Can we admit we find it off-putting when someone struggles with being famous?
The mere mortals of us will probably as a rule be incredulous when we see people who get to do things people dream of and avoid real jobs. Especially when their gig gives them checks with lots of zeros on them. But some reflection might lead us to see fighting is probably not in the category of things that should illicit that kind of thinking. Does anyone in their right mind dream of stripping down to their skivvies and stepping into a cage to potentially be beat to pulp for a few thousand bucks? If you do, you may want to find an MMA gym near you.
<p>If possible, take a minute and watch Johny Hendricks' top knockouts.</p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="90ce4829e7d841d8d5a8d9f7a9c74b62"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qq9Eo21ZQTE?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<p>Alright, are you back? Now imagine you just watched that and have a bout agreement in front of you to fight him. Are we excited yet? Well, George St-Pierre had to do just that. Recently in an interview on the Complex Sports Podcast (promoting his acting role in the Marvel world) and then again on ESPN's Ariel Helwani Show (promoting his involvement in Karate Combat), GSP echoed his past statements that he was terrified to fight – hated it, in fact. Seemed as though to him it was tantamount to what people might think of as akin to the worst fears of all. Apparently, the top fear in that discussion is public speaking, but now we have to add to that terrifying oral book report; punches, kicks, blood, loss, shame, and so on. Now is that time where we take a breath and consider both of these things together, viz. Big Rigg demolishing people into piles of rubble and his future opponent saying he does not like fighting. Put a pin in this thought for a bit though, if you would.</p><p>In very stark contrast to what seems to be a very sensible attitude toward unarmed combat is the attitude of a man named Justin Gaethje. A man who was bothered before his fight with an equally terrifying foe as Hendricks albeit a weight class lower. Ask anyone in whatever weight class Edson Barboza might be about him and it is a guarantee there won't be a lot of hands raised eager to oppose him. Well, there is Paul Felder who wanted more rounds with the machine-like striker, but back to Gaethje. Was Justin bothered by fear like GSP? No, he was bothered he was not nervous enough and postulated in his post-fight interview as to why. This after having just knocked Edson literally stiff and of course exercising one of the most terrifying moves in MMA – the dreaded back flip off of the cage in victory. What was the issue at hand? He told us: "I just love this way too much?"</p><img
class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" lazy-loadable="true"
data-runner-src="https://blackbeltmag.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjAzNTU4Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1Njg2ODAyN30.x51H4VDHjwgeH9lr_P3lEwx_C-WS2zPWBcq1ThHUoAk/image.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C132%2C0%2C641&height=700"
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data-rm-shortcode-id="f6ad7e527ad61f7e50d6cc2d0995f293" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Justin Gaethje" />
<p>Alright, let us now put this word problem together. Two of the most successful MMA fighters of all time seem to have exact opposite sentiments for the sport they very much conquered (or nearly in Justin's case having missed the belt in a loss to undefeated GOAT candidate, Khabib Nurmagomedov). Does it bother the fan who hears GSP say he did not love fighting? Do we expect him to be like contender Gaethje and love it <em>too much</em>? Or is it possible we should ask, why in the world should anyone love something enough to be locked in a blender with Edson Barboza? Who in their right mind would watch Hendricks fell Martin Kampmann like a tree and say, "Count me in"?</p><p>Cilantro. That is something we civilians can relate to in life where people seem to either love or hate it. And while some may act like it is as bad as being knocked unconscious, it just isn't. There is so much at stake in an MMA fight (or career full of them). A look at those ominous words of Nick Diaz speaking to the regret of leading his younger brother Nathan into fighting will (or should) give every fan pause. The thoughtful fan knows there are fighters who love it and we can indeed appreciate that. Even marvel at it. But when someone speaks to how tough it is or even as GSP or Diaz have, they are not a pop-star who have been spoon-fed mounds of Scrooge McDuck money to do something relatively easy. If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life – GSP worked hard for his money. </p>
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The 1970s are awash in classic martial art films, but the most unique of them all has to be Billy Jack.
While most screen action heroes were fighting drug cartels, rival martial art schools, avenging a master's death or proving they can be the best in the ring, Billy Jack was fighting the system and the entrenched attitudes and prejudices people formed over generations. Written, directed, and starring Tom Laughlin, Billy Jack is the story of a lone warrior with a dark past seeking enlightenment but unable to turn away from the injustice he witnesses against Native Americans both by townspeople, business, and the law.
<p>Christina Laughlin is the daughter of Tom Laughlin and <em>Billy Jack</em> co-star Delores Taylor and was the best person to tell the story behind the scenes of the independent film that broke records and brought forth a new hero. Christina Laughlin is a writer, screenwriter, and environmentalist, and is making a documentary film with her siblings about their father and mother's life and films called <em>Renegades. </em>She spoke to me about her trailblazing parents and the making of the classic indie movie.</p>
Hapkido
<img class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://blackbeltmag.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjAzNTQ4Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNjk4MTY2Nn0.EMx0pXksjJ6Ff0wGrgNW8Agoz_bmcB672V4kJaGnOls/image.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=107%2C44%2C20%2C27&height=700" id="1538c" width="1245" height="700" data-rm-shortcode-id="95b097897dabb64403ec239a8903639f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="The Born Losers" /> <p>The Billy Jack character first appears in the film <em>The Born Losers</em>, but he is different from the one we come to know in the eponymous film. In <em>The Born Losers</em>, Billy Jack is a hard-punching tough guy, minus the Hapkido, exacting revenge on a motorcycle gang. So where did the Hapkido come from that made the second film so different? Laughlin tells, <em>"Bong Soo Han was giving a martial arts Hapkido demonstration at a park, and my Dad was mesmerized by it and watched the whole thing. He had never seen anything like it. He went up afterwards and said, look I'm making this movie. I'd love to meet with you. I'd love you to work with me on this. And Bong Soo Han came to my parent's house shortly thereafter and they decided to put Hapkido on film for the first time."</em></p>Training with a Master
<img class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://blackbeltmag.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjAzNTQ5Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDE5MTU2MH0.Yjoak-ePj18OVZZN0TdzsMInssDp6KVkFtPAyM2Uhd0/image.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C44%2C0%2C433&height=700" id="fa18b" width="1245" height="700" data-rm-shortcode-id="ad9bcf257f0feb0943903ca1489799e6" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Bong Soo Han" /> <p>The legendary Hapkido master Bong Soo Han became a critical addition to the films both as a stunt performer and choreographer. Han's flamboyant kicking, and ability to dispatch multiple opponents with ease, contributed to making <em>Billy Jack</em> an enduring martial arts film. Laughlin relates how Han became a fixture not just in the making of the film but in the Laughlin family, <em>"The whole family got into it, he was basically training everyone at the house. They kept doing it through Trial (The Trial of Billy Jack) and Billy Jack Goes To Washington."</em> Christina Laughlin has fond memories of her training in later backyard sessions and remembers master Han with a mystical reverence, <em>"His whole being and presence was just kind of otherworldly, honestly."</em></p><p><em>What was Tom Laughlin's training like to become Billy Jack? Did he train after the films? Christina Laughlin explains, <em>"He wasn't doing the regular, three days a week, training schedule. There were very intense training periods, daily, for several hours, and then he'd kind of let it go and then pick it up again. It wasn't a steady practice for him, but an immersive one."</em> Since Tom Laughlin was writing, directing, and starring in the movie, he did what he needed to do to make it look great on film.</em></p>Other Billy Jack Projects
<p><em>Billy Jack Returns</em> was the last project that attempted to bring back the iconic character. The film began production in 1985 but was never completed due to injuries Tom Laughlin incurred during filming. Christina Laughlin explains, <em>"He was supposed to be hit with a break-away bottle, but it was mistakenly a real bottle. They did the take several times, and then he went down, was unconscious and that was when they realized they were using the wrong bottles. He ended up in the hospital for a short bit. Through his recovery and all of that, it just fell apart. It's half-done sitting in a can."</em></p><p>What about a reboot? Could a new actor wear the iconic hat, gaze with a steely-eyed stare and become the new hand of justice? Whether as a remake of the original film or a new story entirely, Christina Laughlin isn't ruling it out, <em>"It's definitely something we're looking forward to pursuing."</em></p>Renegades and the Legacy of Billy Jack
<img class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://blackbeltmag.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjAzNTUwMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1ODA2MzY3MH0.ZFnU9MpZbhrx8sOOLKl1RVklipspyex3fBd0gHIPlTc/image.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C75%2C0%2C1161&height=700" id="e9a91" width="1245" height="700" data-rm-shortcode-id="7a5c491bd112737c0618547288e040fa" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Renegades Billy Jack" /> <p>In filmmaking the lifeblood of getting something made is money. It took years to complete <em>Billy Jack</em> and even then it was not guaranteed a theatrical release. A movie about a veteran martial arts expert turned vigilante, for the cause of Native Americans, was not an easy sell in 1971. An action movie with a message, although entertaining in its use of choreographed violence, was not the norm for the time. The Laughlin's documentary film <em>Renegades</em> is about their parent's lives and the journey through the film, as they are both forever intertwined, as Laughlin states, <em>"You can't explore the film they made without exploring the biographical part of it because it's who they were. It all starts with who they were and what drove them to do what they did."</em></p><p>Tom Laughlin and Delores Taylor were two people that pursued their goals with a singularity of purpose and tenacity that makes them both honorary black belts in life. Christina Laughlin summed up their legacy best, <em>"Really the only reason they did what they did was because they really believed in saying what they needed to say and exposing the realities of racism and exposing the plight of Native Americans in this country. They were bankrupt, putting everything on the line with three kids at a point when they could have made some good money and wiped their hands of it. You can't really tell the story of the film without telling their story."</em></p><p>Racial injustice and oppression at the hands of the powerful are themes that resonate deeply and are as compelling now as they were back then. An action film with a hero armed only with an iron will, their fists, and the belief in the ability of the individual to make a difference would be a refreshing change. Maybe now is the right time for the return of Billy Jack.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Competitive Edge has added two names to the roster for their competition team.
Both of these competitors already had a relationship to the team as family members of other team members.
Esteban Tremblay's father Eric Tremblay from Blainville, Quebec, Canada joins Competitive Edge as one of the most decorated competitors in NASKA's senior division. Eric, 41, has been training in the martial arts for 31 years and is a 6th degree blackbelt and school owner. He also holds 53 world titles across NASKA, NBL, WKA, WKU, WKC and is a 3-time Diamond Nationals Diamond Ring Champion. Eric brings a level of competitive professionalism that is going to be a great asset to the team.
<p>The team is also adding their first adaptive competitor, Miri Williams. Miri's older sister, Eden, has been a member of Competitive Edge for a few years and her mother, Amy, was just added to the roster in January. Miri, 7, is fully blind and has a condition known as brachydactyly which means she has shortened fingers and toes. As a matter of fact, she does not really have toes so balance is her biggest challenge. Both of these conditions are the result of her having Adams Oliver syndrome, which is a very rare condition with only around 125 cases in the world. Miri is also very musically gifted and loves to sing and play piano and is a huge Bon Jovi fan. She is an inspiration to all who know her, always has a smile on her face, and is the true epitome of indomitable spirit. </p><p>Competitive Edge is a martial arts competition and performance team coached by Jackson Rudolph, Reid Presley and Cole Presley. The team holds the title of Champion in the Team Demonstration category as rated by the <a href="https://blackbeltmag.com/black-belt-magazine-rankings" target="_blank">Official Black Belt Magazine World Sport Karate Rankings.</a></p>
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