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[SileyEric]

Under what circumstances would you ever begin reading Black Belt again, or advertising in this magazine?

What would they have to do to staffing, editorial guidelines, and content for this to ever be a respected magazine in our industry once again?

[Benjamin Liu]

Were they ever a serious martial arts magazine?

I buy one evey couple years or so, though I used to buy one every few months.

Most articles were not very good, even in the early 1990s.  Seriously, there were too many about Bruce Lee and what he would have thought of the current popular fad, which martial artist thought Stephen Segal was a jerk, there were articles about "knife defense" techniques which only "worked" when someone did a full telegraphic thrust or the "psycho" stab, lots of competition results, movie info, product reviews, and a lot of other things that are dealt with better on online forums.

Why pay for info when you can get more up to date info for free?

IMO the magazine has always been something for people just starting out in martial arts, or kids who want to get started, at least since the late 1980s/early 1990s.

[Kentbob]

I had a subscription a few years ago.  But the more I read BB, the more I became convinced it's more like The Daily Show of martial arts media.  And I don't mean that in a good way.  Starting with Jim Wagner, and going onto some of the other ridiculous articles they've had in there.  Some of them have been good, such as so-and-so's trip to a Shaolin temple, or one about a man who'd found the path to recovery through martial arts.  Some of them were good articles, but displayed teachers/instructors who appeared to be in very poor physical condition.  Hock's articles, Meredith Gold's articles and column, and Loren W. Christensen I generally found to be the most informative.  If Hock had a column in BB, or one of the plank owners of the CQCG/SFC were to be approached about a column, then I would seriously think about picking it up again.  Or, if they were to give the 86 to Jim Wagner, and send his column to the fiery depths.  In short, if BB became a serious piece of journalism and not just a shill for wannabes like Jim Wagner and those he supports, I would consider buying another subscription.  If they had an address that I could find, I would in fact write them a letter informing them of this.

Kent

[Kelly Knight]

Of course it can be saved. It would take a lot of work and risk, which clearly isn't going to happen. So let it (continue to) die and, hopefully, it will be replaced with better.

I thank the stars I'm not in that business. Brutal. Tried - ran screaming.

Kelly Knight

[Hock]

If I were given the editor job of BB? And I have done a bit of this
http://www.hockscqc.com/cqcdispatches/cqcdispatches.htm

I would not know where to begin. The title "Black Belt" suggests a very martial art spread of topics. No reality-based emphasis. So...do you do an article about or by someone from the differing major systems each month? I mean, its a tough call.

Then how many magazines deal with the testosterone driven topics and competition that the martial industry has. Its a no-win deal where at least one half of the magazine is blasted by the other half.

I do not envy Robert Young's job as editor at all. He has many eggs to fry. (And egos to fry too!)

Hock
(oh and Kent? Wagner is gone and I think they quit selling his stuff too.)

[JimH]

The magazine was great in the  60's,70's and start of the 80's,then sport took over,then reality based ,then UFC.
Now at least they mix some old with some new and some of the new are really good like :
Kelly McCann,Mark Hatmaker,and others from varied arts giving a needed change.

[Kentbob]

That just shows you how long it's been since I bought one.  About six months.  I needed something to read in the desert.  If Wagner's gone, I may investigate the newest issue next time I'm at the bookstore.


Kent

[Kelly Knight]

I like what some of the MMA magazines are doing - it's all about "lifestyle". Nothing more, nothing less. Nobody really cares much about "secret moves" anymore. They want to know about the personalities, the real skinny, the dirt as well as the glam. And all of the trappings thrown in. What's the hot whip? What is so-and-so listening to? What's the latest on quinoa? Hot chicks. Funny articles that poke fun at everyday occurrences. The newest gear in review. A bit about history. Stuff like that - trivia and minutiae. Those things don't have anything to do specifically with the subject, but they entice a much wider, more loyal (because the topics are wider spread) readership. BB has never been very good at that. They have too many articles on specific martial systems and not enough about the folks behind them and the lifestyles they live.

The younger market already knows everything, so of course they don't care about learning the D'Arce, the Bulgarian Head Crank or Hubud-Lubud. If rags don't address the overall lifestyle, they'll die. Rightly so, I think. Change or disappear. I submit this forum as an excellent example.

Kelly Knight

[robbhamic]

I canceled my subscription and I would never advertise in it.  No editorial credibility.  I am going to start blogging on Robert Young's prior knowledge about Moni Aizik's credentials form 4 or 5 years ago.  These were e-mails directly from him from the Israeli Defense Forces and other industry leaders that had proof.  I contacted him personally, I don't know how many times and he let Moni write and published that letter to the editor in this last month's edition about all of the forces conspiring against him..  Then Aizik caught another lawsuit while he was in the USA illegally again..  Federal agencies are on it.  BB promotes frauds.  Moni was/ is paying $11,000 or more per month for his spreads and of course gets covers.  People look at that as credibility and buy into his and other systems and so it goes.  Wagner, Kanarek and others.  Pay $ for advertising = get money from BB customers with no editorial oversight.

Respectfully,

Robb Hamic

[Kentbob]

I picked up the latest issue the other day.  I read through it.  The tone has changed, somewhat, since the last time I read it.  Didn't see a single JW ad, but I did see a few "KM" ads here and there.  Of course there is no editorial accountability, or journalistic accountability.  It's only journalism in the same sense that the Daily Show reports the news, really.  There was an interview with Matt Larsen, where he basically said that the U.S. Army had nothing before he gave to them Modern Army Combatives.  WTF?!  How was that statement not challenged?  WTF is the point of doing an interview if all the writer does is print everything the interviewee says as gossip?  Where the hell is the editor on that shite?  Some of the other articles were alright.  I generally enjoy the broad range of topics.  I think maybe if BB is going to recover, they're going to have to get rid of the goofs who just accept anything that anyone tells them about the martial arts, and actually conduct some journalism.  Obviously, this isn't the NY Times, but does that mean they can't strive to ask some decent questions and challenge ridiculous blanket statements?

Kent

[noload]

I picked that issue up, browsed the Matt Larsen article and put it back. I'm thinking Larsen may make a run to be the new Jim Wagner.

[Kentbob]

Yeah, well, except for the whole thing where Matt Larsen served honorably, and isn't a wannabe.  I mean, Larsen was in the Rangers for a while.  That's where he first developed MACP, and when I was getting ready for the Ranger Indoctrination Program, he came by and taught us a few classes.  He's not a wannabe.  Making himself sound good, yes, wannabe, no.


Kent

[JimH]

Larsen has said he wants to open a few schools,maybe this is a way to get interested parties to back him,as in the article he mentions those soldiers who know a lot of MACP and who will or have opened schools ,and those schools will be the BS meter by which to guide people to what works.

I wonder if Larsen could become in the US ,(and the world) ,as Imi did In Israel.
Imi had Krav Maga,Larsen has MACP.
(before Larsen got to bring GBJJ/UFC to the US Army there was NOTHING,lol)

Maybe Larsen wants a regular column in Black Belt ?
People write articles,if the readers give great feed back then it seems the person/author/writer gets a column.

[noload]

That's what I was thinking Jim. If he expands out the test could be between how his schools versus non-MACP schools do in competition as I don't get the feeling that he's into civilian self defense. But I've been wrong before.

Kent, a lot of guys serve honorably but are total butt wipes in the civilian world. It's going to be interesting to see what Larsen does with MACP, and I do think he will try to spread it.

[Benjamin Liu]

I like what some of the MMA magazines are doing - it's all about "lifestyle". Nothing more, nothing less. Nobody really cares much about "secret moves" anymore. They want to know about the personalities, the real skinny, the dirt as well as the glam. And all of the trappings thrown in. What's the hot whip? What is so-and-so listening to? What's the latest on quinoa? Hot chicks. Funny articles that poke fun at everyday occurrences. The newest gear in review. A bit about history. Stuff like that - trivia and minutiae. Those things don't have anything to do specifically with the subject, but they entice a much wider, more loyal (because the topics are wider spread) readership. BB has never been very good at that. They have too many articles on specific martial systems and not enough about the folks behind them and the lifestyles they live.

The younger market already knows everything, so of course they don't care about learning the D'Arce, the Bulgarian Head Crank or Hubud-Lubud. If rags don't address the overall lifestyle, they'll die. Rightly so, I think. Change or disappear. I submit this forum as an excellent example.

Kelly Knight

IMO this would make it more like a women's celebrity gossip magazine.