I was just flipping through an issue at Borders recently.
This months Black Belt Mag
- Thread starter Bujingodai
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cali_tkdbruin
Master of Arts
Where can I get a copy of this, where is it sold?
It was quarterly back when I got it regularly, and I got most of them at B&N. Unfortunately, my local B&N doesn't stock them. At any rate, I know they're available at our local MA store.
Cthulhu
If I'm not mistaken both Doc and Mr. Parker Jr (who have both been published in Black Belt) have decried its lack of quality and/or editorial slant.
Mr. Parker, Jr. Really ragged on them for what they did to his 2 part article a few years ago. He said stuff at a seminar I took at your school around July 2000.
Those two and even Mr. Planas would be good to ask what they think about it. Gou makes a great point as well.
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Ty K. Doe
Guest
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Jill666
Guest
JAMA is quarterly- and I get mine at Borders too. Since I'm in the Boston area and arnisador- hey, I don't have a clue in hell where he lives- anyway it's worth the green.
Nowhere, Indiana.
I liked the pull-no-punches review of the Isshin-ryu Karate book in this issue.
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baronv
Guest
I used to subscribe to both Black Belt & Inside Kung Fu, but when it came time to renew a year ago I ditched IKF since it seemed to me that their articles were actually kinda boring. Nowadays I let my BB mag subscription expire too since they weren't covering information that I wanted anymore (ex. different systems apart from muay thai/TKD/JKD that they seem to showcase a lot). It always seemed that they just give articles away to anyone who places an ad in there. From the years I been reading them, the various martial artists they interview and recap are always the same people every year. Instead of searching out and highlighting all the different great MAs there they stick to the same old stuff.
For my opinion there aren't that many quality MA mags out there, I guess the ad spendature just isn't haigh enough from martial artists to constitute a quality publication. The Journal of Asian Martial Arts looks like a good quality read, but for someone like me who likes to see photos along with their articles, JAMA is kinda boring. The closest to a Sports Illustrated-style MA mag ou there now is Fight Sport. Fight Sport though covers mostly the Mixed Martial Arts scene such as Pride/UFC/KOTC, but the layout and style is really good. Heck just compare the cover photos between BB & FightSport, BB just uses standard studio shots and then pastes the logo in it, Fight Sport at least touches up the photos and adds some crativity to it drawing readers to pick it up.
For my opinion there aren't that many quality MA mags out there, I guess the ad spendature just isn't haigh enough from martial artists to constitute a quality publication. The Journal of Asian Martial Arts looks like a good quality read, but for someone like me who likes to see photos along with their articles, JAMA is kinda boring. The closest to a Sports Illustrated-style MA mag ou there now is Fight Sport. Fight Sport though covers mostly the Mixed Martial Arts scene such as Pride/UFC/KOTC, but the layout and style is really good. Heck just compare the cover photos between BB & FightSport, BB just uses standard studio shots and then pastes the logo in it, Fight Sport at least touches up the photos and adds some crativity to it drawing readers to pick it up.
If you want "instructional" reading. A MA book is tops. If you want to keep up with the "state" of the arts the magazines are tops.
I tend to disagree on the latter, owing to the long lead times of magazines, up to and sometimes beyond 3 months. Remember how long it took some titles to announce the death of Remy Presas? This is just an unfortunate disadvantage of printed media.
If I want to keep up with the "state of the arts", I go to Web sites devoted to the arts I'm interested in. Sure, it may take me a bit more scrounging to get information on everything I'm interested in, but at least it's usually current.
Cthulhu
The net is way more current but the "state of the arts" includes all the negativity and comercialism which a lot of people are complaining about. Not all issues but some will produce a couple of good techniques. I look for that. A twist that I had not considered.
But I also look for articles on the "old masters" and the sort. But to get that , I have to accept the advertisements and everything else thats between the covers.
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Chuck
Guest
After having written about 70 magazine articles for: Black Belt, Inside Kung Fu, Inside Karate, Inside Kung Fu Present's, Inside Karate's Master Series, Centeron Negro (Spain), Kick (Germany), Martial Arts Professional, Martial Arts Success. I have learned a lot about how the magazines operate.
#1. Their main purpose is to make money (what business isnt), so advertising is the most important thing.
#2. They follow fads. In the 50s it was judo. In the 60s it was karate. In the 70s it was Kung Fu. In the 80s it was Ninjitsu. In the 90's it was Gracie jujitsu. So far in the 2000s it's NHB.
#3 Editor's can make just about anybody a martial arts star. And each editor wants to have their own discovery's.
#4 Your only going to get as much of the story that they can fit in the pages left after the adds.
#5 If a technique looks bad it's probably because the writer sent them 7 pictures showing the technique, and they only had room for 5 pictures.
#6 They do reserve the right to edit your text, or even add their own material to serve their purposes.
#7 Freelance writers write 90 % of the articles.
#8 We're lucky we can get them, because stores have only so much shelf space for magazines, and there are over 6000 magazines published in the U.S. And as we all know martial artists are a very small % of the American public.
Anyway, for up to date information, nothing beats the web.
#1. Their main purpose is to make money (what business isnt), so advertising is the most important thing.
#2. They follow fads. In the 50s it was judo. In the 60s it was karate. In the 70s it was Kung Fu. In the 80s it was Ninjitsu. In the 90's it was Gracie jujitsu. So far in the 2000s it's NHB.
#3 Editor's can make just about anybody a martial arts star. And each editor wants to have their own discovery's.
#4 Your only going to get as much of the story that they can fit in the pages left after the adds.
#5 If a technique looks bad it's probably because the writer sent them 7 pictures showing the technique, and they only had room for 5 pictures.
#6 They do reserve the right to edit your text, or even add their own material to serve their purposes.
#7 Freelance writers write 90 % of the articles.
#8 We're lucky we can get them, because stores have only so much shelf space for magazines, and there are over 6000 magazines published in the U.S. And as we all know martial artists are a very small % of the American public.
Anyway, for up to date information, nothing beats the web.
John, I read somewhere (probably 1 of your posts) that you received 1 of your ranks directly from Sijo. Would that of been at the 50th anniversary? I wanted to go. I had quit training with my brother-in-law around that time and I was looking for my former instructor Greg Lagera. I heard he was around, but it was almost like he disapeared.
Good things do come around though.
Shortly after that I began training in Jun Fan Gung-Fu under Felix Macias Jr. of Hayward and I changed a lot as a martial artist. I hope that I will be able to introduce Greg and Felix. They both changed me as an artist in differant times of my life. Felix lives in Hayward and the last I heard Greg was "maybe" teaching in Hayward, possibly sharing a school with one of his students.
Akja:
I was promoted to 6th degree by Sijo Emperado in 1998 in San Diego, Ca. at his annual birthday tournament and luau.
As you probably know the 50 year celebration was in 1997 in Vallejo, Ca. You missed a great celebration. Never seen so many Kajukenbo people in my life, Americans, Spaniards, Germans, Puerto Ricans, Canadians, Mexicans, Austrailians, etc. Tournament started at 10am, went out to the football field at 5pm when they had to get the gym ready for the luau. Ended prematurily at 10pm when the automatic sprinklers went on.
If you haven't been able to find Greg Lagera yet you might try and post at the Kajukenbo Cafe: http://www.ohiokajukenbo.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi
Good luck with your training.
I was promoted to 6th degree by Sijo Emperado in 1998 in San Diego, Ca. at his annual birthday tournament and luau.
As you probably know the 50 year celebration was in 1997 in Vallejo, Ca. You missed a great celebration. Never seen so many Kajukenbo people in my life, Americans, Spaniards, Germans, Puerto Ricans, Canadians, Mexicans, Austrailians, etc. Tournament started at 10am, went out to the football field at 5pm when they had to get the gym ready for the luau. Ended prematurily at 10pm when the automatic sprinklers went on.
If you haven't been able to find Greg Lagera yet you might try and post at the Kajukenbo Cafe: http://www.ohiokajukenbo.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi
Good luck with your training.
Thats where I met you at (Kajukenbo Cafe)when I inquired about Greg and Professer Gaylord and My first Kajukenbo instructor Bill Caspillo.
I suppose you're right--we are lucky that bookstores carry them and we can get them. There are a lot of other magazines in other categories they could be carrying.
The current (June 2003) issue of Black Belt magazine has an article on "Ultimate Jujutsu" and an ad for their videos that references their article in the same issue. The appearance of impropiety is certainly present here.
