Life Magazine - Karate Kid edition - on sale now, get your copy!

(The following is excerpted from LIFE’s new special issue on The Karate Kid, available at newsstands and online:)

The title was ridiculous. So ridiculous nobody thought it would stick. It was a name fit for a silly Saturday morning cartoon, a sappy after-school special, a flop. It certainly wasn’t a title for a movie that could launch an enduring Hollywood franchise. 

No, “The Karate Kid” had to go. 

“I mean, can you imagine?” Ralph Macchio wrote in his 2022 memoir, Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me. “If I ever did get this part and the movie hit, I would have to carry this label for the rest of my life!”

Macchio got the part. And once he landed the lead, he fought to get the title changed. He wasn’t alone. Next to nobody liked it. But producer Jerry Weintraub wouldn’t budge. He knew it was memorable: “It’s a terrible title, but because of that, it’s a great title.” It wasn’t the only thing memorable about 1984’s The Karate Kid.

“Wax on, wax off.” “Sweep the leg.” “Ali . . . with an i.” “Get him a body bag!” Forty-one years on, we’re still quoting classic lines from the original film. Four decades in, the Netflix series Cobra Kai has introduced multiple new generations to Daniel LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence, John Kreese, and the wisdom of Mr. Miyagi. And now 2025’s Karate Kid: Legends pairs Macchio with martial arts icon Jackie Chan. 

In the early 1980s, karate wasn’t cool. Aliens were cool: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial broke box office records in 1982, and the original Star Wars trilogy wrapped to wild fanfare in 1983. Hunky boxers, barbarians, and (oddly enough) archaeologists were cool, as flicks from Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Harrison Ford filled the multiplexes. 

Blockbuster teen movies weren’t even a thing yet. Before 1984, nobody knew who Molly Ringwald, John Hughes, or the Brat Pack were. Karate and high school drama wasn’t exactly a winning combination for a film. This meant expectations for The Karate Kid were low. 

The $8 million budget came in at less than a quarter of what it cost to make Return of the Jedi. The leads were B-list at best—Macchio’s most notable credit was a spot as a recurring character on a single season of ABC sitcom Eight Is Enough; Mr. Miyagi actor Noriyuki “Pat” Morita was best known as restaurant owner Matsuo “Arnold” Takahashi in two dozen Happy Days episodes. Despite the modest budget and lack of star power, The Karate Kid was a smash. 

“After the first Karate Kid screened and everybody was doing the crane kick in the parking lot, [producer Jerry Weintraub] put his arm around me and said, ‘You’re going to be making a few of these,’ ” Macchio remembered. 

Macchio has now made four films—the original ’80s trilogy plus this year’s Karate Kid: Legends—set in the Miyagi-verse, which is what he calls the Karate Kid cinematic universe. Morita also tallied a quartet of movies in the series (he followed the trilogy with 1994’s The Next Karate Kid, starring an unknown Hilary Swank in her breakout role). And the universe has continued to expand, even when Macchio and Morita sat out projects. 

A Saturday-morning cartoon was made in 1989 with Morita doing narration. Car washes popped up that incorporated “Wax On, Wax Off” in their names. 

A reimagining of the first film with the same title starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan racked up $359 million worldwide in 2010. Then in 2018, the Netflix streaming hit Cobra Kai reunited Macchio with original nemesis Johnny Lawrence, played by William Zabka, adding their characters’ kids to the martial arts rumbles across six seasons. The world couldn’t get enough of the Miyagi-verse.

Why was the movie such a success when it debuted? Why does the saga’s popularity endure through generations? And who exactly must shine their Honda at Wax On, Wax Off? The latter question might be impossible to answer. But the first two aren’t so confounding when you look at what the Karate Kid myth delivers. 

Everybody loves an underdog, and Daniel LaRusso is the ultimate underdog. 

Also, it turned out The Karate Kid did have a few things in common with past blockbusters. Daniel and Miyagi’s relationship echoed that of Rocky Balboa and trainer Mickey Goldmill. It recalled the lovable battle of wills between Luke Skywalker and Miyagi-like Jedi Master Yoda. 

The lessons of the first film, lessons about kindness, acceptance, and mercy, reverberate across the Miyagi-verse. In The Karate Kid Part II, Miyagi says, with a little bit of cheek, “Rules to karate. Rule number one: Karate for defense only. Rule number two: First learn rule number one.” After the fictional death of Miyagi—Morita passed away in 2005—Daniel carried his mentor’s wisdom forward in Cobra Kai, telling his pupil: “You may know the moves, but none of that matter unless you have balance . . . I mean balance in your life.” 

Even Johnny Lawrence, the ’80s quintessential high school bully, looks for some balance in Cobra Kai. One thing that makes the Netflix series so compelling is the reinvention of Johnny from bad boy to, well, a little bit less of a bad boy. The kid who was raised to “strike first, strike hard, no mercy” grows up to understand Miyagi’s teachings and becomes another lovable underdog you can’t help rooting for. 

This shared Miyagi-verse not only unites all of these projects but provides a consistent human-first worldview that we should all strive for, making the films as entertaining as they are memorable. Well, as memorable as a franchise with the title “The Karate Kid” can be.

https://www.life.com/arts-entertainment/the-uplifting-magic-of-the-karate-kid/

Japan ninja student gets top marks for writing essay in invisible ink

A Japanese student of ninja history who handed in a blank paper was given top marks - after her professor realised the essay was written in invisible ink.

(bbc.com October 9, 2019)

Eimi Haga followed the ninja technique of "aburidashi", spending hours soaking and crushing soybeans to make the ink.

The words appeared when her professor heated the paper over his gas stove.

"It is something I learned through a book when I was little," Ms Haga told the BBC. "I just hoped that no-one would come up with the same idea."

Ms Haga has been interested in ninjas - covert agents and assassins in medieval Japan - since watching an animated TV show as a child.

After enrolling at Mie University in Japan, the first-year student took a class in ninja history, and was asked to write about a visit to the Ninja Museum of Igaryu.

"When the professor said in class that he would give a high mark for creativity, I decided that I would make my essay stand out from others," she said.

"I gave a thought for a while, and hit upon the idea of aburidashi."

Ms Haga, 19, soaked soybeans overnight, then crushed them before squeezing them in a cloth.

She then mixed the soybean extract with water - spending two hours to get the concentration right - before writing her essay with a fine brush on "washi" (thin Japanese paper).

Once her words had dried, they became invisible. But, to ensure her professor didn't put the essay in the bin, she left a note in normal ink saying "heat the paper".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-49996166

Karate Kid Legends - additional movie poster

 

Karate Kid Legends - movie poster released

 

Dutch, always messing around

 

Karate Kid: Legends Featurette

Classical martial arts in MMA

(from Master Z's facebook page)

The evolution of martial arts in modern sports fighting is indeed fascinating. It's amusing to see how classical martial arts like Karate and Kung-Fu, once ridiculed or deemed "useless" by some, are now making a comeback in the arena.

The adaptability of fighters and the blending of different styles have led to a resurgence of interest in traditional martial arts. As I’ve mentioned before, once everyone got accustomed to the same moves, the classical techniques from Karate and Kung-Fu started to reappear, catching opponents off guard and scoring points.

This phenomenon highlights the importance of understanding the roots and principles of martial arts. Traditional martial arts like Karate, Kung-Fu, and Filipino martial arts, as well as Kenpo, offer a wealth of knowledge and techniques that can be adapted and applied in modern sports fighting.

The incorporation of classical martial arts techniques into modern fighting styles is a testament to the evolving nature of martial arts. As fighters continue to innovate and push the boundaries of what's possible, it's exciting to think about what other traditional techniques might be rediscovered and reimagined in the world of sports fighting.

Strong & Inspired,

- Master Z

 

Top 5 Bouts of Day 7 - HARU BASHO 2025 - Makuuchi Division

One of Japan's six big sumo tournaments that are held each year is going on right now in Osaka. There are several YouTube channels that show the tournament or show highlights. 

The YouTube channel "Don Don Sumo" is a good one because it shows the top 5 fights of the day and gives a good breakdown of what happened in each fight. 

The big tournaments of the year are as follows;

January (Tokyo): Hatsu Basho (New Year's Tournament)

March (Osaka): Haru Basho (Spring Tournament)

May (Tokyo): Natsu Basho (Summer Tournament)

July (Nagoya): Nagoya Basho

September (Tokyo): Aki Basho (Autumn Tournament)

November (Fukuoka): Kyushu Basho

Cobra Kai/Karate Kid documentary

Look for this next year sometime. 

Not sure where but I would imagine on Netflix.

Ryu wall art

Dang, this would be so cool to have hanging on the wall of your training or workout room. 

Why stop there, just put it in the living room for all to see!

https://brightroomy.com/street-fighter-ryu-gaming-5-panel-canvas-art-wall-decor/?gad_source=4&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIx_rmyNyCjAMVjBBECB0SgTj2EAQYASABEgKiZ_D_BwE
 

Cobra Kai's Final Karate Kid Cameo Explained

(screenrant.com 2-14-25)

In what was one of the show's most surprising cameos, Cobra Kai season 6 part 3 brought back Daryl Vidal, a character who hasn't been since The Karate Kid in 1984. Cobra Kai has made a tradition out of featuring at least one additional character from the Karate Kid movies, so there was naturally an expectation that the show's final season would follow this trend. Based on the fact that the franchise had few characters left to reintroduce ahead of Cobra Kai's final stretch, much of the speculation regarding who could fill that role revolved around Hilary Swank's Julie Pierce, but the series ultimately chose a different course.

Rather than go with the biggest name still missing from Cobra Kai, the series featured not one, but two lesser-known characters from the films. The second segment of season 6 saw William Christopher Ford reprise his role as Dennis de Guzman, one of Terry Silver's henchmen from The Karate Kid Part III. For its final five episodes, the show went with an even more obscure character in Darryl Vidal, a competitor from the 1984 All-Valley Karate Tournament.

During the Sekai Taikai finals in Cobra Kai season 6 part 3, a character introduced as "Darryl Vidal" was brought on stage to serve as the referee. In universe, the decision was made to honor his status as the champion of the 1981 All Valley Karate Tournament, but as a brief flashback made clear, Darryl Vidal's importance goes beyond that. Although a minor character in the film, Vidal did serve an important purpose, in that he was the tournament participant that Johnny had to overcome in order to face Daniel in the finals.

Having bested a pair of Kreese's students with relative ease in the preliminary rounds, Vidal presented himself as a formidable fighter in the preliminary rounds. Stated by the announcer to be a student of the Locust Valley Karate Club, Vidal advanced to the semifinals, but didn't prove to be much of a challenge to Johnny. Vidal lost without scoring a point, and was therefore eliminated.

Losing to Johnny in the semifinals the extent of Vidal's significance to the film itself, but it wasn't necessarily his loss that made his cameo in the show seem so fitting; rather, it was the backstory crafted for him by Cobra Kai years before his return. Vidal has been brought up on multiple occasions when Bobby, Kreese, and Johnny reminisce about the All Valley. As it turns out, Vidal had at least two years of experience fighting Cobra Kai prior to the movie's story. In that time, he had fought Johnny, Tommy, and Bobby.

According to Kreese, Vidal was a "very skilled" fighter, so much that he actually beat Johnny in the quarterfinals of the 1981 tournament. However, the effort that Johnny put into the fight, despite being well below Vidal's level at that time, convinced Kreese that Johnny was "the real deal." As Kreese told Robby, Vidal was a "three-degree black belt," whereas Johnny had only recently been taken under Kreese's wing.

In that respect, Darryl Vidal played a crucial role in Johnny's development as a fighter, as that loss helped Kreese recognize his potential. Kreese has always been adamant about Johnny being the best student he ever had, and the amount of dedication he put into training him can in turn be traced back to this particular moment. It notably had an equal impact on Johnny, because Kreese said that he could tell that Johnny wouldn't allow such a defeat to happen again. Evidently, the loss served as motivation for Johnny, and may have been what prompted his back-to-back titles.

Darryl Vidal is a confirmed participant in three iterations of the All-Valley Karate Tournament in The Karate Kid: 1981, 1983, and 1984. It's unclear if he competed at all in 1982 when Johnny won his first of two championships. After beating Johnny during the latter's first year of competitive fighting, he went on to win it all, taking home the 1981 title. It's possible that he fought in 1982, but if he did, he obviously fell short of repeating. As for the 1983 tournament, it's known from the episode that reunited Johnny with his friends from The Karate Kid that Vidal was beaten by Tommy in the seminars. Based on the way Johnny explained it, Vidal was the expected winner.

A newspaper article from season 3 established that immediately after his loss, Vidal took place in a match to decide the 3rd place winner. Here, he lost to Bobby, who had lost his semifinals match to Johnny. Presumably, his return to the semifinals in the 1984 tournament marked the end of his competitive journey. From the looks of things, he was never able to recapture the glory he was able to achieve in 1981, with all three of his known defeats coming at the hands of Cobra Kai.

Interestingly, the Darryl Vidal character shares his name with the actor who plays him. The 1984 movie credited him as "Karate Semifinalist," but both the announcer and the tournament bracket provided his real name. Vidal also worked on the film in another capacity, specifically as a stunt double for Pat Morita during some of Mr. Miyagi's action scenes. The bit role of Johnny's semifinal opponent and the body double work made sense for Vidal, considering that he had no prior acting credits, but was sufficiently skilled in martial arts.

Having had only one acting role between The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai season 6 part 3, Darryl Vidal ultimately never developed an acting career, and focused more on being a martial arts instructor. But due to his small yet meaningful connection to The Karate Kid universe, it was fitting that Vidal be brought back for a cameo in some form. And though Vidal didn't feature heavily in the show, he did receive the distinction of being the show's final returning character from The Karate Kid movies.

https://screenrant.com/cobra-kai-season-6-part-3-darryl-vidal-return-explained/

Cobra Kai has come to an end

So, Cobra Kai season 6 is over and so is the series, overall the world is a better place thanks to Cobra Kai. 

Looking back I am thankful this series was made, it has brought the Karate Kid and its story and characters to a new generation. And we have more to look forward to with the new Karate Kid movie coming to theaters in May. You can bet I will be one of the first in line to see it.

So how was Cobra Kai season 6?

Well, at times they were struggling to find things to fill the episodes. Really Cobra Kai probably could have just gone with four seasons. The last couple of seasons were a struggle and it seemed to lose a lot of what made the first couple of seasons epic. 

But, oh well.

Overall it ended on a high note and wrapped up the story well. 

I liked the dream scene Daniel had with him and Mr. Miyagi fighting off the skeleton Cobras.

I liked seeing Daniel in a black gi at the final tournament.

I liked Daniel handing Johnny the trophy, that was awesome.

And the scene of Daniel and Johnny driving around LA in Mr. Miyagi's car was cool too.

There were a lot of dumb scenes that I was shaking my head about, and again with the F-bombs. Why? Seriously, they are not needed. But I won't get into the bad anymore, let's just let things lay where they are and remember the epic parts of the story.

As soon as the full series comes out on a BluRay box set I will be buying it, as I am sure most of y'all will too.

Cobra Kai never dies !!!

Mindset and Mental Toughness

(from Pablo Zamora's Facebook page)

A warrior's mindset is the foundation upon which their entire way of life is built. It's the mental and emotional framework that enables them to stay focused, motivated, and resilient in the face of challenges.

Mental toughness is the ability to consistently perform at a high level, even when faced with adversity, pressure, or stress. It's the capacity to remain calm, focused, and composed, even in the most intense or chaotic situations.

Key Elements of a Warrior Mindset

1. Clarity of Purpose: A clear sense of direction and meaning that guides one's actions and decisions.

2. Focus and Concentration: The ability to maintain attention and concentration, even in the face of distractions or obstacles.

3. Resilience and Adaptability: The capacity to bounce back from adversity, trauma, or failure, and to adapt to changing circumstances.

4. Self-Discipline and Self-Control: The ability to regulate one's thoughts, emotions, and actions, and to stay committed to one's goals and values.

5. Positive Self-Talk and Affirmations: The practice of using positive and empowering language to build confidence, motivation, and self-esteem.

Developing Mental Toughness

1. Embracing Challenges: Viewing challenges as opportunities for growth, learning, and self-improvement.

2. Practicing Mindfulness and Meditation: Regularly practicing mindfulness and meditation to build mental clarity, focus, and resilience.

3. Building Self-Awareness: Developing a deep understanding of one's thoughts, emotions, strengths, and weaknesses.

4. Cultivating a Growth Mindset: Embracing a growth mindset, and viewing failures and setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning.

5. Surrounding Yourself with Positive Influences: Surrounding yourself with positive, supportive, and like-minded individuals who inspire and motivate you.

Conclusion

A warrior's mindset is the key to unlocking their full potential. By developing mental toughness, clarity of purpose, and a growth mindset, warriors can overcome even the most daunting challenges, and achieve greatness in all areas of their lives.

Strong & Inspired,

- Master Z

Mark your calendars, if you haven't already

 

中国传统武术：小道童展示 武当 - 八仙棍

Notice the part where she imitates an old man or woman walking with a cane.

I wonder what Sensei Kreese is thinking

I found this photo today while surfing the web, I don't think I've seen it before. Kind of a funny expresion on Sensei Kreese's face, I wonder what he is thinking.