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Perhaps because it’s relatively easy to learn and use, the guillotine choke is an extremely common submission. Look around—you’ll see it in danzan-ryu and numerous Japanese forms of jujitsu. You’ll find it in submission grappling and judo. You’ll witness it in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the mixed martial arts. You might even encounter it on the street. Versatility is the second reason the guillotine is so widespread. You can apply it from a multitude of positions, including while standing, while on your knees and while holding your opponent in the closed guard. Often, it’s the instinctive reaction to a sloppy wrestling takedown. Now that you know why it’s so ubiquitous, it’s time to learn how to defend against it—and defeat the person who tried to catch you with it. Subject-Matter Expert “Isn’t the best defense always a good attack?” asked the Roman poet Ovid.

I awaken as the plane lands in Honolulu. It’s another day and another city, and the fugue—the disorientation we get from traveling from place to place faster than our primitive brains can accept—is hitting me hard. I was on a mission to better understand the origins of jiu-jitsu. Starting in Miami, where I trained for years with Pedro Valente and his brothers, the last disciples of Helio Gracie, I jetted to New York and then Tokyo, where I spent grueling weeks in the summer heat, training at a throwing-techniques camp run by the Kodokan. I bullet-trained to Kyoto to investigate kosen judo, which is famed for its ground techniques and reportedly influenced the development of Gracie jiu-jitsu. Those stops taught me much about the art. Now I’m in Honolulu and almost home. I’ve left the land of the samurai, but here lives one of the last inheritors of the samurai tradition. The one final person I have to see before I can rest is a master of jiu-jitsu named Relson Gracie.

The Eyes Have It Jamie Cruz knew his eye injury was serious even before he got to the hospital. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie was using a hammer to bust up an old copier behind AMA Fight Club in Whippany, New Jersey, where he’s the head grappling instructor. That’s when a piece of plastic flew into his left eye. “I pretty much shattered [the cornea] into a couple of pieces,” he says.

Home Security—The Final Analysis for Self-Defense The inside of your home should afford you tactical advantages. It’s not uncommon to hear odd noises that could indicate an intruder is inside your house. The bad news is, someone strange could be in your house. The good news is, you’re familiar with that environment and he’s not. To fortify that self-defense advantage, install small night lights in the farthest corners of your rooms. They’ll cast enough illumination to work effectively as backlights, enabling you to see and confirm movement. They’ll also eliminate the need to precede your movement by turning lights on—unless you determine that’s more tactically correct given the situation. Hang some decorative convex mirrors on walls; they’ll allow you to see reverse angles that are advantageous to you. Seeing into a space before having to physically commit to entering it makes sense when someone with bad intent may be lurking.

Confused About Carbs Reader question: I’ve heard the term “carb coma,” and it sounds like it refers to the sleepiness that comes after eating too many carbs. I’ve also heard “carb loading,” which is what some athletes apparently do before a competition, when they eat a lot of pasta to pre-fuel their bodies. And then we have the Paleo people, who seem to think all carbs are bad. What’s the deal? “Carb coma” describes the state a person is in after overloading on high-glycemic carbohydrates. It’s more extreme than just feeling full or even stuffed; it’s about feeling fatigued, lethargic and moody. A carb coma occurs when your blood sugar rises after your body digests a carb-heavy meal. The problem is, that which rises must eventually fall. The resulting crash is often accompanied by exhaustion and, over time, weight gain.

A Fighting Monk Teaches 4 Traditional Chinese Training Methods—And They All Have Self-Defense Applications! When you hear the term “Shaolin workout,” don’t make the mistake of envisioning Budai—that happy, bald fellow whose corpulent physique adorns millions of miniature statues all over Asia. Although he’s believed to have studied the same brand of Buddhism, Budai, if he ever existed in those proportions, was not a Shaolin fighting monk. This elite group of warrior-priests is known for chiseled chests, six-pack abs and loads of other bulges that leave no doubt about their physical fitness. Need more proof? Ask anyone who’s visited the temple or watched the monks perform on tour, and he or she will attest to the phenomenal shape these martial artists are in—and the phenomenal feats they can coax their bodies to perform. It’s not a bodybuilding kind of fitness; it’s a functional, practical musculature that’s perfectly suited to the martial arts. Even better, it’s designed to foster holistic health by building internal strength.

Today, on Saturday, May 30, the sounds of striking pads, focused breathing, and spirited conversation will fill Team Karate Center in Woodland Hills, California — but this gathering is about far more than technique. “In the Spirit of the Dragon,” a one-day martial arts benefit event supporting the Bruce Lee Foundation, is bringing together instructors, students, masters, and martial arts enthusiasts from across Southern California for a day dedicated to learning, unity, and legacy. Hosted by veteran martial arts instructor Sensei Fariborz Azhakh, the event reflects the deeper philosophy Bruce Lee championed throughout his life: the pursuit of personal excellence, cultural understanding, and the constant evolution of the individual. “Bruce Lee was more than a martial artist,” says Azhakh. “He challenged people to think differently, to grow beyond limitations, and to find their own path. This event is about honoring those ideals while creating something meaningful for the martial arts community.” Throughout the day, participants will experience a diverse lineup of seminars, workshops, and educational lectures led by respected martial artists and guest instructors representing multiple disciplines and traditions. While the full roster of instructors is still being finalized, organizers say the focus will remain on sharing knowledge across styles and generations — something Bruce Lee himself advocated throughout his groundbreaking career. Unlike tournament-centered events that emphasize competition, “In the Spirit of the Dragon” is designed as a collaborative and educational experience. Students of all levels, from beginners to seasoned practitioners, are encouraged to participate, train, and connect. For many attendees, the event will also serve as a reminder of Bruce Lee’s enduring influence on modern martial arts culture. Decades after his passing, Lee remains one of the most important figures in martial arts history — not only for revolutionizing combat philosophy through Jeet Kune Do, but for breaking cultural barriers and inspiring millions worldwide. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Bruce Lee Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Bruce Lee’s teachings and advancing educational initiatives centered on self-actualization, equality, and personal development. For Azhakh, whose own martial arts philosophy emphasizes discipline, respect, and community engagement, the event represents an opportunity to align martial arts practice with service and purpose. “At its best, martial arts helps people become better human beings,” he says. “This is a chance for all of us to come together in that spirit.” Event Details In the Spirit of the Dragon Saturday, May 30, 2026 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Team Karate Center 6455 De Soto Ave. Woodland Hills, CA 91367 Guest instructors and additional event details will be announced soon. For media inquiries, sponsorship opportunities, or registration information, contact: Fariborz Azhakh azhakh@gmail.com About the Bruce Lee Foundation The Bruce Lee Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to sharing Bruce Lee’s message of self-actualization, honest self-expression, equality, and continuous learning through educational programs and community outreach initiatives around the world.

Tough guys—we have plenty. In fact, on any given day, you can’t swing a nunchaku around the Black Belt office without hitting a self-defense expert, an MMA champ or a street-hardened master who has dropped by for an interview or photo shoot. Tough girls are a different matter. First off, we don’t have as many women cycling through. Second, not all the female martial artists we deal with are into fighting; some practice the arts for other, less physical reasons. None of that is intended to marginalize the fairer sex. On the contrary, we assembled this article to shine a spotlight on those women who’ve separated themselves from the pack—those who fall into the category of “women who scare us.” Note that not all female fighters were eligible for inclusion on our list; the qualifier was that each one had to be someone we had personal knowledge of. In other words, we considered only women who have been to our office for interviews.

I want to talk to you about lightening up. About breathing a little easier. About easing up on this whole the-world-is-going-to-hell-in-a-handbasket approach to life. I want to address an aspect of real-world self-protection that, in my opinion, is a little overdone in some places—an aspect to which I may have inadvertently contributed. In my book No Second Chance: A Reality-Based Guide to Self-Defense, I hammer the need for effectiveness, for commensurate brutality, for awareness and preparedness. I discuss predator profiles that delineate real-world examples of the evil our fellow man can perpetrate on his brethren. I drive home the point of just who the enemy is. I stand by this approach 100 percent. Horrible things do indeed happen in this world. Despicable acts of violence are perpetrated every day. We must not turn a blind eye to what can happen, but it’s essential to keep such preparation in the spirit of a “just in case” rational choice and not let it drive us to paranoia. Rational people install smoke detectors in their homes, wear seat belts, see doctors for checkups, purchase insurance, wear safety goggles and lock their doors at night—all in the spirit of “just in case.” We do these things not because we live in fear but because we know that unpleasant things can happen, and these acts can reduce the likelihood or the impact, no matter how statistically rare those things may be.

When I was 20, I ran the service department at a motorcycle dealership. Yes, I said “ran.” The dealer leased the department to me, and I carried out all service and warranty work, hired employees and took care of everything else. And I was successful. A few years later, I had an opportunity to open a dojo, so I handed the business over to my nephew. Although I enjoyed what I’d been doing, I never looked back. Few things are as fulfilling as running a karate school. Interestingly, the same four keys to business success that served me well in the motorcycle industry continue to help me run my school today. Find Nobility in What You Do Nobility gives you purpose and motivates you to keep moving forward—in good times and bad. It gives you the fortitude to persevere when new instructors open schools in your town. It also helps you avoid the mistakes people often make in business—like letting ego or the desire for money take over.

Black Belt 2024 Hall of Fame inductee Scott Coker has secured $60 million in financing to launch a new fight promotion, where he will serve as CEO and co-founder alongside Peter Levin of Griffin Gaming Partners, according to a press release issued Thursday. A lifelong martial artist, Coker is best known as the founder of Strikeforce MMA and later as President of Bellator MMA. More recently, his successful fight night at the Tech CU Arena in San Jose helped reignite excitement and momentum within the combat sports community. “I always knew I wanted to come back when the time was right, with the right vision and a carefully curated team. That time is now,” Coker said in the release. “There is an incredible demand for a fresh, new global brand in MMA. This new league is about returning to what matters: the integrity of competition, respect for the athletes, and sharing their remarkable journeys with the world. We are building something authentic, something that belongs to the athletes and to the fans who live and breathe this sport.”

Time is awake while the world sleeps, intent on its own ends. —Mahabharata (translated by William Buck) As we get older, obituaries become a regular part of our news consumption. Celebrities who made the narratives and soundtracks of our youth regularly show up there, and we grieve a little. Because I was a teenager in the 1980s, it was the passing of celebrities like heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio and Adam Yauch that saddened me. The one that saddened me the most, however, was the death of Pat Morita. Morita was, of course, famous for playing Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid franchise. That character was the archetypal martial arts master: warm, wise and full of secrets. Sometimes it was hidden knowledge—like the scene in the first movie in which Mr. Miyagi suddenly reveals that the chores his lone student, Daniel-san, has been doing are really karate training methods. Sometimes it’s a personal secret, like when Mr. Miyagi accidentally reveals that he’s alone because his wife and son died in a Japanese internment camp during World War II.