Martial arts are no joke, and these celebrities prove that every day. From actors and athletes to reality TV stars and musicians. These 15 celebrities who train in martial arts take it seriously, and use it to improve their physical and mental condition.
While some of these celebrities are more experienced than others when it comes to martial arts, all of them have successfully combined martial arts training with their other careers. Here are 15 celebrities who train in martial arts.
Here is the list of the 15 celebrities who train in martial arts
Celebrity Name: Jessica Alba
Occupation: Actor, businesswoman
Type of Martial Arts: Taekwondo and Krav Maga
Training Since: Early 2000’s
Belt Grade: Black belt
She is a successful entrepreneur and actress that is known for her well-maintained physique while being able to kick some butt.
She is a mom of two but still maintains her fitness over the years by working out and training in martial arts.
She is a blackbelt in Taekwondo and was also trained in Krav Maga which she uses in fight scenes that include weapons and hand-to-hand combat.
Jessica’s training includes a lot of striking on mitts and pads together with functional workouts for a well-rounded routine.
Standing Kimura Armlock Technique
Celebrity Name: Ed O’Neill
Occupation: Actor, comedian, football player
Type of Martial Arts: Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
Training Since: Around 22 years
Belt Grade: Black belt
A well-renowned actor and football player from the 1940s is also a martial artist who practices Brazilian Jiujitsu. He received his black belt in December 2007 and it was featured in the 2012 TV documentary “I Am Bruce Lee”.
For him, it was the greatest achievement of his life because it was an overwhelming feat of discipline that promotes his health, and physical and mental well-being even in his old age.
Celebrity Name: Katheryn Winnick
Occupation: Actress, stunt double
Type of Martial Arts: Taekwondo and Karate
Training Since: 7 years old
Belt Grade: Black belt
She is a Canadian actress that is known for her roles in the TV series Vikings, Wu Assassins, and Bones. She entered the movie industry by teaching martial arts to actors on the set and eventually became an actress herself.
Some of her family members are martial arts practitioners and that honed her in the sport. She started practicing at the age of 7 and became a black belt at the age of 13 and until now, she is actively practicing for her roles in the film and also to maintain her athletic physique.
Celebrity Name: Demi Lovato
Occupation: Actor, singer, songwriter
Type of Martial Arts: Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
Training Since: 2016
Belt Grade: Blue belt
Many people would be surprised that this singer, songwriter, and Grammy nominee is a martial arts practitioner! Demi has been fit all her life and while having an active music career, she chose to be fit in order to last in the industry.
She utilizes healthy living as a form of self-care and she never stops training. She earned her blue belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu in 2009 and she combines her routine with strength training and a healthy diet.
Celebrity Name: Wiz Khalifa
Occupation: Rapper, singer, and songwriter
Type of Martial Arts: Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai
Training Since: May 2017
Belt Grade: White belt
A well-known controversial rapper Wiz Khalifa trained in Brazilian Jiujitsu in 2017 and later trained in Muay Thai with Saenchai in a YOKKAO seminar. He improved his overall physique by combining heavy lifting and martial arts in his routine.
Martial arts kept his fluidity and while lifting weights improved his physique by adding up muscle mass and definition. All of it helped him a lot to stay in his career by staying healthy and improving his performance.
Celebrity Name: Kevin James
Occupation: Actor, comedian, and screenwriter
Type of Martial Arts: MMA and Muay Thai
Training Since: “Here Comes the Boom” in 2012
Belt Grade: N/A
Doing The Single Leg Sweep From Guard
Kevin James is a funny man who doesn’t really care about fitness, not until he was starred in the movie “Here Comes the Boom” that he realized that he really needed it all his life!
He trained for 14 months and was treated like a fighter in order to get into the physical and mental attributes of a real MMA fighter. He still trains in martial arts after doing the movie as he was an avid fan and he enjoys it.
Celebrity Name: Joe Rogan
Occupation: Comedian, Actor, Television presenter, Podcaster
Type of Martial Arts: Karate, Taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
Training Since: 14 years old
Belt Grade: Black belt
The famous comedian and UFC color commentator is a martial artist himself! He took up Karate at 14 and taekwondo a year later. Martial arts gave him confidence and a different perspective of himself and his capabilities.
He won as a lightweight in the US Open Championship taekwondo tournament and was a full-contact state champion for four years until he became a Taekwondo instructor.
He retired from competition at age 21 but keeps his discipline until now as he is still practicing martial arts to keep his mind sharp while his body in great shape.
Celebrity Name: Henry Cavill
Occupation: Actor
Type of Martial Arts: Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
Training Since: 2018
Belt Grade: White
Henry Cavill is a fan of martial arts. He’s been doing boxing and weight training to keep him in good shape but then he added up Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to enhance his focus and to have a martial art mastery on his belt.
His training came in handy in his role in Mission: Impossible-Fallout he went toe to toe with the actor Tom Cruise.
Celebrity Name: Wesley Snipes
Occupation: Actor, producer, martial artist
Type of Martial Arts: Capoeira, Shotokan karate
Training Since: 12 years old
Belt Grade: 5th-degree black belt in Shotokan karate
Wesley Snipes was discovered by an agent while competing in martial arts and then he became famous for his role in Demolition Man, Money Train, and then later the iconic vampire superhero Blade.
His martial arts discipline helped him land his role mostly as an antagonist in films because of his menacing looks and skills that seem so hard to defeat.
His unparalleled performance as Blade made him so iconic that no one can surpass the role until now.
Celebrity Name: Jean-Claude Van Damme
Occupation: Actor, martial artist
Type of Martial Arts: Shotokan karate and Kickboxing
Training Since: 10 years old
Belt Grade: Black belt in various martial arts
The man of splits and high-flying kicks is what Jean-Claude Van Damme is all about. “The Muscles from Brussels” defines how martial artists should look on the screen with all those muscles showing at all angles.
He first landed the main antagonist role in No Retreat, No Surrender after being famous for his heroic roles in Universal Soldier, Bloodsport, Time Cop, and Streetfighter.
In this day and age, JCVD remains fit and flexible and he still does splits and flying kicks on the spot.
Celebrity Name: Michael Jai White
Occupation: Actor, martial artist
Type of Martial Arts: Kyokushin Karate, Taekwondo, Wushu
Training Since: 7 years old
Belt Grade: Black belt in various martial arts
Michael Jai White was the first African American who landed a major comic book superhero role known as Spawn.
He started training in martial arts at the age of seven which made him proficient in 9 different styles by practicing each style and moving on to the next.
Although his style incorporates many martial arts forms, his main focus is on Kyokushin Karate.
White is actively seen in recent martial arts movies and he continues to establish a calm but explosive personality that is hard to deal with when provoked.
Celebrity Name: John Foo
Occupation: Actor, martial artist
Type of Martial Arts: Wushu
Training Since: 15 years old
Belt Grade: N/A
John Foo is known for his role in Tom-Yum-Goong as the wushu fighter before he landed his major role in 2009 as Jin Kazama in Tekken the movie.
He is a wushu practitioner and uses the art in a stunt role before getting into major roles in the film. John now trains with different styles of martial arts with the hopes of landing more major martial arts roles in the future.
Celebrity Name: Guy Ritchie
Occupation: Film director, producer, screenwriter, businessman
Type of Martial Arts: Judo, Shotokan Karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Training Since: 7 years old
Belt Grade: Black belt in Judo and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Guy Ritchie is recognized in gangster films and consistent practitioner of BJJ under Renzo Grazie. He is also proficient in Shotokan Karate as he started practicing martial arts at the age of seven.
This film director currently focuses mainly on BJJ as it benefits his age by doing more on the mats than doing striking techniques. It keeps him fit and more focused as he also actively participate in the film industry.
Celebrity Name: Keanu Reeves
Occupation: Actor
Type of Martial Arts: Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
Training Since: John Wick
Belt Grade: White
Surprisingly, Keanu Reeves claims that he had no martial arts background and his proficiency as he claims was all about movie magic.
He is a great actor who embodies any role and given a role which requires martial arts made him learn in on the set through practice.
He had learned Kung-fu movements in the movie “The Matrix” but the series of John Wick films made him study Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to formally introduce him in the art and that made him a current white belt holder, earning his way to the top.
Celebrity Name: Jason Statham
Occupation: Actor
Type of Martial Arts: Karate, Kickboxing, Wingchun and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
Training Since: 10 years old
Belt Grade: Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
Jason Statham is known for his tough guy roles and surprises his enemies with his high hitting martial arts movements!
He practiced diving more than of martial arts and he was more of a hobbyist than a practitioner but that didn’t stop him from mastering his craft and landing his role as a fighter and a tough guy in martial arts film.
He didn’t devote his time in martial arts but him being an actor just like Keanu Reeves made him embody what is needed in the film and that made them train to look like they were very proficient in the arts.
If You Train Like an MMA Fighter – You Will Look Like an MMA Fighter.
Yes, this tops the list for most of us. Simply take a glance at Georges St. Pierre, Connor McGregor, or Valentina Shevchenko as the three highest profile examples. The perfect mix of lean muscle and athleticism.
In MMA this type of conditioning is close to the norm, with most amateur fighters getting in nearly as good shape. It’s the type of conditioning that turns heads when you walk by and that you can be proud of when you look at yourself in the mirror. Need to lose weight and pack on lean muscle? MMA style training has you covered!
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