The Martial Artists Who Mastered Cinema (Fight Co)

This is a guest post by Alex Carrillo of Fight Co. a retailer of martial arts equipment as well as a blog about how to take care of that equipment and all things fighting. In today’s guest post Alex is going to talk about the martial artists that not only mastered their craft but also mastered the world of cinema as well. Enjoy.

Ask anyone buying their first Tatami boxing gloves, or their first karate GI, what inspired them to join a fight school and they’ll probably tell you about their favorite fight scene from a Jet Li classic or one of Jackie Chan’s famous multi villain knock-outs. Their technique is second to none, but it’s their powerful on screen presence and charisma that inspires us to want to recreate their great moves for ourselves.

All of the great martial arts legends devoted themselves to their crafts; they practiced countless hours in order to perform the super human feats that left us in awe. Bruce Lee famously did 5000 punches a day, while Jackie Chan once broke twelve concrete blocks without breaking the egg he was holding in his hand.

These actors have dedicated their entire life to perfecting their craft. They are great fighters, but if you could only choose one kick-ass hero, who would it be? Here are some interesting facts about 5 martial artists whose movies light a fire in our bellies and push us to train every day.

Jet Li

Li was a prodigy star, by the age of 11 he had won the Chinese Junior Wushu championship and even became a national coach. The team performed for Richard Nixon who asked Li to be his personal bodyguard, Li declined. Li’s early movies were very popular in China, but it wasn’t until his villainous appearance in Lethal Weapon 4 that he received international stardom. Still, Li renounced his US citizenship so his children could be schooled in Singapore.

Bruce Lee

Bruce was a complete master of his craft. As a child growing up in Hong Kong, Bruce starred in over 20 movies. He also studied dance and loved poetry. Beside his steadfast dedication to training, Bruce Lee created and mastered his own martial art, Jeet Kune Do. He studied physics, anatomy and philosophy in order to perfect the moves of his lethal technique. Lee could throw a knock-out punch from only an inch off an opponent’s body.

Jackie Chan

When you watch a Jackie Chan movie, chances are good he not only starred in it, but directed it, produced it, and choreographed every fight scene and every stunt. Chan said he won’t give a penny of his vast fortune to his children, because he feels they should have to work for their money. His attitude might have something to do with his humble beginnings as a construction worker in Australia, which is where he was given his stage name ‘Jackie’. His real name is Chan Kong-sang.

Chuck Norris

Bruce Lee’s famous movie nemesis was a black belt in three martial arts disciplines and, like Lee, Norris invented his own fight style called Chun Kuk Do. By 1968 Norris became the karate world champion, but his cheesy 1980’s on screen presence as a Texan tough guy is what we remember Chuck for nowadays. Despite a couple of beautifully choreographed fight scenes against Bruce Lee, Chuck’s movie career only took off after Steve McQueen nudged him into show business.

Cheng Pei-pei

Chuck Norris started out as a gymnast, and like many of her fellow martial artists, Cheng Pei-pei wasn’t trained as a fighter. She started off as a ballerina, and it wasn’t until she starred in the 1966 Hong Kong Wuxia (A type of martial arts hero in Chinese fiction), Come Drink With Me that she demonstrated her fighting prowess on celluloid. In the movie, which is set during the early Ming Dynasty, she plays a warrior swordswoman on a mission to save her brother who has been kidnapped. Chen more recently starred in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

What makes these martial artists stand out cannot be summed up by the scenes in which we cherish their kick-ass powers. What makes our heroes wonderful to watch is their sheer athleticism. Bruce Lee was a great fighter because he was a great dancer, and the same is true of Cheng Pei-pei.

Chuck Norris was always athletic, but didn’t even take up martial arts until he joined the Air Force. Jet Li was one of the few martial arts stars who immediately displayed a natural talent for fighting, even when his father died when he was a child, he would train relentlessly.

What all of these great martial artists have in common is the hard work and dedication that makes them such incredible, memorable warriors. Jackie Chan fights, sings, directs, and performs his own stunts. His movies are often comical, but watch any fight scene and every movement is performed with meticulous perfection. But across all these multi-talented martial artists, the question remains: who’s your favorite?

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