powerful roundhouse kicks and his role in popularizing martial arts in the United States. He is a black belt in several different martial arts, including Tang Soo Do, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Tae Kwon Do, which he has taught for many years. It's important to remember that a fight is not the only way to measure the skills of a martial artist and both of them have achieved great success in their own respective fields. Bruce Lee is widely considered one of the most influential martial artists of all time and his legacy continues to this day. Chuck Norris, on the other hand, has had a successful career in the entertainment industry and is also known for his philanthropic efforts.

We talk a lot about the benefits of the Martial Arts. Training improves your strength, flexibility, and discipline, just to name a few reasons to participate in the Arts. Not to mention self-defense, which is of course, a primary reason for studying. But what are some practical everyday ways in which spending time in the dojo dramatically affects your life? STRENGTH The first thing that comes to mind when we hear the word “strength” is most likely physical strength. Though martial arts do help to cultivate physical strength, I would suggest the mental strength one develops in the arts is of greater overall impact. Life has a way of beating people down. Whether we want to admit it or not, things happen in life that are out of our control, and we either fight or fold. If you’re reading this article, I’m guessing you and I are cut from the same cloth and battle back when life tries to knock us down. As we occasionally get knocked to the mats in class, we develop the strength to get back up. This serves us well in real life when we’re caught off guard or dealt a tough hand. We play the cards we’re given and get back up to fight again. As a result, this improved mental fortitude gives a Martial Artist a great advantage in life in all that they may face. Always getting back up and always fighting forward is true strength. FLEXIBILITY Similar to “strength,” most people think of being able to do splits or touch their toes when they hear the mention of “flexibility.” I want you to think beyond the physical and focus on the mental again. As humans, it is easy to get fixated on a singular objective. This is not necessarily a bad thing. The trouble ensues as we become married to a singular path towards reaching that goal. There are times when we must keep pressing forward to achieve success. It is often cumbersome, but through the continued application of our “mental strength,” we press on repeatedly until reaching our objective. Unfortunately, there are time when we are figuratively beating our heads against a wall with no hope of success. This is where the “flexibility” we learn in the Arts can be one of the greatest lessons we learn from training. When sparring or working through techniques with a partner, things frequently don’t go as planned. This is when we learn to be flexible in our approach. We come up with new solutions spontaneously in the physical world on a micro level, which teaches us to mentally be able to the same in life on a macro level when needed. DISCIPLINE I like to think of “ discipline ” as doing what needs to be done today to yield the results we plan to achieve tomorrow. We often know what we should do, and we need the “discipline” to just keep putting in consistent effort. At other times, we need to course correct and then start down a modified road towards our goal with plodding effort. You may see how this correlates to both the “strength” and “flexibility” mentioned above. Discipline is simply the application of both “strength” and “flexibility” as needed to achieve your ultimate goals. Discipline is pushing through with “strength” when possible and redirecting with “flexibility” when required. SELF-DEFENSE The ultimate physical goal of the Martial Arts is “self-defense.” We all know the story of a kid being bullied and then taking Karate and standing up for himself. This is how many get their start. It is a worthy goal and frequent outcome. This is great, but there is more. The person that builds the ability to defend themselves gains something just as important in the mental realm. They gain “self-confidence.” You can immediately spot people who have confidence in comparison to those who lack that all important ingredient for a happy and healthy life. When a person has confidence, they are not only able to defend themselves or avoid the need to all together, but they also have great success across many areas of their lives. Confidence is the secret sauce in executing the bravery necessary to ask for that raise, start a business, make a big move, or ask that girl out. Obviously, your application of “confidence” may be different, but I hope you get the idea. It is through applied confidence that we obtain our greatest achievements and live our lives to the fullest. The take-home message for today is that the Martial Arts are far more than just physical. It is through the physical which we strive to become all we’re meant to be mentally and spiritually. Salute, Ian Lauer CSCS 3rd Degree Black Belt American Kenpo 1st Degree Black Belt Tae Kwon Do 1st Degree Black Belt Hapkido 1st Degree Black Belt Coszacks Karate

Forms and weapons competition is subjective by nature. A panel of judges with varying martial arts backgrounds and experiences form an opinion about who had the cleanest technique with the most speed, power, difficulty, performance value, and the list goes on and on. Some judges value speed more than power and vice versa, and a few judges may even go against typical convention and value difficulty more than clean technique. With so many variables, what is the secret to persuade the judges to give you a favorable score? It doesn’t matter if you are in a traditional or creative/musical/extreme (CMX) division, or if you are in a weapons or a forms division. The most common way that judges score any division is by using a tally mark system. They write down the list of however many competitors are in the division, and every time “competitor 1” makes a mistake, they receive a tally mark. If competitor 1 has one tally mark and competitor 2 has zero tally marks, then that judge is most likely going to give competitor 2 that winning score of 9.99. Keep in mind that NASKA and most similar circuits use a relative ranking system. This means that 9.99 is not a qualitative assessment in which the judge is saying that form was nearly perfect, it just means that form was better than the rest of the competition in that division. Given that most judges use this tally mark system and spend their time looking for mistakes in your form, the best way to score higher is to seek out which mistakes judges look for most often and make sure you focus your training on correcting these problems. The best place to start is this list of five very common pet peeves that I hear from judges, and that I have myself when I sit in the judge’s chair. Stances and Footwork This is by far the most common category of mistakes that judges penalize competitors for, and with good reason. Stances are an essential part of every style of martial arts as they create the base from which your body will generate power to execute techniques. But what about your stances are the judges looking for? The general guidelines I am about to describe go for every division except traditional forms, where the specific style of your form will dictate modifications to your stances. This entire category primarily boils down to front stances, which are the most used stance in almost every single division other than traditional forms (which also of course have a bunch of front stances). We’ll start from the ground up. Following general competitive standards, both of your feet should be pointing in the same direction as your target during the front stance. A mistake I see all the time is when competitors do a front stance to the corner of the ring, their back foot will point straight forward at the judges instead of pivoting the extra 45 degrees to the target. Good judges will catch this alone, but every judge will catch the most common side effect of this. When the back foot points 45 degrees away from the target, biomechanics give us a tendency to drag the back foot resulting in our weight rolling to the inside of the foot. This causes the classic “rolled” or “bladed” back foot that you may have heard of before. The space created between the ground and the outside edge of the foot is very easy for judges to spot and they will put tally marks down for that every single time. Another very common front stance mistake is bending the back leg. It is actually rather difficult to bend the back leg when your feet are pointed at the proper target because you pretty much have to extend your leg for your heel to plant on the ground in that position. Nonetheless, when people mess up the back foot, they probably bend their back knee as well. A bent back knee is even easier to see than the bladed foot, so make sure you are stretching your hamstrings and calf muscles regularly to make it easier to lock that leg all the way out. Lastly, although this list could probably go on for a dozen more bullet points, it is also very high-yield to avoid movement in your front stances. I’m not talking about shifting back and forth between different front stances, that is fine. However, if you are trying to stay in one front stance during a combination of techniques, the front knee should not have any wiggling side to side, and you should not rise up in your stance as the combo progresses. You should stay at a single level with your legs almost completely still. Granted, this is not ideal for actual combat as you would want to be lighter on your feet and change angles for each striking or blocking technique, but for performance martial arts it is expected that you stay still in your stance until it is time to move on to another stance. Under-Extension That was a lot about front stances, right? The good news for this next category is that it is pretty straight forward (pun absolutely intended). It is easy to assume that judges value speed over everything else, particularly in the CMX divisions but also in the traditional weapons division. When you see world champions competing in the Saturday night finals, the vast majority of them are very fast. This being said, the champions who are most consistently successful are not just fast. They mastered execution of proper technique with full extension first, THEN they added the world class speed. The mistake that this perception causes is that young competitors often attempt to fly through their technique as quickly as possible because they see their idols going that speed. When competitors fly through techniques that fast, it is almost a guarantee that some techniques are going to be left short. When a judge sees under-extension like this, points are coming off of your score. The best way to put it is this: in the eyes of most judges (myself included), a competitor with A+ technique and B- speed should beat a competitor with B- technique and A+ speed. Take the time to develop your technique and extension first, then add speed later. The long-term results are worth it. Yelling in their Faces We are going to take a quick break from talking about technique so that we can discuss a rather odd mistake. To be honest, I don’t really know how this even got started. This tip is exactly what the subtitle says, don’t yell in the judges’ faces! I see so many competitors get to the end of their form and literally lean forward into the center judges’ face to scream their final kiyah at the top of their lungs. Would you like it if someone yelled in your face like that? No! I often see judges having to lean back in their chairs just to get away from the blood-curdling yell being directed at their face. I believe some competitors think that this shows extra intensity or maybe even intimidates the judges… but it does not. Instead, maintain good posture on your final pose and direct your yell outward. By the way, try to avoid yelling in your introduction as well. I frequently see competitors walk up to the judges before their forms and start their intro with something like, “I-YAH! JUDGES, REPRESENTING TEAM…” This has the same negative impact, in my opinion, as yelling at the judges at the end of your form. Instead speak with a forceful tone, as if you were leading a martial arts class, but don’t just scream your name at the judges. Head Position There are a lot of small details that fall under this category. A good rule of thumb to follow is that just like we discussed how your stance should stay almost completely still while you execute a stationary combo, your head should remain still as well. If you are throwing hand techniques or weapons strikes/cuts and your head is shaking all over the place, there is no way you are looking at your target properly and points will be deducted. Looking at your target is another factor that is very easy for judges to assess, and it is also why eye movement is an important habit to correct. I often see competitors with “wandering eyes”, who keep their head still while hitting a pose, but allow their eyes to wander a couple of different directions before going to the next move. In addition to head movement and eye wandering, another very common mistake regarding head position is tucking your chin into your chest or just plain looking downwards. Tucking your chin into your chest closes off your breathing pathway which causes you to tire out more quickly, and it typically causes residual tightness in the shoulders that contribute to poor technique. Keeping your chin up will help you breathe easier and keep your shoulders relaxed, not to mention the fact that you will look more confident with this improved posture. Small Errors The final subcategory I want to discuss consists of all those tiny errors that many competitors, coaches, and parents, may not realize how much it is negatively effecting scoring. A great example appears during balance moves, such as holding a block with one leg in the air during a traditional bo form or doing multiple kicks on one leg during a creative form. Competitors often wiggle their base foot a bit from side to side while this is happening, and they don’t think much of it. They aren’t hopping around or waving their arms off balance like you would imagine a true “stumble” to look like, but they are just moving that base foot around a bit. This seemingly insignificant movement of the base foot is something that I have seen judges penalize competitors for on numerous occasions. The balance move wiggles, for lack of a better term, are the most common example of these barely perceptible mistakes that judges care so deeply about. I’ll list a few others that hopefully you can relate to. If you do a tricking pass and have to do an extra spin after the final landing before you hit the front stances, some judges will count off for that. The expectation is that you should be able to execute the trick, then get to a stance as efficiently as possible without needing an extra spin to get there (this varies by move, of course). If you are releasing a weapon and it travels slightly out of reach, so you have to take even just a step or two to catch it, judges can take points off for that even if the catch itself is perfectly clean. A drifting release is a sign of lack of control of the weapon and regardless of how good the catch looks, chasing it down is a no-no. While on the topic of weapons, if you do double weapons, hitting your weapons against one another is another small error that judges penalize heavily. If they can hear that *clink* of kama blades or *clack* of two bo or nunchaku hitting each other, there’s a good chance they are putting a tally mark next to your name. As you can see, there are a wide variety of reasons that judges may take a point or two off your score. What is important to realize here is that just making three of these mistakes in one form can take what would have been a 9.99 down to a 9.96 or lower depending on how mistake-free your competition is that day. These small details can make a huge difference in where you place from one tournament to the next. My suggestion is that after reading this article, you go watch the most recent video of yourself doing your form and try to identify everything on this list that you can improve. If you do that, you are one giant step in the right direction to becoming the best sport karate competitor you can be.

Looking back at 2022, while there were martial art-specific events, milestones, and achievements, it seemed like 2022 was a year that martial arts crossed over from the esoteric and exotic, and appeared more often in the mainstream. As the year rolled on, martial arts seemed to be becoming a prominent part of the culture. In movies, streaming, our return to the activities we love, and even in the passing of our heroes, the influence of martial arts was front and center. The Big Screen There will always be classic martial art films, such as Enter the Dragon (1973), and Bloodsport (1988) , but martial arts-oriented movies are usually a mere curiosity for the uninitiated. 2022 saw martial arts-action star Michelle Yeoh star in a movie that brought interest and critical acclaim whether viewers knew the difference between Bolo Yeung or a B.O.G.O. at their local supermarket. Everything Everywhere All at Once, with its mind-bending plot and visuals, relatable characters, great action, and a cast that brought nostalgia to some. (With Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan , I was awash in nostalgia myself.) The film was successful in showing martial arts as a part of the story, giving viewers a way into the action regardless of any knowledge of the movies in the Kung Fu canon. While I love a classic revenge tale, or a battle against a shadowy criminal organization as much as the next person, it is the very human story of the little skirmishes against the mundanity of day-to-day living that most viewers could relate to. In Everything Everywhere All at Once , the relationships and characters kept audiences hooked, while the action and stunning images kept them entertained. The Small Screen The Netflix streaming juggernaut Cobra Kai is the small screen home of The Karate Kid universe. Season five was released in September, and like most fans, I consumed it in a day or two. Many of my friends were as eager as I was to get the latest on Miyagi-Do, Cobra Kai, and the always-surprising, Eagle Fang, and the reaction from audiences everywhere was encouraging. Online there was a great response. Seeing Cobra Kai trending on Twitter and viewers taking sides in the dojo war, quoting dialogue, and speculating on the course of events for the next season, was heartening. It wasn’t that long ago that my friend and I were the only people I knew even remotely interested in the show, and we’re both martial artists. Now, after five successful seasons, it is safe to say that the wide appeal has brought fans into the world of martial arts as nothing else could. Has it turned any viewers into students? That, I don’t know, but as The Karate Kid films have affected a generation of actors, writers, and martial artists, I have to believe the popular series will have a similar influence. The Passing of Legends Unfortunately, 2022 brought the passing of two legends in martial arts, Gene LeBell and Bob Wall. Their work and images, forever preserved in their films and television appearances, assures that their memory will not be limited to martial artists. It is not hyperbole to call Gene LeBell a legend. Whether as a stunt man, actor, or Judo practitioner, “Judo Gene” was in people’s lives whether they knew it or not. Appearing as both an actor and stunt person from the 1960s into the 2010s, LeBell made a name for himself with his skills and personality. He appeared in numerous movies and television shows as an actor and stuntperson. With his distinctive pink judogi, LeBell stood out and can never be replaced. Gene LeBell passed away on August 9, 2022. The towering figure of Bob Wall on the silver screen was even more imposing when pitted against his frequent and smaller opponent, Bruce Lee. Wall was in many films throughout his career which spanned six decades, but his appearance in the Bruce Lee films, The Way of the Dragon (1972), Enter the Dragon (1973) and Game of Death (1978) will assure his place in the pantheon of martial art film icons. Through his famous cinematic duels, especially in the iconic Enter The Dragon , Wall has been immortalised and will live on in the world of action cinema essentials. Wall died on January 30, 2022. The Return For martial artists all over the world, the most noticeable feature of 2022 was the return to training. Students could go back to their schools, and competitions and tournaments could resume in a much more open capacity. It wasn’t that long ago that the future of the martial arts industry looked bleak. Would students go back to their schools, or just find something else to do? The signs seem to indicate, anecdotally at least, a recovery. While the importance of solo practice was emphasised and is still essential today, the need for an opponent to hone the application of the skills practiced, as well as the camaraderie of fellow students and teachers, declared its relevance with renewed intensity. It was good to return to the mats. The Future of Martial Arts in Culture There was a time, way before so many of us worked remotely, when “water cooler talk” was how the average person could gauge what was happening in the culture. When people had a moment to discuss what they found interesting in their free time between walking to their desks and the office water bubble, what were people talking about? Now, with increasing frequency, the modern-day equivalent includes martial arts. Whether they are the subjects I’ve mentioned previously or the latest MMA fight. Increased awareness of martial arts in the culture can bring more understanding of its tenets and values, and an acceptance and understanding that there is a real purpose to studying a martial art beyond just the fist.

There are inevitably some traditionalist readers who saw the words “creative form” in the title and immediately scoffed at how ridiculous the whole concept is. Of course, I am biased from my background as a professional competitive martial artist who specialized in creative bo forms. Although this article is rooted in advice that will help build a form for competition, I would argue that building forms with the techniques at your disposal is a valuable practice to challenge any martial artist regardless of style. It should also be noted that “creative” in the sense used in this article refers to ANY form that is made up by the practitioner, not bound by the definition from any sport karate league. That means the information to follow applies to extreme and musical performances as well. For the competitors in the audience, the sport karate community is dealing with an epidemic in which countless of forms look very similar. Whether it is forms or weapons, the typical layout features an opening section that drifts to one side of the ring, a trick combo of sorts that travels across the ring, a middle section that fades to a front corner, another trick or kick combo that travels from that front corner to the back corner, then the form ends as the competitor approaches the front for the grand finale. With so many forms being choreographed in this format, a fantastic way to stand out from your competition, or to simply challenge yourself more as a choreographer, is to break this mold. There are good things about this format. Most of the credit for building this choreography belongs to Carmichael Simon, who debuted his “super combo” at the 1995 Bluegrass Nationals as he dominated the men’s forms division that season. He is an all-time great competitor and one of the essential innovators in our sport’s history. There are concepts that are still important today such as using as much of the ring as possible and ending your form while approaching the judges at the front of the ring. However, if the majority of competitors are still using a format that was developed almost thirty years ago, an alteration of the classic format may be beneficial. I understand that it isn’t very helpful to say, “just go be different!” That is an impossible task because creativity does not happen by demand, it happens organically. You need to spend time in an empty dojo with your favorite music playing in the background, just messing around with your skills for hours on end in order for the creative juices to flow. What I aim to do with these three steps is to give you a template that helps you transform those aimless creativity sessions into form building that can give you a finished product. Step One: Pick your Tricks Most of the time, if you are creating a form from scratch you are probably at a level as a martial artist in which you have figured out your favorite moves. Those moves where if you have to demonstrate in front of the class, you know you are going to do a tornado kick , or whatever that favorite move of yours may be. It doesn’t matter if you are a novice creative martial artist who just wants to make a form for fun, or if you are planning to use this form to compete for world championships, you must start by deciding which of these favorite moves you want to show off. If you are in that latter group, wanting to win world championships, it is important to balance out the list of moves you come up with. They should all be some of your favorites, no one wants to do a form full of moves that they hate, but it is important to have variety. If you are a high-level tricker and your top three favorite tricks are all corkscrew variations, you probably want to just pick one or two of them to prevent your new form from become repetitive. Additionally, you want to be sure you have the appropriate amount of difficulty to be competitive in your division. Finally, and this is worthy of an entirely separate article, you should also seek to come up with brand new moves of your own. Even if you put together moves that others have done before in a brand-new way (which is encouraged and impressive), that won’t compare to creating something that is truly yours, a signature move . My best one-sentence advice to create a signature move is to always give yourself that aforementioned time in an empty dojo, and actively think about how you could do something different during those sessions. The power of time and an active brain is immeasurable. Step Two: Arrange the Tricks Uniquely This step is where the actual layout of the form comes into play, a vital part of this discussion. I’ll use tricking terms in this example as that seems to be a common denominator among the competitors of today. Let’s say that you decided the three tricks that you want to do in this form are a double cork because it is your most difficult skill, a jackknife because you know you execute that technique really well, and you really want to do a combo featuring an illusion twist because that’s your favorite move in your arsenal. Now let’s ask ourselves, “how would most competitors arrange these tricks?” I would say that many competitors would start with that double cork straight out of the gate. They will probably say their introduction, turn away from the judges, maybe walk to the corner to get more space, and throw that dub. Then they’ll throw their opening hand combination, and get set on one side of the ring to start their tricking pass across the ring with an illusion twist. Lastly, they would throw the jackknife right in front of the judges near the end of the form as a final exclamation point. Let me be clear, this is a good format, but it is not a unique format. If you wanted to rearrange these tricks in an unorthodox way to help you stand out, you could consider changing the way your form starts. Instead of starting in the stereotypical low block before a chop-punch combination, how about you bust into the form with a huge jackknife and turn out of the hook kick immediately into that opening hand combo? Then, let’s not trick across the center of the ring. Let’s use that hand combo to back us up into one of the corners away from the judges, and set up that big double cork going to one of the front corners and stomp it right in front of the judges. Well, if you do that double cork to the front corner, now you are off-center and don’t want to end the form off to the side, right? Exactly! You still have that illusion twist in your bag. Use that illusion twist to carry you from one corner to the center of the ring. The two keys here are identifying how competitors normally use those moves, then asking yourself “what if” questions to arrive at new solutions. The other great thing about this method of thinking is that you can customize it to the skill level and number of tricks you want. The same principles apply to a form with one trick because you are new to this, or to a world champion form that have 4-5 big tricks instead of three. Step Three: Use Basics as the Glue Remember those traditionalists that I said would scoff at this entire article in the first paragraph? If you are one of them and you’ve made it this far, congratulations! We have made it to the most important part of this entire article, in which I will stress the importance of basics. Despite the fact that the choreography method I am proposing begins with figuring out the tricks and where to put them, that DOES NOT imply that the tricks are more important. The foundational martial arts techniques should make up the majority of your form and are the most important scoring criteria in the eyes of most judges. If you do not put enough basics in the form, and if they aren’t clean enough, it won’t matter how revolutionary your format is. The tricks are what help you execute most of the movement in the form, but once you get to those spaces you must have content through basics. Otherwise, your form will only wind up being about 15 seconds long. The remaining 30-45 seconds of the form are where you can get as creative as possible with your basic punches, chops, blocks, and stances. To help you stand out, it is alright to take inspiration from others but avoid copy and pasting hand combinations directly into your new form. Watch a video of great creative hand combo artists like Marcel Jones, Matt Emig, Brendon Huor, Micah Karns, and more to get ideas, then search for alterations you can make to create a similar combo of your own. Taking inspiration from multiple sources and actively trying to add your own flair is almost assured to result in a unique-looking combo. The final thing to keep in mind as you work through this process, is that it won’t always work. It is impossible to make creativity a flawless process because you must make mistakes to learn what actually works. You could build the form three different ways or put together a new hand combination a dozen different ways and not like any of them. That’s okay . One of the most rewarding parts of making your own form is the satisfaction of finally getting something you are happy with after so many frustrating attempts. If you aren’t happy with it, always try another way. You never know when the next attempt will be the discovery that sets you apart from your competition. Special thanks to Lindsey Little Photography for the cover image, featuring Judah Sagawa of Team Freestyle.

As first reported by the New York Times, the Professional Fighters League has signed internet influencer turned wannabe pro boxer Jake Paul to a contract to compete in mixed martial arts. Paul will supposedly compete in a new "super fight" category with bouts held outside the PFL's normal tournament format and televised exclusively on pay-per-view. Paul, 6-0 as a boxer with all his bouts coming against other internet influencers, basketball players and retired mixed martial artists but no legitimate boxers, has never fought in mixed martial arts. PFL chairman Donn Davis said it could be at least a year before Paul is ready for his first MMA bout. Paul has been calling for a two-fight series against former UFC contender Nate Diaz, one in boxing and one in MMA with the PFL. Paul also acquired an equity stake in the PFL and was given the title "Head of Fighter Advocacy" which, according to the Times, means he'll primarily make social media posts about the organization. The super fight division will reportedly offer fighters a 50-50 split of the pay-per-view revenue, which is a much better percentage than the UFC offers. However, the UFC PPVs draw far more viewers with reports claiming the PFL's first PPV event last year on ESPN+ couldn't top 10,000 buys.

As the Boeing 787 crept through a layer of clouds that shrouded Chicago O’Hare International Airport, revealing an atmospheric desert that seemed to stretch for miles as the clouds joined forces, I was on my way to Honolulu. This was not a usual trip for vacation, or by my standards of “normal” to go and teach a seminar, but to embark on a transformative journey for every medical student: clinical rotations. As a medical student at Uniformed Services University and therefore an active duty member of the military, I have the unique opportunity to learn about the practice of medicine at military medical centers all over the country. So, why am I writing about this in a Black Belt Magazine article? The first reason, in jest, is that there is something about being 30,000 feet in the air that inspires the mind to write. The second, more important, reason is that I discovered the perfect example of a lesson I have taught students who aspire to be great performance martial artists countless times. In fact, I believe this idea to be the greatest link between my dual passions as a martial artist and student doctor. The lesson is rather cliché, something many martial artists are told as a white belt, that “if you believe in yourself there is no limit to what you can do.” Growing up in the Hwang’s Martial Arts taekwondo system, every belt had a sort of proverb associated with it, and that quote was one of them. At the end of a lecture by the dean of my medical school a few months ago, he recommended the book Every Second Counts , in which Donald McRae tells the story of four esteemed heart surgeons and their race to perform the first successful human heart transplant. I asked my parents for the book for Christmas, and this 9 hour and 30-minute flight was the perfect opportunity to read it. I’ve paused my reading to write this article at the end of chapter two. One of the critical steps in making heart transplantation possible, although they didn’t know it at the time, was the ability to restart the heart after it sat cold and blue for an hour while a heart-lung machine oxygenated the blood for the rest of the body. It is as much of a miracle as it sounds, a testament to the resiliency of the heart. On July 22nd, 1958, at the research center of my alma mater Stanford University, Drs. Norman Shumway and Richard Lower discovered that it was possible. The aorta, a very large vessel that delivers blood from the powerful left ventricle of the heart to the rest of the body, of a 42-pound dog was cross-clamped to obstruct blood flow, rendering the canine dependent on the machine. The two surgical pioneers waited an agonizing sixty minutes while the heart was full of cold saline before the clamp was removed and the heart began to fibrillate (essentially a disorganized tremor of the heart muscle). Shumway shocked the heart, and it started to beat at a regular rhythm with the continued assistance of the oxygenating machine. After another half hour, the pump was turned off, the dog was sewn back together, and shortly after the dog awoke and licked his surgeon on the hand. Shumway looked at his colleague and said, “we could do anything…” This remarkable medical discovery never would have been made if Shumway and Lower did not think there was the slightest chance it was possible. The standard of care for open heart surgery until that point was to attempt to repair an atrial septal defect (a hole in the wall that normally separates the two collecting chambers on the top of the heart) in under 6 minutes so that oxygenated blood could be sent back to the brain before permanent damage occurred. Most physicians would have called Shumway and Lower foolish to believe they could stop the heart for an hour, but they believed in themselves. It is a powerful story that I feel applies directly to sport martial arts. Surgeons have to manage the additional risk that a failed experiment will cost the life of an animal, and even more so that a failed operation will cost the life of another human being. What risk does a martial arts competitor have? That they drop their weapon and get disqualified? That they don’t win a particular tournament that is going to happen again next year? In the grand scheme of risk-taking, every “risk” that a sport martial artist takes is one that only impacts oneself. A mistake on the tatami does not constitute the loss of life for animal or man. So if Shumway and Lower were willing to risk the life of dogs and the eventual human patients they would attempt the technique on in the interest of saving more lives in the future, why wouldn’t you take the risk of a minor athletic setback for a chance to earn yourself a spot in sport karate history? I understand it is a stretch, that in many ways this is an apples-to-oranges discussion that effectively just allows me to ramble about the two things I love most in this world outside of my wife and family, martial arts and medicine. However, the point that I am trying to make is that competitors should be daring, because the risk is not actually as great as what we sometimes make it out to be. In my time as a weapons competitor, my journey effectively began when my dad and I constructed a strategy to do more releases than had ever been done in a weapons form to our knowledge, and balance the form with striking combinations. It was unconventional and somewhat controversial, but it worked. That was in 2010, and by 2012 I became the first person to throw the bo up and spin twice before catching it behind my back in competition. In 2013 I dared to try to catch the bo on the back of my hand, and by the summer of that same year I upgraded the technique to catch the bo with only a finger. I truly believe that the risks I was willing to take as a competitor, the determination to do what had not been done before, is what allowed me to achieve the blessings I can now reflect on. If it worked for me, I know it can work for you as well. In martial arts, in medicine, and in life, there is truly no limit to what you can achieve as long as you believe in yourself and put in the work. People will tell you that it won’t work, that it is impossible. To that, I respond and leave you with my favorite quote, which happens to be by Walt Disney: “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” * Opinions expressed in this article are my own and do not reflect those of the Uniformed Services University or the United States Army.

PUBG Mobile, one of the world's most popular mobile video games, will be adding a playable character based on the late martial arts star, Bruce Lee. The free-to-play fighting game announced they are partnering with the Bruce Lee Family Company, run by Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee, to add the likeness of Lee to their cast of characters. The company released an image of Lee's character in the iconic yellow track suit the actor wore in the movie Game of Death and said there will be a unique collection of in game outfits players can choose from. Billed as part of the "Martial Showdown," Lee will be available to play in the Version 2.4 update slated to be released later this month.

Martial arts is an expansive industry. However, two organizations stand at the top of the marketplace, well ahead of every other competitor. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and ONE Championship lead the way from all fronts as 2023 begins. The two behemoth martial arts companies are the only two in the industry with a market cap of over $1 billion. The UFC currently has a $10 billion cap, with ONE checking in at $1.4 billion. The next closest is the Professional Fighters League (PFL) at $500 million. And fans are devouring their content, specifically on social media. While Bellator and PFL are under 10 million followers across the main social platforms, the UFC has over 115 million followers, and ONE has over 54 million. Based on videos published to the platforms, ONE outperforms the rest of the organizations combined with over 7 billion organic video views. The UFC chimed in with 4.3 billion video views, while Glory Kickboxing pulled in 877 million. Bellator and the PFL registered just over 200 million over the last year. The difference in numbers was also reflected in the 2022 Nielsen Year In Review report, with ONE showing 13.8 billion total digital video views, ahead of the UFC’s 6.6 billion views. Per the same report, ONE is leading the way in global cumulative television reach with 406 million viewers, ahead of the UFC’s 259 million. While the UFC leads the way on YouTube with nearly 6 billion in cumulative viewership, ONE is right behind with over 3 billion. The next closest competitor is Rizin with 626 million in total viewership, and Bellator at around 569 million. It is a clear indicator of the sport’s global duopoly. And it is evident with the 2023 plans that the two martial arts leaders will keep the momentum rolling. Each organization gives athletes the most opportunities. Each organization has over 600 athletes competing, and both are planning dozens of events in the new year. ONE’s 2023 schedule will only outdo the UFC’s slate of over 40 shows with 68 scheduled events for the year. With martial arts continuing to grow around the world, ONE and the UFC are carrying the banner in 2023. The level of martial arts only continues to rise with the investment and support from top-tier organizations committed to its rise. The global duopoly is providing athletes with the biggest platforms and biggest opportunities. Thus we can easily say that UFC &ONE Championship are a Global Martial Arts Duopoly