Social Gelo with Angelo - Social Gelo -

Why are people so obsessed with exposing "fake black belts"? Is the black belt still meaningful, or are medals and competition results all that matter? After more than 25 years in the martial arts, I've trained in traditional belt systems, non-belt systems, and submission wrestling in Japan—their version of catch wrestling. In this episode, I break down why this debate never seems to go away. I sh...

Is Kudo really as popular in Japan as many martial artists think? After living in Japan for over 13 years and running a martial arts gym, my experience has been very different from what I often hear online. In this episode, I share my firsthand observations, a brief history of Kudo, and why perception doesn't always match reality. I'd love to hear your thoughts—especially if you've trained Kudo. L...

The biggest guy in the room isn't always the toughest. The guy with the six-pack isn't always the best fighter. So why do we keep assuming muscles equal fighting ability? In this episode, we discuss one of the biggest myths in martial arts and fitness: the difference between looking dangerous and being dangerous. From Larry Wheels to everyday gym stories, we break down why strength matters, but sk...

That's Not Kajukenbo!" We've all heard it before. Show a kickboxing combination? "That's not Kajukenbo." Teach a closed guard escape? "That's BJJ, not Kajukenbo." Demonstrate a traditional technique from another lineage? "That's not Kajukenbo." In this episode, join Carlos Del Valle as we break down three techniques and tackle a question that has divided martial artists for decades: Who gets to de...

Every week, I meet martial artists who tell me they want to quit their job and start running martial arts programs. The dream sounds amazing. Teach martial arts, be your own boss, build a community, and make a living doing what you love. But after more than 20 years teaching martial arts, running programs in both the United States and Japan, and interviewing over 200 martial artists ranging from g...

Has modern karate forgotten how to fight? In this episode of Social Gelo with Angelo, I sit down with Robert Shimonski, a black belt in both karate and judo, to discuss one of the most controversial questions in martial arts today. Has karate drifted too far into forms, point fighting, and tradition, or are critics completely missing the point? We discuss sparring, self-defense, grappling, kata, j...

Is online martial arts training legit… or is it turning martial arts into a scam? In this episode of Social Gelo with Angelo, I sit down with police officer and martial artist Ephraim Cheever to debate whether online martial arts training actually works. We talk about distance learning, online coaching, fake black belts, martial arts gatekeeping, and whether someone can realistically become a figh...

Do Americans Use Too Much Japanese in Judo? This one got HEATED. On this panel, I sit down with experienced judo black belts Steve Scott, Justin Smith, and T. Lee to tackle a question that martial arts people almost never ask out loud: Has American judo become MORE obsessed with Japanese terminology than actual Japan? As somebody teaching martial arts in Japan, I’ve noticed something strange: Most...

Most martial artists think they have timing… until somebody starts fighting back. Tony Malgiero joins the show to talk about how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu exposed holes in traditional martial arts training, changed his understanding of pressure and tempo, and completely reshaped the way he approaches fighting. We discuss Kenpo, BJJ, pressure testing, fake timing, live resistance, and why some martial ar...

Why are Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai blowing up, while Kenpo is getting left behind? In this episode of Social Gelo with Angelo, I break down what’s really going on, and it’s not just about fighting. It’s about pressure testing, competition, and why some styles are easier to understand, watch, and market today. Most people are pointing fingers. I’m not just doing that. I’m talking about what...

In this episode of Social Gelo with Angelo, we break down the myth of the “complete system” in martial arts. Joined by a panel of black belts with backgrounds across multiple styles — Pat Griffith, Carlos del Valle, Claude Lawson, and Ron Esteller — we discuss whether any system truly has all the answers. With experience spanning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kajukenbo, kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do, and Judo,...

Jerry Weldon breaks down the history of Kajukenbo TUM PAI in this episode of Social Gelo with Angelo. This is a straight walkthrough of how the TUM PAI branch came to be, told from someone who’s been around it. If you’ve heard the name but never really understood where it fits in Kajukenbo, this gives you the context. We get into the origins, the people involved, and how it connects back to the bi...

This episode is a conversation, not a definitive history lesson. I sat down with Hanshi Bruce Juchnik and his student Ephraim Cheever to talk about Kosho Ryu Kenpo, Kajukenbo, and the stories surrounding their lineage. We get into background, experiences, and what they’ve personally seen over the years. Like anything in martial arts history, not everything lines up clean, and you’re going to hear...

Most martial artists think they’re ready… until reality hits. In this solo episode of Social Gelo with Angelo, I break down the gap between sport training and real fights, from BJJ and kickboxing to traditional martial arts and Kajukenbo. If you’ve never trained under pressure, you might not be as prepared as you think. Train smart. Pressure test everything.

In this episode of Social Gelo with Angelo, I sit down with Gary Taylor, a Kajukenbo practitioner and MMA coach out of Idaho, to talk about his martial arts journey and the reality of what actually works when you step into MMA. We break down what carries over from Kajukenbo, what has to be adjusted, and what straight up doesn’t work once you start training under real pressure. This isn’t theory, t...

In this episode, I sit down with David Ducay and Dwight Woods to answer one question: Does Filipino Martial Arts actually improve fighting? We break down how FMA fits into Kajukenbo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and MMA, and whether that integration actually works. David Ducay, who leads the Kajukenbo Escrima branch and has a strong FMA background, and Dwight Woods, a Jeet Kune Do practitioner...

In this episode of Social Gelo with Angelo, I sit down with Gary Forbach to talk about the Kajukenbo DVD series he put together and the role it plays in preserving Kajukenbo history. We dive into what motivated the project, how the material was selected, and what it took to document such an important part of the art. Gary also shares insights on working with Alan Abad and the influence of Sijo Emp...

Almost 50 years before Kajukenbo was founded in Hawaii in the1950s, a British engineer introduced a hybrid martial art in London that combined boxing, Japanese jujutsu, savate, and cane fighting. It was called Bartitsu. In this episode of Social Gelo with Angelo, we break down the history of Bartitsu from 1899 to its collapse in 1902, its connection to Sherlock Holmes, and what modern Kajukenbo pr...

Is Wing Chun really a complete system… or is that idea outdated in modern martial arts? In this episode of Social Gelo with Angelo, we dive into the history of Wing Chun, why many masters claim it contains everything a fighter needs, and why that claim doesn’t fully hold up under modern pressure testing. We talk tradition vs reality, cross-training, and where Wing Chun actually fits in today’s fig...

In this episode of Social Gelo with Angelo, I sit down with T. Lee, Judo black belt and President of the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation, to break down the history, evolution, and reality of the Judo ranking system. Where did the belt system actually come from? What did Jigoro Kano originally intend? And how do modern organizations interpret rank today? We go deep into: • The origins of the Kyu...

In this episode, Timothy Bowles shares his experience growing up in the Mitose lineage of Kosho Ryu Kenpo while also being deeply connected to Kajukenbo. We talk about the technical similarities between the arts, how forms and techniques overlap, and why Kajukenbo has always had strong ties to the community, helping keep people out of gangs and off the streets.

In Kajukenbo, we all know the names. Adriano Emperado. Peter Choo. Joe Holck. Frank Ordonez. George Chang. We know the stories. We know the legends. But very few of us know the actual timeline of how Kajukenbo was created, when it really began, how the Black Belt Society formed, and when the art became known as Kajukenbo. In this episode of Social Gelo with Angelo, I sit down with KSDI historian M...

Are we teaching martial arts… or just teaching moves? Parents sign their kids up for BJJ, Karate, and MMA for discipline, respect, confidence, and focus. But those don’t show up on the mat — they show up at school. In this episode of Social Gelo with Angelo, I sit down with Sunny Ramos, a martial arts instructor who believes our job doesn’t end when class is over. We talk about why instructors sho...

🥋⏱️ Why does it take years to earn a black belt in Karate or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu… while the military can produce functional fighters in months? In this episode, we break down function vs mastery vs rank, how fighting skills were taught historically, and why modern martial arts training takes so long. This isn’t about trashing martial arts or glorifying the military—it’s about understanding purpos...

JKD history. FMA reality. And the uncomfortable gap between fantasy and function. I sit down with Dwight Woods (JKD Dialogues Podcast) to break down JKD history, why JKD guys often end up training FMA, where that makes sense, and where things go sideways when weapons training replaces realism. Control vs destruction, MMA pressure testing, and what Kajukenbo gets right. Not a call-out. A reality ch...