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.

FULL SPEED AHEAD — NOT!

Black Belt Magazine • VOLUME 58, NO. 1 DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020

FIGHT SMARTS FROM JOHN HACKLEMAN • MARTIAL ARTS NEWS YOU CAN USE. READ IT - KNOW IT - LIVE IT

DOJO LISTINGS

COMMUNITY

The Sword Behind the Smile • In Karate Way, often I’ve discussed the many Japanese idioms and sayings that refer to the sword. This aspect of colloquial Japanese reminds one of how deeply the sword and the warrior influenced the culture of that country.

BEHIND THE SCENES: Martial Arts in Saudi Arabia

Silat Under the Volcano in Bali, Part 1 • The island of Bali is part of the Indonesian archipelago. While the rest of the nation is Muslim, Bali traditionally has been popula ted by Hindus. It was a Hindu, a traditional wrestling master named Putu Wit sen Widjaya, who originally invited me to this tr opical isle to try my hand at mepantigan wrestling. (See the December 2018/January 2019, February/March 2019 and April/May 2019 issues of Black Belt.) He explained to me that his life’s ambition is to meet and organize all the mar tial arts masters in Bali in an effort to preserve the culture.

Surviving a Suicide Bombing • The very nature of the environments chosen for the majority of suicide bombings — which is to say, crowded venues — and the added aspect of the scum not caring at all about being able to leave the scene of the crime make specific measures and predictions tough to implement.

Sudden Violence • My Kembativz organization recently ran its Sudden Violence course for the second time this year. The intensive training session puts students in some very unfamiliar and uncomfortable situations with drills that require ferocity and legitimate performance. The focus is on developing enough skill to deal with situations that suddenly — and unexpectedly — become critically violent.

Ne Zha and Wu Assassins

UP CLOSE: IKO UWAIS

DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON • MIXED-MARTIAL ARTS SUPERSTAR TALKS ABOUT BEING A SMALLER FIGHTER IN A COMBAT SPORT RULED BY GIANTS

2019 MMA FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

2019 BLACK BELT HALL OF FAME • As you’ve no doubt noticed, this is Black Belt’s annual Hall of Fame issue. Presented here are five inductions for 2019. Appended to the Demetrious Johnson cover story is the sixth. Watch for additional coverage of these talented martial artists in future issues of Black Belt.

2019 MAN OF THE YEAR

2019 WOMAN OF THE YEAR

2019 INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR

2019 WEAPONS INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR

2019 COMPETITOR OF THE YEAR

Martail Arts Worldview • Training in Hapkido, Watching Billy Jack and Becoming a Sheepdog

HOW TO TAME YOUR DRAGON • LEARN THE MECHANICS AND DO THE DRILLS, THEN UNLEASH THE BEAST THAT IS YOUR ROUND KICK!

Power of the PUNCH • How It Stacks Up Against 3 Other Go-To Responses to an Attack

THE OPTION TO RUN

ESSENTIAL GEAR

Take Your Dojo to a Higher Rank in 3 Easy Steps! • I’ve run martial arts schools for many years. Like most school owners during the days before Google and Bing, I depended on listings in the White Pages, which I augmented with paid ads in the Yellow Pages. To stay near the top, I used the alphabet, making sure my dojo names started with “Burk” or “American.” When coupled with the occasional display ad in a local publication, this strategy worked well for decades. The phone would ring regularly with calls from interested parties, and those leads often turned into new enrollments.

Navigating the Maze That Is the...