Black Belt Magazine

It all started with a struggle for control of the TV remote. What unfolded exemplified the value of jiu-jitsu, especially for people like me who have zero chance of engaging an enemy in a Taliban cave (which Tim Kennedy refers to in this issue’s cover story) but a decent chance of having to manage an uppity friend or family member. In this context, “manage” means control without hurting — the polar opposite of slamming a shin kick into someone’s thigh if all I knew was muay Thai. Back to the story … A friend’s teenage grandson was the person on the other end of the remote. He’s about 10 pounds lighter than I am and about four decades younger. In addition, he’s fueled by the I-can-whoop-any-adult attitude that all teenage boys…

Martial arts movie icon Bruce Lee was named the recipient of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Film Pioneer award at the 18th Chinese American Film Festival in San Gabriel, California. At the Golden Angel Awards ceremony that opened the festival, Lee’s daughter Shannon was on hand to accept the honor. Variety quoted her as telling the audience, “Thank you for recognizing his impact, his fight for Asian representation in Hollywood, his desire to create and share authentically his culture with the world.” The 2016 movie Birth of the Dragon, a fictionalized account of Lee’s challenge match with kung fu master Wong Jack Man, previously won a Golden Angel Award. —Mark Jacobs THAI FIGHT HOTEL OPENS ITS DOORS Kickboxing promotion Thai Fight opened what it’s calling the world’s first muay Thai hotel on Koh Samui…

Arizona Sixkiller’s House of Kenpo Karate1570 E Northern Ave., Suite BKingman, AZ 86409(928) 607-0021sixkillerjr.jess@yahoo.com California Blain Cort’s Total Self-Defense2955 McMurry DriveAnderson, CA 96007blaincort@gmail.com Golden Tiger Karate9501 Flushing QuailBakersfeild, CA 93312(661) 345-4371goldentigerkarate@yahoo.com Kuk Sool Won-Rohnert Park Martial Arts311 Professional Center DriveRohert Park, CA 94928(707) 494-1151Kuksoolwonrp@yahoo.com Red Dragon Championship Martial Arts1603 Garnet Ave.San Diego, CA 92109(858) 263-4212reddragonpb@live.com Budokai (Budokaikan Association)4616 Park Granada #72Calabasas, CA 91302(747) 444-7940senseialex@budokai.net Connecticut New England Rendokan1845 Silas Deane HighwayRocky Hill, CT 06067(860) 628-1022Info@ner1.net Florida All American Martial Arts & Krav Maga Academy4255 US Highway 1 South, Suite 4St. Augustine, FL 32086(904) 797-2262lessons@staugustinetaekwondo.com Georgia Kombative Academy of Traditional Martial ArtsSavannah Mall, 1st Floor14045 Abercorn St., Suite 1512Savannah, GA 31419(912) 459-8693katmadefense@gmail.com Georgia Lozo Karate6395 Spalding Drive, Suite CPeachtree Corners, GA 30092(404) 333-8808info@goranlozo.comlozokarate.com Louisiana Zanshin Dojo3925 Highway 59Mandeville, LA 70471(504) 220-7228info@ZanshinDojoMRJ.com Massachusetts Aikido of Bristol County985 Monmouth St.New Bedford, MA 02745(508) 542-9437hatch121@aol.com 1 Chace Rd., #9East Freetown, MA 02717(508) 542-9437Tenshindojo1@gmail.com North American…

ON CINEMA BLACK BELT: WHICH MARTIAL ARTS MOVIE DO YOU CONSIDER “CORNY” BUT GOOD? Brian S Woods: Everything cinematic is corny … the best is Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. [shown] Robin Hay: Billy Jack James Tan: Big Trouble in Little China, for sure. I love it so much! Happy FattyKarate: “Lady Dragon.” I kinda liked it, as corny as it was. Rumbletoe: The Last Dragon. Although when I watch it now it comes across as being mildly racist, with some over the top racial stereotypes but it was perfectly acceptable back then. Its intentions were good. ON A LINK TO A BLACKBELTMAG.COM STORY BLACK BELT: HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY A MCDOJO? Joe Swift Karate: I don’t. Outside of a few specific traits, the word “McDojo” is mostly a blanket term used by mediocre yet egotistical, self-proclaimed “true martial artists”…

“Today, we learn the front kick. Take a front stance. You have too much weight on your back leg. Now raise your knee as high as you can. No, your butt is sticking out; tuck it in. Keep your raised foot parallel to the floor. Your arms are flailing; pull them in, elbows against your sides. No, that’s too tight. Relax more. Your supporting leg is too stiff; you need to get a springing action from it as you kick. Keep your back straight. Lift your knee higher so your thigh is parallel to the floor.” If you learned the front kick in a good karate dojo, you heard all that advice and a lot more. However, think back — did you hear all of it the first time you were…

Fifty-five years later, he’s the founder and president of the Martial Arts History Museum in Burbank, California. It’s an establishment where you can find, among other things, the gopher chucks from Kung Pao: Enter the Fist, artifacts from the storied career of Benny “The Jet” Urquidez and traditional instruments that are played during muay Thai matches, not to mention obligatory displays like samurai swords and armor. The theme could be described as Asian culture seen through the lens of the martial arts — not only how those arts kick and punch but also where they come from and what impact they’ve had on their country of origin and the culture of the United States. IT STARTED WITH A MAGAZINE: After several years of writing for various martial arts publications, Matsuda founded his…