Magazines?
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I've had a subscription to Taekwondo Times, but I don't think I'm gonna renew. There is so little real information in that mag... The ratio of content to advertising is dismal, and if anything has gotten worse under the most recent change in management. There is almost zero technical content there—virtually no illumination of TKD history and what it tells us about the original purpose of certain movements or their connection with other related MA styles, or bunkai analyses for hyungs, or exploration of the biomechanical advantages and disadvantages of this or that common technique... or anything. This last issue, in lieu of articles devoted to topics along those lines, had columns on why dojang owners should discourage romantic/sexual relations between instructors and students (or students and other students), and on how adversity leads you to new levels of achievement, and articles on MMA [???] and basic dojang etiquette... 110% fluff, in other words. Actually, not quite: there is one intereseting article on the origins of Hapkido... but to get to it you have to wade through innumerable pages of ads, which tie in kind of suspiciously to the article contents: odds are, anything/anyone covered in one of the articles turns out to match up with some serious full-page advertising in the mag.
This kind of pattern is hardly confined to MA magazines, I know; but over time I've basically stopped reading most magazines, for similar reasons. A good book or two on the subject is usually much better value for money, I've found...
This kind of pattern is hardly confined to MA magazines, I know; but over time I've basically stopped reading most magazines, for similar reasons. A good book or two on the subject is usually much better value for money, I've found...
ArmorOfGod
Senior Master
I have a subsription to Black Belt and it has its moments. I just enjoy staying on top of the martial arts community news.
BTW, you can get a year of Black Belt off of eBay for $9.00 That's a lot cheaper than getting it for $36 per year straight from them.
AoG
BTW, you can get a year of Black Belt off of eBay for $9.00 That's a lot cheaper than getting it for $36 per year straight from them.
AoG
matt.m
Senior Master
I've read black belt since oh gee, April of 06. I have a few issues of Inside Kung Fu, I have a few issues of TKD Times. I have bought 2 MMA mags. The BB magazine has been my fav.
Just different enough content and material....I am with Exile, I am not a fan of TKD times. I do have the new issue of Inside Kung Fu.
Just different enough content and material....I am with Exile, I am not a fan of TKD times. I do have the new issue of Inside Kung Fu.
still learning
Senior Master
Hello, There are alot of magazines on the martial arts. Check the newsstand racks and see what sells the best, a good indication of it's successful articles.
I saw lots come and go....only Black Belt magazine seems to last in most stores around here.
Note: They have great topics and articles, good pictures and stories.
But ONLINE: you can get almost the same information now days....cutting into the information part of magazines ( magazines being the only ones before computors for more information monthly.)
Just my thoughts here on this.........Aloha
PS: I enjoy reading all the monthly issues of Black Belt magazines!
I saw lots come and go....only Black Belt magazine seems to last in most stores around here.
Note: They have great topics and articles, good pictures and stories.
But ONLINE: you can get almost the same information now days....cutting into the information part of magazines ( magazines being the only ones before computors for more information monthly.)
Just my thoughts here on this.........Aloha
PS: I enjoy reading all the monthly issues of Black Belt magazines!
Has anyone looked at Traditional Karate magazine? I believe it's a UK publication—my impression is, the Brits have some of the very best combat-oriented MA magazines out there. And they seem a lot less caught up in sectarian differences and `style factionalism' than North American MAists. I'm thinking I might subscribe to Traditional Karate and maybe replace my TKD Times subscription with Taekwondo and Korean Martial Arts magazine—another UK product I've heard good things about—but would appreciate some feedback on either of them from someone who's familiar with them...
I've done the ups & downs with BB magazine. It's been more "miss" than "hit", in my opinion. But I still seek it out to see what it has to say.
TKD Times is a magazine that I really want to like, but am disappointed by often. It seems that if you buy enough adds, they'll do a cover story on you. (I'm not implying that any of the folks they do stories on are bad Taekwondoan, tho.)
TKD Times is a magazine that I really want to like, but am disappointed by often. It seems that if you buy enough adds, they'll do a cover story on you. (I'm not implying that any of the folks they do stories on are bad Taekwondoan, tho.)
The way I heard it, Iceman, you actually have to pay cash upfront to get a cover story. The figure I saw—I think someone actually posted it on an earlier thread devoted to TKDT—was 10K.
I know exactly what you mean about wanting to like it and constantly being disappointed. Typically, there's one good article—a grand total of maybe two full pages, if that, including photo— out of 100pp. Sometimes the good article is very good indeed, but you have to ask, could I be getting more info—a lot more info—for the same price? And it's hard not to answer that with a big yes...
BB has some similar probs, I think, but they tend to miss the target completely just a bit less often than TKDT—it's a bigger mag, so maybe that effect is just based on volume.
I get the sense that there are some terrifc magazines out there somewhere that just don't show up on bookstore or MA store magazine racks...
Brandon Fisher
Master Black Belt
I subscribe to:
Black Belt (read it since 1992) Still a little shaky sometimes but most the time I still enjoy it.
Budo International
Classical Fighting Arts (www.dragon-tsunamni.org)
and I pick up:
Journal of Asian Martial Arts
Black Belt (read it since 1992) Still a little shaky sometimes but most the time I still enjoy it.
Budo International
Classical Fighting Arts (www.dragon-tsunamni.org)
and I pick up:
Journal of Asian Martial Arts
I will say the Journal of Asian Martial Arts is a great periodical.
I got hooked on MA in the early 80's after I received 3 free issues of the soon after defunct magazine Kick Illustrated. It had things like ranking of fighter from the PKA & WKA. I still have those magazines, also. In fact, I have a box full of old MA magazines that I saved for one article or picture. Now that I think of it, there's even several pictures of Billy Blanks back when he had hair!:ultracool
Brandon Fisher
Master Black Belt
TraditionalTKD
Blue Belt
I will read Black Belt and Tae Kwon Do Times for a laugh. Most of the time the articles are badly written, tell me very little, and are generally written by the same people every month. Coincidentally, many of the Instructor articles are written by a student of the Instructor, so the impartiality is definitely in question.
The people on the cover, especially TKDT, are not those particularly well deserving, they are those who have paid money up front (several grand would be correct) to be featured.
Many years ago, TKDT did approach my Instructor about doing a cover story on him. Based on his record and credentials, if anyone deserved to be on the cover it was him. They quoted a price of several thousand. He thought that's what they would pay him. That's what they wanted HIM to pay to them for the dubious honor of being on their cover. He never had contact with them again.
The people on the cover, especially TKDT, are not those particularly well deserving, they are those who have paid money up front (several grand would be correct) to be featured.
Many years ago, TKDT did approach my Instructor about doing a cover story on him. Based on his record and credentials, if anyone deserved to be on the cover it was him. They quoted a price of several thousand. He thought that's what they would pay him. That's what they wanted HIM to pay to them for the dubious honor of being on their cover. He never had contact with them again.
British mags are good. "Combat" and "Martial Arts Illustrated" both cover all martial arts very well. "Fighters Only" is the best for MMA. I occasionally buy Trad Karate and I believe they have a sister mag for TKD which I imagine will be of the same high standard.
Fighters Only magazine
Fighters Only magazine
http://www.martialartsinprint.com/
Combat, Trad Karate and TKd magazines
http://www.martialartsinprint.com/
Martial Arts Illustrated.
Combat, Trad Karate and TKd magazines
http://www.martialartsinprint.com/
Martial Arts Illustrated.
Right, this dovetails exactly with what I've heard. Don't know why we can't do better in this neck of the woods with TKD magazines, but... apparently we can't!
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