Why Martial Arts Movies are the Best Sports Movies
by Brian Waters
I love martial arts movies. And I’ve seen them all: the good ones, the bad ones, with subtitles or dubbing. As a black belt in Kukkiwon Tae Kwon Do, I find them to be an incredible display of skill and far superior to other sports movies.
Here are 3 reasons why.
1. The actors are the athletes
The best martial arts actors in the world are also accomplished martial artists who have dedicated their lives to their sport. Bruce Lee studied Wing Chun Kung Fu under the legendary master Ip Man before moving to the United States and developing his own martial art, Jeet Kune Do. Jackie Chan is known for his “Drunken Style” as seen in the Drunken Master movies. You know if you watch a Tony Jaa movie, you’re going to see world-class Muay Thai on film—and a sliding kick across a flooded floor.
This is very different from actors portraying football, basketball, or baseball players in movies, who are almost never masters of the sport they are playing on screen. Martial artists are actually practicing their sport on a world-class level while also performing as actors in a movie. It’s an amazing feat that’s difficult to pull off, no matter the ultimate quality of the film.
2. They expand your knowledge
The plots of martial arts movies often tell stories of underdogs overcoming the odds and rising up against corruption and bullying. I know you’re probably envisioning the Crane Kick from The Karate Kid right now, but I encourage you to dig deeper.
Watch the Ip Man series to learn about Japanese and British colonialism in 20th-century China. Watch The Protector (starring Tony Jaa) to understand Thai culture and the fight against greed. Watch Time Cop to understand the dangers of traveling back in time… just kidding, just watch it to see Jean-Claude Van Damme do the splits in strange costumes.
3. They’re inspiring
As stated above, almost every martial arts movie involves the underdog overcoming the odds. This is a very consistent theme to martial arts movies. I dare you to watch the show Wu Assassins and not be motivated to learn how to defeat evil in this world using your fists. Or even the Rocky/Creed movies and how they inspire you to give everything you have to overcome the odds.
I always want to be a better person as a result of watching martial arts movies. I see what the actors are doing and want to learn how it is done (then accidentally hurt myself due to lack of skill). I don’t know how many times I’ve ended up doing knuckle push-ups while watching my favorite actor, Iko Uwais, kick ass in his movies.
Although I am inspired by other sports movies, the physical response I get from watching martial arts movies is unique and it makes me want to be a better martial arts practitioner and instructor.
Knowing all of this, I encourage you to watch this clip from the relatively unknown Netflix original movie Wira. As you watch, remember that these aren’t stunt doubles performing but the actors themselves.
This is why martial arts films are the ultimate sports films. And if you disagree with me, I’ll see you at the All-Valley!