LOCK UP

THE CLINCHING LESSONS TAUGHT IN THE ANCIENT GREEK MARTIAL ART OF PANKRATION ARE STILL RELEVANT - AND EFFECTIVE!

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.

PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, PART 1

In my six previous columns, pre-emptive striking featured prominently.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? GUY MEZGER: FROM MMA FIGHTER TO HEALER

To be successful in mixed martial arts nowadays, you need an all-around game.

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

Be skeptical when anyone suggests changes in your karate training.

ENDLESS DRILLING

A common question from martial arts rookies and intermediate practitioners — and, if we’re honest, even some long-timers — is “What’s next?” “What’s the next supersecret neato technique I have to master?”

BEST PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES AND PALMS VS. FISTS, PART 3

Palm-strike detractors like to point out that fingers are vulnerable to fracture because they stick out when making contact. This definitely can happen, but no one I know personally who has used palms — including Bas Rutten — has ever fractured a finger in barehanded combat.

MARTIAL ARTS 1, STROKE O

Statistics state that 1 in 5 people will suffer a stroke.

WHY THE AMERICAN TAEKWONDO ASSOCIATION'S TOURNAMENTS ARE THE PLACE TO BE!

The martial arts are bifurcated. A significant percentage of our community loves competition, while probably a similar portion has no interest. If you’re a tournament lover, read on to learn about a unique circuit you might want to join. If you’re a tournament hater, you’ll want to read on, too — you just might change your mind afterward.

GROW YOUR SCHOOL WITH WOMEN'S SELF-DEFENSE WORKSHOPS

“It doesn’t matter why they come in. All that matters is that they do. If people were coming in to get free pencils, that would be just fine.”

PUNCH. KICK. REPEAT.

WITH MARTIAL ARTS PIONEERS JOE CORLEY AND JEFF SMITH AT THE HELM, THE NEW PKA IS ON THE HUNT FOR THE GREATEST STRIKERS ON THE PLANET!

MASTER THE ARMBAR

THE RESULTS FROM THE GROUNDBREAKING ARMBAR RESEARCH STUDY WILL SERVE AS YOUR SECRET WEAPON!

FAREWELL, GENE LEBEL

Martial Arts Community Loses a Grappling Legend

HOW KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR MET BRUCE LEE

AND DISCOVERED JEET KUNE DO He ducked his head as he walked through the door. When he stood up straight, his head almost touched the ceiling. Everyone in the office paused as the well-known figure nonchalantly strolled into the display room to browse through our books. \"He's tall!\" I murmured.

FOOT SWEEPS TO PUT YOUR OPPONENT DOWN AND OUT!

What if I told you that you could learn a technique that will send your opponent crashing to the ground, regardless of that person's size or strength?

LEGEND OF BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU

RIGAN MACHADO WAS INTERVIEWED FOR AN EPISODE OF THE COMBAT SHOW ON THE BLACK BELT MAGAZINE CHANNEL ON JUNGO PLUS. AS YOU MAY KNOW, HE'S PART OF THE RENOWNED MACHADO FAMILY OF BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU MASTERS. (HIS BROTHERS INCLUDE JOHN, JEAN JACQUES, ROGER AND CARLOS.) PRESENTED BELOW ARE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE Q&A, BUT BEFORE WE GET TO THEM, HERE ARE THREE FILMS WITH THE BEST TITLES EVER THAT YOU'LL FIND ON OUR CHANNEL.

BEST PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES AND PALMS VS. FISTS, PART 1

In the June/July, August/September and October/November 2022 issues, I presented an overview of pre-emptive attacks as the lastresort option of proactive self-defense. In this issue, I will cover the two best strikes to use in that context and follow up with my thoughts on using palms versus fists.

BULLETPROOF! MEET HALEY GLASS, NEWEST ADDITION TO TEAM PAUL MITCHELL KARATE

Glass was born on June 3, 2003, and raised in Orlando, Florida. She started karate at age 5 while her mom Giomayra Walker worked late every night to make a better life for them.

OLD SCHOOL

TRAINING IN A REAL MARTIAL ART REQUIRES AND BUILDS PERSEVERANCE AND FIGHTING SPIRIT. YOU ENJOY THE BENEFITS NOT ONLY ON THE MAT BUT ALSO IN DAILY LIFE WHICH 1S WHY THE ARTS REMAIN SO POPULAR CENTURIES OR EVEN MILLENNIA AFTER THEY WERE DEVELOPED FOR COMBAT. KNOW THIS BECAUSE I'VE SPENT THE PAST 60 VEARS FOLLOWING THE MARTIAL PATH.

Hit the Road

Fit to fight

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.

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.

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.

HIDETAKA NISHIYAMA

STUDENT OF GICHIN FUNAKOSHI EXPLAINS KARATE'S REAL GOAL - NOT TO BASK IN THE GLORY OF ACHIEVEMENT BUT TO PUSH FORWARD TO THE LIMIT OF YOUR CAPABILITY! -

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

PURPOSE, FEAR AND MINDSET

WHEN THE SUBJECT OF SELF-DEFENSE COMES UP, THE AVERAGE PERSON GENERALLY THINKS OF THE PHYSICAL TECHNIQUES AND TACTICS THAT ARE INVOLVED. WHEN I COME ACROSS SUCH A PERSON AND GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE SOME KNOWLEDGE ABOUT REAL SELF-DEFENSE, I USUALLY START BY INFORMING HIM OR HER THAT SOME IMPORTANT PREREQUISITES NEED TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE DELVING INTO THE PHYSICAL ARENA.

Return of the king

COVID Might Have Won Last Year, But THE U.S. OPEN — the World’s Biggest Martial Arts Tournament — Is Back in Action!

JAW TRAINING FOR STRIKERS

NEWS FLASH: FIGHTERS GET PUNCHED IN THE JAW! THE JAW AND ITS HINGES, ALONG WITH THE CHIN, ARE COMMON TARGETS FOR KNOCKOUT ARTISTS. A WELL-PLACED PUNCH TO THE JAW CAN RENDER AN OTHERWISE TREMENDOUSLY CONDITIONED ATHLETE UNCONSCIOUS IN A HEARTBEAT.

2021 U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONS & CONTENDERS

Ones to Watch at the World’s Most Prestigious Martial Arts Competition