This year’s Diamond Nationals was held at the Double Tree Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Diamond Nationals has been a staple of Midwest martial arts excellence for decades, and this year was no exception. Some of the biggest names in the sport were present, and everyone was pushing to get on stage and get their shot at [...]
This year's North American International Karate Championships (NAIKC) were held in Dearborn, Michigan at the Edward Village Hotel and Conference Center the weekend of September 16-17, 2016. The first thing you notice when you walk into the NAIKC is how very busy it is. Karate tournaments of all sizes are always something of an exercise [...]
If you haven’t experienced National Harbor, Maryland, you are missing out. It’s a cool little city just outside of Washington, DC with great restaurants and entertainment. It is also the setting for the US Capitol Classics and China Open – an event that you need to experience. The 2016 US Capitol Classics took place August [...]
There is something comforting about Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Yes, it is hot but the ocean calls you to swim, sunbathe and relax on the sandy beaches. And this was the setting for the 2016 Dixieland Nationals, held the weekend of August 5-6, 2016. The event was held in the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, just [...]
Europe is making a substantial impact on sport karate in the United States, and Irish fighter Dean Barry is part of it. Dean Barry appears a quiet, reserved Irish guy and then you start to talk to him, and you realize he's f'n hilarious. Warning parents, he's from Ireland, so he drops a lot of [...]
Sport martial arts is not just part of karate competition. Competitors have become a part of the entertainment industry appearing in movies and shows. Sport martial arts competitors are entertaining to watch in the ring, on the stage and many times on the big screen. Here are some of the best movies and shows [...]
Finals shows for underbelt competitors are popping up at tournaments across the United States. Black belt "grand championships" are part of most sport karate tournaments. Grand champion competition matches divisional winners against each other for an overall champion in forms, fighting or weapons. Sport karate has a well-known history of black belt championships. Typically, non-black belt (underbelt) competitors [...]
Television broadcast exposure for sport karate like ESPN is essential to the growth of the sport. The US Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships is held annually at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The US Open offers a chance for top sport karate competitors to be seen internationally on ESPN2 and ESPN3 both live and with [...]
It’s considered the biggest martial arts event for open sport karate competition in the world and the 2016 US Open lived up to the hype. Thousands of competitors and spectators converged on Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida the weekend of July 8-9, 2016 for the US Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships. For 2016, [...]
Fighting, fighting and more fighting – combat was on the mind for the 2016 Battle of Atlanta. The event, held June 17-18, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia, delivered. Top teams were on hand to compete for the team sparring challenge and both the adult and youth sparring divisions were filled with amazing match-ups, victories and defeats. [...]
