Kali…Oh! Stick Fighting!
As made popular by such movies as The Bourne Identity, The Hunted, and The Book of Eli, the Filipino system of Kali has taken the America media market by storm. Some of the most devastating and visceral knife fights have, in recent years, been filmed using the Kali approach as a way to expose this beautifully efficient art. Sadly, many American martial artists still do not understand what Kali is, due to the art being commonly confused with stick fighting only. This is a common mistake made by many in American martial arts markets. Like all other arts, Kali has multiple facets that include a...
Read MoreSensei Burke in Hall of Fame
On January 24, 2015, Sensei Rusty Burke was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame. The ceremony, at the Tropicana Resort Hotel & Casino, was attended by over 1,200 martial artists. These included practitioners of many martial arts styles, masters, grand masters, martial arts legends, and famous martial arts actors. Also in attendance was international martial arts star Bill “Superfoot” Wallace. Sensei Burke said, “It was really exciting for me because I was personally nominated by “Superfoot.” He’s an undefeated world champion kickboxer and...
Read MoreKarate? Tae Kwon-Do? Hapkido? Judo? Kung Fu?
People ask me all of the time, “Sensei Burke, what’s the best martial arts style?” One person boldly walked into the Burke’s Karate dojo and asked, “Do you teach tae kwon-do? Because tae kwon-do is the best, and I only want to learn the best!” Another student asked me what he should study purely for self defense purposes. He had heard that karate was good because it was hard and strong. “But perhaps kung fu might be better because it’s fluid and graceful?” A student in a kids martial arts class proclaimed, “I want to learn judo...
Read More5 Reasons Kids Should Take Karate
While I can think of hundreds of reasons why everyone should take karate, I’m especially passionate about these five. 1. Physical Benefits: Children who take karate are learning a healthy lifestyle by staying active, which, as most parents know, is difficult to do in the age of video games and facebook! Staying active burns calories, increases good cholesterol, decreases bad cholesterol, increases flexibility, increases hand eye coordination, improves fitness, maintains healthy joints and keeps the heart rate up, all while learning how to defend yourself! Proper martial arts training...
Read More5 Reasons Adults Should Take Martial Arts
I was in a store picking up a loaf of bread the other day after class and while I generally don’t parade around in my gi (uniform), I didn’t have a change of clothes and let’s face it, if the wife wants you to pick up something on your way home from work, you pick it up! So this gentleman sees me and during the course of engaging me in small talk, asks me how he, as an adult, could benefit from taking martial arts. After pondering several quick replies, I determined that really, the question should have more appropriately been posed as… How could I NOT benefit from taking martial...
Read MoreSelf Protection with Combat Hapkido
Combat Hapkido is an extremely realistic and versatile discipline of self protection that includes an extensive variety of joint locks, kicks, strikes, take downs, pressure points, ground grappling, disarming techniques and the use of selected weapons. The result is a comprehensive Self Defense system enjoyable to learn, safe to practice and most of all totally effective. Combat Hapkido’s dynamic concepts are based on scientific principles of anatomy and biomechanics, as well as psychology and strategy. It is well suited for men and women of all ages and sizes because physical strength...
Read MoreTwitter Worth Reading
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