the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

Old news maybe that's the reason he is still alive and kicking

Willie Nelson Celebrates His 81st Birthday by Earning a 5th-Degree Black Belt
Samantha Grossman
Apr 29, 2014
Willie Nelson is always on our minds, but especially this week, because he's celebrating his 81st birthday. And also because on Monday, the legendary singer received his fifth-degree black belt in GongKwon Yusul, a martial art which he's been practicing for 20 years.
"It's just good for you physically. For your lungs. The more you're breathing, exercising, the better you’re going to feel," Nelson told Austin's KVUE.
Shortly before the ceremony, the singer told the Associated Press that he was surprised to be receiving the degree at all. "I don't know what else is out there," he said. "I never thought about anything beyond second-degree black belt."Though Nelson is best known for his music (and for his prolific pot habit), it's a bit lesser known that he's very into martial arts too.
"I think martial arts is one of the best exercises you can do. Mentally, spiritually, physically, everything," he told the AP.
This past weekend, Nelson was also inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame, so he's had a pretty good week.

Go Willie Props pops!

That's awesome.

Someone should do a thread listing all musician MAists -- Lou Reed, Zoltan Bathory... Ruby Topaz...

Lot of peps involved in various Arts tends to practice MA more or less seriously,
it`s fits nicely as a supplement for their professional activities .
or
they just talk a lot about it, while overdosing illegal substances

Starting at 61
Zero to 5th dan in 20 years
I'm awarding Lou reed a potuminous 10 th dan

A few other black belts, I suspect many honorary


James Caan – boasts a career in the movie industry spanning more than 50 years. What you may not know is that he has also spent 30 years studying Karate. He trained in Gosoku Ryu Karate under Takaruki Kuboto rising to the rank of 6th Dan.>
The “Last King of Scotland” Forest Whitaker has had a pretty prolific movie career but he’s still found time to train in Kenpo Karate where he has earned himself a 1st Dan rank
Katheryn Winnick The Canadian actress currently stars as Lagertha in Vikings. holds a 3rd Dan in TKD.
6. Scott Adkins appeared in long running soap Eastenders and had a regular role in Holby City. Adkins trained in Kickboxing and Taekwondo as a teenager earning his black belt by the age of 19.
Sarah Michelle Gellar is well known as the titular character from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, she trained in Taekwondo earning a 1st Dan Black Belt.
Ed O’Neill from Married With Children spent 16 years training towards his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Turns out the quintessential James Bond himself Sean Connery trained in Kyokushin Karate in which he holds a first degree black belt.
Elvis Presley was a 1st degree black belt in karate.
Bear Grylls is a black belt in Shotokan karate.
Guy Ritchie has a black belt in judo.
Wesley Snipes has a 5th degree black belt in Shotokan Karate and a 2nd degree black belt in Hapkido.
Dolph Lundgren is a 2nd degree black belt in Kyokushin karate.
James Caan is a 6th degree black belt in karate.
Bo Svenson holds a 4th degree black belt in judo.
Actress Laura Vandervoort has a second-degree black belt in Shotokan karate
Actor Ryan Phillippe earned his black belt in Tae Kwon Do when he was a kid growing up in Delaware
Evan Rachel Wood also has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do

Dolf or hans as we knew him then was a black belt long before he got into movies
First and second degree black belts seem reasonable but when they get up around 5th it makes you wonder
How many people who train full time ever achieve that level

wayne hansen wrote:Dolf or hans as we knew him then was a black belt long before he got into movies
First and second degree black belts seem reasonable but when they get up around 5th it makes you wonder
How many people who train full time ever achieve that level

Yes Dolf was/is a serious Karateka, was European team champion and competed in Japan

Sven-Ole Thorsen a serious Karateka(Shotokan),played in a lot of Schwarzenegger movies mostly as villian, said to have cooled down Steven Segals aggressive temper with a well placed stomach kick during the set of 'On Deadly Ground'

I remember Dolf from his days in Sydney
He was a student of John Taylor at the YMCA in Pitt st
A lot of the kyokishin guys would come down to Chinatown and spar with us at the TST school
Quite a few were in the tai chi class I taught

wayne hansen wrote:I remember Dolf from his days in Sydney
He was a student of John Taylor at the YMCA in Pitt st
A lot of the kyokishin guys would come down to Chinatown and spar with us at the TST school
Quite a few were in the tai chi class I taught

Interesting info. As you know the connection Kyokushin-Taikiken-Yiquan..and so on. But I don't think Dolph Lundgren did any CMA, or do he?.... In Australia?

No he was full on kyokishin as far as I know
John Taylor was straight down the line karate
I remember fighting both him and his teacher Paul von strohime because Paul was going back to Germany to fight Leung things student
They wanted some experience of fighting a CMA practicioner