Black Belt 2013-08_09

What REALLY Happened to Hwa Rang Do’s Michael Echanis

EXCLUSIV

EQ

RZA OF TH&A

WU-TANG E TALKS AB CLAN HIS KUNGOUT FU

EXPLORING THE PATH TO TECHNICAL MASTERY

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NUNCHAKU

10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Retro Weapon

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AUG/SEP 2013

MEET LEON JAY!

Display until 9/24/13

Vladimir Vasiliev

Wally Jay’s Son Inherits SmallCircle Jujitsu

COULD YOU TAKE ON 100 KARATEKA AND LIVE TO TELL ABOUT IT? 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 READY TO BEGIN THE TRAINING?

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To order, call toll-free: (800) 581-5222 or visit blackbeltmag.com/kenji-yamaki

contents 08 / 09. 2013 COVER STORY

40 SYSTEMA: RUSSIAN MARTIAL ART

This 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 WARRIOR

A former Special Forces noncommissioned 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 WAZA

Judo 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 CLAN

In 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 NUNCHAKU

Whether 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 FIGHTING

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

Photo by Robert Reiff

Want to bolster your ability to prevail in close-range combat? Learn these techniques and strategies from the Burmese martial arts!

email: [email protected]

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by Bruce Lee and M. Uyehara

BLACK BELT - AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 - VOLUME 51 - NUMBER 5

BRUCE LEE’S FIGHTING METHOD: The Complete Edition

CONTENTS

24

VERSUS

It’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

FIGHTBOOK

Black 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-SPEC

In 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

DESTINATIONS

Black Belt’s Asia correspondent Antonio Graceffo continues his account of what it was like to live the martial way in Borneo.

32

KARATE WAY

Always 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 EAST

Kickboxing-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 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 complement Lee’s foundational Tao of Jeet Kune Do, this restored and enhanced edition of Fighting Method breathes new life into hallowed pages with digitally remastered photography and a painstakingly 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 ZZZEODFNEHOWPDJFRPJKWLQJBPHWKRG  

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EDITOR’S NOTE 14 MAILBOx 16 TIMES 71 ESSENTIAL GEAR 78 BLACK BELT PAGES 82 FROM THE ARCHIVES 12

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 publication is 475 Sansome St., Suite 850, San Francisco, CA 94111. Periodicals postage paid at San Francisco, CA and at additional mailing ofÀces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Black Belt, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Palm Coast Data, P.O. Box 421113, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Customer service: (800) 2664066. 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 Communications LLC, an Active Interest Media Publication. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.

WAY OF THE WARRIOR

In “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.

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FIT TO FIGHT

Our 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 BUSINESS

Black 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 SPOTLIGHT

Pramek, 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. blackbeltMaG.cOM

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NEW ONLINE STORE BlackBeltMag.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

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

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

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FREE JIM KELLY DOWNLOAD In 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 /BlackBeltMagazine

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Jim Kelly Photo by Ed Ikuta • Chuck Norris Photo by Rick Hustead

WATCH VLADIMIR VASILIEV IN ACTION!

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VOLUME 51, NO. 5 - AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 GROUP PUBLISHER Cheryl Angelheart EXECUTIVE EDITOR Robert W. Young CREATIVE DIRECTOR Alexander Norouzi

AARON BANKS (1928–2013)

I

f you’d spoken to Aaron Banks during 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.

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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

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

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In Love With Muay Boran! I’d like to thank Dr. Mark Cheng for his muay boran article in the June/July 2013 issue. He didn’t just describe the rare Thai art; he also told a fascinating story of discovery. I’ll be scouring the Web for details on the next time Col. Nattapong Buayam comes to California 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 understanding of the wisdom found in the Eastern 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 selfdefense 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 recommended. I used to be scared to do it but not anymore. My sensei spars with all the karateka 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 punctuate it with historical examples. More important, 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 individual’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 multiple assailants. They also knew that regardless of the number of laws a society enacted, 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 advancement in the weapons technology that’s always 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 society 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 inappropriate. As martial artists, we have a moral responsibility to understand and respect everyone’s right to self-defense. In the process, we also must understand that Àrearms and their lawful use are a direct extension of the martial traditions we practice. Michael D. Janich, Black Belt Hall of Fame - via the Internet

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BLACK BELT I AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013

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ONE ON ONE HOW TO BUILD YOUR BACK KICK

What:

What:

Deep WideStance Squat

Broad Jump

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 shoulderwidth 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

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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

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

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 I BLACK BELT

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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 captures 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.

Competition Alert

15 FightiNg arts to BE FEaturEd at worLd ComBat gamEs 18

black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2013

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.org 4A 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/ BlackBeltMagazine 4The 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 CQC7B 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.com 4The 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.

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, judo, jujitsu, karate, kendo, kickboxing, muay Thai, sambo, savate, sumo, taekwondo, wrestling and wushu. The Àrst installment of the international athletic event was held in 2010 in Beijing. For more information, visit worldcombatgames.com.

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Image Courtesy of Artnative Creative Group Inc.

NEWS BITES

On the Marquee

Kenpo/KicKboxing StyliSt StarS in new Movie

When trailers for Chavez: Cage of Glory start hitting the airwaves and

the interwebs, longtime readers of Black Belt will recognize the name of the star: Hector Echavarria, a man who’s been in the magazine numerous times. The practitioner of kenpo and kickboxing, who hails from Argentina, has made a slew of martial arts movies over the years, and Chavez is the latest. The tag line—“When your body is broken, you must Àght with all your heart”—sums up the spirit of the Àlm, which follows the day-today life of one Hector Chavez as he struggles to put food on the table while paying his son’s medical bills. The title character winds up using his martial arts skills in an amateur MMA event. When a video of his Àghts is spotted by a major MMA promoter, Chavez gets his chance at the big time—imagine Rocky Balboa with takedowns and submissions. Echavarria is something of a household name in South America. Before relocating to the United States, he starred in a TV series called Brigada. In an effort to expand his horizons, he began building a name for himself in Hollywood. The ongoing results include such movies as Death Warrior, Unrivalled, Confessions of a Pit Fighter, Never Surrender and Lake Dead. Chavez: Cage of Glory—which co-stars Danny Trejo (Machete), Steven Bauer, James Russo and MMA Àghters Heath Herring and Tony Lopez—will hit theaters in August 2013.

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A Gathering of Masters

Korean Martial artS FeStival Held in Florida

Nearly 100 martial artists gathered in Crestview, Florida, on April 19-21, 2013, to learn from 18 distinguished masters and grandmasters at the Seventh Annual Korean Martial Arts Festival. The threeday event was hosted by Thomas Gordon. Last year’s get-together was featured in “10 Must-Do Martial Arts Events” in the May 2012 issue of Black Belt. This year’s presenters had more than 600 years of training and teaching under their collective belts, yet they exhibited the essence of humility. The event was open to all ranks and styles, with seminars covering taekwondo, hapkido, tang soo do, kuk sool and other styles from the Land of the Morning Calm. Gordon said his goal was to create an annual event where martial artists of all ranks can come together, regardless of organizational politics, to learn the skills of the Korean martial arts. Judging by this year’s festival, he’s achieved that goal and more. kmaf.info —Alain Burrese

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Breaker, Breaker!

Martial artist to Bust Boards for Kids The challenge facing tang soo do

Preserving the Arts

KiM soo invites Masters to Kwon Beop seMinar

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Korean martial arts pioneer Kim Soo has extended an invitation to all Changmoo Kwan and Kangduk Won descendants who are Àfth-degree black belt or higher and interested in learning Yoon Byung-in’s kwon beop legacy. He’s hoping they’ll attend a multi-day seminar he’s hosting in Texas later this year. Yoon founded the YMCA Kwon Beop Bu in 1946, where he taught both chuan fa (Chinese for kwon beop) and karate. Several of his students went on to found the Changmoo Kwan and Kangduk Won, where they labored to preserve Yoon’s instruction. Unfortunately, most of that form of chuan fa has been lost over the years. An original student of the Changmoo Kwan and Kangduk Won, Kim has painstakingly preserved the chuan fa of Yoon and normally teaches only his direct students. He recently decided to open his doors to masters from both lineages who would like to delve into an important part of their martial arts heritage. Interested parties should send an email to [email protected] or a letter to Kim Soo, 1740 Jacquelyn Drive, Houston, Texas 77055. For more information, visit chayonryu.com. —Robert McLain

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Photo by Rick Hustead

black-belt Leif Becker is a tough one: He hopes to break 100,000 boards in 24 hours. Ordinarily, any middle-age martial artist’s chances for success at such a task would be slim, but Becker, 41, already holds two world records for board breaking. Becker’s mission to set another record was launched in January 2013. On May 4, it received a publicity shot in the arm when he appeared on The Today Show and broke 70 boards in front of the program’s hosts. He then embarked on a national tour that will culminate in the 100,000-board break on September 27 in New York City. To succeed, he’ll have to smash almost 70 boards a minute for 24 hours. “This is not about a feat of physical strength,” Becker said. “It is about strengthening children across the country.” He was speaking about his work with the REACH Foundation, a Connecticut-based nonproÀt that helps youth. Together, they’ve created a program called Breaking Barriers– Building Futures. Each of the boards Becker breaks will be dedicated to one child who has a barrier to overcome. “I’m not doing this alone,” Becker said. “Every parent, teacher, nonproÀt organization and company sponsor who is helping these kids is what is going to give me the strength to achieve my goal. I am going for a world record, but the boards are a symbol.” breakingbarriersevent.com

WINNING ON THE GROUND TRAINING AND TECHNIQUES FOR JUDO AND MMA FIGHTERS The New Book by Dr. AnnMaria De Mars and James Pedro Sr.

Featuring Ronda Rousey and Kayla Harrison In WINNING ON THE GROUND: Training and Techniques for Judo and MMA Fighters, Dr. AnnMaria De Mars, 1984 world judo champion, and James Pedro Sr., coach of international judo medalists, present a variety of techniques developed over the years. Their coaching has helped such winners in the worlds of judo and mixed martial arts as Ronda Rousey (De Mars’ daughter) and Kayla Harrison take home medals at the highest levels of competition. Winning on the Ground demonstrates that you can overcome your opponent, even from a position that may seem hopeless. The key is in training for various scenarios.

Winning on the Ground includes the following: • six secrets to better mat work (and mistakes to avoid) • coaching tips from the authors • a dozen quick ways to gain an opponent’s submission • how to do the perfect armbar and half nelson • smarter training: drills for connecting techniques for the win • and MUCH MORE!

Code: 527 Pages: 200 Retail: $18.95 ISBN: 978-0-89750-205-4

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Men vs. Women in Training I’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

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hen 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 femaleonly 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 separated 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 current 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, constantly 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 polarizing 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 interplay 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. 24

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I don’t know a man or woman who goes into a session thinking, No matter what the lesson plan is today, can we schedule an injury? That said, we must accept the fact that combat training is a contact sport, and there will be a few bumps and bruises—if you’re doing it right. Expecting to absorb the full impact of the training in a hands-off atmosphere is akin to expecting to become proficient at football without experiencing blocking and tackling. I often see classes in which mixing genders is problematic in the opposite sense: The males are too concerned about harming their female counterparts. In short, they’re behaving like gentlemen. I see this as a disservice to the women. Taking it easy with a female partner is saying, in essence, “You can’t handle this, so I’ll treat you with kid gloves.” rather than advising the sexes to avoid or tiptoe around each other, we should regard everyone as athletes. If we’re going to adjust for differences, let those adjustments be in deference to a distinction we already make: weight class. Contrary to popular myth, size matters. Size differences are why we have weight classes. Combat classes are often composed of athletes of all shapes and sizes, and we’re used to the idea of holding back a little when we’re much bigger than our partner. In other words, guys and gals, play according to your weight class, not your gender. Here are two other thoughts before I sign off: • Some grappling positions appear comical to the rookies in a coed crowd. They can lead some to think, How would that look if I did it? My answer: It would look like you’re training. “Compromising” grappling positions aren’t a gender-related subject. It’s always fun to tell two beefy Marines to lie down so one can maneuver between the other guy’s legs. The first time they might raise an eyebrow, but then it quickly turns to business. • Don’t sweat the tears should they start to flow. Hormones do different things to different people. In some, the expression of stress or frustration is tears. They’re no more a sign of weakness in women than they are in the men who weep when they win in the octagon. blackbeltMaG.cOM

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ith the passage of time, much has changed, yet there remains a certain value to direct, lineal transmission if for no other reason than this: Learning a martial way requires much more than exposure to a catalog of techniques. The taking of such a journey is facilitated by a subtle, abstract and osmotic process through which characteristics of the teacher are imparted to the student simply by virtue of time spent together. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the fatherson relationship. Fortunate is any son whose first steps along the martial way were guided by a master such as Wally Jay. Now the headmaster of small-circle jujitsu, Leon Jay is clearly his own man—accomplished, powerful and independent—and yet echoes of his father are present. No doubt you’ll notice them as you read this interview.

Leon Jay, Son of Small-Circle Jujitsu Founder Wally Jay, Part 1

The 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. by Peter Hobart 26

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the power of the mInd: “Sometimes, my father would dream about a technique and wake me up to try it, but mostly he’d get up and type it down. He taught me how to dream by observation. Over the years, I’ve learned techniques where you ‘take the problem with you’—during meditation, breathing and body relaxation. The mind never sleeps, so you take it with you to sleep and program your mind to wake up with the answers. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t. But it’s worth trying to let your subconscious work on it while you’re sleeping.” blackbeltMaG.cOM

Photo Courtesy of Peter Hobart

In the begInnIng: “I was doing [martial arts] before I could walk. Before I was 2, I was slapping the mat and copying everything I could. I never really had any problem with bullies. Everybody knew about Dad and knew who I was. They just didn’t bother. My mother did massage and nikko restoration. As soon as I could walk, she showed me how to walk the back. She was also very good at using the elbow to chase pain—deep tissue massage. We always ended up with pain in the martial arts, and as far as the elbow goes, she would stay there in your back until you learned how to breathe through the pain.”

“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.” In a prevIous lIfe: “Before becoming a full-time martial arts instructor, my father was a postman in Hawaii. He retired at 55 years of age—that’s how he transferred from Hawaii to California. Dad was up at 5:30 in the morning [to run] his five routes. I believe this was where he learned palming. You know the three-wheel carts with the saddlebags for mail? He used to pop them with his palm and shoot them across the sidewalk, sending them where he wanted them to go. I believe that’s where he first worked that sensitivity. “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.

After that, it developed into working with companies and checking out secure rooms for meetings—things like that.” on the street: “When I was a teenager, we used to go up and party in the Oakland Hills, and [we] had to go through a pretty bad area to get there, so we had a lot of confrontations. Short kicks to the knees work pretty good. I threw a guy on concrete and pulled the arm [as a safety measure], and the next thing you know, he’s getting up! The second time it happened, I threw him on his neck and shoulder. He didn’t get up that time. I’ve been in fights before where I’ve pulled the punch and then wondered, Why did I do that? I try not to do that kind of thing. That’s why we don’t do tournaments.”

In the dojo: “There was a time when my focus shifted to taekwondo and karate. I did all the aerial, jumping-around stuff that ruined my lower back—thank God the knees are still good! But then I came back to jujitsu because I was catching people’s kicks in the air and throwing them on their faces, thinking, This ain’t gonna work. So I went back to the small circle. “I pretty much stick with low kicks. The time to kick the head is after you put the guy down. [While you’re standing], focus on the kneecap, groin and stomach maybe. Low, chopping roundhouses to the outer leg and inner thigh—nothing much higher than that.” (To be continued in the October/November 2013 issue.)

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In 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. by Kelly McCann

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bviously, 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 escape, 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.”

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The danger in not acting quickly enough is that you’ll be knocked back into the vehicle and wind up in an even worse situation. Your attacker will be dominant and have a good base, and you’ll lose your base as you fall on your butt. From that position, it’s difficult to generate power while fighting “upward.” If you find yourself in such a position in a vehicle, your first concern is to keep the attacker from crowding the space and towering over you. Your best option is to use your most powerful and longest weapons: your legs. With the seat as your base, use violent kicks to knock the attacker back far enough to close the door or bolt out of the seat and flee. Cant your upper body back slightly to keep the attacker from latching onto or punching you. Of cOurse, the presence of a weapon makes matters worse. The weapon may be used, or it may be presented to threaten you. Either way, the situation blackbeltMaG.cOM

Photo by Peter Lueders

ConƘned-Space Combatives, Part 2

“Would you be justioed to immediately attack if a weapon is presented, even when you can’t discern the assailant’s intent? Sure. But are you ready for that?” is ultimately far more dangerous than it would be otherwise. In the open—you’re still standing outside your vehicle but you’re trapped—if you believe the weapon is being used solely to threaten you, give the attacker what he wants and run. Don’t wait for him to “dismiss” you. If, on the other hand, you believe your life is in jeopardy, you have no alternative other than to rely on counter-weapon techniques. Would you be justified to immediately attack if a weapon is presented, even when you can’t discern the assailant’s intent? Sure. But are you ready for that? Do you have those skills on tap? Are you certain you won’t muzzle-flash yourself in a struggle and end up shot? That you

won’t reach for a slashing knife and get cut? These situations are clearly beyond a simplistic solution. Only you will understand the totality of the variables presented, so it’s ridiculous for anyone to tell you exactly what to do in a hypothetical weapon scenario. If you’ve gotten into the front seat and suddenly the passenger door opens and an attacker jumps in, jump the hell out! If you’re able to immediately get out, the good news is there’s no easy or fast way for the attacker to get to you. You’ve created a barrier between him and you. If the escape attempt fails, it’s once again all about dominant position. It’s likely he’ll get in on one knee and be

higher than you. It’s exceedingly difficult to “finish” in confined-space combatives. Your attack should be focused on your assailant’s eyes, face and neck. If you can damage one of those targets, immediately detach and get out as fast as you can. If you’re in a disadvantageous position, try to establish an equal or higher base by swiveling your hips to face him and getting a knee on your seat. In this position, your knee or knees replace your feet as your base and enable you to have an equal or dominant position from which to develop power. Your strikes should be shortened, made as efficient as possible and thrown with the intent of disrupting or incapacitating your attacker to facilitate your escape.

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kickboxer doesn’t have to claim he can beat you, and an MMA fighter doesn’t have to debate whether his technique will submit you. That’s because any discussion along those lines can be settled with an invitation to jump into the ring. In silat, that never happens—for a variety of reasons we’re all well aware of, including the nature of the teachings, which revolve around avoiding conflict, as well as the potential lethality of the moves. Nevertheless, it’s fascinating.

Treading the Martial Path in Borneo Part 2

While 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.” by Antonio GraceƗo 30

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Sitting in a cafe one day, I listened as a local official and a guru discussed spirit power. They said that if you train right and do magic a certain way, no one can hit you or otherwise hurt you. They told the story of a silat instructor who reportedly could spirit himself from the bottom of a mountain to the top without getting tired. I thought of my training partners in Thailand who were running up and down their mountains and most certainly getting tired. One of the masters I met at a government banquet showed me scars on his forearms and recalled how 30 men had entered his house with swords and tried to kill him. But by using spirit power, he said, he was able to blackbeltMaG.cOM

Photo Courtesy of Antonio Graceffo

Something elSe I found fascinating in Borneo was the frequency with which internal power and magic were discussed. Many styles of silat are linked to religion. Silat kalam, for example, takes its name from the word kalamat, which means “to profess one’s faith.” The movements of the art are based on movements seen in Muslim prayers. Some styles are so closely tied to the religion that they can’t be taught to nonMuslims. Technically, magic is prohibited by the Muslim faith, yet many of the masters I met talked about the spells they did before practicing. Others referred to the harimau, a mythical tiger spirit that supposedly enters their bodies and helps them fight better. There were rituals that included a long prayer recited while sitting on a white cloth surrounded by knives and coins. After the recitation, the practitioner has to sleep on the cloth for three nights before returning it to his guru. All those practices are meant to make you a better fighter, I was told. In my mind, I would immediately contrast them with the pad and bag drills my muay Thai coach loved to put me through to make me a better fighter. To each his own, as they say.

“In the past, people lived in their villages, cut off from the outside world. It was easy to believe that a certain art was best or that a specioc master was invincible. But today, nearly everyone has access to the Internet.” defeat them. Afterward, I whispered to my cameraman, “I have never seen a Malay house that would even hold 30 people, much less if they were swinging swords.” “What exactly did the master do to make 30 people want to kill him?” he asked. “He must be guilty of something.” How sucH stories survive in a world that has plenty of real martial artists who engage in real fights is a mystery. In the past, people lived in their villages, cut off from the outside world. It was easy to believe that a certain art was best or that a specific mas-

ter was invincible. But today, nearly everyone has access to the Internet. It’s obvious that spirit power, magic and tiger possession don’t play a significant role in winning fights. Case in point: The aforementioned official and guru had watched a 64-man tournament in which I competed. Couldn’t they see that no one had magic powers? Whenever I encountered martial artists like them, I’d ask, “If people with magic powers do exist, why don’t they enter a tournament and prove their skills to the world?” Not once did I get a reasonable answer. Sadly, in many cases, it all comes

down to the lack of a desire to train. If you give a prospective student a choice between working out for hours a day until he’s about to collapse and learning a few magic spells from an old man on a mountain—well, the second option will be a lot more appealing to some. (To be concluded in the October/November 2013 issue.)  About the Author: Antonio Graceffo is a freelance writer based in Asia. To order Warrior Odyssey, the book he wrote about his travels, visit blackbeltmag.com.

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 padding.

A 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 themselves against his attacks. by Dave Lowry

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’ve never participated in one of those classes, so I know nothing 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 martial 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 teacher’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 posture. His reflexes seemed crisp. He picked up on the teachings and carried them out against the padded assistant. As the lesson wound

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it turned out that the old man had been a closequarters-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 assistant and for the instructor at the seminar: No matter 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 assistant—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 effortless for you will someday be difficult or impossible. What’s the best way to prepare your students—and yourself—for that? blackbeltMaG.cOM

Photo by Rick Hustead

Ageless Arts But Aging Artists

“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 assistant 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 overpadded 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 standing 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.”

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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 success 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 people come to Ring of Combat, they always get competitive 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.”

So 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 Championship and other major promotions. by Mark Jacobs

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hile 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 kickboxing 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 casinos. 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

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Although it might be a promotional taboo, Neglia 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 passion than a business to me.” blackbeltMaG.cOM

Photo Courtesy of Lou Neglia/Steven Bruzen/Harold Kemp

Launch Pad of Champions

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 fighters 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 become 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 inside 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 obstacle 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.

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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 selfdefense 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 winning strategies for the cage and self-defense skills for the street.

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-onone 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

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n 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 focus on self-defense force us to think about how our ring technique fits into a larger martial reality. But their arguments are frustrating because they often mischaracterize the fighting sports and the athletes who do them. 36

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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 disadvantage 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 lightheavyweight 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 artists give them credit for and the matches are often a lot less fair than they imagine. still, the Argument that the fighting sports are fundamentally different from self-defense should be taken seriously. 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.

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sive upward motion (dorsi�lexion) of the big toe at the MTP joint, which can cause a sprain or partial to complete tearing of the joint capsule. Now that you know the mechanism, it isn’t hard to �igure out that repeated throws or takedowns done on tatami might lead to the condition. Sometimes, a single, forceful event can cause turf toe. Other times, it’s precipitated by multiple episodes of jamming the big toe. Such stressors may induce capsule and ligament injury, as well as damage to the joint cartilage, fracture and dislocation. And it doesn’t affect just weekend warriors; recall that UFC �ighter Jon Jones recently suffered a toe injury that ended up being an open dislocation. In other words, his big toe was dislocated and cut open at the same time.

Beware of Turf Toe If 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 phalangeal (MTP) joint, better known as its knuckle.

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by Robert Wang, M.D.

urf toe was �irst recognized in football players who wore �lexible shoes and played on arti�icial turf. It stemmed from the additional movement and �lexibility 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 arti�icial turf, so the term also applies to the af�liction 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 exces38

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IF YOU SUFFER a big-toe sprain, you’ll feel pain and experience swelling, bruising and limited range of motion. You may be able to put some weight on the foot, but if the injury is more severe, you may �ind yourself limping—or not wanting to put any weight on the foot at all. Getting medical attention is the prudent thing to do. Expect a thorough assessment that includes X-rays. It’s reassuring to know that most cases of turf toe are treated nonsurgically. An initial assessment is made to rule out fractures and dislocations, after which treatment is directed at protecting the soft tissues and allowing for functional rehabilitation. That treatment typically involves rest (i.e., restricted motion, which also can be achieved by taping the big toe), application of ice, compressive dressing and foot elevation. The use of anti-in�lammatories may be advised. To prevent excessive stiffness of the joint, active motion should be started as soon as the symptoms allow. Other therapies designed to help increase range of motion include whirlpool sessions and the use of ultrasound with cold compression. The next time you jam your big toe in the dojo, get it assessed. Immediate treatment is the best way to avoid future complications.  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.

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The Russian MaRTial aRT is RegaRded as One Of The MOsT effecTive fighTing sysTeMs On The PlaneT, and iTs POPulaRiTy is laRgely due TO The effORTs Of vladiMiR vasiliev! by RobeRt W. young

Photos by RobeRt Reiff

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TAKE OUT THE LEG: Vladimir Vasiliev (right) remains in a natural, nonthreatening stance when confronted by an attacker (1). As soon as the man starts to close the gap, Vasiliev drives a front kick into his quadriceps—not to damage muscle tissue but to temporarily ruin the leg’s ability to support him (2-3). Because he’s not out to hit with maximum power, it’s easier for the systema expert to execute the technique without being noticed by the assailant (4). As a follow-up, Vasiliev can deliver a light strike to the back of the head or neck to disorient the man (5-7). From that position, it’s relatively easy to control him.

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pend 20 years in a �ield you’re passionate about—when this issue of Black Belt hits the newsstand, I’ll have edited articles for two decades—and it’s easy to conclude you’ve seen and heard it all. It’s a fair assumption, but it’s a dead giveaway that the person doing the assuming has never been face to face with Vladimir Vasiliev. The day of the photo shoot that yielded the images you see here will go down in my mental history, for it marked the �irst time I ever had an exchange like this: Me: “Could you show us the �irst systema defense you want to demonstrate? That was perfect! Can you do it again for the camera?” Vasiliev: “No.” Me (my eyes bugged out and my jaw no doubt hanging slack): “You can’t?” He shook his head, then explained that in systema, everything a practitioner does is predicated on the actions and position of the opponent. If said opponent feeds the systema stylist a slightly different attack or even the same attack from a different angle, the response will be different—sometimes radically. The Russian summed up his position in perfect-though-accented English: “I can’t promise to do it again exactly the same way.” At �irst, I thought it might be a touch of subconscious posturing, the kind you occasionally get from men at the top of their food chain—which is where Vasiliev has been since 1993, the year he set up shop in Toronto and founded the �irst systema facility outside Russia. But then, as the day wore on, the pieces fell into place. I saw plenty of evidence that what Vasiliev had explained was an essential component of his �ighting philosophy. Before the session ended, I was a believer. The way the Russian and one of his instructors, Los Angelesbased British expat Martin Wheeler, who three days earlier headlined a systema ground-�ighting photo shoot, had responded to every attack they faced was completely dependent on the nuances of the attacks. That’s not to say systema asks students to memorize thousands of moves for every conceivable situation, thus leaving them vulnerable to the much-talked-about mental logjam. No, Vasiliev and Wheeler seemed to respond with attacks and defenses that �it

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the situation—there’s no other way to describe it. Nothing fancy, just the perfect choice for a given moment. When you think about it, that’s the best any of us can expect from ourselves in a �ight.

Mystery Demystified

Training to facilitate the optimal response to an attack makes total sense, especially when you consider the environment in which systema was �inetuned to function. Its primary practitioners in modern times—spies, undercover operatives, high-level military personnel and the like—couldn’t adopt an obvious stance before or during an attack, and they couldn’t blast out a kiai in combat. Either could alert an enemy as to what was coming, and either could send a message that makes onlookers think, “Hey, that man’s a trained killer, even with his bare hands. Let’s get him!” All that isn’t to say systema owes its existence solely to Soviet science of the Cold War era. The moves that make it up are believed to date back more than a millennium. “Russian warriors acquired a style that combined strong spirit with extremely innovative and versatile tactics that were practical, deadly and effective against any type of enemy under any circumstances,” Vasiliev writes on his website. “The style was natural and free while having no strict rules, rigid structure or limitations (except for moral ones). All tactics were based on instinctive reactions, individual strengths and characteristics, speci�ically designed for fast learning.” Systema is big on deleting tension from the self-defense equation. “You should use your movements to remove excess tension,” Vasiliev said. “This way, you are always ready and free for your next action.” Versatile, natural, no strict rules, instinctive reaction, no tension—after the photo shoot, I’d agree with all those descriptors. Apparently, Black Belt contributing editor Floyd Burk is way ahead of me on this one: Two years ago when we asked some of the movers and shakers of the industry to list their top 10 arts for self-defense, Burk replied with this: “Most people who observe this Russian �ighting style will appreciate the spontaneity with which practitioners can fend off armed and unarmed attacks. It’s practical and effective without the nonessentials.” That’s what I was going to say. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 I BLACK BELT

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Looks Should Be Deceiving Systema places great importance on your starting stance in a self-defense situation. “It has to be a natural and straight body position,” Vasiliev said. “As simple as it seems, it is essential [to pose] no threat to the opponent. Your actions will be unexpected, inconspicuous and a lot more effective. “There are times when deliberately unusual and less-natural body positions are needed in confrontations, but these would be assumed for tactical and strategic reasons to manipulate your opponent into the behavior you need.” How are you supposed to know which position is best for a given adversary and assume it in time? The oft-repeated attribute known as situational awareness, Vasiliev said. “In systema, we have many exercises to specifically develop awareness of your opponent and your distance from him. You should feel comfortable to act, and there should be no excessive tension.” I asked Vasiliev to demonstrate how that natural stance works. He stood there, seemingly unprepared for what was about to come his way. The opponent closed the gap and initiated his attack. Vasiliev’s response entailed kicking him in the thigh—which dropped him like a sack of potatoes—and landing a punch to the back of the neck on the way down. “You kick his quadriceps not to damage the leg but to debilitate the muscle so it can no longer hold up the person,” Vasiliev said. “The kick is not hard, but it’s precise so that even in light shoes or bare feet, it will be effective. “As with all systema strikes, you must hit unexpectedly so the attacker is shocked but not in pain or anger. Pain and anger can cause him to strike and punch needlessly. If you hit properly, he will be off-balance and will fall onto you. This is very convenient for your further control. You now have a choice of finishing moves—again, not to injure him but to disorient him.” Another way systema exploits the power of deception was revealed in a self-defense sequence in which Vasiliev dispatched a man who was about to uncork a haymaker. “The opponent prepares for the strike—there is no need for you to change your position yet,” he said. “While he approaches, take a small step to the right; this should be done exactly with his movement so he will not see it. Raise your right arm—be sure to choose a trajectory he won’t see 44

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from his viewpoint. Keep your shoulders down so he won’t be able to tell what your intentions are and adjust his strike accordingly.”

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Backup Plan That ability to move in a way the opponent doesn’t detect enables systema practitioners to intercept attacks before they reach maximum power, and that’s one of the smartest ways to fight. Reviewing a sequence of photos after the shoot, Vasiliev elaborated: “As the opponent prepares to kick here, you make a small step to the side during his movement. Do not wait for his full kick; as soon as his knee is up, he has collected himself and is concentrating on the forming kick. He is vulnerable; it is a good moment to hit. “Hit the muscles not to destroy them but to debilitate them and switch them off temporarily. This way, the leg is no longer functioning to support the body. An accurate hit causes the leg to give. He will no longer be able to kick or strike with his hand.” The goal, Vasiliev teaches, is to gain control of the assailant using economy of motion and unpredictable techniques. If that fails, however, you’ll likely need to be able to take a punch before you can implement a backup plan—which is precisely why systema training devotes so much time to staying functional while you’re taking enemy fire. “No matter how good you are, you will get hit,” Vasiliev said. “Maybe it’s because you didn’t see the strike. Maybe it’s because you moved into its path. Maybe it’s because it was more powerful than you anticipated.” In a previous interview published in Black Belt, he explained his rationale using an incident he’s seen replayed ad infinitum in his schools: “A new student joins in. We begin a mass-attack drill, where everyone comes to the center of the gym and is hitting in all directions. Right away, the new guy gets punched on the head, turns to see who did it and gets ready to hit him back. At that moment, he receives a punch from the other side, and, with anger building, he turns to that side, his fist ready to fly in that direction. And then he is hit again from the opposite side. Finally, he realizes that ‘punch for punch’ doesn’t work in a mass attack, so he exhales and starts punching those who are close by and not those who hit him. “Unfortunately, most of us have an

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NEUTRALIZE THE PUNCH: In a natural stance, Vladimir Vasiliev (left) faces the opponent (1). The man prepares to strike, but Vasiliev doesn’t move (2). It’s only when the man approaches that Vasiliev steps slightly to his right—while the opponent is moving, which reduces the chance that he’ll notice (3). Next, the systema master raises his right arm and uncorks a punch that has the Àst follow a path of minimimal detection. (4). Vasiliev then redirects the arm downward (5). He uses his left hand to control the man’s back and to prevent him from retreating while he uses his right thumb to hit him in the throat (6-7). His balance disrupted, the opponent falls, and Vasiliev moves his left hand to the back of the man’s head to maintain the pressure of thumb to throat and to “lead” him down to the ground in the event he grabs Vasiliev (8). He then can follow up or Áee as the situation demands.

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INTERCEPT THE KICK: The assailant (right) rushes forward and attempts to kick Vladimir Vasiliev (1). From his natural stance, Vasiliev uses his left foot to hit the side of the man’s knee and begin rotating his body (2). Using his right hand, the systema instructor puts pressure on the opponent’s left arm to further disrupt his balance and to give himself the option of delivering an unobstructed blow to the face (3). As the opponent falls, Vasiliev controls him with his right leg (4). He can use the leg to cushion his fall, thus making sure the man doesn’t hurt himself when he hits the ground (5-7), or he can continue the counterattack by placing his knee under the falling foe’s head (not shown). Systema philosophy encourages practitioners to use minimal force in self-defense situations.

almost automatic response: When a strike touches us, we immediately go to retaliate. This is caused by pride. Systema training for taking punches deals directly with this pride.” The only way to minimize the effect, whether immediate or long term, incurred from a blow is through another unexpected facet of systema, he said. “With proper breathing, it’s difficult to sustain an injury. And if trauma does happen, the damage is a lot less severe than it would have been otherwise.” The reason stems from the nature of a strike, which he described as a sudden force or impact that increases inner pressure in the recipient. “It’s a quick transfer of tension from person to person,” he said. “The tension comes not only from 46

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the physical impact but also from your perception of threat and pain.” Let’s say you’re moments from getting gut-punched. The fear you feel as you see the incoming fist causes tension, and that tension creates more fear. The resulting fear manufactures even more tension and so on. Breathing, Vasiliev said, is the way to stop that from escalating. Breathe right and the impact will be dissipated, the tension won’t build and there will be minimal bruising, he tells his students. “Even a powerful punch will bring no damage physically or psychologically. Breathing helps eliminate the tension and thus removes the pain and negative feelings.” How it works: “Keep your mouth lightly closed so air can move freely in

through the nose and out through the mouth,” Vasiliev said. At the moment of impact, allow the air to exit your mouth. Tensing up and holding your breath when you’re about to be hit is the worst thing you can do, he said, because the pressure that comes with a punch or kick will have nowhere to go—which is why it damages tissue. That’s why systema teaches practitioners to take short breaths when the heat is on. A series of short inhalations and exhalations decreases the likelihood that you’ll be caught in the middle of one long inhale or exhale, and it enables you to keep your torso in a more defensible condition. “If you only breathe with the top part of your lungs, your stomach muscles will remain slightly contracted even after

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STriKe The ThiGh: Systema stylist Vladimir Vasiliev (right) assumes a natural stance in front of his opponent (1). As the man readies a kick, Vasiliev takes a small step to his left (2). It’s crucial for him to act while the opponent is still concentrating on his attack because he’s more vulnerable. Vasiliev uses his left Àst to strike the lower part of the man’s inner thigh (3). Unable to use that leg for support, the opponent can’t stand or complete his punch (4-5). Off-balance and helpless, the adversary can be hit again, if necessary—a strike to the cheek, rather than the bony parts of the face, will protect the defender’s Àngers from damage (6). Note how Vasiliev steps slightly to the left to prevent his chest muscles from becoming too tense and to allow his right arm to punch freely.

a punch and the punch will remain on the surface,” Vasiliev said previously. “This type of breathing allows you to take a series of punches while staying mobile.” Learning to do this in a fight, of course, takes plenty of practice under a qualified instructor. If nothing else, my 20 years at Black Belt has taught me that when it comes to self-defense, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing without proper guidance. And that’s precisely why I walked out of the Vladimir Vasiliev photo shoot with one thought: How far away is the nearest systema school? About the author: Robert W. Young is the executive editor of Black Belt. For more information about systema, visit russianmartialart.com. BLACKBELTMAG.COM

The Man Behind The MarTial arT I have had the privilege to train under many great martial artists over the decades— men who have honed their skills through determination, rigorous training and fullcontact experience. To describe Vladimir Vasiliev as simply the best one of them does him a disservice. His movement, his physical ability, the deep internal relaxation he has cultivated—all are attributes associated with a true legend. But the road he has taken to get there is not one many could have traveled. As a highly decorated member of the Russian special-operations group known as the Spetznaz, Vasiliev trained under such men as Col. Mikhail Ryabko, founder of systema. While doing that, Vasiliev experienced things that would be difÀcult to justify even within our highest-level military units—of course, in actual combat. Despite those brutal hardships, he is the most gentle of men. He’s humble, sincere and Àlled with a genuine desire to share his amazing art as if it were a gift. The systema he teaches is profound and unique, as much a map of the human condition as a martial art. If I were to say Vladimir Vasiliev is simply the most decent human being I have ever met, I think that would be the most accurate description. His martial art, if you have been lucky enough to experience it, is purely an expression of that. —Martin Wheeler

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ichael D. Echanis was born on November 16, 1950, in Nampa, Idaho. The oldest of four children, he grew up in a traditional Basque family and would later

attribute his physical and mental toughness to his upbringing. Raised in the eastern Oregon town of Ontario, Mike was average height but very lean—he weighed only 140 pounds in high school. He was as good at academics as he was at track and Áeld, basketball and hunting, but he was about to learn that his calling in life would lead him elsewhere. BECOMinG A SOLdiER While Mike was in high school, his cousin Maj. Joseph Ygnacio Echanis was shot down over Laos and designated missing in action. According to his family, young Mike—who early on showed great interest in serving in the military—believed that if he could get to Vietnam under the right circumstances, he might be able to find out what happened to his cousin. The boy decided the best way to do that was while wearing a Green Beret. Mike didn’t attend his high school’s graduation ceremony, and on May 12, 1969, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. The widely propagated belief that he had to choose between jail and the military is untrue, members of his family said. “He couldn’t wait to enlist,” said his mother Pat Echanis. “Mike knew he’d graduated high school, so he just skipped the ceremony.” He attended basic training at Fort Ord, California, and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Gordon, Georgia. There, he passed the Special Forces exam. After graduating from AIT, he went to Fort Benning, Georgia, for airborne training in October 1969. Once he received the Silver Wings of a paratrooper, the 19-year-old reported to Company D at the Army’s Special Forces Training Group at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Echanis didn’t complete Phase One of the Special Forces Qualification Course. This is a common occurrence, whether because of an injury that’s sustained or some administrative reason. An opporBLACKBELTMAG.COM

tunity to attend again is often extended to candidates, but Echanis didn’t wait. For his own reasons, he volunteered for combat duty in Vietnam.

LEAdinG ThE WAy Arriving in Vietnam on March 23, 1970, Spc. 4th Class Michael Echanis volunteered for duty with the 75th Ranger Infantry as a scout observer. He was accepted and assigned to Charlie Company, also known as “Charlie Rangers.” The unit relocated from Pleiku City to Ahn Khe, where it was tasked with opposing the 95th Regiment of the North Vietnamese army in Binh Dinh province. By the end of May 1970, Ranger recon teams had conducted 73 missions in Cambodia in 23 operational days. Twenty-seven enemy contacts had

Note of thaNks This article would not have been possible without the Echanis family’s encouragement, cooperation and support. I thank them for opening their hearts and their home to me during my visits. They trust that their son’s story will honor and motivate the successful recovery, rehabilitation and transition of not only our special-operations wounded warriors but also all others who have sacrificed in the defense of our great nation since September 11, 2001. —Greg Walker

been made, 32 enemy sightings had been recorded and 34 enemy troops had been killed in action. That success came at a price, however. On May 6, 1970, Echanis was riding in a truck with Rangers Carr, Roberts, Ladeaux and Laughton in the rugged Ahn Khe Pass when the vehicle was ambushed by a company-size element of the NVA. The driver and assistant driver were wounded. Echanis opened fire as soon as the vehicle came under attack, then jumped from the truck before it veered off the road, skidded into a ditch and turned over. Struck in his left foot by a round from an AK-47, Echanis continued to engage the enemy. A bullet fragment hit him between the eyes after careening off his sunglasses. Despite the blood obscuring his vision, the young paratrooper continued to fire on the advancing enemy. Another round hit his right foot and traveled into his calf. Still shooting, Echanis was wounded a fourth time before U.S. helicopters arrived. For his actions during the ambush, Echanis received the Bronze Star with Valor device on July 15, 1970. His citation reads, “Despite his numerous wounds, Specialist Echanis continued to fight until the beleaguered truck was relieved. Specialist Echanis’ aggressive spirit and undaunted courage were decisive in preventing the annihilation of the truck and its personnel.” For him, the war was over, but a new one was about to begin: the battle for recovery and rehabilitation. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 I BLACK BELT

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Mike Echanis was sent to an Army hospital in Japan. His surgeon, reflecting on how young Echanis was, elected not to amputate the seriously injured right lower leg. “He patched him up as best he could and sent him to Letterman Army Hospital,” Pat Echanis said. There, he underwent seven months of grueling surgeries and a complicated casting process that left him exhausted. He dropped from 150 pounds to 123 pounds and felt weak and depressed. When he returned home, he was demoralized and brooding, his mother said. The bullet wound to his head resulted in chronic headaches. Although the wound to his left foot healed, his right foot and calf were permanently damaged. He suffered foot drop with contracture of the third, fourth and fifth toes because of nerve and artery interruption. In addition, he had vasomotor instability in his right lower leg. On December 18, 1970, Echanis was medically retired from military service. The Veteran’s Administration rated him as 100-percent disabled and provided a small pension. He returned home with a soft brace for his right leg, a cane and an uncertain future as a wounded warrior.

“Mike was never a quitter,” his mother said. “He was stubborn even as a little boy. He always told you exactly what he thought. He questioned everything. He was tough.” For two months, he lived at home in a basement room, seldom leaving. His friends and family would visit him there, and his father Frank Echanis had a billiard table installed so his son could entertain himself and his friends. “He was a great pool player,” Frank said. “He could make all the trick shots.” It’s unclear exactly when Mike Echanis decided he’d learn to walk again, but his mother remembers the day her son asked for a pair of soft desert boots—the only style he could wear comfortably. Right afterward, he began teaching himself how to move. “He used the pool table to support himself,” Pat said. “He’d brace himself on it and walk around and around it.” The soft brace was ultimately tossed aside. Echanis strengthened his upper thigh and hip muscles, and in doing so, he developed a technique that entailed flexing and tightening his upper leg as he stepped forward, literally but discreetly throwing his lower leg and foot forward. In time, he could not only appear to walk

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normally but also run without support. When he wasn’t wearing the soft shoes, however, he experienced extreme difficulty with daily activities. Two hometown physicians encouraged Echanis to take up weightlifting. They also recommended a rehab program that included a diet rich in nutritional supplements and protein. Echanis added the anabolic steroid Dianabol, which was popular at the time for those seeking swift muscle growth. By pushing himself, he went from 123 pounds to 220 pounds. He restarted judo lessons, then took up karate. His next martial endeavor was even more impressive: He trained as a boxer and actually fought locally as a heavyweight. It was during this period that he met Toshiro Nagato in Ontario. Soon afterward, Echanis began formal training in ninjutsu under Nagato, now a ninthdegree black belt.

DiScOveRinG hwa RanG DO In 1975 Mike Echanis moved to Southern California and took up the Korean martial art of hwa rang do. He earned his first degree—which was numbered 75-0652—from the art’s grandmasblackbeltMaG.cOM

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RePaiRinG the DaMaGe

ter, Joo Bang Lee. Interestingly, Chuck Sanders, Echanis’ childhood friend and now a Green Beret, was awarded black belt No. 75-0653 on the same day. All the while, Echanis’ love of military life and desire to serve his country pulled at him. If he couldn’t soldier any longer, perhaps he could use his recovery and rehab experience, as well as his knowledge of the martial arts and the potential of the mind, to help train soldiers for war. Soon afterward, Echanis found himself working at the U.S. Army’s John F. Kennedy Center for Military Assistance. In a letter to his family, he wrote: “I am completing a six-week film and completing an Army manual. I am standardizing the Army’s hand-to-hand system. It’s a lot of work, 5:00 in the morning until 2300 every nite … I feel I have found my profession, and I know the military is my home.”

TRAnSiTiOninG TO TRAinER In 1970 Echanis was a medically retired veteran. In December 1975, he found himself serving as senior hand-tohand and special-weapons instructor for the Green Berets and Navy SEALs. The transition was nothing less than BLACKBELTMAG.COM

Words of a Warrior “I had finally found a martial art that combined everything necessary to make a man a modern-day warrior.” —Michael D. Echanis, speaking of hwa rang do, Black Belt, June 1977

extraordinary. He amazed every doctor who’d assessed him as disabled. At Fort Bragg, Sanders was a sergeant with the 5th Special Forces Group and assigned as the medic for a scuba team. That connection got Echanis the opportunity to demonstrate his talents and skills to the unit’s senior leadership, men who were looking to improve their hand-to-hand program. Echanis wound up being named senior instructor and H2H adviser. He was tasked with teaching six three-week instructor courses for the Special Forces community. Furthermore, he was authorized by Joo Bang Lee to award black-belt rank in the new hwa rang do military program. Along the way, Echanis met the now-legendary Col. Charlie Beckwith, founder of Detachment-Delta, and the two built a strong friendship. As private correspondence and formal letters of commendation in the family archives reveal, Echanis was well-received in the special-operations community. “Your undying spirit is rare indeed,” wrote Command Sgt. Maj. William E. Edge on June 22, 1976. “In these selfcomplacent times, it is most unusual to discover a truly dedicated person such as yourself. There will again come a AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 I BLACK BELT

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O Collateral Damage In the October 1980 issue of Soldier of Fortune, Lt. Col. Alfonso Villa, a high-ranking member of the Nicaraguan Office of National Security and political exile living in the United States, was interviewed regarding Michael D. Echanis’ death. Villa blamed the aviation crash that killed Echanis and three others on an altimeter bomb constructed with the alleged help of an “old American soldier of fortune” living in Nicaragua. The device placed aboard Gen. Jose Ivan Alegrett’s private plane was meant to kill only Alegrett, he said. Villa went on to say that only President Anastasio Somoza, Maj. Gen. Samuel Genie (director of the OSN) and he knew of the decision by Somoza to kill Alegrett. Villa claimed the bomb had failed to detonate when Alegrett made an earlier trip alone in his plane. He said it did explode on September 8, 1978, while Alegrett was flying reconnaissance over the southern town of Rivas with Echanis, Chuck Sanders and Nguyen “Bobby” Nguyen. Villa made no apology for the deaths of the three Americans. SOF stated that although it was convinced of Villa’s identity, it was by no means certain his story was accurate. Somoza and Genie have since passed away. Villa, having taken an assumed name, disappeared long ago. Now, 34 years later and after a six-month investigation, I believe the following to be correct: Almost immediately after the crash, the U.S. embassy in Managua was alerted. Retired Navy SEAL Skip Crane, then the U.S. Naval attaché in Managua and a close friend of Echanis’, said he recalls being informed that hand grenades were being dropped from the aircraft at the time of the explosion. Crane identified Echanis’ remains when they were brought to a hangar in Managua. He did so using, in part, the hwa rang do tattoos he had on his forearms. Retired Chief Warrant Officer Gary O’Neal, then a member of the U.S. paramilitary training team working for Echanis, participated in the body recovery. O’Neal had met Echanis in Vietnam, and they renewed their association after Echanis became a familiar face at the 5th Special Forces Group where Sanders and O’Neal were assigned. In his recently released autobiography, O’Neal said the wounds he saw were consistent with hand-grenade shrapnel. He said he believes the explosion took place in the rear passenger area where Sanders and Nguyen were seated. Retired Col. Juan Montes was an Army attaché at the embassy in Managua and someone who worked with Echanis at Fort Bragg. Montes recalled that Alegrett was known for placing hand grenades, their pins pulled, inside glass jars and then dropping them from his aircraft onto suspected guerrilla positions. Alegrett was nicknamed “El Loco” for this and other extreme actions. I believe Alegrett was dropping live grenades from his plane when the explosion took place. Interestingly, the official document prepared by the Nicaraguan government and the U.S. Embassy lists the cause of death for all four men as an “aviation accident.” Because of that, no further investigation was conducted. If an altimeter bomb did cause it, it has never been substantiated. —Greg Walker

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time when people like you will be eagerly sought after to both teach and lead our young and inexperienced soldiers in a battle they can win. Your skills in unarmed and hand-to-hand combat are sorely needed in today’s forces.”

Photos Courtesy of Pat Echanis

COnnECTinG WiTh BLACK BELT In 1977, at the invitation of thenCommander Richard Marcinko, the man who founded SEAL Team 6, Echanis traveled to Little Creek, Virginia. He taught three two-week instructor courses to operators from SEAL Team 2 and UDT-21. Echanis began writing a nine-volume series of military hand-to-hand combat manuals. Two of them were published by Ohara Publications, now Black Belt Books, while he was alive. A third was published after his passing. (Offering proof of the lasting impact Echanis’ writings have had on the martial arts world, Black Belt Books released a family-authorized compilation of the three volumes, titled The Complete Michael D. Echanis Collection, in 2010.) Part of the reason Black Belt Books and Black Belt magazine got behind Echanis was a letter Maj. Juan A. Montes, BLACKBELTMAG.COM

5th Special Forces Group, sent to theneditor Han Kim in 1977. Montes wrote: “Mr. Echanis’ totally comprehensive approach to the development of soldiers, physically [and] mentally, and his focus on the fighting spirit of men gives us an approach to hand-to-hand combat well exceeding the usual physical programs developed today. … The military has yet to develop a new program since the O’Neal System was enacted in 1945. Mr. Echanis’ training programs exceed any close-quarter-combatives manuals, books or training programs that I have viewed up to this time.” “Mike knew he was a warrior—he knew being a warrior was his path,” Pat Echanis said.

Echanis was buried with full military honors in a small Catholic cemetery in Ontario. Nguyen was buried near him at the family’s request. “We felt Mike would have wanted that as Bobby came home with him when the boys were returned,” Pat Echanis said. Sanders was cremated, and his ashes were spread over his favorite Oregon mountain range. On January 11, 1979, Frank and Pat Echanis received a signed certificate from President Jimmy Carter. It reads: “The United States of America honors the memory of Michael D. Echanis. This certificate is awarded in recognition of devoted and selfless consecration to the service of our country in the Armed Forces of the United States.”

nEARinG ThE End Unfortunately for him, his family and the entire martial arts world, Echanis’ discovery of his raison d’être was short-lived. On September 8, 1978, he, Chuck Sanders, a close friend named Nguyen “Bobby” Nguyen and Gen. Jose Ivan Alegrett boarded an aircraft in Nicaragua as part of a mission to assist that nation’s armed forces in their fight against communist insurgents. All four were killed when the plane crashed.

About the author: Greg Walker retired from the U.S. Special Forces in February 2005 after serving in El Salvador and Operation Iraqi Freedom. A fourth-degree black belt in modern farang mu sul, he lives in Portland, Oregon, where he advocates for wounded, ill and injured members of the military. He’s donated the fee he would have received for this article to the Green Beret Foundation. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 I BLACK BELT

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The Zen of Judo WaZa Walking the Path to Perfect technique by hayWard nishioka Photos by rick hustead

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he roar from the crowd is deafening. They just witnessed history in the making: Teddy Riner has won his fifth World Judo Championships. He stands over the opponent he just threw and, raising an arm, sends a message to the audience: Five fingers are extended, signifying his fifth world title. Granted, Riner is a giant. He stands 6 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 270 pounds. He’s deceptively agile, however. Taller, heavier judoka usually rely on their weight and strength to overcome their opponents. They tend to lack the coordination enjoyed by their lighter counterparts. Usually slower, they often force techniques to a lesser conclusion. But not Teddy Riner. He has the power of a heavyweight, the speed of a lightweight and the technique of a Japanese champion. But this article is not about him; it’s about the Zen of judo waza. Riner just happens to exemplify what we seek when learning waza. In Japanese, waza means “skill” or “technique”—something that enables us to get a job done more efficiently. In the budo, however, it’s deeper. Studying the martial ways is all about the path we follow to arrive at a destination, and in this case, the destination is the acquisition of waza. In my book Judo Heart and Soul, I mention levels of techniques that speak to the esoteric nature of some moves. I explain how in the quest for excellence in waza, we gradually go from learning a technique step by step to almost instinctively executing it. However, much more is involved. Because we can go through the steps of a throw and use it doesn’t mean we’ve succeeded in developing it. What if our opponent starts to move—can we still get into position and throw him? What if he resists? What if he tries to throw us at the same time? The question then becomes, out of 10 attempts, how many times can we throw our opponent? If we get 10 out of 10, does it mean we’ve arrived? Can we repeat our performance ad infinitum? Although many books will tell us how to execute a technique, none will tell us

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how long it takes to truly master it. What allows us to execute a technique successfully under extreme conditions such as at the Olympics? How do we develop winning technique? What does Zen have to do with the practice of judo? These are some of the points we’ll examine in this article. Begin at the Beginning There are several ways in which we’re introduced to a judo technique. Often, it’s via a demonstration at a dojo or a match at a tournament. No matter how much we see or read, we have to physically try the technique to see how it feels and works. Bloom’s Taxonomy of learning refers to this as psychomotor learning. In actuality, most of what we learn is facilitated through the body. Some may argue that we learn through our brain, but where does the brain get the input from? We see with our eyes, hear with our ears, taste with our tongues and smell with our noses. Perhaps more than anything else, our tactile sense, which comes through touch, is crucial for understanding and learning judo waza. Yes, we use our eyes to see a technique and our ears to listen to pointers about how to execute it, but it’s our sense of touch—and especially our sense of our moving body parts—that makes the difference. Our sense of our body parts moving through space is called kinesthetic awareness. It’s facilitated by millions of nerves that send messages to the brain, where they’re interpreted and eventually sent back to the muscles to tell them to contract to move bones in a manner that accomplishes a task—in this case, a waza. Point to ponder: These nerves pass through the lower part of the brain, which controls cognition related to fear, anger, survival, revenge and tribalism. It’s a primitive part of our collection of gray matter, one that’s often called the reptilian brain. The brain includes the cerebellum, which deals with movement, coordination, posture and balance; the limbic system, which manages the autonomic blackbeltMaG.cOM

nervous system, emotions, homeostasis, short- and long-term memory, and the endocrine system; and the neocortex, where much of our cognitive thought occurs. All these parts are interconnected by neurons, and all of them play a role in learning and refining waza. Weird Science If not for the “reflex arc,” human beings would not exist. While the ability to neocortically think is important, the ability to react without thought is equally important to our ability to survive. The reflex arc is what enables us to yank our hand away from a hot stove before our brain has registered that our fingers have been burned. If we had to think about it, it would take so long that the burn would be much worse. Because of the reflex arc, we can withdraw our hand in a split second. 60

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It’s possible because the sensory input travels from the nerves in the fingers to the spinal cord, and the response goes directly to the muscles, bypassing the neocortex. Closely related to this phenomenon is the reptilian brain. Among its functions are regulating emotions and blood pressure, controlling breathing and doing what’s necessary to ensure our survival in a threatening situation. Sophisticated movement-based responses to threats are likely the result of experiences modulated and sent by the lower brain to the neocortex for storage and later use. For example, an adversary grasps for our collar, sending a message to our midbrain and then our neocortex. We block and pull him forward with our left hand while pivoting on the ball of our right foot, which is in front of his right foot. With our

knees bent, we slip under him, placing our right biceps in his right armpit. As we continue to pull him forward, he slumps over our back. Our left foot circles counterclockwise as our knees straighten. The motion is fast enough that the impact lifts him up and over. We’ve just executed an ippon seoinage, a noninstinctive technique that requires a fair amount of training to develop. How did it manifest in this situation? The experience of having someone grasp our collar signaled danger and prompted our lower brain to act. The movements we used were remembered partially by our limbic system, which interacts with the neocortex to make preparations for such encounters through training. All this added to the training that was stored in our memory and sent a message to our muscles to react. The throw was the result. blackbeltMaG.cOM

Putting in time Redundancy is the key to success in learning a technique. In the best-seller Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell says we have to invest 10,000 hours to become an expert at anything. This is an enormous amount of time when you consider that the average American recreational judoka practices for 90 minutes twice a week. Minus warm-up time, that comes to 100 hours a year. How can it take so long to become an expert? At the basic level of judo, we have the technique. Take a throw as an example: It’s usually taught in steps. We’re encouraged to repeat the steps needed to get in position for the throw until we’re familiar with them. Called uchikomi practice, this is usually done at a medium cadence to ensure good form. After we’ve done this entry 100 to 500 times, we’re allowed to complete the BLACKBELTMAG.COM

throw. When done as a drill, the complete throw is referred to as nagekomi or sutegeiko. Because our opponent doesn’t resist, we learn what the complete technique feels like. Next, random movement is added to the drill. In essence, we must find a way to hit a moving target with the technique. In this type of practice, known as half-randori, there’s no resistance or throwing. The object is to get used to finding ways to enter while both parties are moving randomly. Finally, when we’re fairly confident, we’re allowed to try the throw in randori. That means both sides are trying to defend and attack. The more easily we’re able to throw the other person under these conditions, the more confident we’ll be in the application of the technique. While this type of learning takes time,

the total is nowhere near 10,000 hours. It’s possible, however, that by the time we begin to have confidence in the technique, we’ll have effected 10,000 entries or throw attempts. Physiologically, the many attempts and entries change not only our hormones, nerves and muscles but also our psychology. Kinesiology studies indicate that increased numbers of neurons and motor end plates are found at the muscle sites of mammals that perform continuous specialized tasks. The question that arises is, Does the constant bombardment of the extra neurons and motor end plates result in nerve signals that travel all the way up to the neocortex or does some type of mechanism allow for the reptilian brain and midbrain to take over and create something similar to the reflex arc to occur with a trained response? If we had to think through every step AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 I BLACK BELT

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of a technique we wanted to use against a determined opponent, the outcome would seldom be in our favor. Before we could finish a thought such as “For step one, I move my right foot diagonally and plant it in front of his …” we will have been slammed to the mat. So what’s the secret? And, still, what does all this have to do with Zen? IntangIbles In Zen in the Art of Archery, Eugen Herrigel explains how difficult it is to concentrate on every facet of kyudo if it’s done correctly. In Japanese archery, you engage in premeditation, approaching the bow, notching the arrow, raising the arms overhead, and evenly pulling down the bow and arrow until the tip of the arrow is properly positioned. All this must be done while not over-contracting the muscles and while breathing correctly and effortlessly. Then, relaxed, we wait for the right time to release the bowstring. This action must be practiced thousands of times before it becomes second nature. In the end, it’s not thought of; it’s just done. After viewing a master named Kenzo Awa, Herrigel writes: “He placed, or ‘notched,’ an arrow on the string, drew the bow so far that I was afraid it would not stand the strain up to the strain of embracing the All, and loosed the arrow. All this looked not only very beautiful but quite effortless.” It takes on an almost spiritual quality. Judo, being a budo, likewise has this quality, but it’s of a different nature. There’s still the search for perfection, and there’s a type of mental and physical pattern that must be followed. However, unlike kyudo, which offers the ability for reflection/non-reflection in shooting an arrow, judo offers nonstop action against an unpredictable, aggressive adversary. It’s in this chaotic environment that the judoka must be able to function effortlessly. The Zen of it all is that judo waza are done automatically and without hesitation. To the novice, they appear effortless, beautiful and natural. Although it looks as though the novice could mimic the movements with little effort, he cannot, even if he faces the weakest of opponents. To succeed, in our mind must be an image of what the technique should look like—not just a snapshot of the midair portion of the throw but how it is set up, where our feet are initially placed, how our hands pull or push, the 62

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way the opponent becomes off-balance and eventually goes airborne. In our mind, the sequence has to be practiced constantly. Often, at the end of the day, as we fall asleep, the throw is still there, so real that it causes our body to twitch on its way to deep sleep. MiMicking the MaMMals Like the aforementioned mammals, we must develop specific patterns in our muscles so that when called on, they’ll automatically fire in a manner similar to the reflex arc. To arrive at that goal, judo uses uchikomi, or repetitive entry drills. It’s not uncommon to do 400 or 500 such entries, in which we physically go through the motions of the throw without actually throwing the opponent, in a single practice session. This can be challenging because we must do them with perfect form even when the angle of entry is difficult to negotiate while moving slowly and when gravity is working against us because of that slow motion. The advantage of doing slow-motion uchikomi is we become familiar with the phases of the technique in which corrections and adaptations can be made. Also, it develops strength in muscle groups that wouldn’t otherwise be used. However, to really develop a technique, we eventually have to amp up our speed. In speed uchikomi, we need a sturdy partner—one who will offer the proper amount of resistance while staying upright as we pound him with our throw. Caveat: When entering into a throw, the object is not just to have a fast entry. It’s to have a fast but correct entry. A fast entry is of little value if it doesn’t result in a throw. Another popular practice method is power uchikomi. It’s done with three people. The opponent stands in front of us, and the third person is directly behind him, holding his belt, anchoring him to the mat. We enter and try to upend both partners. Maximum tension is maintained for a few seconds, after which we attempt the throw again. A form of anaerobic exercise, this type of training is very taxing on the muscles. Adding speed to the equation, of course, helps boost the power of the lift—so much so that occasionally both opponents will be overturned. The preferred way to approach uchikomi is to mix it up. We use the slow-motion variation to study the entry and to develop some of the necessary muscles. We BLACKBELTMAG.COM

use speed uchikomi to decrease the time it takes to get into position to execute the technique. Lastly, we use power uchikomi to maximize our force on contact. Coach’s view: Speed and power uchikomi are probably the most important types of training, and of the two, the speed drill is preferred in practice. No matter which one you perform, remember to execute the movements swiftly but correctly. Your goal is to create muscle memory that mimics a reflex arc. The next step in perfecting waza entails discerning the best moment to apply it on a moving target. Enter halfrandori practice. In half-randori, no one actually attacks, and there’s no resistance. Our goal is to enter into a throw and, at most, pick up the other person. This enables us to fine-tune our timing against a moving target. This is no simple task—as any novice will attest. Beginners usually move about while thinking, “Oh, there’s an opening … nope, too late!” As soon as the mind detects an opening, the opponent has moved and the opportunity is lost. For that reason, in half-randori, we practice our entries and combinations at a slower pace. And because there is no throwing, we have more time to search for openings. Experimentation is encouraged because, with egos out of the picture, there’s no need to escalate the intensity. War gaMes Nothing prepares us for combat like combat—unless we die, that is. To avoid that possible pitfall while still developing the qualities needed for success, human beings developed sports. In judo, the combat is the match, and the type of training that safely mimics the match is randori. It’s a game we play in the dojo to prepare ourselves for battle. All the elements we need to triumph in a match are essential to success in randori: strategy, preparation, physical fitness, knowledge of one’s opponent, secret skills, rules of engagement, smoke screens, courage under fire, sacrifice, perseverance and so on. While we search for targets, we must fend off assaults. We also need to monitor our energy expenditure so we can last for the duration of the five-minute match. There are many other considerations: What if we end up facing a left-hander or an opponent who uses odd techniques? Will we be able to adjust? Have we invested enough time in honing the techniques we intend to use? Will they work?

Randori can be as easy as bowing, stepping forward, grabbing our opponent and going for the ride. Usually, however, there’s an effort to get in more throws than the opponent gets in. If we’re really committed to excellence, we should have an idea of what we want and try to get it during our workout. Here are a few examples of mantras that can be used in a goal-oriented randori session: ■ “Today, I’ll try to execute at least one good throw on each person I practice with.” ■ “I’ve done my preparations with uchikomi and half-randori; now I’ll try this new technique I’ve been working on.” ■ “All I will try today is this one technique—nothing else.” ■ “The other day, I went against anyone who volunteered and had mixed results. Today, I’ll work with weaker guys and try to get in as many clean throws as I can.” ■ “In this class, I’ll go at 75 percent so I can pay more attention to how I’m performing my waza.” And then there are those times when we practice without a plan or a goal. Sometimes it’s best to jump into a workout without thinking too much— to just live in the moment. We may get lost in our activity to the point of losing track of time, but that’s OK because it’s time well spent. It’s in these moments that we occasionally strike gold. A technique comes out of nowhere. We look down and are shocked to see our opponent on his back. Our body just reacted, and despite the fog of war, it defended and found an opening at the same time. It seemingly moved by itself. Afterward, we think, Did I do that? Yes, we did. And we just discovered the Zen of judo waza. About the author: Hayward Nishioka is a former international judo champion and member of the Black Belt Hall of Fame. Two of his books (Training for Competition: Judo—Coaching, Strategy and the Science for Success; and The Judo Textbook) are available at blackbeltmag.com. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 I BLACK BELT

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Exclusive Interview on Kung Fu, Philosophy and The Man With the Iron Fists! BY REBECCA CARTER

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hrow on a Shaw Brothers movie and watch Kuo Chui, David Chiang, Lu Feng or any of the early kung fu legends, and you’ll see choreography that’s almost mesmerizing. From those early days of kung fu theater sprang an entire generation enthralled with martial arts that incorporated not only the moves but also the spirit and style into something entirely unique. Personifying this scene is RZA, a founding member of and the mastermind behind the Wu-Tang Clan. Since forming the group in 1992, RZA has mixed references and samples from old-school kung fu movies into his music, and for him, it’s not just kitsch. With an encyclopedic knowledge of martial arts philosophy and an academic approach to its appreciation, RZA has branched out from music into �ilm. Cutting his teeth with work on Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and Kill Bill, he’s most recently been involved in The Man With the Iron Fists, a collaboration with Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth that harkens back to the days of ultraviolent grindhouse cinema. In this exclusive interview, RZA talks about what martial arts mean to him.

What sparked your interest in kung fu? Was it the old movies? Yeah, I got into martial arts by watching movies and falling in love with them and of course trying to imitate and emulate what I saw on the screen. We’d all go buy magazines and books. Who were some of your favorite actors? Bruce Lee, always Bruce Lee. And Jim Kelly is one of my favorites. I was also a fan of a lot of the Shaw Brothers actors like Chi Kuan Ti, Gordon Liu and Ling Po. What was it about kung fu that drew you in and made you so passionate about martial arts? First, it was just the action and ability to fight without weapons and stuff like that, but then the spirituality of it resonated with me as a teenager. Where did the crossover between hip-hop culture and kung fu come from? I think the crossover came from the movies that we all watched on the silver screen or on Kung Fu Theater. Also, you know, dancing—kung fu in a way has a dancing pattern to it. In the movies, you see the guys flipping and stuff, and I think it just had a natural resonance. We were fascinated by what we saw on the big screen, and then we’d try things out in our neighborhoods. In my neighborhood, a lot of guys would get old mattresses and do flips on them. We would watch Bruce Lee and go home and make our own nunchaku. When did you start formal training? When I was about 11 years old. There was a guy [who] was a brown belt in karate, and I had a buddy named Jose [who] was really good. He’d take us out to Silver Lake Park in Staten Island and show us karate moves and things like that when I was young, but I can’t say I officially joined as a disciple of the martial arts until I met sifu Shi Yan Ming from the USA

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The ArT ThAT InspIred The ArTIsT The Tiger/Crane Form of Hung Gar Kung Fu—the book that RZA says was so inspirational for him during his youth—was written by Black Belt Hall of Fame member Bucksam Kong in 1983. It recently went out of print but is in the process of being transformed into an e-book. When the project is Ànished, its availability will be announced in these pages. —Editor

Shaolin Temple and I was ordained as a disciple of Shaolin. What is training with Shi Yan Ming like? He’s pretty intense. He trains in many styles, and for me, after reading so many books on martial arts, I didn’t want to get stuck in any one form. I like what Bruce Lee taught about [being] “like water and using all forms,” so what I learned from him was the basic studies of chi kung, which is essentially the root of martial arts. I use that as my foundation principles for whatever I want to learn. There was a book called The Tiger/ Crane Form of Hung Gar Kung Fu—I had that book for years, and I would always try to pick moves out of the book and never would do them right. For [The Man With the Iron Fists], I went and got a hung gar master who showed me the proper way to do the form. Now I can say I know hung gar. I [also study] the books—Japanese books, Chinese books, Filipino books, Korean books—not of just styles but of the cultivation of the spirit. How have you incorporated martial arts philosophy into your own work and life? Martial arts principles and philosophies are part of my everyday life. Whether it’s the way I conduct my business, socialize with my friends or play chess, I’m always thinking in a martial way. If you would say, for instance, pa kua says to practice the “walk of the circle” yet hsingi says you practice in a straight line—I’ve realized that in life you can’t always walk straight through something. Sometimes you got to walk around it, you know what

I mean? (laughing) Faced with a situation, you got to be able to apply any principle based on the situation, so it’s not only a principle thing. Sometimes you do have to go in a circle to figure out things, and sometimes it’s a straight path. How did the concept of The Man With the Iron Fists evolve? The concept started around 2005 when I sat down to focus on not just writing the story but writing the screenplay. How did you start working with Eli Roth? We met at Quentin Tarantino’s house, actually; we used to watch movies there together. But we really didn’t become cool or acquainted until I was on the way back from Iceland. I had a long flight with him, and I told him about the movie The Man With the Iron Fists. He loved the idea, and we became buddies. How did you balance writing, directing and starring? “Be like water.” (laughing) It was no easy job. I think martial arts principles are part of what it takes—many different styles, and different styles are tools for different occasions. What was it like working with the actors? Cung Le was great, man! He has all these training techniques that he shared with us and got me in shape. Corey Yuen is a treasure for action directors, and he was a valuable resource to have on the set with us. He was able to take the ideas that we would storyboard and bring them to life. He had a lot of ideas, and I would talk to him and he would bring them to life. Do you have anything in the works after The Man With the Iron Fists? I’ve been looking over a script for Genghis Khan and another action movie called No Man’s Land. That’s what’s on my list for now.

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Things You Didn’t Know About the Nunchaku by Jason William mcneil

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or tens of thousands of practitioners—and probably millions of nonpractitioners—there’s no more recognizable symbol of the Asian martial arts than the nunchaku. The lowly weapon, which started life as nothing more than two lengths of wood joined by a cord, has cycled through several significant stages to get where it is today. Hundreds of years ago in the Far East, it was merely a modified farming tool conscripted for combat. More recently in the West, it was an exotic import that was deemed interesting but no more so than the kama, the sai and the jutte. In the 1970s in Hollywood, it was the destructive device du jour—thanks in large part to Bruce Lee’s use of it in Enter the Dragon. In state legislatures across the United States in the 1980s, it was the preferred weapon of thugs and criminals—or so politicians argued as they sought to outlaw its possession. In dojo around the world—where cooler heads always seem to prevail—it remains a valuable tool in the kobudo arsenal. Despite that storied past, there are many nuances of the nunchaku that no one knows. The following is a random sampling of them. —Editor blackbeltMaG.cOM

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The 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.

Since 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-defense against an empty-hand attacker. “The OPN system includes various techniques for arrest and control: joint locks, takedowns, come-along techniques, techniques for handcuffing, blocks against punches and kicks— which may become grab-control techniques—and a few strikes which may be used only as a last resort.”

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According to Guinness World Records, the most clay targets broken in one minute with a nunchaku is 51. The feat was accomplished by a Frenchman named Thierry Guyon on the set of L’Été de Tous Les Records. It took place in Benodet, France, on August 2, 2004.

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That fine example of nunchaku “skeet shooting” begs the question, What’s the record for the number of walnuts smashed in one minute with a nunchaku? The answer is 49. It happened in a demo done by Wang Hongxin on the set of Zheng Da Zong Yi (Guinness World Records Special) in Beijing on May 22, 2010.

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Although 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. Nunchaku was shot in Uruguay in 2011. The motion 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.”

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The nunchaku isn’t the darling of just the traditional Okinawan arts. Versions of it can be found in the martial arsenals of Japan, Korea, Vietnam, China, Philippines and Taiwan. One of the world’s most famous—and enthusiastic—nunchaku experts is, in fact, Taiwanese. His name is Chen Yan Sen, and he’s renowned as the “double-chucks kung fu master.”

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Speaking of Taiwan … Taiwanese pop-star-turned-actor Jay Chou, who stepped into Bruce Lee’s sizeable shoes as Kato in Seth Rogan’s recent BLACKBELTMAG.COM

big-budget The Green Hornet remake, has a popular song and hit music video 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 deluxeedition 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!)

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American rock guitarist Buckethead, formerly of Guns N’ Roses, is known to perform nunchaku kata in the middle 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 chucktwirling techniques with a microphone and mike cord—perhaps channeling Roger Daltry and Bruce Lee.

Despite this impressive law-and-order pedigree, the nunchaku is illegal in many parts of the world and legally questionable in many more. The fighting tool is outlawed in Canada, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, Sweden, Switzerland, 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 transportation ranging from completely legal to severely restricted. The worst offenders are New York, California, Arizona and Massachusetts.

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The nunchaku really freaks out British politicians. When the Teenage Mutant 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.  About the Author: Jason William McNeil is a freelance writer, martial artist and actor based in Southern California. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 I BLACK BELT

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Burmese martial arts expert Phil Dunlap (right) squares off with his opponent (1). He shifts his weight forward and engages the man’s hands (2), then unleashes a head butt using the part of the skull that’s near the hairline (3). Note that proper technique doesn’t entail going forehead to forehead like you see in the movies.

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Clinch Fighting Techniques and Strategies From the Burmese Martial Arts Can Help You Prevail in Close-Range Combat! by Mark Jacobs

History Lesson Burma, now Myanmar, sits at a crossroads in Southeast Asia, bordered by India to the west, China to the north and Thailand to the east. Home to various tribes with a history of internecine strife, the region became a breeding ground for effective—and brutal—arts that are sometimes known by the ge68

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neric names thaing and bando. “There are similarities between the martial arts of each region of the country because the various tribes were always fighting each other—so they learned from each other,” said Phil Dunlap, who teaches hkyen, a style that’s native to the part of Myanmar inhabited by the Kachin people. “But each tribal art will often have its own particular characteristics. For example, the Mon region is near Thailand, and their fighters seem to use more kicks like they do in muay Thai.” Bordering on India, the Kachin state is home to arts that have been heavily influenced by their neighbor to the west— which is why they incorporate a good deal of grappling, Dunlap said. While the military junta that’s run Myanmar for 50 years has made an effort to standardize the rules of lethwei, in some cases limiting the use of groin strikes and other dangerous techniques, the Kachin have resisted this and stayed closer to the origins of the sport. Those origins, Dunlap pointed out, may go back more than 1,000 years to the Pyu Empire that once ruled parts of Burma. “They have reliefs painted on ancient temple walls that show people doing a form of Burmese boxing, so these arts have very deep roots,” he said. The ancient forms of fighting appear to have been primarily war arts that

incorporated striking, grappling and weapons—an arsenal that traditional styles like hkyen have maintained, Dunlap said. Sport-oriented systems like lethwei and naban wrestling were developed for two reasons: for entertainment at festivals and for safely practicing moves meant for the battlefield. Technical Side Safety, however, is a relative concept— particularly in the Kachin version of lethwei, which is known as htwi hkyen in the local language. Besides allowing head butts and groin strikes, it permits standing submissions like the guillotine choke, as well as all types of throwing. Surprisingly, the rules even allow the delivery of a quick stomp to a downed opponent’s head as long as it’s before the referee breaks the action. Under Kachin rules, if a fighter is knocked out, he’s given a minute to recover and continue fighting. If he’s knocked out a second time, he gets another minute. It’s only on the third knockout that a fight is stopped. “The style was developed to prepare you for the battlefield,” said Dunlap, who lived and competed in Kachin for several years. Among the technicalities that make lethwei different from sports like muay Thai are its use of head butts, groin blackbeltMaG.cOM

Photos by Mike Stewart

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s anyone who’s watched MMA can attest, the clinch is a crucial phase of fighting. You frequently see two martial artists locked together in the ring or the cage, holding tight as they trade short strikes or look for a takedown. The primary arts that have influenced the way Western martial artists approach the clinch are muay Thai, a style known for its knees and elbows, and Greco-Roman wrestling, a sport renowned for its positioning and upperbody throws. Although they’re effective, both systems have rules that prohibit head butts and groin strikes—two weapons that could be fight-enders in a self-defense situation. The good news is there’s one martial art that effectively addresses the clinch without hampering practitioners with such rules. Properly called lethwei, it’s better known as Burmese bare-knuckle kickboxing.

strikes, full-body throws and bare knuckles. It’s the last difference that allows for in-clinch strikes such as the “door knocker.” Impossible with protective gloves, the door knocker is performed with a motion that resembles rapping your knuckles on a door when knocking. Done over the eye, it can cause cuts. In dire situations, it can be done directly into the eye. When you can’t knock, you may need to use a head butt to change the nature of the clinch. In such situations, lethwei strategy will lead you away from the conventional two-handed head tie-up, known as the “plum” in muay Thai. Instead, it will have you keep one arm free to defend against your opponent’s head butts by keeping him at a distance. At even closer range, lethwei gives you the option of using a collar-and-elbow tie-up similar to what’s seen in wrestling. In the Burmese version of the position, you press your head against the side of your opponent’s head so he can’t create space for a head strike of his own. Head as Weapon As with other strikes in lethwei, the head butt is effected with specific parts of the anatomy. To visualize it, imagine your head as a cube with rounded corners, Dunlap said. Aim to hit with the edges that run around the top. For strikes with the front of the head, try to make contact with the top of the forehead, near the hairline. “You never want to hit with the forehead near the eyes because you can cut yourself and the blood will affect your vision,” he said. Strikes also can be done with the upper side portions of the skull and even with the very top of it—for example, when you need to ram the top of your head straight into an opponent’s face. BLACKBELTMAG.COM

Dunlap said the best targets for such attacks are the hollow portions of the face, just below the cheekbones. Never drive directly into your opponent’s skull because it will likely hurt you as much as it does him. Note that a head butt, even when it’s directed at a softer part of your foe’s head, can still take a toll on you. In most cases, Dunlap said, the sensation you feel will be no worse than getting punched. What makes it worth doing is, when it’s performed correctly, your opponent won’t be quite as fortunate. Dunlap estimated that when a fighter is caught flush with a head butt in a lethwei match, he’ll be knocked down 80 percent of the time. That illustrates the potential of the blow—which is why it’s essential to know how to do it and how to defend against it. Lower Targets Defending against groin strikes is equally important in lethwei. The standard stance used in a clinch—while effective for throwing powerful rear-knee strikes or providing a stable base for stopping takedowns—frequently has your legs spread too far apart, leaving your groin more vulnerable. In lethwei matches with groin strikes, you stand with your legs closer together and your lead foot centered between your opponent’s legs. You also turn your hips to the side, which makes it more difficult for him to slip a kick or knee up the middle. For offensive purposes, your weight can be shifted back and your lead leg

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kept lightly on the floor—almost like a cat stance in karate. Try it and you’ll see that it enables you to quickly raise your lead leg to attack your opponent’s groin. You also can lift your knee to use it as a weapon, but you’ll really benefit from the element of surprise if you use one of Dunlap’s preferred methods: Lift your foot straight up into the enemy’s groin, striking with your instep. This isn’t a snapping kick, which would require chambering; it’s a simple lifting motion in which you raise your knee straight up. “I tell my students you may end up hitting with the ankle or the shin, but it doesn’t really matter as long as you’re catching him in the groin,” Dunlap said. Deceptive Appearance Although very technical in their own way, the Burmese martial arts—perhaps because of the realistic way they’re practiced—value functionality over flash. This can give the impression that lethwei is a less-technical style of fighting. “Because it was a battlefield art and the idea was to try to take out the enemy right away, they don’t do things like throw quick jabs to set up a power punch,” Dunlap said. “Instead, lethwei fighters will throw a power jab, then a power punch and maybe follow up with a head butt. If they miss, this tends to make them look more awkward than other styles.” But looks can be deceiving. Certainly, for anyone seeking to add some self-defense wrinkles to their clinch game, the Burmese martial arts are well worth investigating.

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Starting from the clinch, Phil Dunlap (left) positions himself so his lead foot is located between the opponent’s feet (1). Dunlap then lifts his leg straight up until his instep makes contact with the man’s groin (2).

 About the Author: Mark Jacobs’ most recent book is The Principles of Unarmed Combat. His website is writingÀghting.wordpress.com.

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Silat Sourcebook

Within this book’s 302 pages are Volumes 1, 2 and 3 of Silat Ikhtiar: The South East Asian Martial Art. Self-published by Amsterdam-based Jerome Blanes, it contains descriptions of the style’s weapons and empty-hand techniques, plus a plethora of black-and-white illustrations that appear to be computer-generated. The production quality and editing may not be top-notch, but the book provides a wealth of information that’s likely not available elsewhere.

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SyStema Double Feature

Vladimir Vasiliev, the world-renowned systema master on the cover of this issue, regularly puts out DVDs to help his followers polish their skills in the Russian martial art. This one has two parts: First is Knife in a Fight, featuring the talents of Vasiliev. Second is Street Crime: Foresee & Prevent, starring Maj. Konstantin Komarov, Ph.D., of the Russian Special Service Police Force. The material they teach will make anyone better at personal protection. 45 minutes each,

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logic of violence

Rory Miller is a former corrections ofÄcer who’s built a name for himself in the Äeld of violence study, and this is his latest release to the public. The 175-minute DVD promises to help martial artists think like a criminal—something very few of us can relate to—so we can better defend ourselves against a street attack.

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The Sorcerer and The WhiTe Snake

This 2011 Jet Li Älm was recently released on DVD. It co-stars Eva Huang, Raymond Lam and Charlene Choi, who play opposite of Li as he takes on the persona of a legendary Chinese sorcerer monk who’s enamored with a 1,000-year-old serpent. Special features include a segment on the Äghts and stunts, as well as one titled “Behind the Scenes of the Beauties and the Beasts.” 93 minutes,

$26.98 available in SToreS

The 36 STraTegieS of The MarTial arTS

Hiroshi Moriya composed the message, and William Scott Wilson translated it. Subtitled The Classic Guide for Success in War, Business, and Life, it’s a collection of historical Chinese sayings and adages, along with the requisite explanatory text—all of which is sure to be of interest to philosophically minded martial artists. 242 pages,

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Tiger and Snake courSe

Wim Demeere taught combat sanshou in a previous set of instructional DVDs from Paladin Press. In this 110-minute follow-up, the accomplished teacher and researcher presents a curriculum he devised to supplement those other skills. Demeere points out that the material he shows here is hard-core sanshou, not conventional animal kung fu. The tiger component lends power to the Äghting system, while the snake component adds speed and precision.

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HiGH-rep HAnD Gripper

The newest addition to IronMind’s popular line of hand grippers is the Zenith. It’s designed to be durable enough for high-rep conditioning work and comfortable enough to permit you to Änish any workout. The spring is made of proprietary alloy steel that ensures smooth action, and the billet aluminum handles are shaped to Ät the natural curves of the human hand.

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Dirty GrounD

In case that title seems a bit nebulous, consider the subtitle: The Tricky Space Between Sport and Combat. Interested now? Written by Kris Wilder and Lawrence A. Kane, the 144-page book seeks to help martial artists at both ends of the spectrum—sport competitors and selfdefense practitioners—adapt their methods for use in situations that involve friends or relatives who’ve had one too many and are getting out of control in social situations.

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better business his brain to focus on what he didn’t know. The first time he studied the entire list for 60 minutes, he kept returning to the words he recognized. He didn’t realize it at the time, which is why it’s our default mechanism. In our role as coaches, instructors or teachers, it’s essential to walk the fine line between allowing our students the victory of using what they already know while simultaneously providing opportunities and training methods that force them to be uncomfortable. Martial arts instructors often encounter students who aren’t good at one area of the curriculum. We all have students who may be great at one skill set but who try to avoid material they’re not fond of. To reach a true level of proficiency, however, they must show competence in all areas. Rather than allow them to shy away from something they don’t think they’re good at, encourage them to focus on it with greater intensity. Consider these ideas:

Learning From Latin by Kelly Muir

W

hen my son asked for help with his Latin class, I asked him what specifically he needed. He wasn’t sure, so I asked a few questions and decided to start with his vocabulary. For anyone not familiar with it, Latin is a cacophony of letters. There are moments when they seem to jump off the page and tell you what they are—as obvious as a snowflake in January. There are other times when words look like letters that fell off a spoon that had been dunked into a bowl of alphabet soup. The way they fall together can seem crude—impossible to pronounce and difficult to rationalize. The only way to get through a Latin course is to commit to memorization and hard work. I took my son’s 48-word weekly requirement, wrote each one down and asked him which words he already knew. He showed me the familiar ones. I gave him the list and told him he had 45 minutes to work on it. When he was done, I quizzed him. He quickly recognized the words he knew and then identified only seven more. He was understandably frustrated. An hour of work and he had only 13 words out of 48. “See, I can’t remember them!” he exclaimed. I reassured him that he could if he simply changed his pattern of study. The second day, I removed the 13 words he already knew, then gave him 10 of the other words. He wrote them down, did word associations, used them in sentences, and did anything he could think of to recall the spellings and definitions. Within 20 minutes, he had all 10. Within an hour, he had all 48. What was the difference? When I removed what he knew, it forced

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elImInaTe FavorITe TechnIques: If you have students who always default to the same technique when they spar, eliminate the technique for them. Much like I did with my son while he was studying Latin, you can take away what they do well, thus forcing them to focus on something else. Encourage the Use of Visualization: Running visualization drills in conjunction with physical drills provides a double layer of learning. Use Other Students: Whether it’s partnering up, having students act as coaches or running a basic competition on the mat, let them help each other learn. Use Technology: Video, television, YouTube, social media—use it all. At my school, we have a private video account I use to upload clips of everyone. They can view the footage at home, make adjustments and then return to the dojo with better technique. Give a Pop Quiz: When students don’t care for an area of training, they have a bad habit of slinking to the back of the room and just “getting by.” Don’t allow it. Just like your schoolteachers would surprise you with pop quizzes, you can surprise your students. It’s a great reminder that the individual is responsible for becoming proficient at all the material. Don’t Provide an “Out”: Earning a black belt should be similar to receiving a high-school diploma. To get the diploma, everyone must meet the standards. Even if students aren’t strong in math, they’re still required to meet the standards. Use the same principle on your mat. If students don’t feel comfortable or qualified to spar, don’t excuse them. When IT comes to getting students to maximize their potential, you must help them push their limits. When you notice that they’re defaulting to what they’re comfortable with, remind them that while it may not be easy, they will become skilled at that which challenges them. If they’re still in doubt, write this Latin phrase on a piece of paper and tell them to recite it before every class: Luctor et emergo. I struggle and I emerge.

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East Meets West

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For the next four years, Powell and his associates endeavored to develop their own fighting method, one that would use as raw materials those Russian tactics and techniques. To the mix, Powell added what he’d gleaned from his work in executive protection, as well as his stints teaching military personnel and civilian martial artists. Additional fine-tuning came from his interactions with senior students of sanuces-ryu founder Moses Powell (no relation), with practitioners of the Tibetan and Burmese martial arts, and with the teachings of the FairbairnSykes and Applegate combat methods. But as any good teacher will attest, being proficient at a given skill set is not the same as being able to efficiently convey it to others. For that reason, Powell stopped teaching publicly from 2008 to 2011. During that period, he conducted private lessons while keeping a close eye on how well the students picked up the material. Those observations enabled him to further refine the system and the teaching method. By late 2011, Powell and his people were ready for prime time. “We came

back publicly and began teaching,” he says. “Since then, we have scheduled seminars nationally and internationally every other month. We have released a wide variety of instructional videos, as well as an interactive manual on martial arts learning.” All the topics pramek covers are both practical and pragmatic. “The basic concept takes scientific theories— physics, mechanics, biomechanics, psychology, neurology, etc.—and combines them with methods that teach sound, efficient movement,” he says. “This then creates an application. The application can be anything—from combatives to health to MMA to firearms.” The evidence indicates Powell is onto something with his hybrid fighting system and science-based teaching method. “Pramek is now taught throughout the United States, Canada and Europe,” he says. “We have study groups there and in Russia, South America and Asia.” That list will no doubt be expanding in the future. If you’d like to learn more—before your competitors do— visit pramek.com.

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Photo Courtesy of Pramek.com

S

ystema and sambo may be the best-known fighting styles to trace their roots to Russia, but they’re by no means the only ones. Case in point: pramek, whose name is derived from the first two syllables of the first two words in the phrase “practical mechanics survival system.” An American martial artist named Matt Powell (above) founded pramek in 2007. His goal was “to bridge the gap between the science and movement of the Russian styles and the pragmatism of the Western martial arts.” “I began studying the Russian styles under Scott Sonnon in 1998, when he was teaching ROSS,” Powell says. “I studied with him until 2000, when I was invited to study the Kadochnikov System, one of the few patented martial arts in Russia.” Unable to resist the temptation to train, Powell immediately made travel arrangements that would take him to Krasnodar, Russia. “I went back and forth from 2001 to 2004,” Powell says. “I was their representative in the West until 2004, when I decided to go on my own with my coresearchers and students.”

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From the rchives

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Vol. 15, No. 1, $1

The 157th issue of Black Belt was dated January 1977. It was 100 pages long and featured hwa rang do grandmaster Joo Bang Lee on the cover.

• Black Belt shines a spotlight on the mysterious Korean martial art of hwa rang do via an exclusive interview with Joo Bang Lee, the senior practitioner on the planet. • Just how popular is hwa rang do? Lee and his brother Joo Sang Lee operate 56 schools in South Korea and 38 in the United States. • A related article discusses the work of hwa rang do expert Michael D. Echanis, a man on a mission to revamp the hand-to-hand combat methods of the U.S. military. • Taiwan honors Connecticut-based kung fu master Daniel K. Pai by appointing him the North American representative for the Kuoshu Federation of the Republic of China. • Pankration pioneer Jim Arvanitis demonstrates thumb and two-finger push-ups, mass-attack selfdefense and a kick that smashes seven 1-inch-thick boards on the TV series Good Day. • Rod Sacharnoski spreads his hard-core style of jujitsu in a feature article. “We have no competition and have nothing to do with the sport aspect of the martial arts,” he says. “We stress all-out fighting and self-defense.” • Retired tournament champ Bill McDonald uses karate to rehab 50-plus troubled youngsters in North Carolina.

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• A self-defense instructor cites a statistic: “So confident are the attackers of the defenselessness of women that over half of them do not even feel it is necessary to use a knife or a gun.” One can only wonder if that’s still true. • The magazine dips its calloused big toe (from kicking!) into the time-keeping business. Announcing the Black Belt Calendar! It’s offered for free to all new subscribers. • In Bell, California, LaVerne Bates proves the naysayers wrong by running a successful all-female martial arts school. “Women need a place of their own, too,” she says. (Hatmaker, you listening?) • Maryland-based master Ki Whang Kim is profiled in a four-page story. Among the wisdom he offers is this: “It makes very little difference what style one studies. Basic karate is all the same.” • Speaking on the topic of the martial arts-centered health spa—which ideally would have weighttraining equipment, a sauna and similar high-end features—Ron Marchini says, “This will be the successful school of the future.” Not so much. (Note: Back issues are not for sale. To purchase a hard copy of the cover of this issue or any other, visit facebook.com/BlackBeltMagazine and click “Cover Reprints” at the top of the page.)

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