FINAL DESTINATION? NO WAY — WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED!

IF YOU’RE UP ON YOUR MARTIAL ARTS HISTORY — OR YOU FREQUENT OUR WEBSITE OR FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA — YOU KNOW THAT BLACK BELT WAS FOUNDED IN 1961. IF YOU’RE EVEN MARGINALLY PROFICIENT AT MATH, YOU KNOW THAT MAKES THE MAG 60 YEARS OLD THIS YEAR.

- ROBERT W. YOUNG

In the past, 60 was a destination that few periodicals ever reached for a variety of reasons, one of which is the transitory nature of any particular subject. (For example, I used to read Antic magazine in the 1980s, but it ceased publication in 1990 because Atari computers were on the decline.) Black Belt has hit 60 because the martial arts will never go out of style, and even though the internet has taken a toll on traditional publishing, we’re still going strong.

Perhaps the most appropriate way to commemorate the occasion is to look back at the past six decades, not just to review the magazine’s accomplishments but to recall how the martial arts have grown.

In the earliest days of Black Belt, the only color was on the cover, and it was often in the form of an illustration. Examples: The premiere issue’s cover was a painting of two judoka, the July 1966 cover was a painting of film star Toshiro Mifune, the November 1966 cover was a painting of two lua practitioners, and the June 1967 cover was a painting of Chuck Norris and Joe Lewis sparring.