Black Belt Magazine

Black Belt tells you everything you need to know about every style of self-defense in the world! It offers the broadest, most informative coverage of all aspects of the traditional fighting disciplines that were developed in Asia, as well as the modern eclectic systems that were devised in the West.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Black Belt Magazine

BLACK BELT CELEBRATES 60 YEARS OF HISTORY AT MARTIAL ARTS SUPERSHOW

DANISH TV GREENLIGHTS SHAOLIN REALITY SHOW

BLACK BELT DONATES BOOKS TO ORPHANS IN SRI LANKA

KARATE COMBAT BREAKS INTO TOP 50 IN SPORTS VIDEO VIEWS

BRUCE LEE EXHIBIT, PERSONAL LIBRARY OPEN AT SEATTLE MUSEUM

MEXICAN JUDOKA DIES OF CARDIAC ARREST

NETFLIX RELEASES “FISTFUL OF VENGEANCE” STARRING IKO UWAIS

GROUPS STRIVE TO GROW AMATEUR MMA IN USA

DOJO LISTINGS

COMMUNITY

A THOUGHT FROM “SENSEI LOWRY” • IN JAPANESE, TITLES GO AFTER ONE’S NAME. IN ENGLISH, IT’S JUST THE OPPOSITE. SO MR. SUZUKI WOULD BE ADDRESSED IN JAPANESE AS SUZUKI-SAN, AND PROFESSOR SMITH WOULD BE SMITH SENSEI.

FIGHTING WITH ROPES AND SASHES • THE WORD “THUG” CAN BE FOUND IN ANY DICTIONARY OF MODERN ENGLISH, BUT FEW PEOPLE KNOW THAT IT ACTUALLY ORIGINATED IN ANCIENT INDIA. THERE, MEMBERS OF CRIMINAL GANGS BORE THAT NAME, AND THEIR ACTIVITIES WERE KNOWN AS THUGGEE IN THE LOCAL DIALECT.

NEW FRONTIERS • WITH THE RISE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, WOMEN ARE LEVERAGING NEW POWER, AUTONOMY AND IDENTITY IN THE MARTIAL ARTS. WITH THOSE, THEY’RE CREATING MORE PLATFORMS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEMSELVES THAN EVER EXISTED EVEN A GENERATION AGO. TODAY’S WOMEN ARE EXPLORING NEW TERRITORIES AND BREAKING THROUGH OLD GLASS CEILINGS TO DEFINE THEIR OWN REALITIES. LISTED BELOW ARE A FEW EXAMPLES.

A CHIP OFF THE OLD (KARATE) BLOCK • IT’S NOT EASY BEING THE SON OF A FAMOUS SPORTS FATHER. FOR EVERY PEYTON AND ELI MANNING, THE SONS OF NFL QUARTERBACK ARCHIE MANNING WHO FOUND MASSIVE SUCCESS IN THE SAME SPORT AS THEIR DAD, THERE’S A JEFFREY OR MARCUS JORDAN, THE SONS OF BASKETBALL LEGEND MICHAEL JORDAN WHO DID NOT. RICHARD AVERY PLOWDEN IS DECIDEDLY IN THE FORMER CATEGORY.

HIT THE ROAD

THE LAST RESORT OF PROACTIVE SELF-DEFENSE, PART 3

HOW BRUCE LEE INSPIRED THE EVOLUTION OF COMBAT SPORTS • IN A NEW EPISODE OF THE COMBAT SHOW ON THE FREE BLACK BELT MAGAZINE CHANNEL ON JUNGO PLUS, GEORGE CHUNG INTERVIEWS SCOTT COKER, FOUNDER OF STRIKEFORCE AND CURRENT PRESIDENT OF BELLATOR MMA. COKER HAS BEEN A MARTIAL ARTIST FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE. THAT, COUPLED WITH INSIDER ACCESS AT HIS FIGHT SHOWS, HAS GIVEN HIM A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMBAT SPORTS. BEFORE WE BEGIN, HERE ARE A FEW OF THE CHANNEL’S HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE COMING MONTHS.

FEATURED ITEM

HOW HE BEAT BULLYING AND BECAME A WRESTLING AND MMA CHAMPION • Justin Wren began making a name for himself in our world when he embarked on his MMA career in 2006. He went on to build a respectable record of 13-2 in the UFC, Bellator and other orgs. But he really started to shine when he dedicated his life to helping the Pygmies in Africa improve their lot in life by building water wells and eventually a school and a hospital. Now the 35-year-old Wren, whose ring name is “The Big Pygmy,” is taking aim at a problem that’s plagued society forever: bullying.

STREET CRED • TOP 7 STYLES THAT WILL SUPER CHARGE YOUR SELF-DEFENSE QUOTIENT!

3 REAL BLACK BELTS Who Appeared in “The Karate Kid” • ONE HAS ALREADY RESURFACED IN “COBRA KAI”! Will the Other Two?

PUT UP YOUR DUKES • SHOULD YOU SUPPLEMENT YOUR MARTIAL ARTS SKILLS WITH BOXING? HERE ARE THE PROS AND CONS!

THE MANJI SAI • HOW TO HANDLE THE LESSER-KNOWN COUSIN OF THE UBIQUITOUS SAI

HIDETAKA NISHIYAMA • STUDENT OF GICHIN FUNAKOSHI EXPLAINS KARATE’S REAL GOAL — NOT TO BASK IN THE GLORY OF ACHIEVEMENT BUT TO PUSH...