Russo, Charles. Striking Distance: Bruce Lee and the Dawn of Martial Arts in America. London: University of Nebraska Press, 2016. This is not your typical Bruce Lee biography. It does not address his child acting career nor does it discuss his time in Hollywood and Hong Kong as a film star. It does, however, look … Continue reading Reflecting on Charles Russo’s Striking Distance
In watching the newest Bruce Lee documentary by Bao Nguyen on ESPN’s 30 For 30 episode, “Be Water,” there was a reoccurring theme throughout Lee’s life – bridging the gap. For those knowledgeable about Lee’s philosophies, concepts, and principles of Jeet Kune Do, the phrase means to get closer to one’s opponent to execute a … Continue reading Reflecting on ESPN’s Bruce Lee Documentary, “Be Water”
This is a transcript of an interview with Secretary of Technical Committee of the International Shotokan Karate Federation in the spring of 2019. Here, we discuss the current state of karate in the United States, her early years of training, and her thoughts and feelings on being the first woman in Shotokan Karate to earn … Continue reading Interview with Secretary of Technical Committee Cathy Cline: Her Karate Journey
Robert Stroud has been commuting between many kendo schools in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain regions of the United States since 1979, becoming one of the first non-Asian US kenshi to receive the rank of seventh dan. In this second part of the interview, Stroud discusses his kendo journey, his time as head instructor of … Continue reading Interview with Robert Stroud: Kendo in Pacific Northwest and Mountain Regions of the United States Part II
Robert Stroud has been commuting between many kendo schools in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain regions of the United States since 1979, becoming one of the first non-Asian US kenshi to receive the rank of seventh dan. In this first part of the interview, Stroud discusses his kendo journey, his time at Noma Dojo in … Continue reading Interview with Robert Stroud: Kendo in Pacific Northwest and Mountain Regions of the United States Part I
Janice Taitel began her aikido journey in 1992, first training under Mitsunari Kanai then Greg O’Connor, before establishing her Aikido Center of Dover. In the summer of 2019, she and others formed the Independent Coalition of USAF Women in an effort to bring awareness and discuss a solution to the gender equity in the organization. … Continue reading Interview with Independent Coalition of USAF Women Founder Janice Taitel
Beginning his martial arts journey in Germany in 1957 with judo, Walther von Krenner spent the next sixty years training in various martial arts, from aikido to kendo. Today, Krenner took the time to talk about his aikido journey, which started in 1961 with Isao Takahashi in Los Angeles, and took him to Japan to … Continue reading Interview with Aikido Author Walther von Krenner: Training in America and Japan in the Early Years
Evolene Premillieu began training aikido in France when she was eleven, under Mariano Aristin Sensei. Once he retired, Evolene moved to Boulder, Colorado to train under Hiroshi Ikeda Sensei and Tres Hofmeister Sensei and pursue a degree in science. It was the encouragement of Ikeda Sensei that pushed Evolene to start Aikido for Tomorrow, a … Continue reading Interview with Evolene Premillieu: Aikido for Tomorrow
Currently holding the rank of nanadan in Yoshinkan Aikido and teaching at the Kadokan Dojo, Sam Combes began his aikido journey in 1963, in Hawaii, studying under Yukio Noguchi. After moving to Norwalk, California in 1967, he began his own school and has stayed within the Los Angeles area for more than thirty years. In … Continue reading Interview with Sam Combes: Yoshinkan Aikido in Southern California Part II
Currently holding the rank of nanadan in Yoshinkan Aikido and teaching at the Kadokan Dojo, Sam Combes began his aikido journey in 1963, in Hawaii, studying under Yukio Noguchi. After moving to Norwalk, California in 1967, he began his own school and has stayed within the Los Angeles area for more than thirty years. In … Continue reading Interview with Sam Combes: Yoshinkan Aikido in Southern California Part I
Martial Arts of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 