© Marc Wickert, www.knucklepit.com Internationally acclaimed fighting events such as UFC, Cage Rage, and IFL provide avenues for some of the world's elite mixed martial artists to compete and hone their skills. However, not all martial artists originally take up a fighting system to compete in sporting events. Many partake in a self-defense system as […]
Sensei Suzuki demonstrates the art of Ashihara. © Marc Wickert (previously published in Fight Times) Previously in Fight Times (Volume 8 Issue 6) Sensei Suzuki had stated that he would be returning to Australia with the intention of cementing his friendship with Australian martial artists, and to develop a network between Australia and Japan as […]
Sensei Suzuki (left) with Ashihara, founder Hideyuki Ashihara. Copyright – Marc Wickert (previously published in FIGHT TIMES magazine) Ashihara Karate was developed in 1980 out of the necessity for a style of Karate that would be effective in today's society. It was founded by Hideyuki Ashihara, who trained in Kyokushin Karate for twenty years, before […]
Recently while instructing self-defence at Columba College Dunedin I heard of an invention by senior students that I considered had much merit and showed initiative. The Despike device won one of the two most prestigious awards – the TODD Corporation prize. This invention is a proactive device in the fight against drinks spiking and related […]
Captain James Trevor Stewart (retired) #23214 6th Field Regiment N.Z. Artillery 3rd Echelon 2nd N.Z.E.F. Born 9th December 1914 in Auckland. From 1928 to 1931 was in the Cadet Battalion at Auckland Grammar School finishing up as Corporal. In 1932 at the age of 17, he enlisted in the territorial force in the 1 8th […]
© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com All photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC Photography by Joshua Hedges UFC 48 was billed PayBack, but as Spence Johnston stated after the event, there was little payback to be had on June 19, 2004. However, the only score that possibly needed settling was between Evan Tanner and Phil Baroni after UFC […]
During the past 3 weeks Rangiora Olympic Wrestling Club has been fortunate in hosting a wrestling coach from Russia. Saveliy Byazrov is one of the top coaches in Russian, amongst one of the top 5 coaches in the world. He was funded to come to New Zealand by SPARC and hold wrestling/ coaching clinics. Byazrov’s […]
Picture the scene: you are an eager adult martial arts student with a firm interest in realistic combat methods for today’s civilian and, having found a club that seems to tick all your criteria boxes, you are suddenly paired with a child training partner. You are a no-nonsense type of person and a veteran of […]
The WRO Asia Pacific 12-round cruiserweight title fight between Mohamed Azzoui and Derrick Whitley hold at Auckland's Sky City Casino on Friday, June 8th, was a drab affair with Azzoui producing what positive work there was to take the judges' verdict. Algerian-born Azzoui fought curiously, for he is an ex-Olympian, yet he fought in a […]
How do we teach children to be efficient students of realistic self-protection and martial arts? It’s a tough question and if training children is to be seen as an allegory for teaching fundamentals then it is not surprising that this very element is where the martial arts education industry is at its weakest. I see […]