Magazines From Yesteryear

When it comes to my martial arts reading material I like books. And blogs, of course. Magazines never really appealed to me, but I did find a collection of memorable magazine covers that I think you'll appreciate.

The guy in the middle is one Jason Lau, a Wing Chun practitioner. He's for real, apparently, but I have my doubts about this move of his.

This man needs no introduction. And no, this image was not photoshopped.

William Shatner, 1974. This issue of Fighting Stars went for a cool 75¢. Acting gigs were scarce for Bill in the 70s, so to keep himself busy he trained in Kenpo Karate. Cap't Kirk was still no match for Mr. Spock.

More proof that Tae kwon do is purely a sport!


(h/t: Miriam L. Blackburn Life)

Faking To Win

In those days, when Japanese stylists threw a kick they never faked or feinted — the kick went straight to the target. They were not accustomed to someone faking a kick to one area and landing it elsewhere.

— Chuck Norris on sport-karate strategy, c. 1967.*

In Wansu kata, the fourth karate form taught in Isshinryu, at some point the defender executes an uppercut immediately followed by a front kick. I have been told that Shimabuku referred to this maneuver as "bullshit", i.e., the uppercut is just a fake setup for the real damage inflictor, in this case the front kick. A very similar strategy can be found in the Kusanku kata: backfist to the face while simultaneously executing a foward-leg front kick. Check out the image below of Ed McGrath attempting this very trick for his black belt test against his instructor Don Nagle in 1959:

McGrath paid for his efforts with a broken nose, but he did earn his shodan in Isshinryu. In MMA there's something called a "Superman Punch" that involves the player faking a jump kick followed by an airborne punch to the face. Although less "fake-ish", another variation of this has the attacker catapulting off the side of the cage to deliver the flying haymaker:

In karate, a faked front kick (or foot sweep) followed by a round kick to the head works well, speaking from experience. Fakes or feints should be used sparingly and look realistic enough to elicit a response; once the opponent has committed to reacting to the faux move, the live technique can then be delivered. To sell the fake technique requires speed, timing, range/distance (ma-ai), and being able to read the opponent.

* Chuck Norris 1989. The Secret of Inner Strength: My Story. Charter Books.