What REALLY Happened to Hwa Rang Do’s Michael Echanis EXCLUSIVE Q&A RZA OF THE WU-TANG CLAN TALKS ABOUT HIS KUNG FU + EXPLORING THE PATH TO TECHNICAL MASTERY AUG/SEP 2013 Display until 9/24/13 blackbeltmag.com Vladimir Vasiliev NUNCHAKU 10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Retro Weapon MEET LEON JAY! Wally Jay’s Son Inherits Small - Circle Jujitsu
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What REALLY Happened to Hwa Rang Do’s Michael Echanis
EXCLUSIVE Q&ARZA OF THE WU-TANG CLAN TALKS ABOUT HIS KUNG FU
+
EXPLORING THE PATH TO TECHNICAL MASTERY
AUG/SEP 2013 Display until 9/24/13
bla
ckbe
ltm
ag.c
om
Vladimir Vasiliev
NUNCHAKU10 Things You
Didn’t Know About the
Retro Weapon
MEET LEON JAY!
Wally Jay’s Son Inherits Small-
Circle Jujitsu
To order, call toll-free: (800) 581-5222 or visit blackbeltmag.com/kenji-yamaki
Well, KENJI YAMAKI did.
He’s one of only 14 people in the world to have endured the grueling 100-man kumite.
He emerged — battered and beaten — with an astounding tally of 83 wins.
In this highly anticipated two-DVD set, the karate juggernaut shows you how
he trained for that experience — and what he does now to continue his
martial development.
Learn advanced sparring techniques, counters, feints and kicks.
Train your body for progressive development
of power, balance, control, stamina,
flexibility, speed and raw strength.
It’s work ... a LOT of work.
ARE YOU READYTO BEGIN THE TRAINING?
COULD YOU
TAKE ON 100 KARATEKA
AND LIVE TO TELL ABOUT IT?
blackbeltmag.com/kenji-yamaki
contents08/09. 2013
DISCLAIMER: BLACK BELT COMMUNICATIONS, an Active Interest Media Publication, as publisher, does not endorse and makes no representation, warranty or guarantee concerning the safety or effectiveness of either the products and services advertised in this magazine or the martial arts or other techniques discussed or illustrated in this magazine. The publisher expressly disclaims any and all liability relating to the manufacture, sale or use of such products and services and the application of the techniques discussed or illustrated in this magazine. The purchase or use of some of the products, services or techniques advertised or discussed in this magazine may be illegal in some areas of the United States or other countries. Therefore, you should check federal, state, and local laws prior to your purchase or use of these products, services or techniques. The publisher makes no representation or warranty concerning the legality of the purchase or use of these products, services and techniques in the United States or elsewhere. Because of the nature of some of the products, services and techniques advertised or discussed in this magazine, you should consult a physician before using these products or services or applying these techniques.
Bruce Lee, the Bruce Lee image, likeness and all related indicia are trademarks and copyrights of Bruce Lee Enterprises LLC and are used herein with its express and prior permission. All rights reserved. www.brucelee.com
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COVER STORY
40 SYSTEMA: RUSSIAN MARTIAL ARTThis Àghting system is regarded as one of the most effective on the planet. In this story, Vladimir Vasiliev explains—and
demonstrates—why it works so well.
FEATURES
48 HWA RANG DO’S IMMORTAL
WARRIORA former Special Forces non-
commissioned ofÀcer did some serious
research—including multiple meetings
with the family—to write the untold story of Michael D. Echanis.
56 THE ZEN OF JUDO WAZAJudo legend Hayward Nishioka describes the martial path one
must walk to become a champion,
and he throws in some fascinating
neuroscience to boot!
64 RZA OF THE WU-TANG CLANIn this exclusive interview, the musician/moviemaker talks about his interest in
kung fu and Asian philosophy, as well as
his work on The Man With the Iron Fists.
66 10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW
ABOUT THE NUNCHAKUWhether you wield the weapon or just
watch when experts do it in the movies, you’ll enjoy this lighthearted look at the
traditional Okinawan Àghting tool.
68 CLINCH FIGHTINGWant to bolster your ability to prevail in close-range combat? Learn these
8 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2013 blackbeltMaG.cOM
24
VERSUSIt’s a touchy subject for many: What’s the best way for women to learn functional self-defense
skills that will permit them to stop a male attacker?
26
FIGHTBOOKBlack Belt checks in with Leon Jay, son of the great Wally Jay and current headmaster of the
art his father founded, small-circle jujitsu.
28
MIL-SPECIn Part 2 of “ConÀned-Space Combatives,” Kelly McCann outlines tactics you can use should you
ever Ànd yourself Àghting off an attacker while you’re in your car.
30
DESTINATIONSBlack Belt’s Asia correspondent Antonio
Graceffo continues his account of what it was
like to live the martial way in Borneo.
32
KARATE WAYAlways one to seize an opportunity, Dave Lowry explains how padded-assailant training can teach all of us a lesson about being an aging
martial artist.
34
FAR EASTKickboxing-champ-turned-promoter Lou Neglia reveals why his Ring of Combat show has become the launch pad of so many MMA champions—
including Matt Serra and Frankie Edgar.
36
WAY OF THE WARRIORIn “Who Said Sport Fighters Can’t Really Fight?” Keith Vargo examines the contentious issue from the perspective of both a self-defense practitioner and a ring athlete.
38
FIT TO FIGHTOur resident M.D. tells you what “turf toe” is, why it occurs so frequently in the dojo and how
you should respond if it happens to you.
74
BETTER BUSINESSBlack Belt Hall of Famer Kelly Muir claims you can be a better martial arts instructor if you apply what
she discovered while helping her son learn Latin.
76
COMPANY SPOTLIGHTPramek, whose name stands for “practical mechanics survival system,” is an effort to merge Russian combat concepts with Western arts. Here’s the lowdown on the martial artist behind it.
12 EDITOR’S NOTE
14 MAILBOx
16 TIMES
71 ESSENTIAL GEAR
78 BLACK BELT PAGES
82 FROM THE ARCHIVES
VOL. 51 NO. 5. BLACK BELT (ISSN 0277-3066) is published bi-monthly by Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc., an Active Interest Media company. Advertising and editorial ofÀces at 24900 Anza Drive, Unit E, Santa Clarita, California 91355. The known ofÀce of publica-tion is 475 Sansome St., Suite 850, San Francisco, CA 94111. Periodicals postage paid at San Francis-co, CA and at additional mailing ofÀces. POSTMAS-TER: Send address changes to Black Belt, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. SUBSCRIP-TIONS: Palm Coast Data, P.O. Box 421113, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Customer service: (800) 266-4066. Subscription rates in the United States are one year $28. Canada: $40.Foreign: $52 (US funds only). The publisher and editors will not be responsible for unsolicited material. Manuscripts and photographs must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed return envelope. Printed in the United States by RR Donnelley, Strasburg, VA. 2013 by Black Belt Com-munications LLC, an Active Interest Media Publica-tion. All rights reserved. Reproduction without per-mission is strictly prohibited.
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Bruce Lee’s Fighting Method: The Complete Edition brings the iconic four-volume Fighting Method series together into one definitive book. Intended as an instructional document to comple-ment Lee’s foundational Tao of Jeet Kune Do, this restored and enhanced edition of Fighting Methodbreathes new life into hallowed pages with digitally remastered photography and a pains-takingly refurbished interior design for improved instructional clarity. This 492-page hardbound book also includes 900+ digitally enhanced images, newly discovered photographs from Lee’s personal files, a new chapter on the Five Ways of Attack penned by famed first-generation student Ted Wong, and an analytical introduction by Shannon Lee that helps readers contextualize the revisions and upgrades implemented for this special presentation of her father’s work.
492 pgs. Size 7” x 10”.
(ISBN-13: 978-0-89750-170-5)
Book Code 494—Retail $34.95
BRUCE LEE’S FIGHTING METHOD: The Complete Edition by Bruce Lee and M. Uyehara
ZZZEODFNEHOWPDJFRPJKWLQJBPHWKRG
BlackBeltMag.comX
> Follow us on:
FREE JIM KELLY DOWNLOADIn Jim Kelly: Martial Artist and Co-Star of
the Bruce Lee Movie Enter the Dragon—A
Vintage Interview, BlackBeltMag.com
presents a digital “retro” reproduction of the 1970s movie star’s cover story in
Fighting Stars magazine. This exclusive
FREE e-book includes a review of the
Àlm Hot Potato, as well as bonus archival
photos of the actor on and off the set.
blackbeltmag.com/jim-kelly
NEW ONLINE STOREBlackBeltMag.com’s new online store features all
your favorite martial arts books and DVDs and now offers the choice of downloading many of them to your computer or digital device! Post your reviews,
read others’ reviews and check out recommended
products. store.blackbeltmag.com
FREE GUIDE TO CHUCK NORRIS MOVIES
In How Chuck Norris Films Seem to Bend the Course of History, BlackBeltMag.com looks at the work of
martial arts icon Chuck Norris with one question in
mind: Have his movies and TV shows predicted—and
perhaps even reshaped—the unfolding of modern
history? You be the judge. blackbeltmag.com/
chuck-norris-Àlms
/BlackBeltMagazine @Black_Belt_Mag
WATCH VLADIMIR VASILIEV IN ACTION!BlackBeltMag.com’s brief video history of systema includes footage of the martial artist on the cover of this issue: Vladimir
Vasiliev. It also depicts the art’s evolution over the course of
10 centuries. blackbeltmag.com/systema
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NAPMA.com/PrivateCoachingSession
12 BLACK BELT I AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 BLACKBELTMAG.COM
If you’d spoken to Aaron Banks dur-
ing his final years without knowing
much about his past, you easily
could have concluded that he was
just an aging karate promoter who saw
MMA as a great white shark chomping
a chunk out of the traditional martial arts
business. But remembering him that
way would be doing him and everything
he labored to create a huge disservice.
The ironic part is that Banks was a
pioneer in mixing martial arts. Way back
in 1964, he incurred the wrath of New
York City traditionalists when he allowed
various Chinese, Korean, Japanese
and Okinawan arts—not to mention
Western boxing—to be taught in his
dojo. In subsequent years, he organized
a string of shows composed of daring
demonstrations and fantastic feats, as
well as point and full-contact fights, that
wowed East Coast audiences.
Interestingly, many of Banks’
productions pitted practitioners of one
style against practitioners of another.
“I created the first mixed-martial arts
event in 1974,” he told a Black Belt
staffer in 2007. “It was called Ketsugo,
which is Japanese for ‘everything
goes.’ We had karate versus kung fu,
judo versus wrestling and kickboxing
versus boxing.”
Evidence of the man’s genius comes
from the fact that those proto-MMA
matches often took place in venues
as mainstream as Madison Square
Garden—nearly two decades before
the first UFC.
It would be hard to argue that Banks
didn’t play a pivotal role in spreading
the Asian ways of combat, whether
mixed or in a more pure form. During
his 50-year career, he organized at
least 374 tournaments, 250 shows and
way too many demos to keep track of.
AARON BANKS (1928–2013)Without the exposure to “exotic” arts
that attendees gained via his live and
televised shows—for eight years, his
Oriental World of Self-Defense aired on
ABC’s Wide World of Sports—styles
such as kenpo and kung fu, judo
and jujitsu, and taekwondo and tang
soo do wouldn’t be as widely known.
Without the exposure they received at
his tournaments, martial artists such
as Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, Steve
Sanders (now Steve Muhammad), Mike
Stone and Thomas LaPuppet probably
wouldn’t have become so popular.
Knowing that Banks possessed that
kind of track record, I was saddened by
the bitterness that crept into his voice
in his final years. It stemmed from
his belief that MMA was out to take
over the world at the expense of the
traditional arts. Fans flocked to UFC
events, he’d lament in conversations
and voice mails, while shows like his
drew smaller and smaller crowds.
I was especially saddened to hear
how Banks died, reportedly of a heart
attack, on or around May 8, 2013.
The exact time his flame flickered and
then went out is unknown because it
happened while he was alone in his
New York apartment.
Mostly forgotten by the community
he helped create, Aaron Banks lived
out his final years in relative obscurity,
surrounded by just a few close friends
and associates. Let’s hope the
martial culture he dedicated his life
to preserving and propagating never
suffers a similar fate. Perhaps the best
way to ensure that it doesn’t is for all
of us to remember our roots and the
people who planted them.
Robert W. Young
Executive Editor
VOLUME 51, NO. 5 - AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013
GROUP PUBLISHER Cheryl Angelheart
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Robert W. Young
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Alexander Norouzi
DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA Raymond Horwitz
SPECIAL PROJECTS ART DIRECTOR John Bodine
SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR Vicki Baker
WEB EDITOR Jon Sattler
COPY EDITOR Jeannine Santiago
A/R MANAGER Alice Negrete
RESEARCH DIRECTOR Kristy Kaus
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Donna Diamond
ADVERTISING ACCT MGR Laura (Flores) Thorne
PRODUCTION MANAGER Patrick Sternkopf
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Dana Collins
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Floyd Burk, Jason Brick, Mark Cheng, Antonio
Graceffo, Mark Hatmaker, Mark Jacobs, Dasha
Libin Anderson, Dave Lowry, Kelly McCann,
Keith Vargo, Dr. Robert Wang
CONTRIBUTORS
Alain Burrese, Rebecca Carter, Peter Hobart,
Ian Lauer, Robert McLain, Jason William McNeil,
Hayward Nishioka, J. Torres, Greg Walker,
Martin Wheeler
BLACK BELT COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
An Active Interest Media Publication
24900 Anza Dr. Unit E, Valencia, CA 91355
Toll Free: (800) 423-2874
In CA (661) 257-4066
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For information about selling Black Belt magazine,
issue. He didn’t just describe the rare Thai art; he
also told a fas-cinating story
of discovery. I’ll be scouring the Web for details
on the next time Col. Nattapong Buayam comes to Califor-
nia for a seminar.Monica Serrano - via the Internet
Editor’s Note: The next letter was written in response to an article titled “Religion and
Martial Arts: Are They Inseparable?” on
blackbeltmag.com.
Religion Adds Wisdom to the Arts
As a Christian believer, I know for a fact that you can separate the two. However,
it’s advantageous to have a basic under-
standing of the wisdom found in the East-
ern religions. Many times—but obviously
not all the time—they’re in harmony with the universal wisdom found in Judeo-Christian
culture. On a related note, I Ànd it foolish
for Christians to say it’s wrong to study self-
defense and then applaud the police and
military for learning how to Àght for the USA.
Self-defense is a divine right.John Robert Cruz - New York, NY
Student vs. Teacher
The Karate Way column in the April/May
2013 issue was very good. I do spar with my sensei—as author Dave Lowry recom-
mended. I used to be scared to do it but not anymore. My sensei spars with all the kara-teka in our dojo, and we thank him for that
because it’s made us better martial artists. The past eight years with him have been an
amazing journey.Stephen Carruthers - via the Internet
The Real Role of Weapons
I would like to thank Robert W. Young for his
Editor’s Note in the April/May 2013 issue. I appreciate his clear understanding of the
gun-control issue and his ability to punctu-ate it with historical examples. More impor-
tant, I appreciate his courage in addressing this topic in Black Belt.
I’ve been an avid reader of Black Belt
since 1975. Quite frankly, I’m still a reader
because the staff has never forgotten that
the root of all martial arts is the individual commitment to self-protection. I understand
that the arts offer many beneÀts besides
physical Àghting skill, and I respect an in-
dividual’s choice to focus on the cultural,
spiritual, competitive or self-improvement aspects. However, there’s a tremendous
difference between real self-defense and
the purely artistic aspects of the arts.
Weapons have always been part of the
traditional martial arts because the men
and women who developed the arts knew that empty-hand skills alone were never enough—especially when defending
against younger, stronger attackers or mul-tiple assailants. They also knew that regard-
less of the number of laws a society enact-ed, criminals would, by nature, violate those laws to prey on the innocent. And when that
happened, the innocent would be forced to fend for themselves. The better armed and
skilled they were, the more prepared they were to protect themselves and their loved ones.
Guns are nothing more than an advance-ment in the weapons technology that’s al-
ways been a core element of the martial arts. When treated with the same respect and discipline as a sword, spear, bow or
any other traditional arm, their place in so-ciety as a personal-defense tool is clear.
In reality, they and the methods in which they’re used represent the state of the art
in self-defense.
Guns also represent one of the few viable
personal-defense options available to many elderly and physically challenged citizens
for whom unarmed self-defense or even the
use of less-capable weapons is inappropri-
ate.
As martial artists, we have a moral re-sponsibility to understand and respect
everyone’s right to self-defense. In the
process, we also must understand that Àre-
arms and their lawful use are a direct exten-
sion of the martial traditions we practice. Michael D. Janich, Black Belt Hall of
Fame - via the Internet
martialartsinsurance.com 800-900-1155
Our policies constantly
respond to changes in
your industry because
the most dangerous risk
is the one you never
saw coming.
Specialty insurance for martial arts schools
We know your risks.
facebook.com/markelhealthfitness
WWW.STAYSAFEMEDIA .COM
16 BLACK BELT I AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 BLACKBELTMAG.COM
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MARTIAL ARTS NEWS YOU CAN USE. READ IT - KNOW IT - LIVE IT
TIMES
BLACKBELTMAG.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 I BLACK BELT 17
What:
Broad Jump
WHY: Plyometrics also can
have a massive impact on your
back-kick training because of
the use of explosive force, which
depends on recruiting type-2
muscle fibers. Among the most
beneficial plyo exercises is the
broad jump. Two things make it
perfect for back kickers:
First, the broad jump entails
rapid torso movement in the
sagittal plane—just like the back
kick. Second, the jump involves
launching the legs backward in
an explosive manner—just like,
you guessed it, the back kick.
HOW: Stand with your feet
shoulder-width apart and your
toes pointing forward. Bend at
the hips and lean forward slightly,
putting your weight on the balls of
your feet. Raise your arms in front
of you as you lower your body,
then rip your arms backward as
you explode forward with your
legs. Jump as far as possible,
take a moment to regroup and
then repeat. As you get more
advanced, try to perform one rep
after another. Your goal is to roll
through a controlled landing right
into the next jump.
PRO NOTE: Explode with
each jump using as much
force as possible but land
in a controlled fashion. This
protects your joints and causes
maximum muscle stimulation.
In contrast, landing hard places
undue stress on your ligaments.
HOW MANY: 5-10 sets of
6-12 reps, twice a week
What:
Deep Wide-Stance Squat
WHY: One of the best ways
to improve glute strength with
weights is the squat. Focus on
the wide-stance squat, which
entails a slightly different foot
position and greater range of
motion. In a nutshell: A narrow
stance puts more emphasis
on the front of your thighs. A
medium stance or shoulder-
width stance works the front
and back of your thighs. A
wide stance puts even more
emphasis on the back of the
legs and the glutes.
The top half of the squatting
movement tends to hit the front
of the thighs. The bottom half
shifts to the back of the thighs
and glutes. For this reason, it’s
most beneficial to make your
squats deep.
HOW: Start with a barbell on
your back, dumbbells in your
hands or a single dumbbell held
with both hands. Position your
feet wider than your shoulders
with your toes pointed slightly
outward. Press your hips back
and drop them down, being
careful to maintain your balance.
Keep your weight over your
midfoot or heels so your knees
don’t move forward of your
toes. Inhale as you slowly lower
your body until your thighs are
parallel to the floor. Press back
up to the standing position,
squeezing your glutes, driving
your heels into the ground and
exhaling as you do so.
HOW MANY: 3-6 sets of 6-15
reps, twice a week
ONE ON ONEHOW TO BUILD
YOUR BACK KICK
In the martial arts, most kicks
are directed to the front or side
of your body. Because they rely
on a variety of major muscle
groups—including the flexors,
groin muscles, hip abductors
and quadriceps—it’s easy to
develop impressive amounts of
power.
If, however, you want to
build your ability to perform the
back kick, whether to target
an opponent who’s behind
you or to spin and attack one
who’s in front, things aren’t
quite so straightforward. For
a killer back kick, you need
to harness the power of your
gluteus maximus—you know,
the muscles that form your
buttocks.
The execution of the back
kick requires your leg to move
backward. When a glute
contracts, it whips the attached
femur backward—which is
great if you’re running or trying
to take out an opponent who’s
behind you. As the femur
approaches the correct angle
of attack, the knee extends
and the heel is driven into the
target. All the while, the glute
continues to contract.
Although that striking force
is formidable, it’s even greater
when coupled with a rapid
rotation of the body in the form
of a spinning back kick—but
only if you have strong glutes.
The two exercises described
here will help you shape up
your glutes and add some
assailant-dropping power to
either version of the kick.
—Ian Lauer, CSCS, ianlauer.com
18 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2013 blackbeltMaG.cOM
Lasting Legacy
Ed ParkEr Jr. CrEatEs NEw BruCE LEE art
The Àrst new piece of authorized Bruce Lee artwork in years was conceived by Ed Parker Jr., licensed by Bruce Lee Enterprises and released by Artnative Creative Group Inc. “This is how I remember Bruce Lee when he trained with my father,” Parker said about the work, which took two years to complete.
“The addition of a highly illustrated piece of artwork that cap-
tures the essence of my father and is illustrated by Ed Parker Jr. is truly an honor,” said Shannon Lee, who personally approved the release.
The art is available in two formats: a 24-inch-by-36-inch stretch canvas Giclee print that sells for $525 and a 13-inch-by-19-inch print on Polar Pearl Metallic paper that goes for $225. For more information, send an email to [email protected] or visit EdParkerJrDiplomas.com.
4 On June 14, 2013, Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed a bill that will repeal the ban on switchblades in his state. The new law will take effect September 1, 2013. kniferights.org4A larger-than-life statue of Bruce Lee is on display in Los Angeles’ Chinatown. However, the bronze replica of the world’s most famous martial artist won’t
be permanent until/unless local businesses can raise $150,000 for the city-mandated infrastructure.4On June 15, 2013, Black Belt’s Facebook page
reached 41,000 followers. We welcome all who recently joined our online community. facebook.com/BlackBeltMagazine4The International Olympic Committee had some possible good news for those who were upset that wrestling was being removed from the Games: It may be back in the 2020 Olympic Games. It was announced earlier this year that the popular grappling sport was out.4However, the IOC had some bad news for supporters of karate and wushu: They were among the Àve sports that a secret ballot determined would not add value to the Olympics.4A tactical folding knife known as the Emerson CQC-
7B recently sold for $35,400. Why so pricey? It was carried by a member of the Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden.
4Actor and martial artist David Carradine is being honored in an exhibit titled The Barefoot Legend. It opened in June 2013 and will remain at the Hollywood
Museum in Hollywood, California, until September 2013. thehollywoodmuseum.com4The staff of Black Belt is hard at work compiling all six volumes of Stephen K. Hayes best-selling ninjutsu books into a single tome. Plans call for it to be released on paper and in a variety of e-book formats in September 2013.4Black Belt has released a Free Guide titled “Ronda
Rousey: An Exclusive Interview With the Gene LeBell
Protégé, Olympic Judo Medalist and MMA Fighter.” Download it at blackbeltmag.com/free-guides.4James DeMile attempted to use the website Kickstarter.com to raise at least $200,000 to make a documentary about Bruce Lee’s early years in Seattle. For unknown reasons, the project was canceled after only one week. During that time, it reached a total of $2,715.4Destinations columnist Antonio Graceffo reports that he’s back in China and training at Shaolin Temple.
4A recent survey by The Box magazine, one of Black
Belt’s sister publications, revealed that 13 percent of people who participate in CrossFit also do martial arts.4Diana Lee Inosanto, daughter of Black Belt Hall of Fame member Dan Inosanto, appeared on the cover of the July 2013 issue of MA Success, the ofÀcial publication of the Martial Arts Industry Association.
NEWS BITES
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The SportAccord World Combat Games are scheduled to take place
October 18-26, 2013, in St. Petersburg, Russia. In addition to other
festivities, the games will include competition in aikido, boxing, fencing,
24 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2013 blackbeltMaG.cOM
Men vs. Women in TrainingI’m often asked about the best way to teach women. My answer is always, “Like fully functioning, intelligent human beings with an interest in combat sports or street defense.”
by Mark Hatmaker
Then I’m usually asked about female-only classes. To me, they seem like
a throwback to “separate but equal” days. Before anyone gets his or her
hackles up, stand down. I’m aware that many women prefer the female-
only approach. When it’s the individual’s call to be separated, by all
means exercise that preference.
The people I’m addressing are those who wonder why the genders must be sepa-
rated or if the genders should be mixed but treated differently. These questions are
way stickier than they appear, so let’s see if we can make things a little less sticky.
First, iF you’re a Female and prefer the company of a female-only crew, that’s
your call. I would ask, however, why you prefer working with your gender alone.
The answers I’ve received include:
“I find working with women less threatening.”
That’s fair, but might I suggest that no matter your gender, if you find your cur-
rent coaches or training partners threatening, maybe that’s the wrong place to
train. The ideal environment to foster learning is one that will challenge you, con-
stantly raise the bar and encourage you to get to new levels. “Threatening” has no
place in the equation.
I’d be thick-skulled if I didn’t acknowledge that some women turn to self-defense
in response to an unpleasant incident in their lives. I’ve encountered two polariz-
ing attitudes in women who have endured such a thing.
The first: “Don’t candy-coat it. I want the real thing because that is never happening to
me again.” You ladies are my heroes.
The second is more withdrawn. These women are less likely to accept the inter-
play and full scope of training that’s vital to inculcate real-world skills.
I empathize with both attitudes, but I will say that the first is far more useful. To
those who suffer from the second, I offer this: If you’ve chosen your coaches and
partners well, trust your judgment and get to training. These folks are there to
help. If you don’t trust them enough to give yourself up to the training, move to a
facility where you can feel comfortable.
another common response from women: “I don’t want to get hurt.”
Not getting hurt is a mighty smart stance to take, but allow me to tip you off to
the following news: I’m a man, and I can testify that I don’t want to get hurt, either.
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Leon Jay, Son of Small-Circle Jujitsu Founder Wally Jay, Part 1The bond between father and son is a special one, particularly in the martial arts. In ancient times, membership in the warrior caste was a hereditary matter, and it was diƚcult—if not impossible—to aspire to such a position if one wasn’t directly descended from a noble house.
“Prior to being a full-time martial arts teacher, I worked for several years as a bodyguard. They trusted me and knew I had a way of staying out of trouble. I
never had to use my physical training.”
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28 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2013 blackbeltMaG.cOM
Obviously, making a quick entry into your vehicle and immediately locking
your doors goes a long way toward creating a barrier to would-be thugs,
but if those steps fail to keep an attack from occurring, you may have no
other option than to use force to escape the situation.
If you’re confronted while your door is open and the attacker is blocking your es-
cape, your first concern is to not stay trapped by the open door. The sooner you can
bolt, the better. Any combative technique that enables you to “break and run” will work
in that moment—a finger jab to the eyes, a push kick, a straight punch, a face mash and
so on. The whole point is to startle your attacker and create a space to run through.
Personally, I believe eye strikes to be most effective in these situations because
they’re exceptionally fast and leave the attacker temporarily disabled. As the old
saying goes, “If he can’t see you, he can’t hurt you.”
ConƘned-Space Combatives, Part 2In Part 1 of this essay, which appeared in the April/May 2013 issue, I discussed the necessity of heightened situational awareness when you’re in parking lots and garages. In particular, you want to be watchful for people who are loaƘng without any purpose, people whose movement correlates with your own and people who have hidden hands as they approach you. As I’ve always said, you should be armed with a legally carried lethal or less-lethal weapon—and be mentally and physically prepared to use it.
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Treading the Martial Path in BorneoPart 2While comparing martial sports like muay Thai, boxing and MMA with some of the interpretations of silat I encountered in Borneo, I noticed an important diƗerence in emphasis. Practitioners of those Ƙght sports tend to focus on Ƙtness, strength and actually “doing it.”
32 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2013 blackbeltMaG.cOM
I’ve never participated in one of those classes, so I know noth-
ing about their effectiveness. I hear good things about them.
They allow students to go all out. If nothing else, that should
make them valuable. The average person—the average mar-
tial artist—doesn’t have any idea of how aerobically taxing it is to
fight full force for even a minute. Additionally, many people have
an exaggerated sense of the stopping power of a punch or kick.
They’ve watched TV and movie characters drop a bad guy with a
single uppercut. They’re surprised when they put all their weight
and power into a fist and it bounces off the target without so much
as a flicker of effect. These are lessons everyone should learn.
At one such seminar, something interesting occurred. The teach-
er’s assistant had strapped on all the protection and fitted his Mr.
Mushroom head, and the entire class took turns practicing the
techniques they were taught. Many of the students were middle
age, and some were beyond that. One man was clearly older. His
hair was gray, his face creased. Still, he had an almost military pos-
ture. His reflexes seemed crisp. He picked up on the teachings and
carried them out against the padded assistant. As the lesson wound
down, the man asked if he might make a suggestion.
“Now,” he said, pointing to the assistant, “you be the
defender.”
The assistant was, understandably, confused. “I’m
the guy who’s padded,” he tried to explain, “so you can
practice hitting me.”
The older man said he understood; he just wanted
to see how the assistant would do. “You’re teaching
us,” he said. “You should be able to demonstrate what
you’re teaching.”
The assistant agreed and began to take off the pad-
ding.
“no, keep it on,” the old man said. He grabbed some
extra knee and elbow pads and put them on over the
armor already being worn by the assistant. The assis-
tant looked like an awkward version of the Michelin
Man. He could hardly move his arms.
“OK,” the older man said, “I’m going to attack.” And
he did. He came in crouching, grabbing the over-
padded assistant around the waist and knocking him
down. On the floor, the assistant could barely move.
The old man began moving around the flailing figure,
kicking him and tripping him when he tried to stand.
The assistant was young, in good shape and skilled
in unarmed combat. Layered as he was, though, he
couldn’t even bend his knees enough to get to a stand-
ing position.
When the old man finally stepped back and allowed
the assistant to come to his feet, the assistant began
removing all the padding. He was still confused about
the point of the whole incident.
“I’m glad I don’t have to fight with those kinds of
restrictions,” he said.
“You will,” the old man said. “That’s what it feels
like to try to move with arthritis, with inflamed joints,
with all the limitations age puts on your body.”
it turned out that the old man had been a close-
quarters-combat instructor in the Marines. He’d seen
violent conflict up close and personal. Even so, at his
age, he’d have had a difficult time in a one-on-one
encounter with the young, fit, well-trained assistant.
The point he was trying to make was one for that as-
sistant and for the instructor at the seminar: No mat-
ter how well-trained and fit you are, if you live long
enough, you’ll eventually have to come to terms with
some harsh realities.
Most Black Belt readers are probably like that assis-
tant—young and in good shape. It’s easy to think you’ll
always be that way. It’s easy to think that, given severe
training and strong self-discipline, you can avoid losing
muscle mass and reaction time. You cannot.
Self-defense classes are often taught by people who
are in excellent condition. They’re attended by people
who, in many cases, are not. If you teach, you would
do well to bear that in mind. What is now effort-
less for you will someday be difficult or impossible.
What’s the best way to prepare your students—and
yourself—for that?
Ageless Arts But Aging ArtistsA fairly recent development is the self-defense clinic at which a “mugger” dons protective pads, including a headpiece that makes him look like a dangerous giant mushroom, and the students are taught to deliver full-force blows to defend them-selves against his attacks.
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Launch Pad of ChampionsSo you’re an aspiring mixed martial artist with dreams of making it to the big time. You’re probably wondering how to get there—how you can appear on the radar of the Ultimate Fighting Cham-pionship and other major promotions.
by Mark Jacobs
While there’s no sure way to get noticed by the UFC and
finagle your way onto one of its cards, some paths
can give you a better chance than others. Perhaps the
best is to headline a Ring of Combat show.
An East Coast organization run by Lou Neglia, ROC holds five pro
MMA shows a year, primarily at the Tropicana Casino and Resort
in Atlantic City, New Jersey. From those events, Neglia has sent
80 fighters to the UFC. Eighty! Among his alumni are former UFC
champs Matt Serra and Frankie Edgar.
A former kickboxing chAmpion, Neglia began staging kick-
boxing matches in his home of Brooklyn, New York, back in the
1980s. When MMA came along in the ’90s, he sprinkled in matches
and saw the fan interest jump. Having promoted kickboxing in New
Jersey, he eventually approached that state’s athletic commission
about doing a sanctioned MMA show at one of the Atlantic City ca-
sinos. But the state was leery to give its blessing to a sport that was
still known as “no-holds-barred fighting.” Neglia offered to modify
the rules to mesh with what eventually became the standard for
MMA bouts. He got the green light, and Ring of Combat
was officially born.
negliA is quick to point out that the key to his suc-
cess lies in the quality of the competition. “I take pride
in providing good matchups,” he says. “You won’t see
any mismatches or easy fights in my shows. When peo-
ple come to Ring of Combat, they always get competi-
tive fights. They know they’re going to have action.”
Such competitive matchmaking doesn’t just bring
the winners to the attention of the UFC; it gives them
the experience necessary to stick around at the higher
levels once they get there.
Undefeated UFC middleweight contender Chris
Weidman, who may be in line for the next title shot
at Anderson Silva, fought his first four professional
matches for ROC before moving up to the UFC in 2011.
He credits his experience there for his successful
transition to the sport’s top level.
“It definitely helped prepare me for the big leagues,
so it wasn’t that much of a culture shock when I got
there,” Weidman says. “If I didn’t have such tough
fights [with ROC], I would have had a much tougher
[time] when I got to the UFC.”
Aspiring professionAl fighters are well aware
of the connection between ROC success and a chance
at the big time, and Neglia gets queries from mixed
martial artists around the world. Sifting through the
calls and emails he receives from fighters, he looks
for those who are most likely to succeed in the sport.
Rather than just an undefeated record, he wants fight-
ers with the heart and desire to make it.
“I hear from guys who want to pick and choose their
opponents or who tell me how much they want to be-
come millionaires from competing in MMA,” Neglia
says. “Those are generally the guys I don’t get back to.”
As a former fighter himself, Neglia looks for athletes
who are willing to sacrifice and persevere—not just in-
side the cage but outside it, as well. If you’re the kind
of fighter who has to cancel a match because you just
broke up with your girlfriend, you probably shouldn’t
bother calling him. But if you’re the kind who has an ob-
stacle in front of you and, as Neglia likes to say, is willing
to grind your teeth and soldier on no matter what, he’ll
have a spot for you in his promotions. What’s more, he
won’t stand in your way if you outgrow him.
Although it might be a promotional taboo, Neg-
lia is more than willing to tear up his contract with a
fighter—even if he’s a reigning ROC champ—if said
fighter gets an offer from a bigger promotion.
“I had a fighter under contract for one more match
when he got called from the UFC to go fight on one of
their shows,” Neglia says. “Now I could have stopped
him or told the UFC they have to pay me if they want
to use the fighter, but when he told me the UFC wanted
him, I said, ‘As of this minute, your contract with me is
null and void—go fight for them.’
“I enjoyed doing it. I’m proud of him. This is more a
36 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2013 blackbeltMaG.cOM
Who Said Sport Fighters Can’t Really Fight?One of the biggest criticisms of the Ƙghting sports is that they don’t resemble the type of combat you encounter in self-defense. These critics argue that kickboxing and MMA are weirdly self-contained realities, spaces where Ƙghting is distorted by the requirements of sport. They cite time limits, banned techniques, exclusively one-on-one matches and referee intervention when a Ƙghter is hurt as damning examples of how far from self-defense the Ƙghting sports are.
by Keith Vargo
In short, critics tell us that what combat athletes want is
a fair fight, not a real one.
As someone who’s involved in the fighting sports, I
find these arguments both valuable and frustrating.
They’re valuable because fighting really is about more than
just what happens in the ring or cage. Martial artists who fo-
cus on self-defense force us to think about how our ring tech-
nique fits into a larger martial reality. But their arguments are
frustrating because they often mischaracterize the fighting
sports and the athletes who do them.
First, the Fighting that’s done in the ring or cage is
plenty real. How much of it is transferable to self-defense
situations is debatable. But there’s no denying that the
broken bones and dislocated joints that sometimes end
matches are the same thing we try to achieve with our self-
defense techniques. Those injuries offer clear evidence of
what certain techniques can do; they’re not sport-specific
injuries like tennis elbow.
Second, the idea that people would do the same things in a
self-defense situation that they do in a ring is unwarranted.
Many combat athletes are also well-versed in self-defense.
They know how to fight in the ring and on the street, and
they know which techniques will serve them best in each
situation.
For example, many Brazilian jiu-jitsu experts spend equal
amounts of time doing MMA, grappling competition and
self-defense. Likewise, one of the most successful coaches
in MMA, Greg Jackson, first developed his techniques into a
self-defense system he calls gaidojutsu. His MMA coaching
is an outgrowth of it. Jackson teaches his students both win-
ning strategies for the cage and self-defense skills for the
street.
As For wAnting FAir Fights, I’m not sure there is such
a thing. Fair fights are more of an ideal we try to achieve
through rules, regulations and reasonable matchmaking.
But the reality of sports like kickboxing and MMA is that
fighters rarely match up perfectly. Someone is always at
a disadvantage. Usually, the disadvantage is small enough
that there’s a chance the underdog will overcome it. But is
it really fair to send a guy into a fight in which the odds are
against him?
What’s more, sometimes one fighter is at a huge disadvan-
tage and you don’t know it until the fight actually happens.
One fighter’s skill, speed or power turns out to be much
greater than the other’s, and the lesser person gets beat like
a drum. Watch just about any match involving UFC light-
heavyweight champ Jon “Bones” Jones and you’ll see this.
There’s nothing fair about the way he so easily dismantles
his opponents.
Of course, this isn’t the same as the unfairness one might
encounter in self-defense. Someone attacking you with a
weapon while you’re unarmed or a bunch of people beating
up a lone victim is much worse. The point is, the fighting
sports are more real than self-defense-oriented martial art-
ists give them credit for and the matches are often a lot less
fair than they imagine.
still, the Argument that the fighting sports are funda-
mentally different from self-defense should be taken seri-
ously. Some athletes really do get tunnel vision and believe
that all other ways of fighting are bunk. Having to confront
criticism from those who are outside their sports is the best
check on that kind of hubris.
All I ask is that critics make sure they’re talking about the
true nature of fighters and fighting sports, not what they
imagine that nature to be.
About the Author:
Keith Vargo’s book Philosophy of Fighting: Morals and Motivations of the Modern Warrior is available at blackbeltmag.com.
38 BLACK BELT I AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 BLACKBELTMAG.COM
Beware of Turf ToeIf you practice your martial art barefoot, you should know that your big toes are fairly easy to injure. If your training involves maneuvering on mats—as in judo and jujitsu—the risk is greater because of the force that can be placed on these relatively small joints during throws, when they may be supporting not only your weight but also your opponent’s. A common injury to those digits is “turf toe.” In anatomical terms, it’s a sprain to the big toe’s metatarsal phalan-geal (MTP) joint, better known as its knuckle.
by Robert Wang, M.D.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Robert Wang, M.D., is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He’s an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine.
Turf toe was irst recognized in football players who wore lexible shoes and
played on artiicial turf. It stemmed from the additional movement and lex-
ibility endured by the big toes while athletes moved on a stiffer surface.
That permitted the toes to bend farther than they’re meant to, resulting
in sprains. Turf toe includes all MTP sprains, whether or not they occur on artiicial
turf, so the term also applies to the afliction we can suffer—even though it probably
should be called “martial artist’s toe” given how often it occurs on the mat.
ALTHOUGH THE BIG TOE is a relatively small joint in the body—one that’s likely
to suffer a minor sprain that few take seriously—turf toe shouldn’t be ignored. An
untreated injury can be disabling in the short term. In the long term, it can lead to
chronic problems such as arthritis and toe deformity.
Studies have shown that more than 50 percent of athletes who suffer from this
problem experience pain and have chronic big-toe problems more than ive years
after the initial injury. Many times, their pain is severe enough for them to retire
from their sport.
In other words, if your big toe gets injured, don’t tough it out.
MANY FACTORS can put you at risk for turf toe. The harder the mats on which you
practice, the greater the likelihood. Other considerations include your weight, age,
style and intensity of practice. If you have lat feet and a stiff big toe to begin with—
well, you do the math. Just know that injury tends to happen when there’s exces-
BLACKBELTMAG.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 I BLACK BELT 67
About the Author:
Jason William McNeil is a freelance writer,
martial artist and actor based in Southern
California.
big-budget The Green Hornet remake, has a popular song and hit music vid-eo titled Shuang Jie Gun. Those three words make up the Chinese name for nunchaku.
In the song, Chou sings about the joys of chuck slinging. In a deluxe-edition DVD titled The Era, also from Chou, there’s a concert DVD, a CD and a rubber-and-plastic version of the Jay Chou Signature Nunchaku. (All that Jay Chou dreaminess for only $32—get out of town!)
7American rock guitarist Buckethead, formerly of Guns N’ Roses, is known to perform nunchaku kata in the mid-dle of his concerts. Manic rock wailer Sebastian Bach, the former frontman of Skid Row and a longtime student of Shaolin kung fu, likes to use chuck-twirling techniques with a microphone and mike cord—perhaps channeling Roger Daltry and Bruce Lee.
1The word nunchaku is composed of two parts. Nun means “twin” or “identical.” Chaku is an old unit of measurement roughly equal to one section of bamboo.
2According to Guinness World Records,the most clay targets broken in one minute with a nunchaku is 51. The feat was accomplished by a French-man named Thierry Guyon on the set of L’Été de Tous Les Records. It took place in Benodet, France, on August 2, 2004.
3That fine example of nunchaku “skeet
shooting” begs the question, What’s the record for the number of wal-nuts smashed in one minute with a nunchaku? The answer is 49. It hap-pened in a demo done by Wang Hongx-in on the set of Zheng Da Zong Yi (Guin-ness World Records Special) in Beijing on May 22, 2010.
4Although we think of the nunchaku as the symbol of martial arts in movies, only one feature film has used the name
of the weapon as its title. Nunchakuwas shot in Uruguay in 2011. The mo-tion picture features the martial and thespian stylings of local movie stars Rodrigo Gils, Sabrina Lalinde and Hugo Piccinini. After its release, it was hailed as the “Citizen Kane of Uruguayan nunchaku movies,” and Gils was called the “Uruguayan Orson Welles—with nunchucks.”
5The nunchaku isn’t the darling of just the traditional Okinawan arts. Versions of it can be found in the martial arse-nals of Japan, Korea, Vietnam, China, Philippines and Taiwan. One of the world’s most famous—and enthusias-tic—nunchaku experts is, in fact, Tai-wanese. His name is Chen Yan Sen, and he’s renowned as the “double-chucks kung fu master.”
6Speaking of Taiwan … Taiwanese pop-star-turned-actor Jay Chou, who stepped into Bruce Lee’s sizeable shoes as Kato in Seth Rogan’s recent
8Since the early 1980s, select police departments in America have allowed officers to carry a nunchaku instead of
the standard-issue baton or the PR-24 tonfa-inspired side-handle baton.
Police nunchaku training consists of “a limited number of simple techniques which can be learned during a short training period,” said Kevin Orcutt, founder of the Orcutt Police Nunchaku system. “The nunchaku is mainly used for control during arrest or for self-de-fense against an empty-hand attacker.
“The OPN system includes various techniques for arrest and control: joint locks, takedowns, come-along tech-niques, techniques for handcuffing,
blocks against punches and kicks—which may become grab-control tech-niques—and a few strikes which may be used only as a last resort.”
9Despite this impressive law-and-order pedigree, the nunchaku is illegal in many parts of the world and legally question-able in many more. The fighting tool is
outlawed in Canada, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, Sweden, Switzer-land, Romania and Ukraine. In France, Hungary, Netherlands, Spain, Poland and Great Britain, it occupies a legal gray area: One may be owned, but it’s subject to strict laws regulating transport and possession outside the home and dojo.
In the United States, the nunchaku is regulated on the state and local levels, with possession, usage and transporta-tion ranging from completely legal to severely restricted. The worst offend-ers are New York, California, Arizona and Massachusetts.
10The nunchaku really freaks out Brit-ish politicians. When the Teenage Mu-tant Ninja Turtles movies and cartoons were originally exported to the United Kingdom, censors cut all the nunchaku action. No doubt that left many English schoolboys scratching their caps over what exactly Michelangelo did besides spout catchphrases and eat pizza.
To order, call toll-free: (800) 581-5222 or visit blackbeltmag.com/ultimate-guide-jkd
The Ultimate Guide to Jeet Kune Do gives insight into the intriguing martial art of Bruce Lee. The art’s most successful students interpret the evolution and originator through a collection of articles from the Black Belt archives.
The Ultimate Guide to Jeet Kune Do features articles by, profiles of and lessons from the following martial artists: Dan Inosanto, Tim Tackett, Bob Bremer, Jerry Poteet, Paul Vunak, James DeMile, Gary Dill, James Lee, Jerry Beasley and Richard Bustillo.
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