Black Belt Magazine

Black Belt tells you everything you need to know about every style of self-defense in the world! It offers the broadest, most informative coverage of all aspects of the traditional fighting disciplines that were developed in Asia, as well as the modern eclectic systems that were devised in the West.

COMMITTED TO INNOVATION

CAVEAT EMPTOR

Black Belt Magazine

KUNG FU PIONEER LEO FONG PASSES AWAY

DOJO LISTINGS

COMMUNITY

READ THE AIR • IF YOU FOLLOW ANY OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA USED BY YOUNG PEOPLE IN JAPAN, YOU’RE PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH THE INITIALS “KY.” IT MAY SOUND MYSTERIOUS. IT WON’T BE ANY LESS SO WHEN YOU LEARN THAT KY STANDS FOR KUUKI YOMEI. EVEN IF YOU SPEAK JAPANESE, IT MAY NOT MEAN MUCH: “READ THE AIR.” KNOWING WHAT IT REFERS TO CAN INFLUENCE THE WAY YOU TRAIN IN THE DOJO.

RENEW YOUR MARTIAL ARTS MOTIVATION WITH A REFLECTIVE SOJOURN! • “SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GET OUT TO GET BACK IN.” THAT QUOTE COMES FROM DOUG PEACOCK’S BOOK WALKING IT OFF. A GREEN BERET MEDIC IN VIETNAM, PEACOCK HAS STRUGGLED HIS ENTIRE LIFE BECAUSE OF THE TRAVESTIES AND TRAUMA HE WITNESSED IN THE WAR. HIS DEMONS OFTEN SURFACED AND MANAGED TO SNATCH INNER PEACE FROM HIS GRASP.

REMEMBERING THE LADY WRESTLERS, PART 2 • CHRIS BOURNEA’S DOCUMENTARY LADY WRESTLER: THE AMAZING UNTOLD STORY OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN IN THE RING CHRONICLES A HANDFUL OF PIONEERS IN THE FIGHT SPORT, WOMEN WHO BRAVED RACISM AND SEXISM IN THE MALE-DOMINATED WORLD OF WRESTLING FROM THE 1950S THROUGH THE 1970S. KATHLEEN WIMBLEY, NOW 88, TRAINED AT PROMOTER BILLY WOLFE’S GYM AND WAS A MEMBER OF THE FIRST GROUP THAT INTEGRATED PRO WRESTLING.

HOW A FOREIGNER CAN BECOME AN EXPERT IN JAPANESE WEAPONRY • EVER FANTASIZED ABOUT PICKING UP, PACKING UP AND HEADING TO THE BIRTHPLACE OF YOUR MARTIAL ART? ME, TOO! I HAVEN’T DONE IT (YET), BUT I RECENTLY CROSSED PATHS WITH SOMEONE WHOSE DEEP DIVE INTO EVERYTHING BUDO IS, WELL, A MOST EXTRAORDINARY ONE. ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE JESSICA GERRITY, A 42-YEAR-OLD NEW ZEALANDER AND MOTHER OF THREE WHO RESIDES IN JAPAN AND IS LIVING A GRAND MARTIAL ARTS ADVENTURE.

COMBAT CONDITIONING: ARE YOU TRAINING FOR WEAKNESS? • GOOD GRAPPLERS KNOW THAT GOOD MAT MOVEMENT — BOTH WHILE UPRIGHT AND WHILE HORIZONTAL — IS ALL ABOUT CREATING EXCELLENT POSITIONING FOR YOU AND POOR POSITIONING FOR YOUR OPPONENT.

THE LAST RESORT OF PROACTIVE SELF-DEFENSE, PART 1

10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT SHO KOSUGI AND THE NINJA

EDITOR’S CHOICE

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST • HOW THE GRACIE SURVIVAL TACTICS PROGRAM IS OFFERING A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED WHEN POLICE HAVE TO USE FORCE

RUSSIA VS. UKRAINE! • WORLD MARTIAL ARTS COMMUNITY RESPONDS TO PUTIN’S INVASION

A SHORT COURSE ON THE SHORT SWORD • BLACK BELT HALL OF FAMER DANA ABBOTT ON LIVING THE BLADE!

“REALITY IS CRUEL AND UNPREDICTABLE!” • TRAIN RIGHT TO PREPARE YOURSELF TO SURVIVE

CAMP SAFE! • HOW TO PRIORITIZE PROTECTION IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS

LAW & ORDER • SNAPSHOTS OF JAPANESE POLICING DURING THE TOKUGAWA ERA AND THE MARTIAL ARTS TOOLS THAT WERE USED

JUTTE: TRADITIONAL WEAPON HELPED KEEP THE PEACE

3 WAYS TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT WHAT YOUR SCHOOL OFFERS • EVERYONE WHO RUNS A COMMERCIAL MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOL WANTS TO GROW HIS OR HER BUSINESS, BOTH FOR THE GOOD OF THE COMMUNITY AND FOR MONETARY REASONS. AS AN INSTRUCTOR, YOU WORK HARD TO ENSURE THAT YOU IMPROVE IN YOUR ART. IMPROVING YOUR BUSINESS IS NO DIFFERENT IN THAT IT REQUIRES YOU TO PUT EFFORT INTO IT. WITH THAT IN MIND, HERE ARE THREE PROVEN WAYS TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL.

FROM THE ARCHIVES VOL. 19, NO.6, $1.95 • The 210th issue of Black Belt was dated June 1981. It was 100 pages long and featured photos of numerous well-known martial artists on the cover, including Gogen Yamaguchi,...