How to Display Martial Arts Belts Without Spending Any Money

Martial Arts Actors Who Don't Even Take A Blackness Belt

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Martial arts movies are a mainstay of motion pic industries across the world. From cheesy vanquish-em-ups to complicated philosophical stories, these films maintain a following in all hemispheres, largely thanks to charismatic stars and their super cool karate chops. Only even though they look pretty crawly throwing those high kicks and delivering flurries of well-placed punches, not all martial arts actors are actually martial arts experts. Or at the very least, many of these cinematic badasses don't accept black belts.

Of course, we're not implying there's any shame in non having a black belt. Actors, afterwards all, deed. It's nigh perception, not reality. Likewise, fifty-fifty people with lower belts are still way more skilled than nearly of the population. All the same, when y'all run across a star up on the big screen, taking on a legion of bad guys with but bare knuckles and furious fists, y'all naturally wait for them to take a blackness belt lying around back home. But when it comes to formal martial arts training, the actors on this listing might know how to throw a roundhouse boot, but they certainly don't have a black belt.

A few housekeeping notes on the chugalug organisation

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"Martial arts" is plural for a reason. There are hundreds of unlike schools of fighting across the globe, all of which have spent years influencing each other. As much as movies like to simplify things to either "karate" or "kung fu," those are only two of the near pop styles, but they're not necessarily the almost good by martial arts actors. In fact, many of these disciplines don't follow a belt system, and equally you lot'll see on this list, many revered actors have no belts because none were offered.

Many martial arts actors besides come from a dance background instead of a fighting one. This tracks considering the master attribute for a film star is performance, not victory. Fight scenes in whatever movie — especially martial arts movies — are about cooperation and telling a story instead of chirapsia an opponent. The best comparison is professional person wrestling, where many wrestlers show off their skills past fighting "Invisible Men" to demonstrate how to take bumps and tell stories via gainsay.

In that location'south also a trend in martial arts now known as "black belt factories" or McDojos — schools that teach watered-downwards, fast-paced martial arts lessons with the goal of pumping out every bit many black belts as possible. This is done simply and so people can have the prestige of having a black chugalug without putting in the piece of work. Many martial arts websites now offer warnings almost black belt factories and how to spot them. In other words, in today's age, black belts tin can exist highly overrated, and just because an actor doesn't take one, that doesn't mean they don't know what they're doing.

Bruce Lee never needed a black belt

Bruce Lee's legacy speaks for itself. He's the name most associated with martial arts movies, and in some ways, martial arts in general. He almost unmarried-handedly started the martial arts revolution in the Westward. His movies — including Mode of the Dragon, Enter The Dragon, and Game of Death — are bedrocks of the martial arts movie genre.

He likewise never had a black chugalug in whatever discipline.

Lee'south principal martial arts background was in wing chun, which he studied straight nether the famous Ip Human being. He excelled, only it was also a martial fine art that offered no belt organization. When he moved to America, he studied acting at the Academy of Washington. He before long began pedagogy his own variation of Wing Chun, which eventually morphed into Jeet Kune Do. He described information technology equally a hybrid manner instead of an organized establishment, and information technology'southward a philosophy that shines throughout all of Lee's movies.

David Carradine was the star of Kung Fu, merely he didn't know any

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David Carradine was all-time known for starring as the titular villain in Kill Pecker and in the Television show Kung Fu as Caine, a Shaolin monk wandering the American Old Westward. It was the first exposure many people in America had to kung fu or any other kind of martial arts, and in many ways, Carradine was the face up of martial arts in America alongside Bruce Lee. Merely during the height of the show's popularity, Carradine not merely lacked a black belt, he lacked any kind of formal martial arts training.

Carradine originally relied on his feel in dance, gymnastics, and fencing through the early parts of the bear witness's run. He subsequently developed a deeper interest in kung fu, and while never a chief, he saw himself as something of an ambassador for the mode. He later on learned enough martial arts to make instructional videos on tai chi.

As for his skill every bit a fighter, though? Chuck Norris, who faced him in Lonely Wolf McQuaid, quipped, "David Carradine is near as good a martial artist equally I am an role player."

Gina Carano, MMA fable, avoided belts until recently

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Gina Carano was the almost recognizable name in women's MMA for years, and she's since gone on to a solid acting career. In addition to a series of straight-to-video martial arts movies for the diehards, she'south appeared Fast & Furious six as DSS Agent Riley Hicks and more prominently in Deadpool as Affections Dust. She'south also starring in The Mandalorian as Cara Dune. Despite all these accomplishments, she doesn't have a black chugalug ... at to the lowest degree, not nevertheless.

Carano got her first in Muay Thai, which doesn't take traditional belt rankings. She compiled a 12-one-1 tape before getting involved in MMA, where she found neat success. She was oftentimes labeled "the face of women's MMA," although she disputed that. She compiled a 7-1 MMA record, with her last match being a loss against Cris Cyborg in the get-go ever women'south match to headline a major MMA consequence. She went into interim and tv set work not long after.

She never left martial arts behind, though. In 2014, she started practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, working her way up from white chugalug.

Jet Li is a martial arts actor who's beyond belts

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Jet Li is 1 of the most recognizable martial arts stars of the past few decades. Seeing his name on a poster lets fans know they're in for an action-packed only thoughtful martial arts picture show. American fans know him from movies such equally Hero, Fearless, Unleashed, and more commercial off-white such as The Expendables and Lethal Weapon 4. All of this is backed upwards with genuine skill. He'southward a champion in at least one field of martial arts. That said, he's never acquired a black belt due to his martial art of choice.

Li studied Wushu from a immature age, a martial art with no belt ranking organization. He was a martial arts prodigy, competing confronting adults before he was even a teenager and winning many medals in the process. At one point, his Wushu team fabricated a visit to the White House and met Richard Nixon. The president humorously offered the young Li a role as a bodyguard. Li responded with, "I don't desire to protect whatever individual. When I grow upward, I want to defend my one billion Chinese countrymen!" He retired at age nineteen to pursue a career in film, doing just that.

Michelle Yeoh never went through the chugalug organization

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Michelle Yeoh is 1 of the almost recognizable martial arts actresses of her era. Most famous to Western audiences for her turn every bit Wai Lin in Tomorrow Never Dies and Yu Shu Lien in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, she also has a long history of starring in major Hong Kong action flicks only recognized by dedicated fans. She performs many of her ain stunts ... and she as well has no formal martial arts training and has never earned whatever kind of belt.

Yeoh was a natural athlete growing up, only her true passion was ballet. She attended the Royal Academy of Trip the light fantastic toe in London before her mother entered her in a beauty pageant, which she won. The victory got her an offer to star in a commercial with Jackie Chan, and this snowballed into her acting career in Hong Kong and, eventually, Hollywood.

Equally for martial arts, however? "I don't profess to be, I tin't profess to be, a martial artist considering I've never been formally trained," she once said. "I've never gone through the belts system because I never had the fourth dimension in that way." And honestly, taking her own path to martial arts fame seems to accept worked out pretty well for Yeoh.

Cheng Pei-pei is no fighter, merely she was a dancer

Cheng Pei-pei is often considered the beginning female person martial arts star. She's had a long career, ranging from being one of the biggest stars of the Hong Kong martial arts genre to an elder stateswoman today. Her role in Come Drink With Me is considered i of the foundational parts of the kung fu film genre. Western audiences might recognize her from her turn equally Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She accomplished all of this without a blackness belt ... or much martial arts preparation at all.

Pei-pei started her career as a dancer. She came to the attending of wuxia film director King Hu, who was convinced that her skills in trip the light fantastic toe could translate to gainsay. She had doubts, but she accepted the challenge head on. "I wanted to vanquish all the boys," she said. "If boys could do it, I could, likewise." Her willingness to become concrete, take a punch, and do her own stunts got her far. At present she proudly has fans of all generations, all without going through the traditional belt system.

Paul Walker only got his black belt posthumously

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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the most popular forms of martial arts for actors. Jason Statham said that he practices BJJ because there's little-to-no facial contact, so he won't exist visibly bruised when on camera. Some other such practitioner was the belatedly Paul Walker, who loved BJJ merely never got his black belt — at least while he was alive.

Walker was an enthusiastic student of BJJ. He made sure his movies included activity scenes that highlighted his skills instead of elementary punches and kicks. Techniques from his training sessions were included throughout the Fast and Furious franchise. He saw information technology as a lifestyle, and he wanted to be an administrator for it.

He trained for near ten years under Ricardo Miller at Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Los Angeles, and he wanted more than than anything to be a blackness chugalug. He knew he'd have to earn it and said, "I volition go my black belt, even if I need to get information technology in my coffin." He fell shy of his goal before his fatal crash. Miller posthumously awarded Walker a black belt at his memorial service.

Eve Torres has a BJJ purple belt

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Eve Torres fabricated her proper name in the WWE, where she won the 2007 Diva Search and went on to hold the WWE Divas Championship three times. After retiring from wrestling in 2013, she took on interim work, playing Chancara in The Scorpion King and facing off against Jackie Chan as Dasha in Skiptrace. She besides appeared in an episode of Supergirl as the villainous Maxima. And she's accomplished all of this without a black belt.

Torres comes from a trip the light fantastic background. She was co-captain of the Fly Girls, USC's hip hop dance coiffure, and she also danced for the NBA Summer League. She won the aforementioned 2007 WWE Diva Search, and she worked full-time as a wrestler for half dozen years. During her fourth dimension as a wrestler, she started practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

In 2014, she married Rener Gracie of the famous Gracie BJJ family unit, who she met while training at the Gracie University. She was awarded the majestic belt in 2016 afterwards nearly ix years of study. She now teaches the Gracie Women Empowerment cocky-defense plan.

Nathan Jones is more strongman than fighter

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Another wrestler who went into acting, Nathan Jones is best known for a lackluster run in WWE before turning his attention to cinema. His near prominent role was Rictus Erectus in Mad Max: Fury Road, but he also starred as Enkidu in The Scorpion King: Book of Souls, and he's had minor acting appearances dating back to Police Story 4: First Strike in 1996. He did all this without martial arts preparation, much less a black belt. Instead, he's relied on his background in strongman competitions.

Jones served time in prison in his native Commonwealth of australia for armed robbery when he was eighteen. It was during this fourth dimension that he was introduced to powerlifting. Later on his release, he became a fixture in the strongman contest circuit, and he too fought in one MMA match during the first Pride FC event in a losing try.

He jumped to pro wrestling in 2001 and debuted on-screen for WWE in early 2003. He'due south best remembered for his brief partnership with the Undertaker, who took the Australian in as his protégé. He was set to squad with Taker at Wrestlemania 19, but he was written out of the lucifer last infinitesimal. He left the visitor at the end of the year, and he was afterwards named by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter as both the Worst and Most Embarrassing Wrestler of 2003. It's easy to see why acting was a better fit.

Keanu Reeves doesn't know kung fu, just he does know BJJ

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Fifty-fifty earlier the Keanussance brought upon by John Wick, Keanu Reeves had a long career every bit an action star. Only saying "I know kung fu" in The Matrix spawned years worth of memes and jokes. His turns in Speed and Point Pause years earlier demonstrated his big screen combat skills, and his recent movies have shown way more legitimate martial arts skills. But despite battling Agent Smith and facing down the Russian mob, Reeves has never earned a black chugalug.

Reeves has a scrap of a sporty background, as he was a successful hockey goalie during his schoolhouse years. But for the titular role of John Wick, Reeves had to learn judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Many of the action sequences in the movies characteristic throws and armlocks mutual to BJJ. Since he started from the bottom, he earned a white belt and has only been working his fashion up. As such, he has no blackness belt — at least non even so, although he was awarded an honoraryblack belt in 2017. When he finally reaches that marker for real, those movie bad guys are inreallylarge trouble.

Robin Shou is a martial arts role player who doesn't need a blackness belt

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Robin Shou was one of the more than visible martial arts actors of the '90s. Best known for playing Liu Kang in both Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, he also starred in Beverly Hills Ninja contrary Chris Farley. Plus, he appeared in all three of Paul Westward. S. Anderson's Expiry Race movies. Shou has since carved out a niche playing video game characters, appearing as Gen in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li and a pirate in DOA: Dead Or Alive. And, of class, he's done all of this without a black belt tied around his waist.

Shou studied karate in higher merely disliked it, so he left the martial arts world backside to become a civil engineer. Just one twenty-four hours, while on vacation in Hong Kong, he was recruited to be in a martial arts film because of his shoe size (which is evidently really big). He performed stunts so well that it snowballed into a picture show career. He afterward studied Wushu, a martial fine art with no chugalug ranking, in China, and he used that as the footing for all of his fighting scenes.

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