contents

8 / 9. 2014

COVER STORY
36 DECATHLON OF HWA RANG DO
This new form of stand-up competition
is the Ànal element needed to evaluate
all-around martial arts skill. Taejoon Lee,
president of the World Hwa Rang Do
Association, explains.

FEATURES
44 KNIFE PROOF
Vladimir Vasiliev, the best-known systema
master in the Western hemisphere, dem-
onstrates Àve Àeld-tested responses to a
blade attack. His techniques are unconven-
tional, to say the least.

50 STAR OF PENCAK SILAT

You may not know the name Iko Uwais, but
you probably know his work — The Raid
movies and Merantau, among others. Find
out how this traditional martial artist from
Indonesia is using his skills to wow audi-
ences and bring silat to the masses!

56 SITUATIONAL AWARENESS 101

Black Belt Hall of Famer John P. Riddle
penned this piece on the most important
lessons he’s learned during his quarter cen-
tury in law enforcement. It’s sure to beneÀt
martial artists looking to up their awareness.

60 EXPIRATION DATE: NEVER!

A bunch of seasoned warriors — includ-
ing John Pellegrini, Dana Abbott, Frank E.
Sanchez, George Dillman, Gary Alexander
and Chuck Vaughn — weigh in on how
martial arts training changes in the second
half of life.

64 MUST-KNOW JUDO
The president of the U.S. Judo Association
teaches two basic throws every martial art-
ist should learn: osoto gari and harai goshi.
Why should you care if they’re not part of
your art? Because both are extremely ef-
fective in self-defense.

68 FASTING FOR FIGHTERS

Photo Courtesy of Giri Kuncoro

Can taking an occasional break from food

make you a healthier martial artist? John L.
Stump, DC, Ph.D., Ed.D. — the man who
tended to the medical needs of judo and
taekwondo athletes at the 1988 Olympics
— thinks so.

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
 22
VERSUS

BLACK BELT - AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 - VOLUME 52 - NUMBER 5

CONTENTS
Is your stance one that leaves you ready for anything
or one that leaves you ready for one thing? This piece
about GAP, or good athletic position, may cause you
to rethink important assumptions you’ve made about
training and Àghting.

24
FIGHTBOOK
In “The Taekwondo Teacher and the Million-Dollar
Question,” you’ll learn the story of Yung “Woo” Hwang,
the California taekwondo instructor who, essentially,
gave up $1 million to live by the martial code he learned
from his father.

26
DESTINATIONS
In the Ànal installment of Antonio Graceffo’s account of
his return to Shaolin Temple, the New Yorker looks back
on the time he spent with the monks, instructors and
students at the kung fu school in central China.

28
KARATE WAY
“His karate has no personality.” When Dave Lowry
heard a master utter those words while watching a
black belt demonstrate his techniques, it triggered a
string of thought processes that resulted in this essay,
titled “Don’t Settle for Correct.”

30
FAR EAST
A Black Belt reporter attends a kickboxing show in
which an inexperienced martial artist Ànds himself in
a full-contact muay Thai match. The outcome may
be predictable, but the lesson is one all practitioners
should heed.

12 EDITOR’S NOTE 32
WAY OF THE WARRIOR
14 MAILBOx Keith Vargo looks at an issue everyone’s talking about
nowadays: violence against women. Yes, it affects the
16 TIMES martial arts community, and yes, many of your male
peers pretend it doesn’t even exist.
71 ESSENTIAL GEAR
34
78 BLACK BELT PAGES
FIT TO FIGHT
82 FROM THE ARCHIVES If the Àrst technique you learned in the dojo was the
front kick, chances are you were told to target the solar
plexus. Our resident M.D. reveals everything you need
VOL. 52 NO. 5. BLACK BELT (ISSN 0277-
3066) is published bi-monthly by Cruz Bay to know about this often-aimed-at body part.
Publishing, Inc., an Active Interest Media
company. Advertising and editorial of-
Àces at 24900 Anza Drive, Unit E, Santa 74
Clarita, California 91355. The known ofÀce
of publication is 475 Sansome St., Suite
850, San Francisco, CA 94111. Periodicals
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not be responsible for unsolicited material. COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
Manuscripts and photographs must be ac-
companied by a stamped, self-addressed After earning his chops under Dan Inosanto for 12 years,
return envelope. Printed in the United Burton Richardson created Jeet Kune Do Unlimited to
States by RR Donnelley, Strasburg, VA.
2014 by Black Belt Communications LLC, propagate the arts and skills he found the most practical
an Active Interest Media Publication. All
rights reserved. Reproduction without per-
and effective for self-defense on the street.
mission is strictly prohibited.

blackbeltMaG.cOM
 BLACK
BELT
MAG.COM
FREE BRUCE LEE
DOWNLOAD
Get a sneak peek at the new book Bruce
Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist. This
free download, titled Bruce Lee Quotes
on Philosophy, features quotes from in-
terviews and official documents archived
by Bruce Lee Enterprises. It covers topics
such as Lee’s sense of life purpose, his
thoughts on self-knowledge and personal
expression, the intersection of Eastern
philosophy and Western thinking, and the
responsibility of a teacher.
blackbeltmag.com/bruce-lee-sneak-peek
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Bruce Lee Photo © Bruce Lee Enterprises LLC • Stephen K. Hayes Photo by Rick Hustead • Hwa Rang Do Photo by Robert Reiff
THE COMPLETE NINJA COLLECTION E-BOOK
The Black Belt Store exclusively presents the e-book edition of
The Complete Ninja Collection by Stephen K. Hayes. Follow-
ers of Hayes’ famous book series will want this updated collec-
tor’s edition for its insights into a life spent pursuing perfection.
Experienced and novice martial artists will enjoy it for its train-
ing drills and techniques. Readers who value the meditative
arts will find it priceless in helping them cultivate harmony with
their surroundings. All those interested in self-development —
whether physical or philosophical — will find it an invaluable
addition to their library. The e-book sells for $49.95. The 900-
page print edition is $69.95. blackbeltmag.com/ninja
HWA RANG DO’S MODERN TAKE
ON SWORD TRAINING
Taejoon Lee’s task was to modernize hwa rang do’s
sword method for more contemporary appeal while
preserving expression, uniqueness and safety. It
wasn’t easy, but Lee is no ordinary martial artist. In
this in-depth look at his efforts to update hwa rang
do weapons training, the author reveals a modern
martial artist’s effort to honor principles of the past
using teaching methods of today.
blackbeltmag.com/hwarangdo-swords
> Follow us on: /BlackBeltMagazine @Black_Belt_Mag
Our policies constantly
respond to changes in
your industry because
the most dangerous risk
is the one you never
saw coming.
800-900-1155
 VOLUME 52, NO. 5 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014

GROUP PUBLISHER Cheryl Angelheart

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Robert W. Young
GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR Alexander Norouzi

GROUP ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Donna Diamond

RANK UNDER DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA Raymond Horwitz

SPECIAL PROJECTS ART DIRECTOR John Bodine

QUESTIONABLE CIRCUMSTANCES SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR Vicki Baker

WEB EDITOR Jon Sattler
COPY CHIEF Jeannine Santiago

A
recent social media discussion (facebook.com/BlackBeltMagazine) COPY EDITOR Gretchen Haas
about refusing martial arts rank generated more than a few com- A/R MANAGER Alice Negrete
ments in which people said they had been offered rank under ques-
RESEARCH DIRECTOR Kristy Kaus
tionable circumstances. For me, that brought back a memory from
ADVERTISING ACCT MGRS
the distant past. Allow me to channel my inner Dave Lowry and recount a true
story from my formative days in the arts. Al Berman, B.J. Ghiglione, Julie Stone,
Back in the early 1980s, I was serving in the U.S. Army in South Korea. As Laura (Flores) Thorne
a hater of calisthenics and running, I sought permission to skip PT (physical PRODUCTION MANAGER Patrick Sternkopf
training) so I could attend a morning martial arts class taught by a local tae- ART DIRECTORS Paul Duarte, Dana Collins,
kwondo instructor who came on base to whip soldiers into fighting shape. My Andrius Krasuckas
platoon sergeant said, “Go for it.” VIDEO/PHOTO EDITOR Richard Alexander
Things went well for several months. The instructor arrived on time and MARKETING MANAGER Laureen O’Brien
taught the fine art of attacking with the legs to me and a couple of other
soldiers — they probably hated PT, too — but then he stopped showing up CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
regularly. Instead of teaching five days a week, he’d come three or four days. Floyd Burk, Mark Cheng, Antonio Graceffo,
Then it dropped to two or three before finally leveling off at twice a week. Mark Hatmaker, Mark Jacobs, Dave Lowry, Kelly
As winter approached, his absenteeism often left us stranded, milling about McCann, Keith Vargo, Dr. Robert Wang
near the door because none of us had a key to the rec center. Wearing only
thin, cotton dobok, we froze, especially after the snow started falling. I wasn’t CONTRIBUTORS
happy, so I quit. I presume the other students did, as well. Mike Carlson, Fernando Ceballos, Gary Goltz, Dr.
Two weeks later, the taekwondo instructor tracked me down and found Craig D. Reid, John P. Riddle, S.D. Seong, John L.
me in my barracks. I immediately noticed that he was wearing a big smile Stump, Vladimir Vasiliev
and carrying a brown paper bag. He implored me to return to class. When
I hemmed and hawed, he reached into the bag and pulled out a brand-new BLACK BELT COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
red belt. He said I was being promoted from white to red because my kicks An Active Interest Media Publication
were good. 24900 Anza Dr. Unit E, Valencia, CA 91355
I accepted the gift — in Korea, it’s insulting to refuse one that’s offered over Toll Free: (800) 423-2874
and over, especially when the giver is older than (and senior to) the recipient In CA (661) 257-4066
— but I politely explained that it might be tough for me to continue training
with him because of time commitments. Newsstand Distribution
I don’t think I ever did make it back to his class. I still have the red belt, For information about selling Black Belt magazine,
and it’s in the exact same condition it was when the instructor handed it to contact BGiacalone@aimmedia.com.
me. Even though I never wrapped it around my waist, I kept it as a reminder Back issues can be purchased from
to myself that pieces of colored cloth have no meaning whatsoever unless Palm Coast Data, (800) 266-4066
they’re earned through hard work.

Robert W. Young
Editor-in-Chief

Efrem Zimbalist III

CHAIRMAN & CEO
Andrew W. Clurman
PRESIDENT & COO
Brian Sellstrom
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & CFO
Pat Fox
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS
Kim Paulsen
VICE PRESIDENT GENERAL MANAGER
Jason Brown
VICE PRESIDENT OF DIGITAL
Nelson Saenz
VICE PRESIDENT OF IT

12 BLACK BELT I AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 BLACKBELTMAG.COM


Aikido Cover Story Was Moving
Mark Cheng did a phenomenal job on the
cover story for the June/July 2014 issue.
I’d known about the subject of the article
— aikido’s Haruo Matsuoka, who used to
run Steven Seagal’s dojo — but because I
hadn’t heard anything about him in years,
I had no idea how deeply he’d delved into
Morihei Ueshiba’s art. Cheng’s words and
Matsuoka’s message almost made me
want to pack my bags and move to Culver
City, California, to learn this philosophical
martial art. Almost.
Todd Senner - New York
Selfish Not to Defend Yourself?
I would like to thank you for the wonderful
article titled “Win the Knockout Game” in
the February/March 2014 issue. It was bru-
tally realistic — but in a good way. We all
need to be reminded that any of us could
fall victim to an ambush. I especially liked
the section of the story that talked about
how some people don’t believe that they’re
worth defending. I have read more articles
and books about self-defense than the av-
erage human being would care to count,
and I don’t think enough written material
talks about this aspect of self-defense.
In a way, not defending yourself is a very
selfish act. If you’re attacked and choose
not to do anything to protect yourself, not
only will you likely be hurt or killed but you
also will have given a predator confidence
to hunt for someone else. So don’t think
of defending yourself as simply preventing
someone from hurting you; think of it as a
duty to protect not only yourself but others,
as well. If somebody attacks me, I won’t be
able to guarantee victory, but I will make
him regret trying.
Stephen Hopkins - Belews Creek, NC
Hapkido, the Unheralded Mixed
Martial Art
Thanks for “Null & Void: Hapkido Defense
Against the Front Kick” in the April/May
2014 Black Belt. In this day and age when
people are talking about mixing martial
arts, they almost never mention this com-
prehensive Korean system. MMA fighters
like to learn Brazilian jiu-jitsu for submis-
sions, muay Thai for kicking, boxing for
punching and wrestling for takedowns.
Hapkido has all those components, not to
mention weapons skills.
What makes hapkido better, at least in
my book, is that all those skills are taught
and practiced for self-defense, as opposed
to sport. That means there’s a unifying
philosophical and moral code, as well.
Who could ask for more?
Kelly Samuels - via the Internet
Readers Need an Update on MACP
I appreciate all the coverage Black Belt
has devoted to the Modern Army Combat-
ives Program — both in the magazine (as
recently as the December 2013/January
2014 issue) and in the book written by pro-
gram founder Matt Larsen. However, I’ve
heard from several sources that the Army
is contemplating revamping the system to
get away from grappling and concentrate
more on striking.
Although I’m not a soldier or a master
who can say that one approach is superior
to the other, I am an interested martial art-
ist who’s following this situation. Therefore,
I’m asking the magazine to look into it and
publish an article about what might become
MACP v.2. I’m sure the majority of your
readers also want to know the scoop.
Jack Major - via the Internet
Editor’s Note: We’ve heard similar
things from at least two sources, one of
which claimed krav maga was among the
systems being studied for viability. As
soon as we learn more, we’ll publish a
follow-up piece.

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 hope-
less. The key is in training for various scenarios.

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

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

Te Complete
Ninja Collection
by Stephen K. Hayes

Together in one collector’s edition! Black Belt Books has compiled the best-
selling six-book Ninja series by Stephen K. Hayes into one must-have volume.
Te inspirational and legendary master has updated and added to the original
material, bridging the gap between the needs of contemporary society and the
essence of the ancient once-secret ninja art.

Hayes, inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame in 1985, achieved
the rare rank of judan (10th-degree black belt) and was formally
ordained in 1991 as a teacher in the 1,200-year-old Japanese
esoteric meditation tradition. Here, in one volume, he shares the
secrets of the warrior sage.

Code: 528
Pages: 927
Retail: $69.95
ISBN: 978-0-89750-206-1

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

RETURN OF THE NINJA TURTLES
HOLLYWOOD HEAVYWEIGHTS JOINING FORCES ON TMNT!

Producer Michael Bay is throwing his considerable cachet behind the newest entry in
the Ninja Turtles franchise. Titled, naturally enough, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the
big-budget film stars Megan Fox (Transformers, for which Bay also served as producer),
Will Arnett (Arrested Development, The Millers), William Fichtner (The Dark Knight, Black
Hawk Down) and Abby Elliott (Saturday Night Live).
A press release describes the movie’s plot as follows: “Darkness has settled over New
York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the
police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from
the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles must
work with fearless reporter April O’Neil (Fox) and her wise-cracking cameraman Vern
Fenwick (Arnett) to save the city and unravel Shredder’s diabolical plan.”
The first Ninja Turtles movie was released in 1990. A hit at the box office — to such
an extent that it spawned three sequels — it was a shot in the arm for the martial arts
industry. The film featured live-action battles that drew from the talents of real-life prac-
titioners, including Pat Johnson, Ernie Reyes Jr. and Toshishiro Obata. In contrast, the
2014 version will use computer-generated imagery and motion-capture technology to
bring the Turtles to life.
The premiere of the reboot is planned for August 8, 2014. At press time, Teenage Mu-
tant Ninja Turtles, which is directed by Jonathan Liebesman and backed by Paramount
Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies, had not yet been rated.

Photo Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies

16 BLACK BELT I AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 BLACKBELTMAG.COM

BLACKBELTMAG.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 17
Training Op

Stephen K. hayeS
teacheS ninja
artS on WeSt
coaSt
Ninja enthusiasts from across the
United States slipped into Newbury Park,
California, for a chance to hone their
skills in the once-secret art. The event
took place at a Quest Center branch
that’s owned and operated by Paul Mo-
linsky, Kriss Hurdle and Simon Clifford.
The facility’s tatami mats, traditional
Japanese décor and kamiza shrine
matched the theme of the instruction, but
the bright interior made it all but impos-
sible for black-clad warriors to blend into
the shadows.
The training began with short lectures
by Stephen K. Hayes and his wife Rumiko
Hayes. Considered the father of ninjutsu
in America, Stephen Hayes is a high-
ranked practitioner of Tokakure-ryu, but in
recent decades, his martial evolution has
led him to focus on his own interpretation,
called To-Shin Do. To-Shin Do forms the
curriculum at all the Quest Centers that
have opened across America.
Hayes spoke about the code of honor
that’s tied to a person’s decision to
become a black belt, as well as the
commitment that’s involved whenever
one embarks on the journey. He also
discussed the roles loyalty and trust play
in the dojo.
Trust became an essential theme when
the physical training commenced. It fo-
cused on practical defensive tactics de-
signed to thwart surprise attacks. Hayes
emphasized the importance of positioning
maneuvers and off-balancing techniques.

Photo by Floyd Burk

The beauty of his teaching method is
he doesn’t throw a bunch of material at
his students and hope some will stick —
which is how many instructors operate.
Rather, he works methodically, explaining Stephen K. Hayes
and then demonstrating each move step
by step.
After that session, Rumiko Hayes took
over. She offered her unique insights on
how To-Shin Do techniques use leverage Traditional Martial Arts

tang Soo Do MaSter

and angles to nullify attacks and redirect
opponents. As a cool-down, she taught
ryu tai, her “dragon body ninja yoga.”
The rest of the weekend brought inten-
sive personal-development instruction in
“transformational vajrakilaya.” The work-
shops revolved around Stephen Hayes’
inner-warrior strength training. It was in
stark contrast to the physicality of the
previous lessons, making the weekend a
perfect combination of those polar oppo-
sites the Chinese call yin and yang.
For information about upcoming Quest
Center events, visit skhquest.com.
— Floyd Burk
proMoteD to 9th Degree
Charles Ferraro, president and founder of the United States–based Tang Soo
Do Mi Guk Kwan Association Inc., has been promoted to ninth-degree black belt
by Andy Ah Po of the Tang Soo Do Martial Way Association. Ferraro was also
recognized as a ninth degree by Theo Salm of Rotterdam, Netherlands, in asso-
ciation with the European Tang Soo Do Federation and the Worldwide Tang Soo
Do Family.
On the same day, the Tang Soo Do Mi Guk Kwan technical-advisory commit-
tee members Richard Kopf, Howard Dugan and Joseph DeVita were promoted
to eighth degree by Ferraro. Combined, the four martial artists have 154 years of
training in the Korean martial art under their black belts.

18 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014 blackbeltMaG.cOM


NEWS BITES
4Now Àlming in China is Dragon Blade, a big-budget
martial arts movie starring Jackie Chan. Kickboxing legend
Benny Urquidez is also involved in the Àlm, which is ex-
pected to be released in 2015.
4A footwear company called La Sportiva has introduced
a trail-running shoe that bears the name Bushido. As most
martial artists know, the Japanese term roughly translates
as “way of the warrior.”
4XMA specialist Caitlin Dechelle has been selected to
serve as the stunt double for MMA star Ronda Rousey
during the Àlming of Fast & Furious 7.
4From June 30 to July 2, Black Belt staffers jetted to Las
Vegas — and braved 110-degree temperatures — to attend
the annual Martial Arts SuperShow organized by Century
Martial Arts.
4Director Ben Ramsey recently wrapped up Àlming for the
sneak preview of Black Salt, a live-action Áick based on
the critically acclaimed martial arts comic-book franchise.
Kinyumba Mutakabbir plays Samuel Lincoln Tharpe, and
Sheena Chou is the female lead. blacksaltÀlm.com
4Black Belt’s tally of Twitter followers (@Black_Belt_
Mag) has topped 9,000. The number of people who have
20 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
Cinema Watch
Martial artist
Nearly FiNished
MakiNg “double Fist”
After more than two decades, Paul Mormando is
close to seeing the production of Double Fist Ànally
come to fruition. The 44-year-old Brooklyn resident
was a rising star in the martial arts world in the 1990s
when the project was conceived. When a run-in with a
drunk driver nearly ended his life, the movie was put
on the back burner indeÀnitely.
A protracted rehabilitation period followed, and Mor-
mando returned Àrst to mobility and then to functional-
ity. His determination eventually took him back to the
dojo, and shortly afterward, he picked up the pieces of
his pet project. Unfortunately, the man who was slated
for the lead 20 years earlier — Mark Wahlberg — was
no longer available.
That prompted Mormando, a successful school
owner and former associate of legendary martial
arts tournament promoter Aaron Banks, to alter his
plans. He was conÀdent he could play the lead char-
acter, one Joey Deluca, a former soldier and the son
of a local politician who vows to rid his New York
neighborhood of crime. And that’s what the martial
artist did.
For Mormando, Double Fist is more than just the
culmination of a project that started decades ago; it’s
also a family affair. He choreographed the Àghts, his
wife Anna wrote the screenplay and his son Jason
portrays a character named Patty.
A trailer is available at doubleÀst.tv. The movie is
scheduled for release later this year.
subscribed to the magazine’s YouTube channel (youtube.
com/user/BlackBeltLLC) has surpassed 21,000.
4Facebook, however, is where the real action is taking
pace. At press time, Black Belt’s fan base was 288,000
(facebook.com/BlackBeltMagazine).
4UFC pioneer Don Frye can be seen in a Priceline com-
mercial featuring a biker gang. His co-star is none other
than Capt. Kirk himself, William Shatner.
4Miss USA 2014 — aka Nia Sanchez — has a fourth-
degree black belt in taekwondo.
4The Action Film Academy, hosted by jujitsu master
Michael DePasquale Jr., has been scheduled for July 25-
27, 2014, in Tappan, New York. actionÀlmacademy.com
4On June 24, 2014, well-known Àrearms instructor and
Black Belt contributor Louis Awerbuck passed away. He
was the founder of the Yavapai Firearms Academy Ltd. in
Prescott, Arizona.
4Using only pepper spray, Jon Meis, 22, a student and vol-
unteer security guard at Seattle PaciÀc University, confronted
and then subdued an active shooter. He reportedly held
the man, who killed one person and wounded three others on
June 5, 2014, in a chokehold until the police arrived.
blackbeltMaG.cOM

Ready for Anything
vs. Ready for One Thing
Any discussion of stance worth its salt has to use good athletic
position as the default starting base.
by Mark Hatmaker
F
or the uninitiated, GAP is the fundamental good mechanical
position that the body assumes when it’s expected to per-
form optimally across a variety of stressors. Those stressors
can include the need to execute a sudden vertical jump, an
explosive lift, a lateral move or a transition to backpedaling. The key
to GAP is that it’s a preparation for variety — a starting point for
many of the options you have when using your art.
In contrast, a task-specific position begins with the end in mind.
For example, the sprinter knows which direction her body must
move, the batter knows the approximate plane into which he must
swing, and the fighter who is setting up a spin kick knows where
22 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
and how she must set her hips to facilitate the
smooth pirouette — and they all prepare for that.
A task-specific position usually entails making only
minor adjustments to GAP, and for good reason.
Wisely, GAP dictAtes that you equally distribute
your weight over each foot so you can smoothly tran-
sition into movement in any direction. If you have too
much weight over either foot, you’ll slow the transition.
When you use GAP, that equal distribution of
weight not only optimizes your mobility but also
increases your access to power. Because you have
both feet under your hips, full-body commitment is
already realized. This means you can quickly send
power to either side without having to shift your
weight. If you’re using a 70/30 stance — 70 percent
of your weight over your rear foot and 30 percent
over your lead foot — you’ll have to make up that
discrepancy when you go for a lead-side strike. How-
ever, in a 50/50 GAP, all you need to do to load up for
power is flex your rear calf and torque your pelvis.
OK, i’ve rhAPsOdized GAP as the way to go with
respect to stance, but I want to stretch this idea fur-
ther. There’s a tendency in some combat disciplines
to regard stance as an isolated element. Teachers
say: “OK, here’s our stance. Got it? Looks good. Now,
here’s some other stuff to learn.”
I encourage all martial artists not to think of
stance as an isolated component of combat. Rather,
you should regard it as an athletic position that’s
connected to your every movement. After all, what
good is a stance if it no longer supports your offense
or defense when you take your first step? Fights
happen on the move. The crane stance Daniel-san
used in The Karate Kid is cinematic fantasy.
With every step you take, every punch you throw,
every takedown you stuff, every move you make, you
should be thinking about GAP. You should be making
adjustments whenever and wherever possible to ad-
here as closely as possible to perfection. If you don’t
analyze everything, you risk the following:
Are yOu fAllinG into your punches rather than
stepping into them? If the answer is falling, you may
be an easily countered fighter, and you may have a lead
leg that’s weight-loaded and, therefore, ripe for some
leg-kick punishment.
Is your lateral movement overloaded when you need
to change position? A leg kick or a Lyoto Machida–style
foot sweep could send you to the mat in a heartbeat.
Is your lead foot too light? Sounds like someone is
inviting a takedown.
Is your stance too high? Again, takedown city.
Photo by Rick Hustead
In combat, any deviation from GAP can create a
situation for your opponent to exploit. At the very
least, it will betray your intentions. The good news
is paying attention to this in training is the first step
toward eliminating the problem in a fight.
blackbeltMaG.cOM
The Taekwondo Teacher and the Million-Dollar Question
How much is your integrity worth? It’s a question few us will have to answer — and one even fewer will be forced to
face in front of 10 million viewers.
M
artial arts instructor Yung
“Woo” Hwang has a clue
about his own price: One
million dollars is not enough.
In the finale of Survivor: Cagayan, Woo
became a guaranteed finalist when he
won the last immunity challenge. That
meant he could choose his opponent at
the Final Tribal Council, where the win-
ner would go home a millionaire. Woo
selected ultra-aggressive New Jersey
police officer Tony Vlachos over Califor-
nia attorney Kass McQuillen, who was
universally considered an easier oppo-
nent. Vlachos went on to win and claim
the seven-figure prize. At the Survivor
reunion show, host Jeff Probst asked the
contestants if they would have voted for
Woo had he faced McQuillen. The major-
ity said they would have given Woo the
nod — and the money.
It can’t be easy to swallow a million-
dollar pill of hindsight and second
guesses, but Woo has accepted it like
24 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
the weather. After all, in his mind, there
was only one path to take.
“A lot of my decision was based on my
way of living,” he said. “Growing up in
taekwondo, my father always stressed
that in order to be the best, you have to
go up against the best. My decision to
take Tony was in the same respect: He
played a great game, and I thought I had
a 50-50 shot at beating him even though
he was one of the stronger players of the
season. I thought, If I could take some-
one like Tony and manage to beat him,
how wonderful that would be? If not, I
can walk away with my head held high
because I lost against the best.”
A sixth-degree blAck belt, Woo,
30, is the son of Chi Sung Hwang, a
ninth-degree grandmaster and the
owner of Hwang’s Martial Arts in Mas-
sillon, Ohio. Woo began lessons at age
3 and never stopped. Going into Survi-
vor, he knew his years of training and
by Mike Carlson
superior balance, agility and coordina-
tion would allow him to surmount ob-
stacles and win immunity challenges.
The years on the mats paid off for the
ultra-likable Woo, but not because of
his wicked spinning crescent kick. His
genuine people skills resonated with
the audience, and he became one of the
most well-liked competitors in the his-
tory of the show.
“I have been training adults since I was
13, so my ability to interact and socialize
with all age groups comes naturally,” Woo
said. “A lot of my social skills came from
emulating my father. When he would
speak, people would listen. I loved how
Photo Courtesy of Yung “Woo” Hwang
he was able to gain the respect and atten-
tion of whoever he was speaking to.”
since returning home, Woo has
focused on two things: building his
business and rebuilding his body. The
5-foot-9-inch martial arts instructor
and surfing coach entered Survivor at a
blackbeltMaG.cOM
 “After the show, my father and my senior instructors called and
thanked me. As a dedicated student of martial arts, you know that
you don’t live for yourself. You represent a larger body.”

lean 170 pounds, with etched abdomi-
nals. He finished the season at a gaunt
140 pounds. After the show wrapped,
Woo immediately got back in the weight
room and resumed surfing to reclaim his
lost muscle tissue. It took two months
for his body to get back to full strength
and his digestion to return to normal —
although he’s still 8 pounds lighter than
when he began the show.
Promoting his athletic training facil-
ity and martial arts studio — HB Acad-
emy in Huntington Beach, California
— has been a bit easier. After all, hav-
ing 10 million people watch you give up
$1 million in favor of your integrity is
priceless in terms of marketing.
“The positive feedback I have re-
ceived from social media and people on
the streets has made me feel like a mil-
lion bucks,” Woo said.
Don’t be surprised if you see Woo
on the screen again. Like many mar-
tial artists, he grew up idolizing Bruce
Lee, Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van
Damme. Besides taekwondo, Woo has
trained in wushu, capoeira, muay Thai
and various weapon styles, and he be-
lieves his skill set would translate beau-
tifully to the screen. He’s spent the past
few years studying tricking, the hybrid
form of martial arts and acrobatics
popularized by Travis Wong. Trick-
ing, Woo said, might be how he follows
the path of another one of his heroes:
prolific actor/stuntman and fellow tae-
kwondo practitioner Simon Rhee.
“Simon works full time as a mar-
tial arts instructor and is a full-time
stuntman and action actor,” Woo said.
“He is living the life I aspire to have
one day.”
EvEn if Woo brEaks into show
business, he’ll most likely continue to
be hounded by the question he hears
everywhere he goes: Does he wish he
chose differently in the Survivor finale?
In reality, his choice seems to bother
his formidable fan base more than Woo
himself, who genuinely has no regrets.
“After the show, my father and my
senior instructors called and thanked
me,” he said. “As a dedicated student of
martial arts, you know that you don’t
live for yourself. You represent a larger
body. If you are affiliated with Hwang’s
Martial Arts, you know that when you
go out in public, your demeanor, eti-
quette and conduct reflect our school.
Even though I knew Survivor was a
game of lies and manipulations, I had to
be a figure of inspiration. I was repre-
senting more than myself.”
Return to Shaolin, Part 5: Game Over
At the Shaolin kung fu school, I learned a lot about the lives of the young students who were my classmates. Most of
them agreed that they hated regular school and didn’t miss it at all. When their parents elected to send them to Shaolin
to Ƙnish their “education,” they weren’t preventing them from becoming doctors and lawyers; they were helping them
avoid becoming factory laborers.
T
he house administrator ex-
plained that many of them
came from families in which
the parents had gone to work
in the booming economies of Shanghai
or Shenzhen. That often meant the chil-
dren were left behind in the villages,
where their grandparents looked af-
ter them. The recalcitrant ones often
wound up at Shaolin.
One day while I was training, two peo-
ple arrived with an expensive car and
two teenage boys. One boy kept get-
ting in trouble back home, apparently,
and his parents asked their friends to
bring him to the temple. The other boy
was his best friend; he’d come along to
say goodbye. But the joke was on him!
When the parents drove off, both boys
were left behind. The one who was left
against his will refused to train. He
26 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
even tried to escape one night. I didn’t
want to hurt his feelings, but I could un-
derstand his parents’ desperation.
“I don’t know why they sent me here,”
he said. “I was fine at home.”
“I thought you were getting into trou-
ble,” I said.
“Not at all,” he replied. “I was fine. I
played video games and smoked all
day.”
“Did you go to school?” I asked.
“I didn’t like school,” he said. “So I just
stayed home all day. I was fine.”
I guess we had different definitions of
“fine.”
On rainy days, the kids of Shaolin and
I would skip outdoor training and stay
in the house. Because we were there to
learn san da, Sifu would separate my
by Antonio GraceƗo
training partner Yi Jong and me and
run us through specialized drills. One
entailed using a kicking motion to lift
the other person’s bodyweight. When I
had to heft Yi Jong’s 130 pounds, it was
doable. When we switched places and
he had to lift my much heavier body, I
pitied him. Things were similarly trying
when we did squats with our partner
on our shoulders.
The training worked me well for the
first few weeks — basically, while I was
getting back in shape. But then I started
Photo Courtesy of Antonio Graceffo
thinking I’d need to do some serious
fight training again. Near the end of
week five, my friend AJ, a san da fight-
er from Shanghai University of Sport,
came to train for a few days. We put on
a sparring demo for the Shaolin kids,
and they were alarmed at how violent
it was to have two full-size fighters,
blackbeltMaG.cOM
 Summer is the best time to train at Shaolin. You’re up in the
mountains, so the heat isn’t too bad during the day. At night,
it’s still warm enough that evening sessions are comfortable.

both of whom had trained in Thailand,
unloading thigh kicks, boxing punches
and knee thrusts.
Afterward, AJ and I visited all the ma-
jor Shaolin houses to see if there was
a san da program that would better
suit our needs. Unfortunately, none of
them had guys our size — more than
180 pounds — so we wouldn’t have
had sparring partners if we’d signed
up. The sports universities had athletes
of all sizes, some with pro experience,
because the students tended to be old-
er. Because most of the Shaolin pupils
were under 18, they were on the small
side and rather inexperienced.
We both suspected that this would be
our last Shaolin experience, that in the
future we’d be better off at a Chinese
sports university or a fight camp in an-
other country.
If you’re considering a trip to Shaolin
for training purposes, keep this in mind:
For tao lu forms, it’s great. For san da,
however, it’s probably not your best bet,
especially if you weigh more than 130
pounds and like hard sparring.
No matter what you’re looking
for, it’s not a good idea to come in
winter because most of the schools
aren’t heated and much of the train-
ing is outdoors. Summer is the best
time to train at Shaolin. You’re up in
the mountains, so the heat isn’t too
bad during the day. At night, it’s still
warm enough that evening sessions
are comfortable. It’s not uncommon
to be in the middle of a late workout
and look down on the temple as the
sun sets and think, What an incredible
place to be!
By the end of the six weeks, I’d become
close to the foreign and Chinese students.
On my final day, they all stood in forma-
tion on the training ground as the house
administrator and the sifu presented me
with a certificate. They asked me to make
a speech, and something must have got in
my eye because I teared up.
The first time I left Shaolin, I left in
anger. This time, it was like when a
child in Cider House Rules got adopted.
All the monks gathered around me and
said, “Antonio found a family. Good
night, Antonio!”
To which, I replied, “Good night, you
princes of Henan, kings of Shaolin.”
Check out Antonio Graceffo’s book Warrior
Odyssey: The Travels of a Martial Artist
Through Asia.
blackbeltmag.com/warrior-odyssey

Don’t Settle for Correct
“His karate has no personality.”
T
hat was the response a senior-
level teacher made when a ju-
nior teacher asked him to cri-
tique one of the junior’s stu-
dents. It was an interesting criticism. I
happened to be there, and while I said
nothing, I could see why that remark
was made.
The technique and skill of the student
were not in question. He was compe-
tent. He could demonstrate the art. He
looked, however, like a well-made robot.
A few comments are in order here.
First, the student was not a beginner.
He had more than a decade of training
in the art. His karate was correct in the
sense that he was demonstrating ef-
ficient body motion, had good stances
and focused his power properly. So
what was missing? It was, as the teach-
er noted, a personality.
The Term ThaT comes to mind here
is kurushii. Literally, it means “painful.”
One hears kurushii in a slightly differ-
ent context in the world of Japanese art.
There, it’s used to describe something
that is “painfully correct.” A ceramic
bowl, for instance, like the sort used in
the tea ceremony, will be made accord-
ing to the dimensions required. It will
have been glazed and fired perfectly. It
will look like a “correctly” made bowl.
Still, to the connoisseur, there’s some-
thing missing. There’s nothing in the
bowl that speaks of the creative spirit
and mind of the potter. The bowl is not
28 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
by Dave Lowry
wrong. It just so painfully and precisely
conforms to the basics and dimensions
and outward appearance of a tea bowl
that it is — kurushii.
Many karateka suffer from kurushii.
Now, let’s add quickly that for all these
karateka, there are many, many more ka-
rate practitioners who suffer from worse
problems. There’s no point for a begin-
ner to worry about developing a person-
ality in his art when he doesn’t have a
thorough competence in the basics. Don’t
concern yourself with creating your ka-
rate personality if you can’t do a reverse
punch correctly. If you can’t conduct
yourself with some success in kumite or
kata, you shouldn’t be thinking about this
more advanced concept. We’re talking
here about practitioners who have been
through that process. Their challenge is
not to master basics. The obstacles they
must overcome are more subtle.
Infusing your art with your personal-
ity is a challenge. Far too often, karateka
err in the opposite direction: They can-
not get rid of their own ideas, their own
physical tendencies. This is absolutely
vital, however, to enter into karate as a
martial way. You must conform yourself
to the art. Your own ideas, your own
particular approach — these matter for
nothing in the dojo. You must be willing
to abandon them and immerse yourself
in the basics. We’re not talking months
here; we’re talking years. If you haven’t
trained in karate for at least a decade,
you have no business worrying about
personalizing it. However, if you’ve spent
that time, you cannot think that the jour-
ney has been completed. You must take
another step. You must stop thinking in
terms of what is correct. You must be-
gin to think in terms of what should be
emerging naturally in your technique.
KaraTe is parTicularly suscep-
tible to this problem of kurushii, in part
because of all the emphasis on stances.
In judo, for example, comparatively
little time is spent on this. Same for ai-
kido. You’re corrected if your stance is
unbalanced or too high. Otherwise, you
develop your stance through training.
In karate classes, minute adjustments
are made to the bend of your leg, the
balance of your weight. The pointing of
your toes must conform, in the dojo, to
a nearly exact degree. All this is impor-
tant in learning correct stance. It also,
though, can lead you to a dead end, one
lined with mirrors.
You look at your feet and see they’re
arranged exactly as they’re supposed
to be. The length of your stance is just
what your teacher deems to be right.
When you do kata, your punches are
crisp, accurate. Your kicks are sharp and
focused. In free sparring, you’re suc-
cessful, more often than not, particular-
ly against your peers or juniors. This de-
scribes the student the sensei was asked
to critique. His karate was not bad. It
was good, in fact. It just lacked the infu-
sion of his own personality.
if you’ve been involved in karate
very long, you’ve seen way too many
examples of those who put too much of
their own personality into their art too
soon and in the wrong context. You’ve
probably seen fewer examples of those
who have successfully integrated their
art with themselves and emerged with
a distinctive and unique expression. It’s
not a process that can be hurried. It’s one
that must be constantly tempered and
controlled by a competent teacher. That
teacher will encourage it when the time
is right — and when he sees the student’s
level is appropriate. And that teacher will
squash excesses swiftly and decisively.
If you’ve put the time in, if you’ve ap-
prenticed yourself to a good teacher,
you should think about this process.
Don’t settle for the correct way of doing
things. Strive to make yourself a reposi-
tory for your own individual art.
blackbeltMaG.cOM

Unfamiliar Territory
Some time ago, I attended an amateur kickboxing show. I was chatting up a
couple of friends who were on the card when a muay Thai trainer approached
with a strange request.
A
pparently, the opponent who
was supposed to face the train-
er’s guy had shown up with no
one to work his corner.
“I had to wrap his hands because he
didn’t have anyone to do that for him,”
the trainer lamented. He said he felt
sorry for the opponent and asked if
anyone wanted to volunteer to be in
his corner. Someone suggested that I
do it, which prompted me to ask who
he was and why he’d shown up alone.
The Trainer said the youth, who
looked about 17, actually wasn’t alone
— his father had come with him. Both
had a traditional martial arts back-
ground, he added.
Dubious about playing coach to
someone who might have no idea how
to fight and not wanting the sole re-
sponsibility if he got hurt, I said I’d do it
as long as another experienced person
was there with me.
The trainer found a second trainer
who was willing, and when I walked
over to meet him and the competitor,
I found the trainer giving the young
fighter an impromptu boxing lesson. Al-
though it might not have been the best
time to teach a person how to throw a
left hook, I didn’t interrupt. Instead, I
30 black belt I august/september 2014
by Mark Jacobs
watched the guy execute some awkward
punches and kicks. Although I’ll be the
first to admit the traditional martial arts
have plenty of positive attributes and
offer lots of effective techniques for self-
defense, they have their limitations. One
limitation is not being particularly effec-
tive in a Thai boxing ring.
It became obvious that the young
man wasn’t prepared for the bout, so I
approached the promoter and suggest-
ed he ask the ref to keep a close eye on
him to make sure he didn’t get hurt. The
promoter agreed and said he’d already
informed the kid’s father that there’s a
big difference between point fighting
and full-contact muay Thai, but the fa-
ther had assured him that his son’s skill
set could deal with it.
Because all the fighters were wear-
ing 16-ounce gloves and headgear and
most of them were novices, officials
agreed that the youth was not at a
greater risk than anyone else, and he
was allowed to fight.
JusT before The bouT began, I
joined the second trainer and accom-
panied the young man to the ring. I
advised him to keep his hands up, stay
relaxed and treat it like any other spar-
ring session. The problem was, I got the
impression he’d never done any full-
contact sparring. As soon as the round
started, he took a hard blow to the body
and winced, then looked at the ref as
though he expected him to stop the ac-
tion and award a point.
The ref asked if he was done, but
he said he wasn’t quitting — which
prompted the referee to inform him
that he had to keep fighting, that no
timeouts or points would be called.
To his credit — and he deserves a lot
of it — the kid had heart. He tried to
fight back and even landed a few hard,
straight right hands that backed off his
opponent and took him to the end of
the first round. But heart can get you
only so far, and the youth was stopped
by the opponent in the second round.
There’s no shame in this whatsoever.
He showed guts just by stepping into the
ring to compete in unfamiliar territory.
He showed even more guts by giving it
his best effort despite the punishment
he was absorbing, which is something
many people lack the courage to ever do.
Unfortunately, others didn’t show judg-
ment equal to the youth’s guts.
iT’s impossible To know what
anyone was thinking during the bout,
but I do know that, after a lifetime
of participating in the martial arts
and watching the fighters, the young
man wasn’t prepared for full contact.
There’s a world of difference between
competing in karate tournaments and
getting into a boxing ring with some-
one who’s trying to knock your head
off. Someone with authority should
have had enough foresight to see that
he was out of his element.
This is hardly a new phenomenon.
Young people in sports from baseball
to tennis have always been allowed to
go further than they should have by
people who thought they had their best
interests at heart. The results are rarely
good, particularly in sports like boxing,
where the risks include brain damage.
Although chances are slim that such a
fate will befall this martial artist, there
are lessons to be learned here for any-
one who’s thinking about allowing a
young athlete to participate in a sport
like kickboxing or MMA. Foremost is
the need to get the right kind of train-
ing to be properly prepared for such
specialized — and potentially danger-
ous — forms of combat.
blackbeltmag.cOm
BLACKBELTMAG.COM AuGusT/sEpTEMBEr 2014 2014 I BLACK BELT 31
Violence Against Women
I read about gender and violence a lot but almost never write about it. That’s because I’m a man, and my experiences,
both in the training hall and in self-defense, are diƗerent from a woman’s.
I
can understand the female point
of view only indirectly, through
crime statistics and stories. So I
write from a man’s perspective
and try to do more listening than talk-
ing when it comes to their experiences.
But just listening and understanding
aren’t enough. The threats and assaults
women face are something all martial
artists should talk about.
The firsT Thing men can do is sim-
ply acknowledge that there are major
differences. There are types of assault
that women experience way more than
men, including domestic abuse and
sexual assault. Women are many times
more likely to get beaten up at home
than men are, and women are way more
likely to be raped. This may seem obvi-
ous, but it also means women often see
fighting arts, especially self-defense arts,
from a very different perspective.
When men study self-defense, we
usually imagine dealing with desperate
addicts, professional thieves or some
32 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
kind of psycho killer. What we don’t
much worry about is being raped or
beaten by a spouse or partner. It makes
a big difference in how the genders ap-
proach self-defense.
Women are mosT ofTen assault-
ed by men. Worse still, it’s usually
by men they know. I’ve known three
women who were sexually assaulted:
one by a cousin, one by a friend of a
sibling and one by a clergyman. The
main thing I learned from listening
to their stories and reading other
women’s accounts is that the fear of
rape and abuse changes how women
see us. And it’s markedly different
from the way we see ourselves. Men
generally think of themselves and the
people close to them as trustworthy.
We worry more about danger com-
ing from strangers. But women worry
more about men who give them un-
wanted attention, whether they are
strangers or not. That difference af-
fects interactions between men and
by Keith Vargo
women, even when they train togeth-
er in the martial arts.
A lot of guys in the arts bristle at the
idea of women seeing them as inher-
ently suspect. I certainly used to. We
try hard to live up to certain ideals of
courtesy and respect inherent in the
martial arts. Therefore, being viewed
as a potential criminal when you’ve
never done anything criminal in your
life feels like prejudice. But the more
I learn about the threats women face,
the more their caution about men
seems rational. Again, the statistics
say that they are most likely to get as-
saulted by a man and it’s likely to be
one they know. It doesn’t matter that
the majority of men will never beat
their spouse or rape anyone. Some-
where among all the decent men in a
woman’s life, there’s a man with bad
intentions. He could be a family mem-
ber, a friend, a co-worker or even a
guy at the dojo. Because women can’t
know for sure who the bad guys are,
it’s reasonable for them to be cau-
blackbeltMaG.cOM
 Some guys hit on female training partners who haven’t shown
any interest in them or, worse still, persist in hitting on them
after the women have made it clear they’re not interested.

tious anytime they get attention they
didn’t invite.
What kind of attention are we
talking about? It varies. Some guys reg-
ularly compliment women they train
with on their looks, even when they
get the cold shoulder. Sometimes they
hit on female training partners who
haven’t shown any interest in them or,
worse still, persist in hitting on them
after the women have made it clear
they’re not interested.
Setting aside for a moment how
wrong it is to treat a dojo like a meat
market, the problem is with the differ-
ent perspectives men and women have.
Male martial artists who hit on training
partners think of it as harmless, just a
normal part of male/female interac-
tion. Even the more persistent ones see
themselves as only mildly annoying —
if they’re self-aware enough to notice a
woman’s discomfort at all. But women
find it more menacing than annoying,
and listening to their honest reactions
to such incidents is sobering. Unless a
woman clearly invites that kind of at-
tention, the man giving it is seen as a
potential threat. When that attention
is coming from a fellow martial artist,
someone with real fighting skills, it’s
even more worrisome.
Some maleS in the martial arts dis-
miss this and accuse women of overre-
acting. The places we train are usually
safe. People there treat each other with
respect. So some men shrug off wom-
en’s concerns and tell them they’re
seeing threats where there are none. I
used to feel this way, too. What changed
my mind was listening to women’s ac-
counts of being assaulted. What hap-
pened to them didn’t start with the
overt aggression you learn to handle in
self-defense class. It started with per-
sistent interest and slowly edged into
coercion. Anyone who dismisses that is
trying to dismiss reality.
Of course, there’s more to the topic
of gender and violence than a column
can cover. And I’m sure some women
reading this will take issue with my ap-
proach. After all, women are better at
telling their own stories, and they’re
usually more knowledgeable about
research on abuse and sexual assault.
But, again, these are things all martial
artists should talk about. The more we
do, the more we’ll understand these
problems and the closer we’ll get to
solving them.

Solar Eclipse
The Ƙrst technique many students of the striking arts learn is the front kick,
and they’re usually told to aim for the solar plexus. From that day forward, the
innocuous body part gets threatened by numerous arm and leg techniques,
including the punch, the elbow, the knee, the side kick and the ball-of-the-foot
roundhouse kick.
W
hy do so many tech-
niques target the solar
plexus? Because even a
mild blow to it can lead
to what’s frequently called “getting the
wind knocked out of you.” In medical
terminology, this condition is known as
solar plexus syndrome or celiac trunk
syndrome. As you might guess, in the
martial arts, this is a commonly en-
countered condition. Whether the con-
tact is accidental or deliberate, it can
disable a person temporarily.
34 black belt I august/september 2014
by Robert Wang, M.D.
The solar plexus lies in the upper
abdomen, on the body’s centerline just
below the ribs. It’s a nerve plexus — a
technical term for a grouping of nerves
— that sits behind the stomach and in
front of the aorta and diaphragm. From
this region, many nerves branch out to
organs in the abdomen.
Of particular importance to martial
artists is the diaphragm. This is the
muscle that separates the stomach and
abdomen from the heart and lungs.
One of the diaphragm’s most impor-
tant functions occurs during breathing.
When it contracts, it moves lower, al-
lowing the lungs to expand and draw in
air. When it relaxes, it moves upward;
this is when the elastic recoil of the
lungs pushes out air.
In the martial arts world, the solar
plexus is vulnerable for several rea-
sons. It’s an easy target, especially
when you’re standing square to your
opponent and you neglect to protect it.
Making matters worse, all martial art-
ists and most non-martial artists know
that if they hit you in this region, they
can knock the wind out of you. Finally,
the solar plexus is a soft target, one that
doesn’t require much force to affect.
When a bloW bypasses your de-
fenses and strikes the solar plexus,
the nerves in the area get compressed
and the diaphragm goes into spasm. If
the diaphragm is in spasm, the lungs
cannot function properly and you can-
not breathe. The blow also can induce
stomach pain and anxiety.
The effects of a shot to the solar
plexus are usually temporary. If you
happen to be on the receiving end of
one, you can recover more quickly by
bending at your knees and positioning
your upper body forward and down-
ward to relax the affected muscles. Try
to remain calm and relaxed as you take
slow breaths. The discomfort typically
resolves in 10 to 15 minutes, but the
duration can vary depending on the se-
verity of the shot.
Even though solar plexus syndrome
is not a permanent condition, that
shouldn’t be interpreted as carte
blanche to attack the abdomen in train-
ing. A forceful blow to the area can
cause serious injury to vital organs. If
you’ve sustained such an impact and
have symptoms that don’t improve
relatively quickly, seek medical help.
Pay attention to the vulnerability of the
abdomen when you practice body shots
and make sure your partner does the
same. Even more important, let your
knowledge of the solar plexus motivate
you to bolster your ability to protect it
whenever possible.
 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.
blackbeltmag.cOm
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 New Form of Stand-Up Competition Is
the Final Element Needed to Evaluate
by Fernando Ceballos
PhotograPhy by robert reiFF All-Around Martial Arts Skill!
At
fi first One martial artist initiates a single- tournament. Yet over 40 percent of our
competitors will compete in 10 tour-

glance,
you might mistake it for a muay Thai
match. However, a closer inspection
reveals some key differences: The �ight-
ers are wearing shinguards. Their black
headgear has a face protector — and
padding on top of the head. And the
gloves have an open-�inger design simi-
lar to what’s seen in MMA.
The �ighters engage with quick
combinations that include the usual
punches and kicks, as well as �lying
and spinning leg techniques that of-
ten end with a takedown or throw.
They frequently go to the ground, but
there’s never a grappling stalemate. If
no submission occurs by the end of the
�ive count, they return to their feet and
continue their battle.
leg takedown, followed by a leg lock.
His opponent yells “Tap!” a second after
hitting the mat. They stand and walk to
the center of the ring, where the referee
commands them to bow. He raises the
winner’s arm and brings the two com-
batants together for a hug. They take
their seats alongside the mat, and the
next two �ighters are announced.
This type of competition is called yong-
toogi; roughly translated, it means stand-
up and submission �ighting. It’s one of
the events that take place at the Hwa
Rang Do World Championships. The oth-
ers include grappling, sword �ighting,
stick �ighting, empty-hand forms, weap-
on forms and so on for a grand total of 10
categories of competition.
“This is the world’s only decathlon of
martial arts,” says Taejoon Lee, eighth-
degree black belt and president of
the World Hwa Rang Do Association.
“Most martial artists spend months
training for one �ight or at most one
naments over the course of the two
days, testing not only their skill in each
category but also their endurance. Our
advanced students compete in one ad-
ditional tournament — yongtoogi, our
submission-�ighting category, which is
designed to condition �ighters to mas-
ter hwa rang do’s self-defense formula
of defend, take down, quick submit.”
At the championships, Lee observes
all yongtoogi matches from the time-
keeper’s table. He and the spectators
smile and clap only when a contest �in-
ishes, acknowledging both combatants
for their efforts. What’s most amaz-
ing to outsiders about the end of the
matches is the calm that exudes from
the winners. They don’t raise their own
hands, gloat or celebrate, regardless of
how dif�icult it was or how dominant
they were. In accordance with hwa rang
do tradition, they opt for respect over
emotional outbursts.

➜ KICK DEFENSE WITH

SUBMISSION: Taejoon
Lee (left) faces his op-
ponent (1). He parries a
jab (2), then covers his
head and blocks when the
man launches a cross (3).
The opponent executes
a roundhouse, which
causes Lee to respond
with a down block and
leg catch (4). At the same
time, he steps back with
his left leg to create space.
The hwa rang do master
traps the ankle in the fold
of his arm, making sure
to control the knee so it
points downward for the
next step (5). Lee raises
his left leg as if he’s ex-
ecuting an inside ax kick
(6), then chops down onto
the opponent’s leg, forc-
ing him to the ground (7).
He finishes by placing his
left ankle in the fold of the
man’s leg while he grabs
his collar to prevent him
from squirming away. Lee
slides his right foot against
the man’s torso and slips
his right arm around his
neck and pulls upward for
the submission (8).

38 BLACK BELT I AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 BLACKBELTMAG.COM

 To foster an atmosphere in which
such digni�ied displays are encour-
aged, yongtoogi and hwa rang do’s
other decathlon competitions are
closed to groups that don’t have a
direct af�iliation with the WHRDA.
“We’ve pretty much kept this format
a secret and have only recently held
these events in public places such as
at the Origins International Martial
Arts Festival at Disneyland in 2011
and 2012,” Lee says.
A Brief History of Tournaments
It’s been decades since hwa rang do
practitioners took part in open events.
“Like other martial arts groups, we par-
ticipated in competitions all over the
country and the world dating back to
the early 1970s,” Lee says.
In the ’70s, kenpo and karate groups
hosted stand-up tournaments, each
with its own rules. There was no pro-
tective gear, and the rules were similar
to those depicted in The Karate Kid: one
BLACKBELTMAG.COM
hit, one point. Some kenpo organiza-
tions allowed groin strikes. None ex-
cept karate permitted takedowns, and
that was only in the form of a leg sweep
for which no points were awarded.
Rotational kicks were also prohibit-
ed. “We couldn’t fully express the com-
prehensive nature of our art,” Lee says.
“We would be disquali�ied if we at-
tempted a spinning kick or takedown,
but since we were a small group at the
time, we wanted to show the martial
arts community that even with these
limitations, we could still win, and we
did win — a lot.”
As described in The Complete Mi-
chael D. Echanis Collection, those frus-
trations surfaced even when 1970s
combatives legend Michael Echanis,
who studied hwa rang do under its
founder Dr. Joo Bang Lee, would storm
into tournaments and challenge the
champ to a street �ight. Most of the
time, those who accepted were left
bloodied and unconscious.
“My father certainly did not condone
or endorse Michael’s actions, which
is why my father encouraged him to
go back to the military and teach the
Special Forces,” Lee says. “He was a
warrior born for combat, and he was
better-suited for the military [than for]
civilian life. However, the statement he
was trying to make was clear: We have
an art which cannot be fully expressed
in what at the time were contemporary
martial arts competitions.”
Hwa rang do began running its own
open tournaments organized by Joo
Bang Lee, but they stuck to common
rules in hopes of attracting outside
groups. While they were very success-
ful, they were a challenge to coordinate
— appeasing everyone who requested
a rule change proved impossible.
In the early ’80s, the politics of the
tournament circuit became more than
Joo Bang Lee could tolerate, and he or-
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 39
 ➜ LEAPING REAR CHOKE: Taejoon Lee (right) confronts his
adversary (1). The man attacks with a leg-shuffle jab, which Lee
parries (2). The opponent delivers a front kick, and Lee steps
back with his left foot and blocks (3). The hwa rang do stylist
leaps into the air and grabs the opponent, making sure to control
his left arm (4). He’s careful to not jump too high or reach in too
deep with the right arm; otherwise, the opponent could throw him
(5). Lee keeps the opponent off-balance, again to prevent being
thrown (6), and sends a low soccer kick into the back of his knee
(7). The opponent drops, and Lee applies a figure-4 choke (8).

40 BLACK BELT I AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 BLACKBELTMAG.COM

dered the WHRDA to cease organizing
them for four years. During that time,
students were free to enter other com-
petitions, however.
“The benefits of participating in
tournaments and demonstrations
were obvious,” Taejoon Lee says. “It
was a marketing tool and a way to al-
low our students to test their skills
and overcome fears through competi-
tion. When we performed in tourna-
ments, other martial artists wanted
to join our organization. That allowed
a little-known art called hwa rang do
to grow.”
When Lee, already a master, entered
the University of Southern California
in the early ’80s, he opened a club that
quickly propagated to other California
campuses. Word spread, and within a
couple of years, he found himself lead-
ing an army of college-age practitioners
of hwa rang do.
Lee asked his father’s permission to
run interschool closed tournaments
and received his blessing to organize
two open events a year. They were held
in partnership with the North Ameri-
can Sport Karate Association, whose
rules allowed fighters to receive points
for takedowns, which was important
because it gave hwa rang do stylists
more freedom to function.
Students of the WHRDA competed
in these events, as well as in other
tournaments, throughout the ’80s.
Unfortunately, the challenges of work-
ing with outside groups once again
proved problematic.
“Tournaments became increasingly
unruly with [competitors showing] a
lack of respect for each other and poor
sportsmanship, which severely dimin-
ished the value of participating,” Lee
says. “Etiquette and respect for one an-
other are core parts of our martial way,
so clearly this was a problem.”
He recalls two occurrences that broke
the camel’s back: “There was one inci-
dent where a competitor didn’t like a
referee’s ruling and punched him in the
face, and a melee ensued. A few weeks
later, two opposing teams were fight-
ing on a stage in the finals, and specta-
tors started throwing chairs across the
stage at each other.
“We started losing students because
of negative experiences. As a result, we
reduced our participation by sending
only select students as representa-
tives, then stopped completely by the
early 1990s.”
BLACKBELTMAG.COM
“Even back in the ’80s, my father had deep
philosophical conflicts about having our students
engage in full-contact fighting, yet we always
knew that competition would eventually evolve
to what we’ve come to know today as MMA.”
Developing the Decathlon
Lee and his father decided that devel-
oping their own tournament format ex-
clusively for hwa rang do would be the
best course of action.
Adding to the point-fighting, empty-
hand forms and weapon-forms competi-
tions that were already in place, the ju-
nior Lee unveiled gotoogi, or “submission
grappling.” The skill set it showcased was
borrowed from the self-defense tech-
niques of hwa rang do. Striking wasn’t al-
lowed, which meant victory could come
only from submission or points — similar
to Brazilian jiu-jitsu and catch wrestling.
Then came the development of mugi
daeryun, or “weapon fighting.” It start-
ed as kumdo, Korea’s counterpart to
Japanese kendo, but Lee didn’t stop
there. As documented in “Whirlwind
Weaponry: Hwa Rang Do Puts New
Spin on Traditional Sword and Stick
Fighting” (May 2011 Black Belt), Lee
developed and then patented a leg at-
tachment for traditional kendo armor.
Called hache hogu, it enabled fighters
to safely target the leg and use spinning
attacks, creating a dynamic weapon-
based fight sport.
Further expanding the competi-
tive categories, Lee decided to use
the same armor for combat with the
twin short swords, long staff, twin
sticks and mixed weapons. By the late
2000s, the Hwa Rang Do World Cham-
pionships had evolved from a half-day,
three-category event into a two-day,
10-category extravaganza.
During this period, the advent of
MMA transformed the martial arts,
putting the emphasis on reality-based
competition. It’s said that MMA is “as
real as it gets,” but most martial artists
quickly realized that what took place in
the ring was a far cry from a street fight
or self-defense situation. Interestingly,
many expressed an interest in what
comprehensive arts like hwa rang do
could do in a full-contact format.
“Even back in the ’80s, my father had
deep philosophical conflicts about hav-
ing our students engage in full-con-
tact fighting, yet we always knew that
competition would eventually evolve
to what we’ve come to know today as
MMA,” Lee says.
“However, being who we are, we had
to think more deeply about what we
wanted to represent. Our art trans-
formed the early days of empty-hand
and armed combatives in the Special
Forces through Michael Echanis. We
were dominant in the late ’70s and
’80s in sparring and forms competi-
tions. And we now run the world’s
only two-day martial arts decathlon.
From a self-defense and combat-
sports perspective, we’ve had nothing
to prove, and since the 1990s, we’ve
only gotten better.”
In the past, plenty of Lee’s students
have wanted to compete in full-con-
tact tournaments outside the WHRDA,
he says. “We could not allow it while
they were affiliated with our associa-
tion, so in those cases, we mutually
agreed to part ways so they could pur-
sue their goals, and they performed
extremely well. However, we asked
that they not claim to have trained in
hwa rang do. We did not want credit,
and we could not support them — it
wasn’t what we were about. Our pri-
ority has always been maintaining
that which is unique to us: our sense
of brotherhood, our family bond, the
spiritual component, our Hwarang
heritage, and respect toward our high-
er ranks and masters.”
In the late ’90s and early 2000s, hwa
rang do relented and developed its own
full-contact sport category. Called kyuk-
toogi, it was open only to advanced stu-
dents and those who demonstrated men-
tal maturity. But Lee wasn’t comfortable
with the social dynamic it created.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 41
 ➜ FLYING NECK SCISSORS:
Taejoon Lee (left) and his opponent
face off (1). Lee parries the man’s
jab (2) and blocks his cross (3).
Lee then secures the opponent’s
right arm by hooking over the limb,
controlling it in his armpit. He im-
mediately strikes him in the head
and controls it, which creates space
for the next attack (4). The hwa
rang do stylist executes a knee to
the body, which causes the man to
bend forward (5). Capitalizing on
the opponent’s attempt to stand
upright, Lee jumps, lifting his right
leg high enough to bring it down on
the back of the man’s head (6). At
the same time, he raises his left leg
so he can link it to his right leg, thus
securing the hold. The opponent
falls and rolls, and Lee maintains
his hold on his neck (7). To finish,
Lee switches the orientation of his
feet so that when he continues his
rotation, he effects a choke and
neck crank (8).

“In full-contact �ighting, the goal is to
hurt or incapacitate your opponent,” he
says. “How does a group that thrives on
a bond and brotherhood operate like a
family while having the goal of hurting
each other inside the ring?
“We also wanted to maintain our
leadership hierarchy. In sports, that is
broken. The champion and contender
rankings are what dictates the hierar-
chy. However, just because you are a
champion does not make you a leader,
nor does it make you a wise or good
person. What we wish to cultivate are
leaders, not just �ighters. That’s not to
say we didn’t want to create a reality-
based �ighting format; it just had to
align with our values and goals.”
Lee describes those goals as follows:
“First, it had to promote the altruistic
ideal of competition, which is to push
one another and test the skill of our
brothers and sisters across the ring to
make them better by making oneself
stronger. Second, the rules had to pro-
mote the development of a valuable
skill set which could be potentially life-
saving if mastered.”
New Fight Plan
The answer came when Lee wrote
Hwa Rang Do: Defend, Take Down,
Submit. The book outlined the art’s
self-defense strategy and explained
how it can be adapted for military,
law-enforcement and self-defense
purposes. The strategy encompasses
three components:
Defend, which includes using dis-
tancing and striking to fend off an at-
tack and set up the next step.
Take down, which entails effecting
a lock or hold to neutralize your op-
ponent’s striking as you take him to
the ground.
Quick submit, which has you main-
taining a dominant top position on
the ground while applying a technique
that’s designed to submit, choke out or
in�lict a more serious injury such as a
bone break or dislocation should the
situation warrant it.
The emphasis here is on the “quick
submit.” You must immediately recog-
nize any opportunity for a joint lock
and execute it without hesitation to
dispose of the assailant. To be avoided
at all costs is a BJJ-style “roll” on the as-
phalt or concrete because it can leave
you vulnerable to injury and/or attack
by your opponent’s companions.
The sport of yongtoogi is based on
this formula. Rather than encouraging
hwa rang do competitors to go for the
knockout, Lee wanted them to focus on
the quick submit, thereby showcasing
the breadth of the art.
Each match entails two minutes of
continuous �ighting. Striking is limited
to medium-force blows aimed at the
head and body, which prevents unnec-
essary injury while encouraging full
use of the art’s arsenal. A �ighter has
just �ive seconds to submit his oppo-
nent; otherwise, both are required to
stand before continuing.
Should a competitor successfully ap-
ply a submission technique and get the
opponent to tap out, the match is over.
If they go the distance, three judges is-
sue a score for each �ighter in the areas
of striking, takedowns and “spirit.”
To many, �ive seconds on the ground
may seem like a short time, but that’s
precisely what Lee wanted. In his view,
martial artists need to capitalize on an
opening and apply the �inishing tech-
nique without hesitation.
This martial experiment has proved
fruitful during the two years that these
rules have been in place for hwa rang
do practitioners. Many matches have
resulted in tapouts via armbar, shoul-
der lock and ankle lock, while others
have gone to the judges.
“My goal is not really to create
champion fighters, although that cer-
tainly is fun to watch and is an excel-
lent test of skill,” Lee says. “My goal is
to help my students develop self-de-
fense skills, which could one day save
their lives, without the ego-driven
culture of full-contact fighting gyms
and, most important, while preserv-
ing our martial way.”
For more information about hwa rang
do, visit hwarangdo.com.

42 BLACK BELT I AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 BLACKBELTMAG.COM

BLACKBELTMAG.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 43
Systema’s Field-Tested
Response to Blade Attacks
By VlAdimiR VASilieV • PhoTogRAPhy By RoBeRT ReiFF

Whenever we run a story about sys-

tema, the response from our readers is
phenomenal. It certainly seems to be
shaping up as one of the hot styles of
the decade. To sate your appetite for
more martial wisdom from the Russian
self-defense system, we asked Toronto-
based Vladimir Vasiliev, perhaps the
best-known systema master in the
Western hemisphere, to demonstrate
his art’s take on knife defense. We
hope you enjoy — and learn from —
his words and techniques.
— E ditors

2 3 4

44 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014 blackbeltMaG.cOM

 BREAKING
A JOINT
In a knife confrontation,
fear can make you stick
out your arms. It’s dan-
gerous because the at-
tacker often will try to cut
them. If this instinctive
protective gesture hap-
pens to you, you can use
it productively provided
you know how.
(1-2) Lower your left
arm, rotating it inward
to make contact with the
attacker’s arm. Your arm
should spiral downward,
with smooth motion and
control so you can keep
from being cut. In the
meantime, your right
hand grasps the at-
tacker’s hand, squeezing
the base of his thumb to
immobilize his wrist.
(3) As you turn clock-
wise, your left arm con-
tinues to apply pressure
to his elbow, breaking
the joint. The attacker
goes to the ground.
(4) The sharp pain
the attacker feels in his
elbow makes him relax
his grip on the knife.
Whether or not he drops
it, you can take control
of the weapon. At that
point, you can finish
him or move off to a safe
distance.

BLACKBELTMAG.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 45

1
STRETCHING THE ARMS
The best way to be ready for an attack
is to assume a stance that’s based on a
natural body position — there should
be virtually no tension in your mus-
cles. A fringe benefit is that this kind
of stance won’t provoke the attacker or
tip him off to the fact that you’re a mar-
tial artist. To finish your preparation,
stay aware, calm and balanced.
46 BLACK BELT I AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014
(1-2) W hen the attacker charges
at you, take a small lateral step away
from the arm that’s holding the knife.
(3) Your right hand grabs his weapon
arm above the wrist. Take another step to
your left and pivot slightly, pushing down
on his right arm to stretch his limbs apart.
While they’re outstretched, he can’t cut
or stab you — for the time being.
(4) By adding pressure directed
downward and against his line of
travel, you disrupt his balance and
force him to the ground.
(5) While he’s falling, twist his left arm.
(6) Use your right f st to hit his knife
hand. The blow should weaken his grip
enough to make him drop the weapon.
BLACKBELTMAG.COM
1 2 3 4

DISRUPTING
HIS BALANCE
(1) The attacker tries to stab
you in the stomach.
(2) Move to the outside to
get off the line of attack. Si-
multaneously grab his wrist
and pull his arm to stretch
him forward, which takes him
5 off-balance. Your left hand,
now on the back of his neck,
pushes downward.
(3) Move behind the assail-
ant as you continue to stretch
him out and push him down.
Your right hand maintains
control of his knife hand.
(4) When he falls, apply
pressure to bend his wrist,
which weakens his grip and
allows you to remove the
knife from his hand.
(5) Once you have control
of the weapon, you should
disengage and move away if
possible. Only in the direst
of circumstances should you
use the knife against him.

BLACKBELTMAG.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 47

 1 2 3 4

5 6

PROTECTING
THE THROAT
(1) If an attacker ap-
proaches from behind
and places a knife at
your throat, it’s essential
to stay relaxed. Tension
can cause him to cut
you. 7 8
(2) To move the blade
away from your neck,
first tuck your chin down
and slightly to the right.
He probably won’t ex-
pect this reaction, which
means it’s even more
likely to work.
(3) Simultaneously
slide your left hand up
along your body and 9
use it to press the f lat of
the blade against your
chest.
(4) With his hand and
the blade pinned to your
chest, raise your right
shoulder to lift his arm.
Simultaneously lower
your left shoulder.
(5) Your shoulder
motion creates space
through which you can
move your head. It pass-
es under his weapon
arm, which has been
twisted and straightened
because his hand is still
held tight against your
chest.
(6-7) The attacker is
off-balance and in pain
because of his twisted 10
arm. Using your right
arm, apply pressure
to the extended limb,
breaking the elbow if
need be.
(8-10) When he’s
down, take the knife out
of his hand.

48 BLACK BELT I AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 BLACKBELTMAG.COM

 2 3 4

FLIPPING THE
ASSAILANT
(1) If you’re attacked while on the
ground, your initial reaction should
be to reach toward the knife. This will
cause the assailant to go for the low-
hanging fruit and attempt to cut your
hand.
(2) Without getting near the edge
of the blade, momentarily control the
knife, then grab his wrist and pull his
arm. At the same time, lean back as
you position your right shin under his
forearm.
(3) Continue to pull his arm, then
strike him in the groin with your left
knee. The upward force will cause him
to f lip over you.
(4) As he lands, your right hand
should continue to control the knife
— unless he’s already dropped it. In
either case, once you’re in possession
of the weapon, you should immediately
move away from the threat.

EDITOR’S NOTE: It goes without

saying that these knife defenses
require extensive training to work.
Furthermore, they should be attempted
only in situations in which lives are at
stake. If a mugger with a knife merely
wants money, a wise martial artist won’t
hesitate to hand it over.
1 For more information about Vladimir Vasiliev
and systema, visit russianmartialart.com.

BLACKBELTMAG.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 49


is body transitions from a snake to a
monkey to a tiger and even to a blekok
sawah, or Javan pond heron. At times,
his movements are supple, mischievous,
ripping and, like the rare Indonesian
bird, preening. Obviously, Iko Uwais is a
man who cultivates the animals within.
His training has always been geared to-
ward channeling those animal attributes
into practical self-defense skill as he fur-
thers his understanding of the physical
and spiritual roots of pencak silat. That
makes this traditional martial artist a
rare bird (sorry) in the landscape of
modern action cinema.
Ironically, Iko never trained for — or
set his sights on — show business. It was
the moviemakers who discovered him.
The skills he demo’d in his first two films
impressed studio execs and the paying
public to such an extent that it helped
secure a substantial budget increase
for The Raid 2: Berandal, a portrayal of
cinematic brutality that would certainly
conflict with his calm demeanor were
it real. Fortunately for Iko, the savagery
was real only while he was on the set; as
soon as he walked off, he returned to the
path of the peaceful silat warrior.
In Awe
As a boy, Iko lived in awe of his friends
who would don black uniforms and
colored belts in preparation for their
martial arts classes. At age 10, he was
sufficiently emboldened to begin train-
ing in silat betawi. (Betawi refers to the
ethnic group that inhabited the region
near Jakarta starting in the 17th centu-
ry.) His instructor was his grandfather;
the gym, called School of Tiga Berantai,
belonged to his uncle.
Although the youth was a promising
soccer player, he was content to relinquish
his cleats and immerse himself in the
martial art. In 2005 Iko won first place at
the National Pencak Silat Championship,
where he was named best performer in
a demonstration. During the ensuing two
years, he continued to refine his skills
— and then crossed paths with a Welsh
52 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
filmmaker named Gareth Evans. Evans
traveled to Indonesia to scout schools
for a documentary he was making about
the indigenous art, and one of the chosen
ones was School of Tiga Berantai. Turns
out the camera loved Iko — so much
so that Evans offered him the lead in a
feature called Merantau. When it was
released in 2009, it was a hit. The first
major Indonesian martial arts movie in
more than 15 years, Merantau enjoyed
positive reviews and won two festival
awards.
In case you missed it, here’s the
scoop: Merantau tells the tale of Yuda
(Iko), a Sumatran country bumpkin
who undergoes a rite of passage that
entails learning how to survive in the
big city. When things go awry, Yuda
swaps the “u” in his name for an “o” and
transforms himself into a “silat Yoda”
who’s tasked with defeating the dark
side of Jakarta. The plot is moving, and
the action is top-notch.
For his next project, Evans wanted
to craft a psychotic martial arts grunge
epic called Berandal, but because of bud-
getary limitations, his vision veered a lit-
tle. The result was 2012’s The Raid: Re-
demption. Inspired by Die Hard (1988),
Raid follows a band of Indonesian cops
who bring their form of martial mayhem
to a drug kingpin’s 15-story apartment
complex. In that setting, Rama (Iko)
uses his silat to pummel the pill push-
ers. It was another hit for Evans and
Iko. (Trivia note: Five months after the
release of Raid, Lionsgate premiered the
big-budget Dredd, starring Karl Urban.
Although it used essentially the same
plot and very similar shots, it flopped.)
With Iko now a bona fide star, Evans
scored financing for the Berandal con-
cept, which now bore the title The Raid
2: Berandal. In the 2014 release, Rama
Martial artist, Movie
star and HuManitarian
“In Indonesia, children often get
trapped into a life of begging for
money on the streets,” Iko Uwais said.
“They surround cars at traffic lights
and beg. It’s hard for them to get out
of this life.
“One day, I want to be in a posi-
tion to change this. I want to build
an institution where kids can get a
proper education. I want to change
this begging cycle of life and give kids
a chance for a better future.”
blackbeltMaG.cOM
BLACKBELTMAG.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 53
dispenses with all manner of lowlifes,
and surprisingly the film doesn’t suffer
from sequel-itis. In part, that’s because
Iko manages to exploit his compre-
hensive combative skill set to create
dynamic moves that crush criminals
in novel ways. The icing on the cake
comes from the plot and acting, which
do not disappoint.
In Combat
“In Merantau, village boy Yuda is a typi-
cal hero who’s almost like an ideal man,”
Iko told Black Belt through an interpreter.
“He’s humble and caring, and he defends
the weak. In The Raid, Rama is a rookie
cop in a newly formed police unit. While
facing a dangerous and corrupt mission,
he’s also searching for his brother.
“His drama in The Raid is much sim-
pler compared to Raid 2. Now he has a
dark side. The character requires more
expression and depth because he faces
emotional challenges as a father, hus-
band and son. He’s separated from his
family and must fight for his family’s
safety. He’s an undercover cop who in-
filtrates the Mafia’s dark world to find
out who on the police force is dirty.”
54 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
Each film has its own fight style, Iko
explained. Merantau introduces the
martial arts of West Sumatra and shows
traditional practices, as well as the phil-
osophical aspects of the culture. “Most
of my fights are without traditional mar-
tial arts weapons,” he said. “My fighting
style is purely harimau (tiger) silat.”
In contrast, The Raid is more universal,
he said. “Since we had no cultural mes-
sage, the fights used silat and drew inspi-
ration from other arts. Silat has a beauty
of flexibility that allows for short- and
long-distance [combat], so we incorpo-
rated moves from other styles to make
the fights more interesting. We also used
guns, knives and other things.
“Raid 2 combines empty-hand and
weapon fights. Although my favorite
silat weapon is the golok (machete), in
my final fight, I use a karambit, a short-
handled knife that has a hole at the end
for your finger and a curved, tiger-claw-
shaped blade. The difficulty with using
this weapon is that it’s small, and the
action must take place within a short
distance. So the movements have to be
faster compared to long-distance fights,
and that makes it harder for the fight-
ers to match each other’s speed and
power and do it safely.”
In aCtIon
While shooting Raid 2, Iko saw his fair
share of action, much of it high risk. One
scene featured a fisticuff freakout in a
moving vehicle, and the script called for
leaps between speeding vehicles. An-
other focused on a gang fight in which
15 people waged war in a restroom
stall no bigger than a parking space.
There was one, however, that stood out
in Iko’s mind as being particularly com-
plex — and cruddy.
“The prison brawl in a field of mud
was a disgusting and complicated scene
for everybody,” Iko said, laughing. “We
had 120 fighters running around in
thick mud. We all had to be very clear
about the choreography, and we need-
ed good speed and timing. The mud
was very slippery; we’d often lose con-
trol and fall down.
“The worst thing was that after we’d
get everything right — fight movements,
perfect shot and so on — a clump of mud
would always fly off someone’s arm and
cover the camera lens. It took many tri-
blackbeltMaG.cOM
als before we got the �inal shot. It turned
out to be one of the most amazing �ight
scenes in the �ilm.”
Adding to the craziness was the hard
reality of �ighting in mud. When a mar-
tial arts move sent an actor or stunt-
man �lying, inevitably the impact would
entail plunging through the relatively
thin layer of liquid dirt and smashing
into the concrete or broken tiles that
lay underneath.
IN PROGRESS
Iko said he was able to weather the pro-
duction storm in large part because of
the physical and spiritual condition his
silat training has helped him achieve.
“On a personal level, practicing tenaga
dalam, or inner power, physically in�lu-
ences my general health,” he said. “It
allows me to react and move quicker
when attacked by kicks, punches, etc.
My body automatically executes de-
fensive movements more quickly. Even
when hit, tenaga dalam allows my body
to limit the negative impact and avoid
fatal injury from the force.
“Silat has helped my emotional side,
too. It allows me a deeper understand-
BLACKBELTMAG.COM
ing of my religion, gives me moral guid-
ance, makes me a better person, helps
me develop a better respect for life and
keeps me humble. The bigger success
you become, the more humble you must
be. This philosophy keeps you grounded.”
In the interview, Iko often referred
to his religious and martial arts roots.
He’s named after Uwais al-Qarani, the
mystic who founded the Uwaisi Su-
�ism tradition. Developed in the 700s,
Su�ism is an esoteric arm of Islam.
Su�is claim to be able to gain spiritual
knowledge from other Su�is without
physically meeting them or interacting
with them.
The origins of Iko’s martial art are a
bit harder to pin down. Chinese diplo-
mats are believed to have visited Per-
sia as early as 126 B.C. Later, Persians
began practicing a martial art called
varzesh-e pahlavani. By 226 Persian
explorers had established trade routes
to the islands that form the Malay Ar-
chipelago. For the next 500 years, Arab
Muslims conducted business there.
Silat is believed to have originated be-
tween 600 and 1200, when the Srivi-
jaya kingdom was a major force in the
region. The �ighting art underwent re-
�inement during the Majapahit Empire
(1293-1527). The term “pencak silat,”
however, didn’t appear until 1948,
when it was chosen as a unifying term
for the Indonesian martial arts.
Indonesian silat �ighters are known
to have achieved numerous victories
against Dutch and Japanese invaders,
and practitioners attribute that in part
to the art’s mystical practices, including
the cultivation of tenaga dalam, which
Iko credited for his ability to avoid in-
jury while �ilming Raid 2.
Even as his star rises at home and
abroad, Iko continues to hold his mar-
tial art in the highest regard. Silat has
enabled him to hone the skills he needs
for �ilm �ighting, to build a body that can
withstand the stress that’s de rigueur on
Southeast Asian movie sets and to have
the spiritual focus required to keep his
success in perspective. “It has given me
the life I have today,” he said.
And like all good martial artists, he’s
looking to pay it forward. “Through
�ilm, I hope to bring more exposure to
silat and help people understand what
silat is all about,” he said.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 55
 Situational
Awareness
101
W
hen we martial artists
talk situational aware-
ness, the discussion usu-
ally revolves around no-
ticing the things that happen around us,
being able to read people and knowing
how to respond to both before something
bad happens. That notion can provide a
fine base for improved awareness, but
to really develop it, most people need
additional guidance. I wrote this ar-
ticle to share some pointers that have
been gleaned from the law-enforcement
world — specifically, from the 26 years
I’ve served as a police officer. I’m certain
you’ll find them beneficial no matter
which art you practice.
Being fluent in body language is an
integral part of situational aware-
ness. In fact, reading body language is
a large part of what we call “intuition.”
I spent years in a unit assigned to high-
crime areas in South Florida. Each night
would bring something different; be-
cause I never knew exactly what would
unfold, I always had to be ready.
One morning in 1992, a subject’s body
language spoke, and I was fortunate to be
listening. During what should have been
a routine call, I noticed the man’s body
language. The officers questioning him
weren’t paying attention, but it was tell-
ing me something bad was about to hap-
pen. His hands moved to his waist and
touched his belt line as if he was untuck-
ing his shirt. His eyes were darting back
and forth, and he adjusted his stance by
shifting his right foot back slightly.
BLACKBELTMAG.COM
Lessons Learned During a Quarter
Century of Law Enforcement
by John P. Riddle
I moved in swiftly and quietly, star-
tling the subject from behind. As I made
contact, I felt the grip of a handgun in
his waistband. The adrenaline nearly
floored me, but my training kicked in
and I managed to grab the gun before
he could.
The color-code system devised by
Col. Jeff Cooper will prove useful.
Cooper, a combat-pistol instructor, de-
veloped the system to foster awareness
in soldiers. Since then, it’s been widely
adopted by law-enforcement organiza-
tions. It consists of the following:
¡ Code white — You feel secure, relaxed
and generally unaware of your surround-
ings. This usually means you’re at home.
¡ Code yellow — You’re cautious with
respect to your surroundings and have
a relaxed alertness. You’re aware of the
people around you and the potential
danger they represent.
¡ Code orange — You sense danger be-
cause something specific has alerted
you. You start preparing for conflict.
¡ Code red — You are in a conflict, and
it’s fight or flight. You must either make
decisions related to your physical de-
fense and carry them out immediately
or flee the area.
Your color code can change at a mo-
ment’s notice. For example, you’re
walking across a parking lot with pack-
ages in hand. You’re aware of your
surroundings, which equates to code
yellow. You notice two men leaning on
your car and watching you approach,
which elevates you to code orange. This
is when you should make a decision:
Continue walking to your car, or change
direction and seek help. If, for whatever
reason, you must continue to your ve-
hicle and they confront you, you’re at
code red, in a conflict. You may choose
to fight, or you may choose to run.
Criminals like to interview poten-
tial victims from afar. They do this
by reading your body language and
noting your awareness level. They also
attempt to ascertain whether you’re a
person who will fight back. Your body
language tells them as much about you
as theirs tells you about them.
Two crucial components of body lan-
guage are how the person carries him-
self or herself or whether that person
makes eye contact with others. These
factors can reveal whether said person
is outgoing or timid, or even if the per-
son is having a good day or bad day.
Distraction is often used by crimi-
nals conducting interviews. Instead
of happening at a distance, this time it’s
up close and personal. A stranger might
walk up to you and ask for money, a cig-
arette or directions. Your reaction can
give the person all the time he needs to
do his deed.
Hostility is another form of distrac-
tion. It usually begins after you refuse
to give money to the criminal. He’ll
try to make you feel confused, afraid,
overwhelmed and threatened, at which
point he’ll strike.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 57

The three D’s of situational aware-
ness are detect, defuse and defend.
Detecting a threat before it manifests
means you might be able to avoid the
fight. One way to do this is to alter your
environment: Cross the street, turn
around and walk away, or leave the es-
tablishment you’re in. The earlier you
can detect a problem, the more time
you’ll have to select the best strategy.
If you detect a situation but can’t avoid
it, you should attempt to defuse it. This
is when verbal de-escalation and non-
violent defensive postures enter the pic-
ture. Know how to use words to calm a
person who’s about to become violent.
If the situation continues to escalate
and you cannot escape, you’ll need to de-
fend yourself. Remember that you don’t
necessarily need to win in the context of
a combat sport; you merely need to fend
off the attack long enough to get away.
A preplanned strategy for physical
defense is worth having. Yes, fighting
58 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
should be your last resort, but you also
need to know what your approach will
be. Your mission should be to physi-
cally defend yourself until you end the
threat and can escape the situation.
There’s no shame in running from the
scene of the hostilities because physi-
cal confrontations are seldom one-on-
one encounters. Once violence erupts,
there’s a good chance a second or even
third person will jump in.
There’s also a high probability that
weapons will come into play. The as-
sailant might deploy a concealed weap-
on or improvise one from a nearby ob-
ject. Examples: In a restaurant, think
knives, forks, glasses and bottles. Out-
side, think rocks and sticks. Because
weapons represent such an unknown,
the logic of running away becomes even
more apparent.
Gut feelings are often spot on. They tell
you when things don’t “feel” quite right,
and you should heed their warnings.
The most common statements I hear
when taking reports from crime vic-
tims and witnesses are “I thought there
was something strange about him, but
he seemed so nice” and “I knew that
the area wasn’t the safest, but it was a
shortcut to where I was going.”
There’s a reason instructors love
to tell their students, “Practice,
practice, practice!” Everyone has the
ability to learn situational awareness
and read body language — all it takes
is practice. That doesn’t mean you
need to have a training partner hiding
in the closet, ready to pounce on you
like Cato jumps on Inspector Clouseau
in the Pink Panther movies. It means
regularly doing things that are a bit
more rational.
One drill entails going to the mall,
sitting in a central area and watch-
ing the shoppers. Envision yourself
as the bad guy and interview people
from afar. Study their body language
and awareness level. Theorize about
which type of distraction could be
used to get to them. That can teach
you a great deal about how you can
avoid becoming targeted after a crimi-
nal’s interview.
If you want to maximize your safety,
you can never stop being situational-
ly aware. The streets will always have
the potential to be unforgiving. Aware-
ness is the first — and the best — way
to avoid an incident.
A wise martial artist won’t let these
efforts to be situationally aware get
out of hand. Many self-defense in-
structors will tell you it’s better to be
overly cautious than to be unaware
and caught off-guard — and that’s true.
However, you shouldn’t confuse aware-
ness with paranoia.
As you develop your situational
awareness and powers of observation,
your stress level shouldn’t rise. In fact,
it should fall. If you find yourself peek-
ing around corners or peering under
beds, you’ve probably crossed the line.
Awareness means being aware in a nor-
mally relaxed state. Just stand ready to
ramp up that state as soon as the cir-
cumstances require it.
 About the Author: A career police
ofÀcer, John P. Riddle was Black Belt’s 2012
Instructor of the Year. For more information
about the training courses he offers, visit
progressiveselfdefensesystems.com.
blackbeltMaG.cOM
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Expiration
Date: Never!
B
ecause we know you plan to
practice your art well into your
golden years, we thought you’d
appreciate some sage advice
from veteran martial artists who seem to
be getting better with each passing year.
Want to ensure your longevity in the dojo?
The things you’ll learn here will enable
you to follow in their footsteps.
— Editors
Dana abbott
I aIdo M aster
“Throughout my 20s and 30s, I strove to
meld body and mind — a strong body
needs a strong mind,” says Abbott, Black
Belt’s 2004 Weapons Instructor of the
Year. “During my 40s, I realized it was
not all about being the strongest and
fastest; it was about consistency. My
sword master explained this to me with
a question: ‘What should one achieve to
become the best one can be in the middle
of one’s life?’ As I struggled to give him
a meaningful answer, he just smiled and
went to the closet of the dojo. Opening
the door, he pulled out an old judo gi, put
it on and said: ‘I wore this in junior high
school, and it still fits. Being consistent in
your 40s will regulate your physical well-
being through your 60s as it has done for
me. If you continue your path of consis-
tency, you will not have to worry about
changes in your well-being.’”
Abbott is grateful that the changes
he’s seen during the past 40 years
haven’t been dramatic. “But, pressing
into my sixth decade, I realize that I’m
not 25 anymore,” he says. “What I did
35 years ago has become more chal-
lenging. I now understand the old say-
60 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
12 Warriors Weigh in on How Martial Arts
Training Changes in the Second Half of Life
ing, Age and treachery win over youth
and strength.”
Frank E. SanchEz
Founder oF s a n -JItsu r yu
“My endurance has lessened with age,
so the techniques I use need to have im-
mediate stopping power,” Sanchez says.
“There is less ‘playing around,’ as I call it,
than in my younger days.”
In addition to exercising to ensure you
can generate that stopping power, you
should make a conscious effort to main-
tain your flexibility, he says. “The hips,
knees and back — these are the areas
that get injured the most in martial arts.
Focusing on them will aid you in your
training as you grow older.”
If, despite your best efforts, you notice
a loss of power, don’t worry too much
about it, he says. “When I was younger, I
Frank E.
Sanchez
by Floyd burk
wanted to learn techniques that encom-
pass a lot of movement and power. As I
got older, I became more interested in
techniques that have the greatest effect
with a minimum of effort.”
rumiko hayES
t o -s hIn d o M aster
“We are fortunate that our martial art
[provides] ways of winning that do not
require us to be the youngest, fittest or
strongest person,” Hayes says. “We are
not training to win athletic contests, so
we do not rely on power or speed or
complex technique. The older we get, the
more skill we gain. We become better at
reading the attacker’s intentions, and we
can let him use his conventional thinking
as a way to trick him.”
Even with such a strategy, you must
take care of your body, she says. “We call
this ‘defense from within.’ Sometimes
young students train unsafely and dam-
age themselves and then say, ‘That’s OK
— I heal quickly.’ But they are not heal-
ing; they are only recovering. Later in life,
all that unhealed damage adds up. Pay
attention now.”
Gary Goltz
P resIdent oF the u.s.
Judo a ssocI atIon
Photo Courtesy of Frank E. Sanchez
Enjoy competition while you can be-
cause if you practice a more physical art
like judo, there will come a point when
you’re too old for tournaments, Goltz
says. “Many of the moves I can no longer
do because of prior injuries — and be-
cause I’m trying to avoid future ones. In
judo, we do have a masters division, but I
blackbeltMaG.cOM
 Rumiko Hayes
prefer other ways to serve.
“My role has gravitated toward being
involved in running judo organizations,
promoting large events, developing fu-
ture leaders and providing the wisdom
that comes with age and experience.
Now I’m much more into judo as a life-
style than simply as competition.”
To foster that facet of the arts, he rec-
ommends nurturing the mind. “Read
books on judo philosophy,” he says.
“They give terrific insights on the true
meaning of judo.”
Lisa Heitke
Taekwondo I nsTrucTor
“I’m not as fast as I used to be, so I make
Photo Courtesy of Lisa Heitke • Photo Courtesy of Rumiko Hayes
up for it by being efficient in my tech-
niques,” the Wisconsin-based teacher
says. “After spending so many years
perfecting techniques, it’s great to be at
a point where you don’t have to think —
you just do.”
Making martial moves reflexive is pos-
sible only if you care for yourself, Heitke
says. “When I was younger, I would pow-
er through pain and injuries, but now I
listen to my body a little better. Know-
ing your strengths and limitations is as
important as knowing your opponents’
strengths and limitations.”
BLACKBELTMAG.COM
Because the arts extend well beyond
the physical realm, it’s essential to de-
velop a holistic approach, she says. “I
see my martial arts training as a con-
stant alignment of mind, body and spir-
it throughout life.”
JoHn PeLLegrini
Founder oF c ombaT H apk Ido
“Martial arts abilities change significant-
ly as we get older, but this does not imply
Lisa Heitke
that all those changes are for the worse,”
Pellegrini says. “Like a fine wine, many of
our attributes and abilities actually get
better with age.
“The most obvious changes are physi-
cal. During my 20s, 30s and 40s, my tae-
kwondo skills, especially my flexibility,
were at their peak. Starting in my 50s
and now in my 60s, they have dimin-
ished considerably. Joints, muscles and
connective-tissue deterioration has
taken its toll.
“However, those physical changes have
been compensated for by improvements
in my tactical and strategic understand-
ing of combat applications. The changes
have motivated me to redirect my train-
ing — as a result, I devote my efforts to
the teaching of combat hapkido, which
does not depend on physical prowess for
effectiveness.”
One of the most profound changes
that Pellegrini, who was Black Belt’s
2004 Instructor of the Year, has under-
gone involves his purpose in the arts. “In
my late 40s and early 50s, I developed
a deeper understanding of my respon-
sibilities as a teacher,” he says. “I felt a
duty to leave a legacy to my students.
Only with the wisdom that comes with
age was it possible for me to turn those
philosophical priorities into reality.”
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 61
 Jerry Devine
Former P resident oF AAU
K ArAte , s oUthwest r egion
“Aging may well mean diminished
skills, but it also means increased
knowledge,” Devine says. “If a person
can see the parallel, he will endure.
Many senior students cannot make it.
They announce, ‘Since I cannot give
100 percent of my time and energy, I
need to end my training.’
“The nature of humans is to be curi-
ous, to be challenged, to try things and
to be spontaneous. This also can work
against people. If they don’t see new
challenges on the martial arts horizon,
they will move on to become a novice at
a new activity to relive the newness and
excitement.”
The answer is not necessarily continu-
ing to compete or learning new kata in
your senior years, he says. “The answer
is teaching. Teachers usually last the
longest. Teaching gets you intricately
involved while making you more adapt-
able to the changes in life. You get sat-
isfaction from helping others. You also
get a feeling of accomplishment as your
expertise in the fighting arts grows.”
George Dillman
62 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
ChuCk vaughn
i nstrUctor with the world
tA ng s o d o A ssoci Ation
Vaughn also believes in focusing on
different aspects of the arts when one
facet no longer matches your abilities.
“I went from where I could fly around
the room to where I am at now, which
is more earthbound,” he says. “But I be-
lieve my technique has improved over
the years, and I still find the martial arts
fascinating.”
When you’re older, you see fighting dif-
ferently than when you’re younger, he
says. “I believe that the strategy of being
a non-aggressor trumps that of looking
for trouble. I believe that the forces of
the universe are on the side of the non-
aggressor and that all technique is de-
signed that way.”
Despite his philosophical bent, Vaughn
has some physical advice for martial art-
ists who are still in their prime: “Take
care to avoid injury. Injuries interfere
with training, and they have a way of vis-
iting you in your later years. If I could go
back to the beginning of my martial arts
journey, I would be more cautious about
the methods I used to use to toughen
my hands. Smashing my fists into hard
objects without the proper conditioning
was a very bad idea.”
Willy aguilar
i nstrUctor oF A mericA n
K enPo K ArAte
Aguilar is another martial artist who’s
gone philosophical. “I see life differently
now,” he says. “I have much more pa-
tience than when I was younger. I [used
to] jump into things without analyzing
the situation. Now I resolve challenges
by evaluating the circumstances and try-
ing to come to a rational decision.”
And that’s fine with Aguilar, especially
when his body balks at doing what he
asks it to. For example, he no longer en-
gages in heavy sparring because injuries
don’t heal as quickly as they used to, he
says. He still teaches most classes at his
school, including eight cardio-kickbox-
ing sessions a week, but that, too, is due
to change. “I am relentless about trying
to continue as if I was still 30, but my
body has been telling me to slow down,”
he says. “While I’m in great physical
shape for a grandpa in his 60s, I know I
have to slow down.”
How will he handle the coming decel-
eration? By concentrating on the deeper
aspects of his art. “Seek mental wisdom
first, then physical wisdom,” he says.
“The mind does not deteriorate as quick-
ly as the body.”
george Dillman
FoUnder oF r yUKyU
K emPo K ArAte
When martial artists age, people still
expect them to stay strong, and that can
lead to all sorts of anxieties, Dillman
says. “I don’t move as fast or run as far.
I used to run for miles when I trained
with Muhammad Ali; now that I’m over
70, I walk those miles. When I’m feel-
ing good, I’ll run half a mile, walk a mile,
run half a mile and so on. It keeps me in
good shape.”
Being in good shape doesn’t require
lifting weights to get a bodybuilder’s
physique, says Dillman, Black Belt’s
1997 Instructor of the Year. “A cat is soft,
breathes properly and uses primarily
internal muscle. In contrast, a dog uses
primarily external muscle. Pound for
pound, a cat can strike with much more
pressure than a dog. A cat will strike of-
ten and fast, which is a theory shared by
both Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali.”
blackbeltMaG.cOM

Dillman says the body changes you in-
evitably experience as you age can ben-
efit your art. Example: When you stop
doing jumping kicks, you tend to prac-
tice kicking low and hard, which he says
works better. The same goes for learning
pressure-point techniques, which don’t
rely on power.
“When I received this knowledge from
Hohan Soken and Seiyu Oyata, I was told
that this was the old man’s fighting art
— and it is,” Dillman says. “As martial
artists age, they should be seeking this
knowledge.”
Gary alexander
C hief i nstruCtor of usA
i sshinryu P lus K ArAte
The shift from fighter to teacher can
serve as motivation to stay sufficiently
sharp to fend off many effects of aging,
Alexander says. “I still work out every
other day, so I’ve not noticed many dra-
matic changes. I train with my students
as they do. It helps me keep my muscles
and nerves in shape to give me what I
need in case I have to go full tilt against
a bad guy.”
Even so, Alexander, Black BeltÕs 1974
Karate Instructor of the Year, has altered
his routine to compensate for Father
Photos by Rick Hustead
Time. “Extreme contact is the biggest
enemy I have now because my nervous
system seems to be whispering in my ear
to back off a bit — so be it,” the Marine
says. “Now, most of my bag drills revolve
BLACKBELTMAG.COM
Gary Alexander
around leveraged contact and a ‘pushing
effect,’ which keeps my drive muscles in
shape without biting back into my body.
I also do dynamic-tension fighting forms,
cable drills and jogging.”
These days, Alexander concentrates
less on overkill, which used to be his
main training and fighting philosophy.
“But I’m still well-armed with my martial
arts skills — and, yes, I still get in trouble
once in a while,” he says. “When I do, it’s
about strategy: Hit fast, hit hard, hit first!
The older you get, the less brilliant it is to
get into a long sparring match.”
rob Moses
tAi M A ntis K ung f u M Aster
For Moses, aging is all about wising up.
“As a younger man, I was cocky and
proud and always needed to be the best
— I searched for titles and acceptance,”
he says. “If you’re lucky, you’ll see honor
and humility when you mature.”
This lesson is often taught subcon-
sciously when you get hit, he says. “Pain
before 30 is exhilarating. Pain at 50 be-
comes taxing to body, mind and spirit.”
Instead of lamenting the loss of your
ability to take punishment, you should
invest in other facets of the arts, he says.
“Find your own truths. Instilling con-
fidence in your students gives you the
strength to continue. The ultimate goal
of a martial artist is to avoid using [his
skills]. Realize what a blessing it is to be a
warrior of peace.”
Bonus:
The AuThor Weighs in!
When we assigned this article to
Floyd Burk, we asked him for a few
observations on aging. Normally,
he’s not one to talk about himself,
but we argued that because he has
more than 40 years of experience
in the arts, it was logical to have
him weigh in. We won, and he pro-
vided these random recollections.
Ñ Editors
H “When I was young, I spent
much of my time practicing dy-
namic spinning and jumping
moves, which I used in spar-
ring to set up my version of the
‘Cali-blitz.’ All those techniques
worked, but they took their toll
on my back and knees. Now,
when I spar, I use linear kicks,
hand combinations, footwork
and rhythm changes. When it
comes to taking an opponent to
the ground, I use sweeps and
reaps, which are less taxing
than throws.
H “If you’re a kicker, don’t let your
Áexibility fade. To keep your
knees in shape, do leg exten-
sions with light weights. If you’re
a puncher, strengthen your el-
bows, shoulders and wrists.
Before you turn 50, you should
stop letting people lock or crank
your arms.
H “Even if you like kata as much
as I do, you might conclude that
some techniques are no longer
doable or might even be harm-
ful. Feel free to modify them to
make them low impact or learn
new forms that won’t take a toll.
I recommend sanchin and ten-
sho. If you regularly engage in
exercise that keeps your back
Áexible, all your kata will be eas-
ier to execute. Try yoga.
H “At my Àrst dojo, instead of the
standard makiwara for hand
conditioning, I used the cinder-
block wall. Not a good idea.
H “A jujitsu instructor I knew used
to demonstrate his mastery of ki
by having students strike him in
the Adam’s apple. Not surpris-
ingly, he developed a scratchy
voice. As if that wasn’t enough,
he started letting people kick
him in the balls, too. In no time,
that scratchy voice of his started
changing pitch. I advise all mar-
tial artists against trying this at
home — or anywhere else.”
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 63

O
ne of the reasons judo has
remained so popular over
the decades that have passed
since its creation is the versa-
tility of its throws. Practitioners know
how well those throws function in self-
defense — after all, why risk damaging
your �ists in a �ight when you can let the
ground do all the hitting? Competitive ju-
doka know how well they work in tour-
naments, where they have the potential
to score an ippon and thus immediately
end a match. And judo-trained �ighters
like Ronda Rousey and Karo Parisyan
know how well they work in the MMA
ring, where they frequently wow audi-
ences and neutralize opponents.
Of particular importance to martial
artists in general are two judo throws:
osoto gari and harai goshi. They’re
among the most practical tossing
techniques in the gentle art, and it’s
relatively easy to start using them in
the dojo. Once you get a little practice
under your belt, you’ll enjoy a whole
new world of defensive possibilities for
close-range combat.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Learning osoto gari and harai goshi
requires more effort than some take-
downs simply because timing and
technique are crucial for their execu-
tion. No doubt you’ll �ind it a worth-
while investment, though, because
once you cause an opponent to hit the
deck, you’ll be able to immediately un-
leash a dose of ground and pound — or
you can elect to �inish the �ight with a
Rousey-style armbar, a strangle or an-
other technique.
64 BLACK BELT I AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014
For those who like to be familiar
with the roots and mechanics of what
they’re learning, know that both tech-
niques are among the 65 fundamental
throws created by judo founder Jigoro
Kano. Both depend on foot placement
during the initial attack and during
the reaping or sweeping stages. From
there, both throws build momentum,
which is a basic tactic in judo.
For trivia buffs: Kano once said that
Shiro Saigo, the son of a samurai and the
�irst student to receive a black belt from
the founder, could counter virtually any
technique that was attempted against
him, given a little time. Because Kano
was so skilled at uki goshi, or �loating
hip throw, Saigo at �irst couldn’t get the
best of him, but soon the junior judoka
ÒFor me, itÕs simple: One
way or the other, I WILL
GET MY OPPONENT INTO A
CLINCH AND THROW HIM.”
— Karo Parisyan
2 Throws From Jigoro
Kano’s Timeless
Art That You Should
Master — Now!
BY GARY GOLTZ
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER LUEDERS
�igured out a method of jumping for-
ward and getting away. That prompted
Kano to devise a way to prevent him
from escaping. The method he formu-
lated, which entailed sweeping and
stopping his opponent’s escape foot,
was the genesis of harai goshi. Osoto
gari is often grouped with harai goshi
because it’s technically similar.
HARAI GOSHI
Translation: sweeping hip throw
Classi�ication: hip technique
Evaluation: a forward throw that lends
itself to several variations, including a
rear throw that’s excellent in tourna-
ments and when up against the cage in
an MMA bout
Execution: Use your left hand to grab
your opponent’s right sleeve while you
begin threading your right arm under
his left arm (1). Move your right foot
close to the outside of his right foot
while placing your right hand in the
middle of his back (2). Push him off-
balance to the rear corner (to his right)
while pulling his upper body close to
yours (3). Pivot on your right foot un-
til your back is against his stomach,
then shift your weight onto your left
leg (4). In preparation for the sweep,
swing your right leg forward (5) be-
fore swinging it back like a pendulum,
Karo Parisyan Photo by Rick Hustead
making contact with the frontal thigh
area of his support leg (6). To ensure
that you sweep it completely out from
under him, use your body as a lever
that’s powered by pelvic action (7). In
a match, the impact with the mat can be
a stunner (8). On the street, the impact
with the ground can be a �ight-ender.
BLACKBELTMAG.COM
1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

7. 8.
1. 2.
4.
OSOTO GARI
Translation: major outer reaping throw
Classi�ication: leg technique
Evaluation: a relatively simple, yet pow-
erful, throw that’s been proved highly ef-
fective in tournaments and self-defense
Execution: Close the distance and
use your left hand to grab your oppo-
nent’s right sleeve and your right hand
to grasp his left lapel (1). Turn slightly
counterclockwise as you press your
chest against his (2). Continue turning
to your left as you raise your right leg
behind him (3). As soon as your leg is
extended — and your big toe tensed —
swing that leg in the opposite direction
so the back of your right thigh makes
66 BLACK BELT I AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014
3.
5.
6.
7.
contact with the back of your oppo-
nent’s right thigh (4). “Scoop” his right
foot off the �loor as you continue to ap-
ply pressure with your arms to ensure
his balance is broken, twisting your
head and upper body counterclockwise
as you throw him to the ground (5-6).
In a match, you’ve scored (7). On the
street, you can follow up if need be. Do
it right, however, and chances are slim
you’ll have to.
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gary Goltz
has trained in judo since 1965. A seventh-
degree black belt, he’s president of the U.S.
Judo Association.
OLYMPIC JUDO COACH
ON OSOTO GARI
The effect of this throw depends
on your opponent’s skills, Jimmy
Pedro says. If he’s a judoka, he’ll
be OK because he knows how to
fall. “If he doesn’t, his head will
probably snap back and hit the
ground — hard,” Pedro adds. “It
can render him unconscious or
even split his head open.”
Assuming the opponent isn’t
incapacitated by the impact, you
have several options, says Pedro,
who was both an Olympic med-
alist and an Olympic coach. “In
judo, the finish would be to get his
head and arm and pin him. In self-
defense, you could strike him while
he’s on the ground or go into a juji
gatame (cross-body armbar).”
In fact, Pedro says he once used
osoto gari on the street — and he
didn’t need the armbar. “It was in a
foreign country,” he says. “One of
my buddies got stabbed in the leg,
and I ended up grabbing the guy
and throwing him. There was a lot
of blood.”
ON RONDA ROUSEY’S
THROWING PROWESS
“Ronda was a guest on The Ulti-
mate Fighter Season 15 — Domi-
nick Cruz brought her in to put on
a clinic. She injured his knee with
a throw — that’s why he’s out.
She then demonstrated on all the
guys on his team, and during the
post-throw interviews, they all said
she’s a badass. She pinned them
down after the throws, and they
said she was crushing them. They
were all believers.”
— Lito Angeles, discussing
Rousey’s skills in 2013
Ronda Rousey Photo by Peter Lueders
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Fasting for
Fighters
I
n 1980 I attended a lecture in Kyo-
to, Japan, in which Michio Kushi,
the assistant of George Oshawa,
developer of macrobiotics, dis-
cussed the benefits of caloric restric-
tion. I was in Japan to study Oriental
medicine and martial arts, as well as
acupuncture and nutrition. Those sub-
jects seemed to converge in Kushi’s
class, where we learned about the age-
old Buddhist practice of fasting.
More than three decades have passed
since then, but I remember it like it was
yesterday. The essence of the lecture
was what one can expect when caloric
restriction is done right. Today, scien-
tists who study nutrition are attempt-
ing to prove what Kushi taught in Japan
so many years ago — specifically, that
reducing one’s food intake is good for
the body, mind and spirit.
transplanted
After returning to America, I taught acu-
puncture and shorinji kempo for 35 years.
For my students and me, a central part
of our martial arts training was control.
Taking control of our bodies entailed
attempting to limit our desire for food,
drink and other “appetites.” I wanted to
be sure everyone was aware of how easy
it is to become addicted to sugar, tobacco,
alcohol and the like, so I made fasting a
part of our black-belt training.
It seems counterintuitive, but cutting
meals helped my students feel ener-
gized. It also aided them when they had
to recover from hard workouts. As a re-
sult, many lost weight while retaining
68 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
Can Taking an Occasional Break From
Food Make You a Healthier Martial Artist?
lean muscle mass.
“Our ancestors were hunters and gath-
erers who sometimes went days without
food,” Bando, a teacher at the Shorinji
Kempo Headquarters in Shikoku, Japan,
had told me. “Our bodies were designed
to survive in times of feast or famine.”
I never forgot that. In fact, I passed
the very same lesson along to my black
belts after I decided to make a 10-day
“fast” part of their final test, which
would take place a year later. All they
would be allowed during the fast was
green tea and water for the first three
by John L. Stump, D.C., ph.D., ED.D.
days, after which they could add brown
rice for the remaining seven days.
Unweighted
We learn early, usually in high-school
health or biology class, that the body’s
fuel source is glucose, a simple sugar.
We get it in abundance from fruit,
bread, pasta and rice. What few people
realize is that we also have the ability to
use fat for fuel. When glucose isn’t pres-
ent for the body to convert into energy
— which happens when we fast — the
body elects to burn fat to spare muscle
tissue from being consumed.
If people work out while fasting, they
can increase their body’s ability to burn
fat for energy. University studies have
shown that growth hormones, which
contain muscle-building elements,
surge during fasting. The hormonal
spike proves that fasting is not a state
that’s simply tolerated by the body; hu-
man beings can actually thrive if they
go without food for short periods.
I’ve observed that most people do bet-
ter with fasts that start at 12 to 16 hours
and gradually increase to 36 or even 48
hours. It’s essential to proceed slowly
and to consult a physician beforehand
because the body must be conditioned
Photos Courtesy of Tony Blauer
to the change in blood-sugar ratios ex-
perienced during a fast. Some students
start down that road by skipping one
meal a week, then build from there — it
all depends on the person’s beginning
blood-sugar and insulin balance.
Case study: I’ve had black belts who
fasted after dinner on Friday, ran a 10K
blackbeltMaG.cOM
on Saturday morning and resumed eat-
ing on Saturday afternoon. They report-
ed feeling light and energetic. Adding the
10K run to the fast took them to another
level of physical, mental and emotional
toughness. It forced their bodies to learn
how to use food more ef�iciently. As a re-
sult, we had very few fat black belts after
the �irst year. A few still carried an extra
10 pounds, but they found they could
shed the weight anytime they wanted to
— provided they stuck with the program.
DETOXED
These days, fasting is prized for its ability
to cleanse all three facets of human exis-
tence: body, spirit and mind. Nutrition-
ists, of course, know of its ability to detox
the body. Religious teachers refer to it as
a detox for the soul. What isn’t as widely
known is the effect it has on the brain.
“When the body and the brain un-
dergo energy restriction, we see neural
activity that’s associated with protec-
tion against degeneration from stroke
and aging factors,” said Mark Mattson,
Ph.D., of the Institute on Aging in San
Francisco. “Fasting increases BDNF,
a brain derivative protein that’s cru-
cial for learning and [for] protection
against age-related cognitive decline.”
Other evidence indicates that ketone
bodies, which are produced during the
metabolism of fat while fasting, may
protect against neurodegenerative dis-
eases like epilepsy, multiple sclerosis
and Alzheimer’s. In these cases, the fast
also may help correct the neurotoxicity
that builds up over time.
BLACKBELTMAG.COM
CONTROLLED
During the past 30 years, it’s been in-
teresting to follow the headlines that
sensationalize the bene�its and dan-
gers of fasting. For now, it would seem,
many in the medical community are in
favor of intermittent or short periodic
fasting. They agree that it can help peo-
ple get healthy and reduce their body-
weight. To take control of one’s diet, the
tongue is the beginning. In other words,
people who are addicted to sugary
foods — including those that contain
high-fructose corn syrup — need to
deal with their sweet tooth before they
can make headway on their weight.
That’s the whole rationale behind
periodic fasting: You skip a meal, of-
ten breakfast, to shock your body into
correcting its metabolism. Breakfast
is often the favorite meal to omit be-
cause doing so allows you to include
the night’s sleep in your fast. Example:
On Friday night, your dinner is your last
meal. You skip breakfast on Saturday
morning — perhaps by sleeping in —
and then eat lunch at 1 p.m. Congratula-
tions! You just fasted for 16 hours.
That number may not sound like a
lot, but it’s important because fat loss
starts between 12 and 14 hours and
plateaus between 18 and 19 hours. We
may have been told that breakfast is the
most important meal of the day, but it’s
not if we’re trying to lose weight while
maintaining energy levels. I’ve person-
ally observed fasting students have
plenty of energy and strength for ex-
tended workouts, often more than their
carb-loading counterparts. Their bod-
ies simply have become more ef�icient
at using fat as fuel.
SUMMARIZED
Interestingly, the monks at Shaolin
Temple know all about the virtues of
fasting. When I trained there, they woke
us up at 5 a.m., made us miss breakfast
and then worked us until noon. They
did this three days a week for a month.
By the end of that time, I found it a snap
to go without a meal — and I’d dropped
10 pounds.
This type of training, which has gone
on for centuries at Shaolin, is regarded
as a 30-day cleanse and puri�ication.
By the end of that time, a martial artist
can handle a 24-hour fast twice a week.
When I was there, I noted that I’d never
felt better, even while running 3 miles
up a mountain in the morning on the
heels of an 80-year-old monk.
This age-old method of health pres-
ervation is known around the world.
Among its many proponents were Lao-
Tzu, who lived in ancient China, and
Socrates, who lived in ancient Greece.
In more modern times, even our own
Benjamin Franklin recognized the logic
of fasting when he said, “To lengthen
thy life, lessen thy meals.”
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John L. Stump,
D.C., Ph.D., Ed.D., was a physician at the
1988 Seoul Olympics, where he worked with
taekwondo and judo athletes. He has a first-
degree black belt in judo and karate, as well as
a fifth degree in shorinji kempo.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 69
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Proud of the art you practice? Tell everyone about it
with a gym bag from Asian World of Martial Arts. It’s 22
inches long and 11 inches in diameter, which means
it’s large enough for all your essentials. The graphics
are silk-screened for superior durability. The bags are
also available for students of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, karate,
shotokan, taekwondo and tang soo do.
$39.95
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BLACKBELTMAG.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 71

 Prehab-rehab 101
Black Belt contributing editor Dr. Mark Cheng has released a two-
DVD set titled Prehab-Rehab 101. In addition to the private-workshop
video, it includes an audio Äle and bonus lectures, all of which are
designed to get and keep you in Äghting shape. 104 minutes,
$40
MoveMentLectures.coM

Living the tai chi Life

In Laoshi: Tai Chi, Teachers, and Pursuit of Principle, longtime tai chi chuan
student Jan Kauskas presents a Äctional memoir that’s constructed to guide
you toward a better understanding of the martial arts. Along the way, Kauskas
helps you foster a life that’s more meditative and philosophical.
$14.95
viaMediaPubLishing

PaLeo Protein
Maximum Human Performance created this supplement using high-
quality beef and egg protein. It contains no sugar, fat, lactose or
gluten, which should make it appealing to those who are on restricted
diets. It comes in two Åavors: triple chocolate and vanilla almond.
Both taste as good as or better than other protein powders the sta
has tried.
$54.99 for 2 Pounds (28 servings)
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Lightning hand PaddLes

Lightweight yet durable, the ProForce Lightning Hand Paddles
measure 16 inches by 8 inches for the single and 7½ inches by
15 inches for the double. Both models are vinyl covered and well-
padded — perfect for drills designed to enhance speed, accuracy
and timing. A nylon wrist strap keeps them from going airborne
when the power gets amped up.
$29.95 (singLe) and $34.95 (doubLe)
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72 black belt aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014 blackbeltMaG.cOM
 Boxing e-Book
Paladin Press has resurrected Boxing: Complete Illustrated Instruc-
tions in the Art of Self-Defense, a 1929 text on the “sweet science,”
to make it available to those who practice the sport, as well as those
who appreciate the historical context in which it was written. Filled with
vintage photos, antiquated rules and throwback advertisements, it’s a
must-have for all punchers. 167 pages, downloadable as a PDF,
$10.95
paladin-preSS.com

Scaling Force
Rory Miller and Lawrence A. Kane teamed up to write Scaling Force:
Dynamic Decision-Making Under Threat of Violence. Among the topics
they address in this 312-page paperback are body language, voice,
defusing threats via touch, empty-hand restraint, and lethal and less-
lethal force.
$18.95
ymaa.com

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.

In addition, this elegant and comprehensive nearly-500-page hardcover edition presents all
the photographs, illustrations and text from the original four books—Bruce LeeÕs Fighting
Method Volume 1: Self-Defense Techniques, Volume 2: Basic Training, Volume 3: Skill
in Techniques and Volume 4: Advanced Techniques—while featuring new material that
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
• an analytical introduction by Shannon Lee that helps readers contextualize the revisions FOUR BOOKS IN ONE
and upgrades implemented for this special presentation of her father’s work
Digitally refurbished • Hardcover • Bonus content
Officially authorized by Bruce Lee Enterprises
Bruce Lee’s Fighting
Method: The Complete
Edition shows you how to
execute advanced jeet kune
do techniques and become
the ultimate warrior. It is an
integral part of the Bruce
Lee canon and a necessary
addition for all collectors and
martial arts enthusiasts alike! BEFORE AFTER BEFORE AFTER

ISBN 978-0-89750-170-5 • 492 pgs. • Code 494—Retail $34.95

www.blackbeltmag.com/fighting_method • (800) 581-5222

 better business
Worried About Opening a Dojo?
Your Questions Answered!
H
as your dream of opening
a martial arts school been
stifled because of an anemic
bank account? Because you’re
not a master? Because you’re afraid of
failing? Don’t despair. In the 34 years
I’ve spent running karate schools, I’ve
discovered a few things that will help
anyone embarking on such a quest. You
don’t have to have the wallet of a rich
man, the brains of a rocket scientist,
the trophies of a world champion or the
rank of grandmaster to be successful.
You just need to be all in. If you’re
not all in, you won’t be ready to work
hard when you need to, and that means
you’re likely to fail. The hard work
you’re about to invest will have a great-
er effect — and you’ll have more fun —
if you follow the advice outlined below.
HOW MUCH CASH? To start, you’ll
need two months’ rent, several hundred
dollars for utilities, several hundred for
insurance, and another $500 for office
supplies, signs and incidentals. It’ll be
nice if you can find someone who will
donate mirrors, mats and heavy bags,
but they’re not essential at this point.
All you need to fill the space are several
chairs, a desk, a few striking pads and
some uniforms to sell to sign-ups.
How much building space? Find a
shopping center that has an empty unit
74 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
by Floyd Burk
that’s at least 1,000 square feet. Make
sure it has good signage — if it doesn’t,
find another space. Don’t set up shop in
an industrial park because you’ll have no
sign, no drive-by traffic and no shoppers.
What about rent? If your credit is
lackluster, don’t be deterred. Most les-
sors want to fill empty space, which
means they’ll listen to anyone. You just
have to explain a bit about your busi-
ness plan and how hardworking you’ll
be. Showing enthusiasm will help you
sell the concept. Be prepared to hand
over the first month’s rent, along with
another month’s rent as a security de-
posit. Before you finalize the numbers,
offer to do your own tenant improve-
ments in exchange for four months’ free
rent. In my most recent dojo launch, I
asked for four months free, he agreed
to two and we shook. He drew up the
lease, I paid an attorney $100 to scruti-
nize it and we signed. By the time I had
to pay the rent again — three months
later — I had 30 students, which netted
more than the payment.
WHAT KIND OF SIGN? You need a
sign — immediately. Keep the lettering
short, simple and big. Use a recogniz-
able term like “karate,” “martial arts” or
“mixed martial arts.” If the sign is sig-
nificantly longer than you need for the
letters, add your phone number. Don’t
include any words that are confusing to
the public. If you’re handy with tools,
you can fabricate the sign yourself. If
you have any doubts, hire someone. To
complement the sign, source some nice
banners for the windows. You can get
by with “karate” or “martial arts” paint-
ed on the front window if need be.
When to begin? The minute you
sign the lease, start sprucing up the
place. The only reason you have to
not be there is if you’re out promoting
your dojo. Every minute you’re absent,
you’re missing opportunities to sign up
students. That means being on-site sev-
en days a week from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Be prepared to stop whatever you’re
doing to talk with anyone who stops by
for information. Be prepared to teach
the first person who wants to train —
and everybody after that.
WHAT ABOUT “UNDESIRABLES”? If
an adult seems like a pain in the neck
or a child appears difficult, too bad. Be
prepared to have grown-ups addicted to
their iPhones and kids who can’t get away
from Angry Birds — you must accommo-
date all of them to stay in business.
How about students who want to
compete? You’ll likely get so few in-
quiries about competition that it won’t
matter how much competitive success
you’ve attained. However, if you plan on
taking students to tournaments, you’d
better have done a few — so you can
lead by word and deed.
What about my rank? You’ll know
more about the martial arts than almost
anyone who walks in. Some students
will have prior experience, but they’re
unlikely to be familiar with your sys-
tem. And no one will have accumulated
the knowledge you have, which comes
from your own unique experiences, so
don’t worry. As long as you’ve earned at
least a third degree or the equivalent,
you’ll be fine.
So where’s the fun? It will come
as your student count grows and you
realize how fortunate you are to prac-
tice your art for a living. More satis-
faction will come from the knowledge
that you’re helping people learn self-
defense, get fit, become self-confident
and, yes, even have fun.
 About the Author: Floyd Burk is a
senior adviser to Independent Karate Schools
of America. iksa.com
blackbeltMaG.cOM
Learn the
Secrets of
Hand-to-Hand
Combat
From the author of the Army’s field manual on
hand-to-hand combat!

Matt Larsen, with more than 30 years of experience as

an operator and teacher, has brought together military/
combat-based strategies for mastering close-quarters
fight situations in Modern Army Combatives: Battle-
Proven Techniques and Training Methods. Based on
lessons gleaned from battlefields and several martial
arts, and packed with photos, Modern Army Combat-
The reality-based strategies and techniques in this
ives teaches the critical skills of hand-to-hand combat.
book teach:

• Critical skills for hand-to-hand combat

• The mastery of close-quarters combat and weapon

defense

• Battlefield lessons, as told by soldiers in the field,

applicable to both combat and martial arts training

Larsen started training in the martial arts as a young

Marine infantryman and later joined the Army. Holding
black belts in several martial arts, Larsen eventually
trained the 75th Ranger Regiment in combatives, as
well as close-quarters battle and marksmanship. His
field manual on hand-to-hand combat led to a training
program for the entire Army. Larsen’s methods have
revolutionized combatives training and the culture of
the U.S. military. Modern Army Combatives is a must-
have for students of self-defense and martial artists
everywhere.

Code: 526 . Pages: 184 . Retail: $18.95

ISBN: 978-0-89750-207-8

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

 Company Spotlight
Unlimited Knowledge,
Freely Dispensed
W
hen Burton Richardson
embarked on his mar-
tial journey in 1980, he
couldn’t possibly have
known where the path would lead. All
he knew was that he’d been inspired
the previous year during a visit to Dan
Inosanto’s school in Southern Califor-
nia and that he desperately wanted to
learn the Asian ways of combat. Well,
he’d come to the right place.
“Dan Inosanto taught me to love the
martial arts and to enjoy constantly
researching and looking for a better
way,” Richardson says. “To this day, he
remains my mentor.”
That enduring relationship explains
in part the mindset Richardson has
76 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
by S.D. Seong
with respect to all things martial. He’s
always been fascinated with jeet kune
do, as well as the Southeast Asian fight-
ing systems associated with it. He’s
also been obsessed with perfecting his
skills. “As Bruce Lee advocated, this
means striving to be a complete mar-
tial artist — comfortable in all ranges
of combat, with or without weapons,
against one or many attackers, in a vari-
ety of environments,” Richardson says.
After 12 years spent honing his tech-
nique, Richardson determined it was
time to pay it forward. His solution was
to create Jeet Kune Do Unlimited in 1992.
“The basic idea was and is the quest for
continual personal development through
functional martial arts training,” he says.
The details hidden within that mis-
sion statement are as follows: JKD Un-
limited is dedicated to the propagation
of the styles and skills Richardson has
deemed most useful in personal com-
bat. “At first, the main arts were jeet
kune do, kali-eskrima-arnis, muay Thai,
silat, boxing and a little wrestling,” he
says. “Now, I draw from many more
arts, including Zulu stick fighting, judo,
etc. Starting in the mid-1990s, I im-
mersed myself in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and
MMA. We knew the techniques worked
because we sparred with them in every
session. We always practiced against a
resisting opponent so we could pull off
techniques against an actual attacker.”
Although Richardson still coaches the
occasional MMA competitor, his focus is
street defense. “As great as MMA and BJJ
are, they’re limited by sporting rules,” he
says. “So I began adding the street tech-
niques back into the sparring in a safe
manner: groin strikes, throat grabs and
simulated eye attacks.
“All this led me to my ‘for the street’
approach. I looked at all my training
in various arts from the street self-de-
fense perspective. I removed elements
that were good in the sport but danger-
ous on the street and added elements
that were street specific. But I kept the
all-important training methods that in-
clude safely training against a resisting
partner in every range.”
The resulting martial arts amalgam
is propagated, courtesy of Richardson
and his instructors, via seminars, train-
ing camps, books and DVDs, as well as a
network of authorized schools around
the world.
“JKD Unlimited continues to evolve and
improve as we help others do the same,”
Richardson says. “I’ve developed spar-
ring-based distance-learning programs
that are very successful. Each training
module includes an overview of tech-
niques, along with performance games,
power-generation drills and street-spe-
cific tactics so the student can become
Photo Courtesy of Burton Richardson
a proficient fighter and teacher. This en-
sures the ability to apply the art instead of
just memorizing moves. It’s a great jour-
ney — life is amazing when you’re living
the functional martial arts lifestyle.”
For more information, visit jkdunlim
ited.com.
blackbeltMaG.cOM
 CHINESE GUNG FU (Revised and Updated)
by Bruce Lee
Black Belt Books’ new edition of Chinese Gung Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self-Defense gives martial arts enthusiasts and collectors
exactly what they want: more Bruce Lee. In addition to the master’s insightful explanations on gung fu, this sleek book
features digitally enhanced photography, previously unpublished pictures with Lee’s original handwritten notes,
a brand-new front and back cover, and introductions by widow Linda Lee Cadwell and daughter
Shannon Lee. Fully illustrated. 112 pgs. (ISBN-13: 978-0-89750-112-5)
Book Code 451—Retail $12.95

Order yours today from Black Belt Books • (800) 581-5222 • blackbeltmag.com/shop
 IT ALL STARTS WITH
YOUR HANDS!
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 BLACK BELT PAGES
Danny Floyd Lisa Bernie
Chapman Burk Heitke Fritz

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 Be recognized by one of the leading certifying organiza-
tions in the World of Martial Arts!
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you and your Students! Membership, CertiÄcation, Pins, Ninja Collection
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BLACKBELTMAG.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I BLACK BELT 81

• In an article about the legal implications of self-
defense, Ken Glickman, a kyokushin stylist and graduate
of Rutgers University Law School, makes a statement
all martial artists should take to heart: “A punch by an
underdeveloped teenager does not call for a strike to the
throat. Self-defense training should include responses to
all levels of aggression.”
• Volume II of Bruce Lee’s Fighting Method (Basic
Training) is released. It sells for $5.50.
• Judo legend Hayward Nishioka announces to the
martial arts world that the Russian art of sambo will be
included in the 1980 Olympics. “To most Americans, the
name refers to a coffee-shop chain. It has little meaning
as a major sport. In Russia, however, sambo wrestling is
big potatoes. At 300,000 or more, the number of Soviet
participants is greater than the number of American
judo enthusiasts.”
• A subscription to Black Belt goes for $7 a year.
• Why haven’t the Chinese martial arts become as
popular in America as styles from other Asian countries?
One reason is sifu refused to allow their students to
compete with practitioners of other styles, John Yee
says. “This, along with the known closed-door policy
against outsiders, prevented kung fu styles from sharing
a feeling of martial arts brotherhood that seemed to
pervade all the Japanese and Korean disciplines.”
• Steven Seagal, the “first and so far only foreigner to
operate a budo dojo in Japan,” gets five pages of coverage
82 black belt I aUGUSt/SePteMbeR 2014
From
the
A rchives
Vol. 15, No. 7, $1
The 163rd issue of Black Belt was
dated July 1977. It was 76 pages long
and featured taekwondo instructor
Pu Gill on the cover.
in Black Belt. “Most of the students who come to the
dojo try to test me at first, attacking me in one way or
another to see if I can throw them,” he says.
• One month’s tuition at Seagal’s aikido dojo costs 5,000
yen, or $17.42.
• In his story about the history of karate in America,
John Corcoran writes, “Some avid collectors [are]
offering as much as $200 for a copy of the first issue
[of Black Belt.] Fast-forward 37 years, and that figure
jumps to $400.
• In the article, Corcoran gives the year he believes the
martial arts explosion hit the Western world: 1963.
• Say hello to the Hide-A-Chuk. One minute it’s a short
staff, and the next it’s a nunchaku. The standard version
will set you back $22.95.
• Speaking of history, a cryptic classified ad touts the
following: “An Unknown Event in Martial Arts History.
Martial arts weapons unknown in USA and more! All for
$1.” (If you can figure that out, you’re wiser than we are.)
• A member of the U.S. Air Force writes in with a
suggestion for those who are searching for a martial arts
instructor: “At some point during the initial interview,
simply ask if he or she regularly reads Black Belt. … If
[you get] a negative reply brimming with contempt for
‘other karatemen who could not fight their way out of a
paper bag,’ then the prospective instructor is not a good
choice.” Like.
(Note: Back issues are not for sale.)
blackbeltMaG.cOM
www.CenturyMartialArts.com
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1000 Century Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK ©2014 Century LLC. #8427