By Lemar Morgan | 16 November 2018
The English are known for many things but martial arts aren’t one of them. However, there is evidence to support the notion that MMA was the invention of an eminent English engineer's son. Typically, the English brought a sense of gentlemanly Edwardian etiquette to fighting, and in March 1899, Pearson's [...]
By Will Wain Williams | 11 November 2018
The region of Shandong province in north-eastern China is dominated by rugged coastline, jagged cliffs, and stony beaches. Much like the scenery, the people of Shandong are known throughout China for their rough-around-edges, straight-talking style. Their typical stocky build is said to be the result of a particularly rich diet [...]
By Chris Davis | 31 October 2018
The year was 1978, and a young Jackie Chan was taking the Hong Kong box office by storm. His hit movie Drunken Master, featuring his own fight choreography, opened the doors to a new genre of Kung Fu that featured physicality in a decidedly comedic fashion. Chan insisted on the [...]
By Theo Karasavvas | 25 October 2018
A substantial amount of archaeological and historical evidence has shown that the ancient Greeks celebrated and practiced combat sports that were remarkably similar to many of the fighting sports we watch and engage in today. Pammachon is considered a long lost cousin of today's modern combat arts. The Greeks considered [...]
By Chris Davis | 4 October 2018
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) was 30 million dollars’ worth of ultraviolence, a star with no previous martial arts training, and a director with a flair for dramatics. Should martial artists be offended or excited that this movie was so successful (and continues to be a pseudo-cult classic)? Tarantino's Training [...]
By Adriaan Odendaal | 23 September 2018
Filmed exclusively in Cape Town, South Africa, the first season of HBO Cinemax’s Warrior comes in April 2019, based on an original long-lost idea by Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee gave much to the martial arts community before his death in 1973. In one of his private notebooks, there was the idea [...]
By Chris Davis | 28 August 2018
Without a doubt, Jet Li is one of the most entertaining martial arts movie personalities of the current generation. In contrast to Jackie Chan, Li usually picks more serious fare for his roles. Before his crossover into the American movie market, he was even more serious than Westerners know him [...]
By Chris Davis | 26 August 2018
Manny Pacquiao (Senator Manny Pacquiao, actually) is obviously the face of Filipino boxing to the world. However, it is truly impossible to understand how Pacquiao came to be the superstar he is without understanding where he came from. The elite Filipino boxing gym I attended gave me a unique insight [...]
By Chris Davis | 24 August 2018
How many people were compelled to step into a dojo for the first time after seeing The Karate Kid? Thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions? Martial arts movies make us want to do martial arts. Plain and simple. A decade before anyone knew what the Octagon was or saw a UFC [...]
By Jordan Newmark | 3 August 2018
In the Internet age, you can talk with a professional fighter, challenge them in combat, and, promptly lose all without leaving your own living room. Arguably, the leading deliverer of digital drubbings is the same person handing the most out analog-style inside the Octagon, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” [...]
By Chris Davis | 20 June 2018
The legend of Bruce Lee tells us that the original lion of crossover martial arts cinema was also a lion of the martial arts life. After all, this is the man who wrote Tao of Jeet Kune Do after breaking his own back working too hard on his craft. Although, [...]
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