Israeli Self-Defense: The Genesis of Kapap Techniques and Their Application...
There’s a saying by Rabbi Nachman of Braslav: “Don’t let who you are destroy who you can be.” Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert John Machado always tells his students, “Don’t let your ego step onto the mat.”...
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Kayla Harrison Shows You Judo’s Ouchi Gari (Major Inner Reaping Throw) Technique
Kayla Harrison has studied judo with two-time Olympic medalist and 1999 world judo champ Jimmy Pedro since she was 16. At age 20, she stepped onto the World Judo Championships mat in Tokyo in September...
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Aikido’s Morihei Ueshiba | Classic Martial Arts Profiles
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the May 1968 issue of Black Belt. Its original title was “The Old Man and the Ki.” The text is presented here with the time references intact....
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Gary Goltz Demonstrates a Hybridized Judo-Aikido Self-Defense Kata
“Kata means prearranged form,” explains 7th-dan judo master Gary Goltz, president and CEO of the United States Judo Association. “In karate, they have lots of prearranged forms where the individual...
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From Hapkido to Kuk Sool: Exploring Korea’s Martial Arts
I found several kumdo schools (kendo in Japanese), countless taekwondo, hapkido and kuk sool academies, and a boxing gym within 100 yards of the apartment I occupied in Pusan, Korea. On the same block...
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Joe Lewis’ Top 10 Martial Arts for Self-Defense
This list is in no particular order. I could have put krav maga, haganah and others in there, but when I got to 10, I stopped. This list will piss off many instructors, but they have to realize, for...
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Learn the “Juji Squish Roll” From Judo Player and MMA Fighter Ronda Rousey!
In this exclusive martial arts video, Ronda Rousey demonstrates what she calls the “Juji Squish Roll” judo technique. Ronda Rousey was the first female judoka to win a medal at the World Championships...
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Karate Techniques: Master the Knifehand Strike
It’s been called the edge-of-the-hand strike, the ax hand, the shuto, the thousand-hand strike and the judo chop. It can be found in virtually every martial art from karate to kung fu and in every kata...
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Booboo Stewart: Exclusive Footage of X-Men’s “Warpath” With Sister Fivel...
Back in the 1970s and ’80s, America’s youth signed up in droves for traditional martial arts training — often at the urging of their parents, who hoped karate, taekwondo and kung fu would teach their...
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“Judo” Gene LeBell vs. Boxer Milo Savage: America’s First MMA Fight
Editor’s Note: Decades before Royce Gracie donned his gi and choked out Ken Shamrock at the UFC 1, “Judo” Gene LeBell stepped into the ring to face boxer Milo Savage. In this exclusive interview from...
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Shito-Ryu Karate Trailblazer: Fumio Demura
Ask the average karate practitioner to name the main styles of Japan, and chances are he’ll rattle off shotokan, goju-ryu and wado-ryu with no trouble. But unless he’s really up on his art, there’s a...
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History of Judo: USJA President Gary Goltz Discusses How Judo Intersects With...
In this exclusive Q&A video, USJA president and CEO Gary Goltz talks with Black Belt Executive Editor Robert W. Young about how the history of judo techniques intersect with the history and...
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Sparring Without Striking: When Training Safely Gets Too Safe
I was recently talking with a friend who’s a high-level taekwondo guy. He was telling me about a school he’d visited that really impressed him. It had a large, highly motivated group of students. Most...
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Haruo Matsuoka on Steven Seagal and Aikido’s History in America
Haruo Matsuoka throws an opponent while Steven Seagal (far right) looks on. Haruo Matsuoka is a study in contrasts. Although he speaks with a noticeable Japanese accent, he’s eloquent in his English...
View ArticleWords of Wisdom From Jigoro Kano, Founder of Judo
As reported in the February 1971 issue of Black Belt, these words of wisdom come from judo founder Jigoro Kano. “There are two types of judo. “Small judo is concerned with only techniques and the...
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One of the Most Important Lessons of the Martial Arts Can Be Learned From Sumo
Sometimes members of our community are surprised to hear sumo referred to as a martial art. It certainly doesn’t seem to fit in with karate, judo, aikido and the like. Sumo is still largely an unknown...
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Tribute to Darren Shahlavi, Co-Star of the Kickboxer Remake, Ip Man 2 and...
On January 14, 2015, Darren Shahlavi died of undisclosed causes at his Los Angeles home. An accomplished stuntman, actor and martial artist, he’s perhaps best-known for his appearances in Mortal...
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The Life and Times of American Martial Arts Pioneer Donn F. Draeger, Part 1
On October 20, 1982, the martial arts world lost one of its most dynamic and charismatic figures. Donn F. Draeger, USMC (retired), budo kyoshi (full professor of Japanese martial arts and ways) and...
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Wisdom of the Martial Arts: Advice for the Dojo, Advice for Life!
For cerebral students of self-defense, a favorite facet of the fighting arts is the accumulated wisdom that’s conveyed in class, in books, in magazines and on television. These comments and...
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The Bruce Lee Effect: Changing the Martial Arts, Changing the World
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 nothing. An artist can be well-known for quality work or infamous for...
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