Everyone knows Jackie Chan as the action star who does his stunts all on his own.
Jackie has filmed over 150 martial arts movies. So surely he must know tons about fighting styles.
Jackie Chan knows six martial arts, including Hapkido, Karate, Boxing, Judo, Taekwondo, and Wing Chun. Before those, he also learned the Southern and Northern traditional Chinese martial arts styles, involving Kung Fu and Jeet Kune Do.
Are you a Jackie Chan fan? If so, you’ll surely enjoy this article I made for you. Hop on.
Table of Contents
Jackie Chan’s martial arts experience
Throughout Jackie Chan’s showbiz career, he has showcased his martial art pedigree from his rich cultural background in his home country, China.
One thing that made him a famous action star is his skill in Kung Fu.
1. Kung Fu: Southern Fist
One of the first martial arts that Jackie learned was the Southern Styles. These styles focus on attack and defense using both hands rather than legs.
The Southern Fist focuses on short-range combat where the fighter’s hands are tucked close to the chest. They also prefer a tight stance with small steps to advance.
Jackie has learned Choy Gar, Hung Ga, Lau Gar, Ng Ying, Li, and Mok Gar within this style. Other styles like Monkey style, Dragon, and more.
Jackie used his Southern Fist skills in fight scenes where he’ll use his fists alone to destroy his enemies. You can see this in ‘Shanghai Knights’ and ‘The Medallion.’
2. Kung Fu: Northern Fist
Another martial art style that Jackie learned in his early days was the Northern Fist. The Northern style is more on kicks and acrobatic style of fighting.
Unlike the Southern style, Northern martial artists use their legs mainly for fighting. They perform various flying, roundhouse, and lead kicks to create distance while being aggressive.
The Northern Fist is subdivided into different martial arts such as Baguazhang, Bajiquan, Chāquán, Chuojiao, Eagle Claw, Mantis, and Taijiquan. These styles are used in incredible Chinese action movies.
You can see the inspiration of the Northern Fist in Jackie’s turning, flying, and acrobatic stunts. He uses this in his movies, ‘Shaolin’ and ‘Armour of God.’
3. Wing Chun
There’s no solid proof that Jackie Chan has attended any formal Wing Chun Academy. It’s believed that he learned it from his friend Leung Ting.
Wing Chun is all about the use of arms and legs to deflect and counter the enemy with immense speed and power. Wing Chun is a close-quarter combat martial art.
If you see a man who’s striking a wooden post that seems to have arms and legs, he’s doing Wing Chun.
Jackie showcased his Wing Chun skills in his movie ‘Rumble in The Bronx.’ He also used it in some of his fight scenes in ‘The Big Brawl.’
4. Hapkido
Hapkido is the only formal martial art of Jackie. He received his blackbelt under the supervision of master Jin Pal Kim, a famous martial arts action star.
Hapkido specializes in a little bit of everything. In Hapkido, you’ll learn joint locks, grappling, throwing, punches, kicks, and all sorts of strikes. It’s like Asia’s traditional MMA.
He used Hapkido in almost all of his films. His favorite flying kick maneuvers are Hapkido-inspired. You can see this in the ‘Shanghai Noon’ and ‘The Police story’ movies.
5. Karate
Jackie learned Karate in Peking Chinese Opera, where he also studied acrobatics. Master Yu Jim-yuen taught him all he needed to know about traditional Japanese combat art.
In Karate, martial artists specialize in a wide bouncy stance combined with lighting fast kicks and punches from a distance. This distance makes the fighter elusive while being aggressive.
Jackie Chan showed his Karate skills in ‘The Karate Kid,’ ‘The Tuxedo,’ and ‘The Supercop.’ In fact, he utilizes Karate in almost all of his blockbuster movies.
6. Boxing
Boxing is another martial art in which Jackie does not have recorded proof of training. However, it’s evident that Jackie knows how to properly throw hands in his stunts.
Boxing is a martial art that only involves punching associated with calculated head movements and slick footwork to maintain distance and evade counter shots.
Jackie chan mixes up everything he knows in one movie, including Boxing. Some of his famous films using Boxing are ‘The Myth,’ ‘City Hunter,’ and the ‘Rush Hour series.
7. Judo
Jackie has also had some experience learning Judo throws and core principles that help him to be so adaptable to the needs of movie making.
You learn a lot about landing safely in Judo, and Jackie is an expert at looking like he’s been hit bad while staying mostly injury free.
8. Taekwondo
In Jackie Chan’s learning of martial arts styles that used the legs, like Karate, he also expanded his studies to Tae Kwon Do.
He’s extremely bouncy on his feet and always has been, even while getting older.
He likely has Taekwondo to thank for that, as well as his flexibility and agility.
Common questions about Jackie Chan
Finally I’ll clear up some of the regular questions about Jackie Chan’s experience and history.
Is Jackie Chan a fighter?
Jackie Chan is not a fighter but a high-level martial artist. He can be described as a Jack of All Trades when it comes to combat. However, he focuses more on acting and comedy to make a living.
Jackie has spent his whole career in the show business, specifically in Hollywood and other Chinese entertainment studios.
There’s no proof that he has fought professionally in combat sports. Maybe when he was a kid during amateur contests in China.
However, in his movies, he’s a badass fighter who can manhandle dozens of men all at once without breaking a single bone.
Would Jackie Chan beat Bruce Lee in a fight?
In a battle of fighting styles between Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, Bruce Lee would win because he’s a more experienced martial artist than Jackie. Plus, the fact that Lee has established Jeet Kune Do by himself is a significant advantage for him.
When it comes to fighting experience, Bruce is on the upper hand. Lee had one official fight that happened on March 29, 1958
In this match, he fought defending champion Gary Elms at Hong Kong’s Inter-School Individual Boxing Championship. Lee won via unanimous decision.
As time passed, Lee had a controversial duel against another master named Wong Jack-man in 1964. The duel lasted three minutes, and Bruce was the winner.
On the other hand, Jackie does not have any real fighting experiences to match Bruce Lee’s credentials. Though, both are undeniably good martial artists.
Did Jackie Chan know Bruce Lee?
Jackie is lucky enough to accompany Bruce in the movie, Enter the Dragon. They made this way back in 1973. Unfortunately, Bruce died later that year due to Cerebral edema.
Jackie was just a rising star in this movie, and Bruce was the action star everyone admired. At that time, Jackie was just 19, while Bruce was 32.
Both martial artists could’ve done many more record-breaking films if Lee had managed to live a little longer to see the rise of Jackie’s career.
Did Jackie Chan know Jet Li?
Jet Li and Jackie Chan know each other. In fact, they’ve worked on a movie entitled The Forbidden Kingdom. Li played the Monkey King while Jackie acted as Lu Yan.
Li and Chan were everyone’s action heroes in the early 2000s. They’re both known for their martial art moves during intense one vs. all fight scenes.
How many martial arts does Jackie Chan know?
Jackie Chan knows over ten different martial arts, including Hapkido, Kung Fu, Boxing, Karate, Jeet Kune Do, Taekwondo, Wing Chun, and the Northern and Southern style of Chinese martial arts.
Northern and Southern Chinese martial art styles are divided into dozens of unique martial art styles, making Jackie’s arsenal more diverse.
Jackie learned most of his martial art skills in Peking Chinese Opera. In this academy, he studied acrobatics, singing, and more to become the actor he is today.
Does Jackie Chan teach martial arts?
Jackie does not teach any types of martial art lessons. He has focused on show business which is forte throughout his career.
However, with the skill and experience that Jackie Chan has in martial arts, he would surely make a great master to young aspiring fighters.
If he becomes a coach, his school will be filled with his fans’ sons and daughters.
Does Jackie Chan know Wing Chun?
Jackie Chan practiced Wing Chun. Though there’s no solid proof that he did, it’s believed that he learned it from his friend Leung Ting. Jackie also exhibits excellent Wing Chun skills in his movie fight scenes.
Jackie used Wing Chun in most of his movies. In fact, Wing Chun makes the most of the Chinese action movies’ fight choreography along with Kung Fu.
Is Jackie Chan Retired now?
Jackie Chan has no plans of retiring from show business. He reiterated during an interview that showbiz means happiness for him. You will see him behind the camera directing or helping fight choreography if he’s not in front of the camera.
As a matter of fact, Jackie started to film his new movie ‘Ride On’ last 2019. It is a comedy-themed movie with a bit of action.
Aside from acting, Jackie has recently been dubbed as the main character in an animated movie entitled ‘Wish Dragon.’ It’s a comedy/fantasy-themed movie that was released in 2021.
just wait one day ill be like my idol, Jackie. My name is Jackson chan.