You probably knew him as the evil drug kingpin, Mr. Han in Enter the Dragon. In Hong Kong he was an action movie legend. Sadly, the amazing Shek Kin, a true martial artist, is dead at 96.
posted by bwg on Jun 4, 2009 - 15 comments

The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires combined the tail end of Hammer film's Dracula series with, the then, burgeoning martial arts craze to create "The First Kung Fu Horror Spectacular!" [more inside]
posted by fearfulsymmetry on May 29, 2009 - 11 comments

Jiu-Jitsu legend Helio Gracie has died. From sickly child of a poor Brazilian family to a fighting legend, Helio Gracie (nicknamed Caxinguele or Squirrel by his family), inspired a paradigm shift in Martial Arts. He will be Missed.
posted by tkchrist on Jan 29, 2009 - 46 comments

At nightfall youth gangs transform the streets of Kinshasa's townships into arenas of the fight. Although many of these boys and young men are trained in foreign fighting styles such as judo, jujitsu and karate, in the public clashes between the fighting groups, these boys and young men perform mukumbusu. This fighting style, inspired and based on the gorilla, was invented during the last decade of colonialism, and is an original mixture of a traditional Mongo wrestling practice, libanda, and Asian and Western fighting practices. An essay from Edinburgh University's Center of African Studies (PDF - or accessmylibrary link) [more inside]
posted by Smedleyman on Jan 13, 2009 - 15 comments

High-Kick Girl! That says it all but there's more to the story than just a kick to the head. Meet the star, teen karate girl Rina Takeda. Watch her take on a guy in a baseball uniform.
posted by grounded on Jan 8, 2009 - 49 comments

Kuroda Tetsuzan Sensei is an incredible Japanese martial artist. As a skilled swordsman, he practices very old and unusual forms of iaido, kenjutsu as well an interesting form of ju jutsu. He is both incredibly still and incredibly fast and he knows a few tricks too. [more inside]
posted by salishsea on Oct 24, 2008 - 60 comments

"Long River High Sky" is a collaborative performance by Alonzo King's Lines Ballet and the monks of the Shaolin Temple USA.
posted by homunculus on May 30, 2008 - 6 comments

UFC 75. Boucher V. Mathis. (SLYT) [more inside]
posted by tkchrist on May 8, 2008 - 45 comments

Born on the streets of seafaring towns like Marseille, savate has evolved into a fighting art that rivals Muay Thai in ferocity and effectiveness. The history channel's outstanding Human Weapon series of videos explores the roots of this martial art. Modern match-ups in the ring range from the sublime to the ridiculous.
posted by Gordion Knott on Mar 4, 2008 - 27 comments

They Think They're People Filter: Animal Combat Friday! [more inside]
posted by ignignokt on Feb 29, 2008 - 15 comments

Hai Karate. An aftershave so powerful, it will drive women right out of their minds. That's why we have to put instructions on self defense in every package. More from Wikipedia.
posted by Astro Zombie on Oct 19, 2007 - 23 comments

Shaolin [Wiki] is having a difficult time lately. A combination of the silver screen and the small screen cemented the ancient school in most peoples' minds as a surefire way to kick ass most stylishly. Its introduction in the US has since been fraught with problems and complications, most notably in 1992 when a tour of Shaolin Fighting Monks returned to China minus one Shi Yan-Ming - who has since started the USA Shaolin Temple. Then the Chinese government tried starting their own Shaolin-approved schools. But various attempts haven't gone right either. What is the state of Shaolin now? Everyone's trying to make a buck in this game. You can buy anything from Shaolin Secrets in scroll form to the opportunity to "live the life of a warrior monk". Shaolin cachet is at a premium. Its name fame is such it's even ruining things back home. Immigration scams, ballet classes, Lollapalooza, the RZA? Can it get any worse? Now people are even saying one lone ninja can defeat a whole temples' worth of monks!
posted by stinkycheese on Sep 3, 2007 - 33 comments

One inch punch [slyt]
posted by The Deej on Aug 3, 2007 - 54 comments

You got served! ...by taekwondo black belts? The Korean Tigers is a taekwondo demonstration team that also try to have fun. But chereographing with pop stars and dancing? Considering that one of Korea's older traditional martial arts is taekyon, a martial art which reflects some aspects of traditional Korean dance and music, dancing doesn't seem so far-fetched for Korean martial arts.
posted by kkokkodalk on Jul 12, 2007 - 7 comments

The Indian Martial Arts.
posted by hadjiboy on Jun 20, 2007 - 12 comments

Investigating the Dim Mak Death Touch - "The old Kung Fu master touched his assailant, with no apparent effect. Days later, the assailant died a sudden and mysterious death. He was a victim of the legendary dim mak, the touch of death." [previously]
posted by Burhanistan on Jun 11, 2007 - 71 comments

The Gentleman's Fight Club: Armed with Dust Busters (Warning dopey MSNBC anchor and video ad.) How do you blow off steam after a long day of coding? Why smack your buddy over the head with a toilet seat, of course. Higher consciousness through harder contact (.WMV LINK - LOUD).
posted by tkchrist on May 25, 2007 - 18 comments

The Cossacks, a proud people with a long history, are famous nowadays for their dancing, whether of the mass spectacle variety, or the slightly lower-key celebration of actual Cossacks. They have some pretty famous music, too, often featuring balalaikas. (Behold, the real lyrics to "Tetris") But dancing and singing is not enough for some, apparently, who seek to refine Cossack martial arts.
posted by StrikeTheViol on May 23, 2007 - 36 comments

The Search For Count Dante is a documentary-in-progress by filmmaker Floyd Webb (- Youtube trailer -). Webb takes on the daunting task of exploring the (larger than) life and times of martial artist Count Dante (born John Keehan), the then self-described "Deadliest Man Alive". Some of you may remember his ad from '60's and '70's comic books. [more inside]
posted by schleppo on Mar 7, 2007 - 29 comments

You Asked For It. So you want to learn to fight? Train wisely. Here is how you do it. And here is how you do not. (Some video footage may be NSFW due violent fight footage. No fatalities.)
posted by tkchrist on Aug 31, 2006 - 71 comments

Real-Life Tekken.
posted by fandango_matt on Jun 19, 2006 - 28 comments

For the past few days I have been mainly totally jealous of the guys in this video (linked google video). It features Toronto's Team Ryouko performing martial arts and breakdancing moves that look lifted straight out of beat-em-up computer games. I wish this (linked google video) was me on the beach (rather than this). Some more here.
Others doing similar stuff include "Martial Arts Trickz" from bilang.com which despite a pretty lame name are capable of some amazing things (linked google video, few more).
(yesterdays post on breakdancers reminded me of how jealous I am of these kinda guys because they appear to me to be so free of gravity)
posted by 13twelve on Feb 28, 2006 - 33 comments

Because He Fight To Live… And He Fights Dirty As Hell! Bob developed his unique style of "dirty fighting" during his 40 years of formal training, bar brawls and street fights, bounty hunting and busting up narcotics gangs. He served his country well as a "hot-zone" combat soldier in Vietnam, worked as a private eye, a personal armed bodyguard to superstar rock groups (like Aerosmith, the Who and Led Zepplin), and a canine handler for 11 separate jurisdictions. He's also a recognized "Chi Master" - at an infamous Soldier of Fortune convention, he drove a steel rod through his forearm, tied it to a new Ford Mustang, and dragged the car 287 feet... without blood, without pain, without scarring. (Don't try this at home.)
posted by Sticherbeast on Jan 24, 2006 - 57 comments

Yet another Martial Artist goes over the edge. A Chicago teacher of Dim Mak bills himself as "The Human Stungun" for his ability to knock people out from a distance. The fact that it doesn't work on anybody except his students doesn't seem to worry him. The odd thing is his students. In on the con? Or just victims of self-delusion?
posted by lumpenprole on Nov 7, 2005 - 73 comments

KIAAAAII!!! Yellow Bamboo, a Balinese martial arts/religious group, claims they can knock people down at a distance with pure focused chi energy. The usual skeptics are out in force -- but at least one skeptic was humbled! Are Yellow Bamboo just another group of deluded Dragon Ball Z fans or are they the real deal? ...well, it turns out more former than latter.
posted by felix on Feb 15, 2005 - 40 comments

Self-defence with a Walking-stick : The Different Methods of Defending Oneself with a Walking-Stick or Umbrella when Attacked under Unequal Conditions (Part I) (with pictures!) :: via The Journal of Non-Lethal combatives ::
posted by anastasiav on Jan 28, 2005 - 20 comments

Journal of Manly Arts "European and Colonial Combatives, 1776 - 1914." A special section of Journal of Western Martial Art.
posted by wobh on Oct 9, 2004 - 4 comments

Bando is the brutal fighting style of Burma. Trouble is, its Grandmaster may be a fantasist and a fraud.
posted by the cuban on Sep 1, 2004 - 4 comments

Stickfighting Irish Gangs, Wrestling Fashions, The Punching Bags of Pugilism, How Old England Trains Her Red Coats, and much more, in The Journal of Manly Arts - European and Colonial Combatives, 1776 - 1914 .
posted by iconomy on Aug 3, 2004 - 2 comments

The Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts
posted by moonbird on Jul 28, 2004 - 2 comments

Drunken Temple Boxing! You may have defeated my Southern Hook Palm technique, but can you defeat the 1000 styles of Rumsfeld?
posted by kirkaracha on May 12, 2004 - 2 comments

Stick Figure Fight Club. For those wondering where the inspiration for yesterday's Homestar Runner cartoon came from, now you know. (Flash, sound)
posted by PrinceValium on Apr 2, 2004 - 22 comments

Rumsfeld's fighting technique is unstoppable. [via airbag]
posted by mathowie on Feb 26, 2004 - 16 comments

Xtreme martial arts video gallery - a gallery of clips of traditional martial arts fighting styles and weapons, as well as some rather cool "in-the-body" animations. The site is a preview for a show on martial arts that will launch this week on the Discovery Channel. (via Buzz).
posted by madamjujujive on Nov 29, 2003 - 10 comments

Remembering the Dragon On July 20th, 1973, Bruce Lee died, a month before the premiere of the film that would affirm his star power to Hollywood. As of 2003, an exhibition, a DVD boxset, a documentary and global fan worship continue to mark his rise to immortality. As far as a younger I was concerned, he'd already achieved it in his lifetime (viewing note...cable channel AMC will be airing the above-mentioned movies and documentary as part of a tribute this coming weekend).
posted by LinusMines on Jul 21, 2003 - 8 comments

Irish Marshall Arts. Will we see a new wave of films with high-flying Gaelic masters of fighting?
posted by Dukebloo on Jul 10, 2003 - 13 comments

The Armarium. Online Historical Fencing Manuals & Texts at the Association for the Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA).
posted by misteraitch on Jun 14, 2003 - 2 comments

The Black Belt TV Network. An L.A.- based producer is trying to create a new 24-hour martial arts TV channel airing nothing but kung-fu movies, kung-fu tournaments, Kung-Fu the series, and cartoons where the characters are doing kung-fu. Say producer Larry Kasanoff, "We want to do the same thing for the martial arts that MTV did for music," a line that merits numerous possible responses so obvious I'm not going to touch them with a ten-foot kendo stick.
posted by XQUZYPHYR on Sep 18, 2002 - 54 comments

Quality link. Ladies and Gentlemen, May I present to you some FLASH based Kung Fu Fun. Tune up your one inch punch (Surely a great name for a christmas drink...) I thank you.
posted by Spoon on Dec 18, 2001 - 7 comments

The new martial arts powerhouse in the world isn't China, and isn't Japan. It isn't in the Orient at all. It's Brazil.
posted by Steven Den Beste on Sep 10, 2001 - 31 comments

"Semper Fu?" - In a bid to hone the "physical and mental discipline" of recruits and better prepare them for the rigors of peacekeeping missions, the Marines adds martial arts to the curriculum.
posted by kevincmurphy on Mar 8, 2001 - 7 comments

These guys are at it again.

"We will send about 20 men, their ages ranging from 25 to 77, to pull the 400-seat B747. We hope to set a world record."

And I was impressed by those World Ironman competitions...
posted by PWA_BadBoy on Jan 8, 2001 - 3 comments

Sure an ant can move stuff 50 times its weight, but can it do this? Gotta be wondering what goes on in these guys' minds when they're doing this stuff! (insert dirty joke here)
posted by PWA_BadBoy on Nov 3, 2000 - 7 comments

Jackie Chan is... RAMBO! Well, almost.
posted by tiaka on Sep 27, 2000 - 6 comments