Ok, I was just watching the Karate Kid movies for the jizillionth time, and I watched the special features, with Pat Johnson. That made me think about all the other martial art movies with Tang Soo Do in them. This is my list, lets see if anyone can add to it!! 1. Pat Johnson (Karate Kid) 2. Chuck Norris (one of the biggest martial art stars) 3. Jean Claude Van Damme (seriously!) 4. Ho Sik Pak (Best of the Best) hhhmmm. Not as big of a list as I thought it was going to be. Who else should be on this list? Anybody know?
I always thought JC Van Dame was a Shotokan practitioner. The only other TSD guy I can think of is Bob Wall, he was in Way Of The Dragon(O Hara). Pat Johnson also did the fight choreography for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies and at least one of the Mortal Combat movies. I remember watching a film(cant remember the name) with two young women fighting, one of them says "dont make me use the Tang Soo Do" and pulls a daft fighting stance.
Yeah there's also Chloe Bruce (not sure if she classifys as a star yet, but she is to me. Put in a google check her out) who's been in a couple of probably less well known films The Purifiers n Double Zero i think they were called
Oh just had another thought Nikki Berwick does a lot of stunt double work on movies she's originally Tang Soo Do too guys. Again google and find her. Bloody hell wheres the cool Kuk Sool Won Movie people lol I am sooooooooooo Jealous.
Just remembered one, Cynthia Rothrock! She studied TSD and Eagle Claw Kung Fu. She was the first western women to become a Hong Kong movie star I believe.
You know, I always thougth that JC was Shotokan as well, but if you look in GM Park's book, "Complete Tang Soo Do manual, Vol. 2" on page 27, you will see under Lee Beom Joo one Jean Claude Van Damme. I have not found any other information to support this though. Thanks for the other references! I now will try to find all of those movies!! I don't care if they are stars, I just wanna know!!!
I'm pretty sure Van Damme started off in Shotokan under Claude Goetz. Check his website to find out more. He even talks about Karate on there too. Maybe he more recently has taken up TSD? Even the stars would cross train. Heard/read same thing about Norris. Started in Karate, was even a US champ or something like that I think, but now studies TSD as well. Edit: I can't think of any more movie stars that do TSD, but I can think of video game characters who do, lol.
Ok, no, read Chuck's autobiography. He learned Tang Soo Do in Korea, when he was stationed there in the war, and that is the first style he had learned. His Dan # is 2819, given by Jae C. Shin, now the Grandmaster of the World Tang Soo Do Association. As for JC, I beleived as well that he studied Karate, I don't know where he learned TSD (or if he ever did) as the only mention of it I see is in Pak's book, mentioned in a previous post. Tang Soo!!
I stand corrected. As for the Van Damme thing. On his Official Website you actually see him wearing a jacket bearing a Karate emblem on the opening flash thingy. And you can read a bit about him studying under Claude Goetz in his bio.
Ya, I have read all of that. I have even done a google on his instructor, and only in one place did I find information about him doing Shotokon. If you read his bio, though, you will notice that he did train with Chuck Norris. Maybe that is the link that got him into TSD. Ok, new guy. Dominiquie Vanderberg. I am actually reading his biography right now, called "The Iron Circle". He trained in TSD from age 9 to 14, I think. He worked on the movie "gangs of new york", and another movie I can't place right now, one of those b-grade martial art movies.
Chad McQueen. Son of Steve McQueen. Steve was a student of both Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee. Chad McQueen looks much more influenced by tang soo do than anything Bruce would have passed along though. Chad's been in a bunch of straight-to-video stuff, in addition to being one of the bullies from The Karate Kid. John Barrett, who appears in the first Shootfighter movie and some other straight-to-video fare is also from tang soo do I think. Stuart
What to think about Michelle "The Mouse" Krasnoo. She's tang soo do as well. She's in Kickboxer 4, Death Match and WMAC-Masters... Check this link for several other tsd stylists: http://www.geocities.com/johan_a77/MartialFem.html Greetings, Hanwarrior
Ok, don't hold this against me, but I am excited!! I really like Bloodsport growing up, and any of its other clones by JC! I think I will enjoy this!!!!!
Lol we are not really sure!! The only thing that references him in TSD is mentioned earlier in this thread, and I don't think we have any way of asking him. It also mentions that he trained Chuck Norris earlier in his career.
I heard JC did shotokan for a while and couldn't hack it, my sensei used to relay stories from other senior instructors about how his kicks looked nice but lacked power.
