Chuck Norris is experienced in many different fighting techniques and has used them throughout his career in martial arts and film. Norris’ first major film role came at the invite of his friend and fellow martial artist Bruce Lee, who insisted that Norris play the villainous role of Colt in 1972’s The Way of the Dragon. Norris and Bruce Lee’s illegal showdown in the film became one of the most recognizable fights in cinematic history. Fom there, Norris, who was encouraged by his student at the time, Steve McQueen, started a storied journey in Hollywood action.
Norris is known for some of the best fight scenes in action movies in the 1980s, like Silent Rage, The Octagon, and The Delta Force, but his biggest claim to fame came from his role as Cordell Walker in Walker, Texas Ranger for 196 episodes. Norris’ ability to expertly fuse his martial arts training with his acting is a rarity for American actors, and his knowledge of several styles has helped him become a massive success. However, there is one style Norris is more experienced in.
Is it true that Chuck Norris was one of Bruce Lee’s students? Here’s what’s been said about the relationship between the two martial arts legends.He Is A Black Belt In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Judo, And Tang Soo Do
In the late ’50s and throughout the 1960s, after a stint in the United States Air Force, Chuck Norris started deeply exploring the martial art of karate. He opened a martial arts studio and began training and competing in major karate tournaments. It wasn’t until 1967 that he won the All-American Karate Championship, after beating seven opponents. He defended the title the next year and retired from the tournament, but that was also where he met Bruce Lee, who would become a new training partner.
Outside karate (both the ancient arts of Shitō-ryū and Shotokan) and Tang Soo Do, Norris is expertly practiced in the Korean arts of Taekwondo and Hapkido. He has also learned martial arts from other regions, including Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Filipino Arnis, and Judo. However, his knowledge of Japanese martial arts doesn’t end with Judo, as he’s also studied the full-contact art of Kyokushin, Gōjū-ryū, and Kenpo. He holds a Black Belt in Taekwondo, Karate, Judo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Tang Soo Do is a hybrid version of karate that is fused with Korean martial arts
Chuck Norris System (Chun Kuk Do) And American Tang Soo Do
Chuck Norris is also credited with founding his own two styles of martial arts, known as American Tang Soo Do and Chun Kuk Do (Chuck Norris System). American Tang Soo Do is a combination of five different martial arts styles, which include the Korean arts of traditional Tang Soo Do and Moo Duk Kwan-style, Judo, and the Shitō-ryū and Shotokan styles of Karate. According to American Tang Soo Do Association, Norris started the American Tang Soo Do system in 1973, as well as the National Tang Soo Do Congress, which Norris would eventually branch off to the United Fighting Arts Federation (UFAF).
With the evolution of Tang Soo Do and the addition of more martial arts styles, Norris would form Chun Kuk Do, now known as the Chuck Norris System. Norris created his own moral code of honor for the system, consisting of 10 rules for its members to follow. Norris’ United Fighting Arts Federation continues to hold tournaments and training conferences in Las Vegas and has 90 schools worldwide, in several different countries. There are more than 4,000 active members of the UFAF.
At the age of 84, Chuck Norris has become one of the few actors who has left his imprint in multiple ways. The fights in Norris’ movies and real life are legendary, and his personality and talents have had a lasting impression on pop culture. Chuck Norris‘ contributions to martial arts with the systems he created and his memorable place in Hollywood have cemented him as an important figure in both areas forever.
