Martial Arts History & Research

The History of Fighting
A martial arts history website featuring articles on fighting systems, combat sports, military history, weapons, famous masters, and fighting cultures from around the world. A good resource for readers interested in the historical side of martial arts and combat traditions..

Martial Arts Studies An academic journal published by Cardiff University Press featuring research articles on martial arts, combat sports, history, culture, sociology, education, and training practices. A strong resource for anyone interested in the scholarly and research side of martial arts.

Black Belt Magazine Archive
A valuable Google Books archive of Black Belt Magazine issues, featuring decades of martial arts articles, interviews, techniques, advertisements, tournament coverage, instructor profiles, and martial arts history. A great resource for researching how martial arts were taught, promoted, and discussed over the years.

Martial Arts Video Reviews
An old-school martial arts resource featuring reviews of instructional videos, training tapes, interviews, and martial arts media. A useful archive for researching classic martial arts video instruction, instructors, and training material from the VHS/DVD era

FightingArts
A martial arts research and history website featuring articles on karate, traditional martial arts, self-defense, training methods, and historical topics. The site includes contributions from martial arts historians, instructors, and researchers, with a large archive of articles and reference material.

Karate & Kenpo Resources Websites

24 Fighting Chickens
A martial arts blog featuring articles on karate, judo, taekkyeon, capoeira, martial arts events, and fighting traditions from around the world. A useful site for casual reading and exploring different martial arts topics.

KenpoTech.net A very useful American Kenpo resource with Ed Parker’s American Kenpo and Tracy’s Kenpo material. It includes self-defense techniques, forms, sets, belt-level material, and step-by-step explanations. Great for Kenpo students looking for actual curriculum-style content.

Black Belt Wiki A large martial arts reference site with pages for American Kenpo techniques, American Kenpo forms, Shotokan kata, bunkai, kicks, stances, weapons, and more. It is not perfect, but it is one of the easiest sites to use when looking up techniques quickly.

Iain Abernethy The Practical Application of Karate One of the best sites for practical karate, kata application, bunkai, self-defense concepts, and realistic interpretation of traditional kata. The site does have books, seminars, and products, but it also has a lot of free articles, podcasts, and videos with real training value.

Karate by Jesse A very readable karate education site with articles on kata, bunkai, karate history, training methods, and practical understanding of techniques. Good for students and instructors because the writing is easy to understand but still has depth.

Korean Martial Arts Resources

Traditional Taekwondo Ramblings
A Taekwondo blog by Ørjan Nilsen featuring articles on traditional Taekwondo, poomsae, sparring, history, training ideas, and practical applications. This specific post shares a live Taekwondo training session covering meditation, footwork, stretching, kicking, hand techniques, Taebaek poomsae, Taegeuk forms, and 2-step sparring.

Taekwondo Preschool A very detailed Taekwondo learning site with tutorials on blocks, strikes, kicks, stances, terminology, poomsae, training tips, and Korean technique names. Good for beginners and students reviewing basics.

Taekwondo-Do Learning Resources A good source for ITF Chang Hon patterns. Useful for students who want to compare ITF patterns with WT/Kukkiwon poomsae.

Taekwondo4Fitness
An independent blog-style article about the meanings of the WT/Kukkiwon Taegeuk and black belt poomsae. Good for readers who want philosophy and symbolism behind the forms.

Judo, Jiu-Jitsu & Grappling Resources

Judo Info Online Dojo
An online Judo resource with information on Judo history, Jigoro Kano, Kodokan Judo, techniques, competition, training, rank structure, principles, and self-defense. A useful reference for anyone interested in Judo as both a martial art and Olympic sport

Ultimate Ju-Jitsu
A Ju-Jitsu resource site for students, instructors, and martial arts fans, featuring beginner information, self-defense topics, traditional Ju-Jitsu techniques, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu techniques, photos, grading information, and training articles.

Aikido Techniques — Stefan Stenudd
A detailed Aikido resource by Stefan Stenudd, a 7th dan Aikikai Shihan, featuring explanations of Aikido techniques, attacks, defenses, photos, videos, principles, and basic training concepts. A useful reference for anyone interested in traditional Aikido and martial arts movement.

AikiWeb A long-running Aikido information site and online community with articles, columns, forums, dojo listings, training discussions, history, philosophy, techniques, and resources for Aikido practitioners around the world.

Budoshin Ju-Jitsu
The official Budoshin Ju-Jitsu Yudanshakai website, led by George Kirby, 10th dan. The site includes information on traditional Japanese Ju-Jitsu, lineage, rank requirements, training resources, books, videos, technical help, and home-study materials.

Weapons & Filipino Martial Arts

American Style Nunchaku Federation
The official American Style Nunchaku Federation website, featuring information on Grandmaster Michael L. Burke, the history of American Style Nunchaku, belt rank structure, certified instructors, online training, competition rules, training camps, and membership. A great resource for anyone interested in nunchaku as a complete martial art..

Dynamic Fighting Arts
The official Dynamic Fighting Arts website for Guro/Sifu David Seiwert’s DFA Kali program, featuring online training, books, instructor information, training locations, and Filipino martial arts material. The site highlights Kali, Escrima, Arnis, Kuntaw, Muay Thai, Muay Boran, and distance-learning martial arts courses.

Reality-Based Combat & Self-Protection

Krav Maga Blog
A Krav Maga and personal safety website created by Gershon Ben Keren featuring in-depth articles on self-defense, violence prevention, criminology, situational awareness, and real-world conflict management. The site includes material on Israeli Krav Maga, de-escalation, criminal behavior, self-protection strategies, online courses, books, and training concepts focused on practical application and surviving violent encounters.

Self Defense Tutorials
A martial arts and self-defense training website featuring instructional articles, technique breakdowns, drills, and videos focused on practical combat skills and real-world application. The site covers striking, grappling, takedowns, footwork, conditioning, martial arts history, and self-defense concepts from a variety of systems and training methods.

No Nonsense Self Defense
A self-defense and violence-awareness website created by Marc MacYoung focused on practical personal safety, crime avoidance, conflict management, and the realities of violence. The site features extensive articles on self-defense myths, street violence, legal and ethical use of force, awareness, martial arts criticism, weapon defense, and principle-based approaches to real-world survival and conflict management.

Sport Karate, Acrobatic Martial Arts, Fight Choreography & Competition

Club540 / Club 540 Archive
Club540 was one of the classic early online resources for martial arts tricking, acrobatic martial arts, and sport karate-style movement. The original site was known for its Tricktionary, which listed trick names, descriptions, and video examples. The current Club540 domain is still online, but the older archive material has been preserved separately in a public spreadsheet.

Loopkicks Tricking
A long-running tricking organization founded in 1999, offering classes, camps, events, performances, and a Tricktionary for martial arts tricking. Loopkicks describes tricking as a non-combative sport combining martial arts kicks, gymnastics flips, and breakdancing into a performance-focused art form.

Karate Tournament Central
A long-running martial arts tournament listing website featuring karate, sport martial arts, kickboxing, and open tournament event information from organizations such as NASKA, ISKA, KRANE, PKC, and WKC. The site provides tournament schedules, rankings, articles, and competitor resources for martial artists across the United States. I personally used this website extensively in the early 2000s to search for upcoming martial arts tournaments, competition information, and sport karate events.t here...

SportMartialArts.com
A major sport karate and open martial arts competition media website featuring tournament coverage, competitor interviews, rankings, articles, videos, and event information from the sport martial arts community. Since 2000, the site has helped promote competitors, tournaments, and organizations within the NASKA and open tournament circuit. The website became one of the central online hubs for sport karate competitors, forms competitors, trickers, and point fighters during the rise of modern sport martial arts in the early 2000s

Joining All Movement (JAM)
A movement arts, tricking, parkour, stunt, and martial arts media channel connected to the Joining All Movement (JAM) training facility founded by Travis Wong. The channel features tricking tutorials, stunt training, parkour, martial arts movement, athlete interviews, JAMCast podcasts, competition footage, workshops, and training sessions from the modern movement and sport martial arts community. JAM became a major hub for tricking, freerunning, and stunt performance culture, especially during the growth of online martial arts media and movement communities in the 2000s and 2010s.

MMA, Kickboxing & Combat Sports

Sherdog
One of the longest-running MMA websites online, Sherdog has covered UFC, Pride, Bellator, and mixed martial arts news since 1997. The site is known for MMA news, fighter records, event results, interviews, rankings, forums, and detailed live fight coverage. I personally use Sherdog for its well-written live MMA play-by-play articles during fight nights.

MMA Fighting
A major mixed martial arts news site covering UFC, MMA, fight results, interviews, rankings, videos, live blogs, and combat sports updates. MMA Fighting is especially useful for current fight news, event coverage, and round-by-round live blog reporting during major MMA events.

Martial Arts Gear, Equipment & Training Aids

Century Martial Arts
One of the largest and most recognized martial arts equipment suppliers in the United States, featuring uniforms, sparring gear, training bags, mats, weapons, fitness equipment, and martial arts school supplies. Founded by Mike Dillard in 1976, Century became widely known for products such as the BOB training dummy and Wavemaster freestanding bag, while also supporting organizations such as MAIA and the Martial Arts SuperShow. The company played a major role in the growth of commercial martial arts schools, sport karate, and martial arts equipment culture throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.

Martial Arts Supermarket
A long-running martial arts supply company and online store featuring uniforms, sparring gear, training weapons, punching bags, protective equipment, books, DVDs, and martial arts accessories for a wide variety of martial arts styles and combat sports. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the company was especially known for its large mail-order catalogs, which many martial artists looked forward to receiving before online shopping became common. I personally remember flipping through the black-and-white catalog pages for hours as a kid, looking at all the martial arts gear, weapons, uniforms, and training equipment, wishing I could buy almost everything in it.

Asian World of Martial Arts
One of the most recognizable martial arts supply companies of the 1990s and early 2000s, featuring uniforms, sparring gear, training weapons, punching bags, mats, books, DVDs, and martial arts accessories for a wide variety of styles and combat sports. The company became especially well known for its large mail-order catalogs that many martial artists eagerly waited for before online shopping became widespread. I personally remember spending hours flipping through the catalog pages as a kid, looking at all the martial arts gear, ninja weapons, uniforms, and training equipment, imagining owning everything in it someday.t here...

Fairtex
A world-renowned Muay Thai and combat sports equipment company known for its gloves, pads, shin guards, heavy bags, apparel, and professional training facilities. Founded in Thailand, Fairtex became one of the most respected brands in Muay Thai, kickboxing, and MMA, sponsoring fighters and helping spread Thai boxing internationally through gyms, seminars, and professional competition. The company also had a strong presence in the United States through Fairtex San Francisco, which was led by Alex Gong before his tragic death in 2003. Alex Gong was widely respected in the Muay Thai community for helping popularize authentic Thai boxing training in America and for mentoring many fighters and martial artists during the early growth of Muay Thai and MMA in the United States.

Combat Sports International
A major combat sports equipment company specializing in MMA, boxing, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and martial arts training gear including gloves, shin guards, heavy bags, protective equipment, and fight apparel. Combat Sports became especially popular during the rise of mixed martial arts in the 2000s and was heavily associated with the early growth of the UFC and reality television MMA culture. I especially remember their gear being prominently featured during the early seasons of the TV show The Ultimate Fighter, where Combat Sports equipment and branding became closely tied to the explosion of MMA popularity during that era

Hayabusa Fightwear
A premium combat sports equipment company specializing in high-end MMA, boxing, Muay Thai, and jiu-jitsu gear including gloves, shin guards, rash guards, gis, hand wraps, and performance apparel. Hayabusa became especially popular during the rise of MMA in the late 2000s and 2010s for its modern design, advanced glove technology, and strong association with professional fighters and major MMA organizations. The brand developed a reputation for producing some of the most durable and technically advanced striking gear in combat sports, making it highly popular among MMA gyms, Muay Thai practitioners, and serious martial artists.

RDX Sports
A combat sports and fitness equipment company specializing in boxing, MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, grappling, and strength-training gear including gloves, shin guards, heavy bags, wraps, protective equipment, and fitness accessories. Founded in 1999, RDX Sports became known for offering affordable combat sports equipment with modern designs and a large online presence during the growth of MMA and fitness culture in the 2000s and 2010s. The brand became especially popular among everyday martial artists and gym fighters looking for quality gear at a more accessible price point compared to some of the older premium fight brands....

Ronin Brand
A martial arts equipment and uniform company known for producing karate, judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gis along with belts, sparring gear, and traditional martial arts equipment. Ronin Brand developed a strong reputation among martial artists for durable heavyweight uniforms, traditional Japanese-inspired designs, and quality training gear through Kinji San Martial Arts Supplies in Brooklyn, New York. I’ve personally been a big fan of their judo uniforms and even posted a review of one of my Ronin judo gis on my YouTube channel.

Bold Look Martial Arts Supplies
A long-running martial arts supply company specializing in karate, taekwondo, kung fu, judo, and martial arts school equipment including uniforms, belts, sparring gear, weapons, patches, and training supplies. The company became especially popular among martial arts schools and instructors for offering affordable bulk uniform packages and wholesale-style ordering for dojos and large student programs. I’ve personally used Bold Look since around 2002 and always had great experiences with their customer service. In my experience, they were one of the best companies for martial arts schools or instructors needing large quantities of uniforms and equipment at reasonable prices.

Kataaro Custom Martial Arts Belts
A well-known American martial arts company that specializes in handmade custom belts for karate, taekwondo, judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and other traditional martial arts. Kataaro became especially popular for their high-quality embroidery, durable construction, and ability to fully customize rank and instructor belts. They are probably best known for their heavy-duty core belts that naturally fade and wear down through years of training, eventually revealing different colors underneath from constant use. A lot of martial artists like them because the worn look comes from actual hard training and time on the mat rather than being artificially aged.