You’re down a dark alley on your way home from a night out and a group of hooded attackers jump you. It’s four vs. one and you’re heavily outnumbered. Even with your black belt in karate, you feel overwhelmed and end up submitting to the attackers. If you’re lucky they’ll just rob you but if…
The military is often thought of as a man’s world, with the majority of personnel in military branches across the globe being men. However, in a select few countries, the statistics are far more equal. One of these is Israel, where both men and women are required to serve in the military. Women serving in…
Many of our articles have spoken of great masters who have long passed, and famous fighters who are currently rising to great fame today in martial arts competitions all around the world. But, until now, we had not talked about one of the best known and imitated judokas. Toshihiko Koga was born in Fukuoka on…
You’re out and about at night, walking home from the pub and suddenly someone rushes up and grabs you from behind. In a moment of panic, you realize that you cannot see your assailant and have no idea how you are going to fend him off. With your arms basically tied behind your back, you…
That loud, sharp shout that you hear when watching martial arts movies is not just for show. Sure, it adds to the atmosphere of any movie as Jet Li flies through the air fist first or Tony Jaa dishes out another knee to the kidneys, but this shout or scream ‘kiai’ is more than theatrics,…
A young man from Coventry, UK, was jailed after he launched a completely unprovoked attack on a man walking in the street, hitting him with a martial arts rice-flail, also known as a nunchaku. The man, 22-year-old Macaulay Jackson, was chucked in a cell for a total of 12 months after pleading guilty to charges…
There are so many great martial arts out there, all teaching their own interpretation of self-defense through moves, stances, punches and grapples. In the real world, the fights get a little more serious, and unpredictable, so we thought that we’d bring you the seven most vulnerable spots on the body that you can aim for…
Imagine yourself in the ring, faced off with your MMA opponent who suddenly takes a spin in the blink of an eye, leaving you not time to react before a foot or shin is colliding with your abdomen. A heel digs into your kidneys and bone on bone contact causes a snap. Before you know…
The samurai of Japan have fascinated the world with tales of their valor, honor, and skill in combat. Many aspects of modern culture, from Japanese cinema to Western media, all have received inspiration from these warriors in one way or another. While the samurai are long gone, their legacy lives on, and their legendary moral…
Karate dates back hundreds of years, but is still going strong, and for good reason. First beginning on the trading island of Okinawa, the word Karate was used to describe a weaponless self-defense style that at the time was very important to know – thanks to all the pirates, thieves, and dodgy locals. The name…