Summer 2023

Black Belt Magazine

Martial arts info you need to keep your power focused & your technique true!

Black Belt Magazine3 min read
Most Dangerous In My Eyes
On the occasion of my 30th anniversary as a martial arts magazine editor, I decided to weigh in on the contentious subject of the most dangerous martial arts based on what I’ve witnessed. In a nutshell, which styles would I least like to face in a fi
Black Belt Magazine1 min read
Black Belt Magazine
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Robert W. Young COPY CHIEF Jeannine Santiago A/R MANAGER Jennifer Rozon ART DIRECTOR Stacy Robertson DIRECTOR OF MEDIA AND PUBLISHING DEVELOPMENT Patrick Sternkopf VIDEO EDITOR Alec Sprinkle CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Lito Angeles, Floyd Bu
Black Belt Magazine3 min read
Karate Legend Fumio Demura Dies At 84
Shortly after celebrating his 75th year in the martial arts, Fumio Demura passed away. It happened on April 24, 2023. He was 84 and a ninth dan. Demura’s career in the arts started long before he moved to America from Japan. Born on September 15, 193
Black Belt Magazine1 min read
Professional Fighters League Signs Jake Paul To MMA Contract
The Professional Fighters League has signed internet-influencer-turned-pro-boxer Jake Paul to a contract to compete in MMA. Paul is supposed to appear in a new superfight category with bouts held outside the PFL’s normal tournament format and televis
Black Belt Magazine1 min read
Team Paul Mitchell Picks Up New Competitors
The longest-running sponsored team in the history of sport karate has recruited two more athletes. Following the signing of Gabrielle Rudolph, the team announced the addition of Jake Mueck and Sean Magallanes. The team plans to develop these talented
Black Belt Magazine1 min read
Power Rangers Star Jason David Frank Dead At 49
Jason David Frank, an accomplished martial artist who starred in numerous versions of the Power Rangers franchise, died in Texas at age 49. No official cause of death has been given. Frank rose to fame in 1993 while portraying the Green Ranger, a vil
Black Belt Magazine1 min readInternational Relations
Indian Border Police Prepare To Fight Medieval-style Attacks
The press in India is reporting on a martial arts program now being employed by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, a force that guards the country’s border with China. The training is seen to be in direct response to a 2020 hand-to-hand combat clash bet
Black Belt Magazine1 min readWorld
“The Grandmaster Of Kung Fu” Released
Former wushu world champion Du Yuhang (aka Dennis To) stars in an action-packed martial arts extravaganza titled The Grandmaster of Kung Fu. He plays a martial arts master engaged in a life or-death battle with a Japanese military commander in an eff
Black Belt Magazine1 min read
Apple Watch Triggers Police Raid On Muay Thai Gym
Apple Inc. added a kickboxing workout to its Apple Fitness+ app, but apparently not all Apple devices are in love with martial arts. More than a dozen police officers deployed to a Sydney, Australia, muay Thai gym after a false alert from an Apple Wa
Black Belt Magazine2 min read
Dojo Listings
Sixkiller’s House of Kenpo Karate 1570 E Northern Ave., Suite B Kingman, AZ 86409 (928) 607-0021 sixkillerjr.jess@yahoo.com Blain Cort’s Total Self-Defense 2955 McMurry Drive Anderson, CA 96007 blaincort@gmail.com Golden Tiger Karate 9501 Flushing Qu
Black Belt Magazine3 min read
Community
An error found its way into “Master the Armbar: The Results From the Groundbreaking Armbar Research Study Will Serve as Your Secret Weapon!” which Barry A. Broughton, Ph.D., wrote for our Spring 2023 issue. It’s on Page 54. Figure 4 and Figure 5 shou
Black Belt Magazine4 min read
Unintended Consequences
Be skeptical when anyone suggests changes in your karate training. I’m not talking about changes that are a natural part of the progression of your training. When you began your karate practice, you had to spend long, tedious hours on the basics — li
Black Belt Magazine5 min read
Hapkido’s Bong Soo Han: The Making Of A Martial Arts Legend
“Martial arts is not just a process for training fighters. Fighting is of least importance. What is important is the growth in the student’s physical structure, mental discipline and emotional control.”—Bong Soo Han Much has been written about Bong S
Black Belt Magazine6 min read
Killer Instinct
It’s not the size of the woman in the fight but the size of the fight in the woman. At 5 feet 3 inches and 115 pounds, “Kathleen” can attest to that. When she was assaulted by a knife-wielding rapist, it was her animal-like determination to not be ra
Black Belt Magazine5 min read
They Now? Guy Mezger: From MMA Fighter
To be successful in mixed martial arts nowadays, you need an all-around game. But 30 years ago, when the Ultimate Fighting Championship started, there weren’t many well-rounded fighters. The earliest competitors were grapplers or strikers but almost
Black Belt Magazine5 min read
The Day Jujitsu Died
Let us look at one historical instance that illuminates a lesson in task saturation, or what Miyamoto Musashi called “sword flowers.” Jujitsu just happens to be the vehicle of this lesson. The art is not being picked on at all. The focus is less on t
Black Belt Magazine5 min read
Pre-emptive Strikes: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, Part 1
In my six previous columns, pre-emptive striking featured prominently. One reason for this was to highlight its importance in self-defense when you have to use physical violence as a last resort because avoidance and/or verbal de-escalation failed or
Black Belt Magazine1 min read
A Deep Dive With Benny Urquidez
Few fighters have a reputation as formidable and a record as impressive as Benny “The Jet” Urquidez. As you will see, his path from the traditional martial arts to full contact and then to kickboxing had more than its share of bumps. It makes a fasci
Black Belt Magazine5 min read
Up Close: Benny Urquidez
HOME BASE: California STYLES: judo, kenpo, kickboxing, ukidokan RECORD: 63-1-1 with two no contests FILMS: Force: Five, Wheels on Meals, Grosse Pointe Blank What is your origin story? I started in judo, then in 1963 I started kenpo karate. I started
Black Belt Magazine2 min read
Featured Item
The new Black Belt+ app for your digital device offers access to many things, including more than 1,000 hours of videos featuring the most famous martial artists in the world. Among that portion of the content are hundreds of martial arts movies — cl
Black Belt Magazine8 min read
Killer Character Actor
There was something different about him. His powerful baritone voice sounded familiar, but the accent wasn’t British anymore. The charming smile was the same, but his teeth were edged with gold, his once-chiseled jaw line now lost behind blubbery jow
Black Belt Magazine1 min read
Fit To (film) Fight
If you’ve ever watched Scott Adkins play Yuri Boyka in the Undisputed franchise, you know that he not only can bulk up while maintaining muscular definition (aka “be swole and shredded”) but also can exhibit the flexibility needed to do 720-degree sp
Black Belt Magazine1 min read
Accomplished Martial Arts Director On An Accomplished Martial Arts Star
I first noticed Scott Adkins in 2002. My good friend Don Warrener showed me a VHS tape Scott had sent to our company Rising Sun Productions. Don literally had to twist my arm in order for me to see the tape. Once I watched it, I immediately understoo
Black Belt Magazine8 min read
Lock Up
You’re engaged in a physical conflict, moving about as needed — and then all of a sudden, you find yourself locked up with your adversary. There’s no referee to separate you. Now what? Do you struggle to get free or work it to your advantage? In pank
Black Belt Magazine3 min read
Martial Arts Anatomy 101 Physiology Of The Liver Shot
BY BARRY A. BROUGHTON, PH.D. When it comes to incapacitating an opponent, experienced strikers know that a well-placed liver shot can be as effective as a knockout blow to the head. Most martial artists, however, are not aware of the cascade of event
Black Belt Magazine4 min read
11 Martial Arts Experts On T He Liver!
Effectiveness of the Liver Shot: “[I’ve found] the left hook to the body [to be very effective]. I’ve dropped a few guys in fights with that. I’ve knocked out hundreds of guys with it in training — usually in the form of a liver shot. I’d say the lef
Black Belt Magazine10 min read
Biting In Fighting
Stand in front of a group of martial artists and bring up the notion of biting during self-defense, and you’ll get bombarded with a wide range of opinions — and probably spawn some arguments and maybe a few altercations. What you won’t get is a conse
Black Belt Magazine11 min read
Inquiring Minds Want T0 Know!
When the editor of Black Belt requested a survey article dealing with the most meaningful questions martial arts instructors are asked — “meaningful” in the context of being valuable in the eyes of their peers and their students, especially those who
Black Belt Magazine8 min read
Hemispheric B lade Defense
A knife fight is a dangerous and bloody matter. Nobody wants to get into a knife fight — ever. Unfortunately, the United States has seen a rise in violent crime, especially incidents involving cutting and stabbing instruments. The take-away is that e
Black Belt Magazine5 min read
How To Create A Martial Art Case Study: Combat Hapkido
On October 22, 2022, the International Combat Hapkido Federation celebrated its 30th anniversary. As you might expect, we’re proud of our organization’s longevity, stability and success. With hundreds of martial arts schools, military bases and law-e
Black Belt Magazine3 min read
From the Archives VOL. 19, NO. 12, $1.95
• “For me, the practice of training has to begin with diet,” Eric Lee says in the cover story. “For the physical aspect of being in shape for competition, training hard and well is about 50 percent of the job, and nutrition is about equal to that in

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