What Martial Arts Does Jackie Chan Know?

Jackie Chan is a world-famous actor, director, and martial artist who incorporate different martial arts styles in his movies.

This makes us wonder about the number of martial arts learned by this legendary figure. So what martial arts does Jackie Chan know?

Jackie Chan knows different martial arts such as hapkido, Shaolin kung-fu, karate, wing Chun, boxing, and other martial arts styles.

Jackie Chan has a background in many different martial arts and is at least proficient in most of them.

And while it might be difficult to point out a definitive list of all martial arts styles learned by him, the above styles however remain his most dominant.

What Martial Art Does Jackie Chan Learn?

Jackie Chan is recognized to have learned different martial arts such as Kung fu, hapkido, karate, wing Chun, boxing, etc.

The range of martial arts skills Chan possesses is impressive.

He has expertise in southern kung fu, northern kung fu, wing Chun, and hapkido (South Korean martial art).

Karate and Western boxing are also among his extensive training.

Chan himself has described his style as “chop suey” which means “everything”.

He was quoted on Quora saying;

“When I was young, I learned Southern Style, Northern Style, then after that, I learned Wing Chun, Hapkido, karate, boxing…all kinds of things. So my style is chop suey: everything.”

Jackie Chan

So, Chan’s fighting style cannot be defined by a single martial arts discipline.

Over the years of training, Chan has managed to put together his own personal style by borrowing elements from all the different fighting styles he’s learned.

The fact that Chan is proficient in these various martial art styles shows just how important his years of training at the Peking Opera School was to his development as a fighter.

Several of Jackie Chan’s classmates are now martial arts legends in their own rights due to the training they received at the academy.

After attending the Peking Opera School, other members of the Seven Little Fortunes such as Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, and Yuen Wah went on to become renowned kung fu actors.

“Seven Little Fortunes” sometimes known as “The Lucky Seven” was a name for one of the Peking opera performances featuring seven of Yu’s students, but was later expanded to include all students of Master Yu Jim Yuen.

Jackie Chan Martial Arts Styles

Kung Fu

If you are a follower of Jackie’s movies, you need not be told about his expertise in kung fu.

Jackie Chan is said to have learned both the southern and northern Shaolin kung fu.

His kung fu skills have been on display in many of his popular movies including the legendary “Drunken Master” film.

Kung Fu is undoubtedly one of the most ancient martial arts in the world, and a close study of a fight between someone trained in southern style kung fu versus northern style shows an apparent difference between them.

Hapkido

Jackie Chan trained hapkido under legendary South Korean instructor grandmaster Kim Jin Pal.

He learned this art alongside his friends Angela Mao, Sammo Hung, and Carter Wong.

Since hapkido incorporates a bit of everything including wrestling, striking, throws, and weapons training, this was truly the perfect martial art for him to learn.

Hapkido is perfect for the big screen due to the chaos of fight scenes and the variety of martial arts styles often used.

Although Kim Jin Pal awarded Jackie Chan his hapkido black belt, it remains unclear what year it was awarded.

According to Chan, different flying kicks are his favorite hapkido techniques.

This again aligns perfectly with martial arts emphasis on flair and athleticism.

Karate

Jackie Chan is also known for his proficiency in Karate.

This is evident in the epic movie “Karate Kid” where the Okinawan Karate style was used.

He has sometimes stated in interviews that he does not fully know karate but can perform the moves due to his background in other martial arts.

However, while he might not be an expert in Karate, he sure has a good level of proficiency in the art.

Wing Chun

Jackie Chan’s incredible wing Chun skills are on display in the movies “The Big Brawl” as well as “Rumble in the Bronx”.

Since historically wing Chun belts aren’t awarded in legitimate schools, it is unknown how long Chan has been learning the art.

Regardless of this, you can see that Chan sure knows what he is doing and can perform wing Chun to a high level.

Jackie Chan likely learned Wing Chun from expert friend Leung Ting, who has been photographed with him several times.

Ting was the last student of Yip Man (Ip Man), which explains why his wing Chun technique is so good.

Also, Chan has explained that he learned both Southern and Northern Shaolin kung-fu early on in his career.

And while wing Chun is not exactly the same as the southern and northern styles, there are many similarities.

Chinese Opera

Jackie Chan’s career has clearly been influenced by Chinese opera, even though it is not a martial art.

The truth is, without this style and formal training, it is very unlikely that we would know the name Jackie Chan and the numerous films he has appeared in.

During Jackie’s time at the Peking opera school, he learned acrobatics, choreography, singing, acting, fight movements, and even martial arts.

These skills are evident in his stunt work and ability to put on an entertaining fight sequence in front of a camera sometimes through the use of various objects as weapons.

Proof of this can be seen throughout his career where he uses household objects such as broomsticks and chairs to defend against attackers.

People in the west may view this as a soft and unreal martial art.

It is well known, however, that Chinese stuntmen and fight scenes are in full contact to look realistic.

It is not uncommon to get hit in the face or fall from a tall building without any support.

Jackie Chan’s extensive list of injuries throughout his career further proves this.

Other Styles

Other less documented martial arts practiced by Jackie Chan include judo, taekwondo, jiu-jitsu, and boxing.

It is not known where Chan trained these martial arts or what rank he holds.

However, with the number of movies that he features in, you can see his application of the techniques from these various disciplines during the fight scenes.

What Is Jackie Chan’s Fighting Style Called?

According to Jackie Chan, his fighting style is “chop suey” which means “everything”. He uses a mix of martial arts, including Wing Chun, Hapkido, Boxing, and Karate.

Mixed with acrobatics, Chan also incorporates Kung Fu, Jiu-Jitsu, and Taekwondo.

“The King of Stunt Comedy” is known for his willingness to perform dangerous stunts without safety devices.

Kung fu, taekwondo, and jiu-jitsu are all part of Chan’s fighting style.

In the kung fu film genre, he is a well-known actor/comedian.

As explained earlier, Chan is known for his unique fighting styles that combine acrobatics, wild stunts, and the ability to use any object as a weapon.

At the Hong Kong acting academy, Chan underwent intense training and exercises.

The Peking Opera School in China is where he completed his training, and after graduating, he was made a member of the Seven Little Fortunes.

In addition to acrobatics, acting, and martial arts, this group also puts on shows in Hong Kong.

So, Chan’s style is impossible to categorize since he incorporates elements from many different martial arts disciplines.

What Black Belt Is Jackie Chan?

Jackie Chan is a hapkido black belter who has learned all facets of the art, specializing in self-defense kicking techniques.

After entering the film industry, Chan along with Sammo Hung got the chance to train in hapkido under grand master Jin Pal Kim, where he eventually attained a black belt.

He was partial towards aerial maneuvers such as flying side, back kicks, double front kicks, and flying scissors kicks.

Chan’s favorite Hapkido technique is probably the “eagle jumps and catches its prey” kick.

He has even taught this martial art to the 20 stunt men who work for him.

How Many Black Belts Does Jackie Chan Have?

Although Jackie chan is proficient in many martial arts styles, he has only one recognized black belt which is in Hapkido.

He has gone on to learn other styles of martial arts but none (except hapkido) gives him a black belt status.

This could probably be because he was not fully into any of the arts.

Conclusion

Jackie Chan is a legitimate fighter who has learned a lot of martial arts, but this doesn’t make him an expert in all of these styles.

However, he is proven to be proficient in most of them and sure knows how to combine them to put on amazing performances.