Chuck Norris Has His Own Fighting Style

If you enjoy martial arts, you can choose from a variety of styles and techniques. We are all familiar with karate thanks to movies from the 1980s, but that is only the beginning. There are hundreds more, including tae kwon do, judo, krav maga, muay thai, aikido, and kung fu. While Shaolin monks started creating their kung fu fighting method over a thousand years ago, Aikido dates back to the 1920s. The custom is therefore ancient but never stops changing. So much so that even Chuck Norris, a well-known actor and early internet meme, created his own martial arts style.

The Chuck Norris System, as Norris called his adaptation of tae kwon do, is also known as Chun Kuk Do. In addition to Tang Soo Do, Jiu-Jitsu, and karate, it also incorporates conventional tae kwon do. Although Norris had been creating not only the fighting technique but also a philosophy to go with it for many years prior to that, the United Fighting Arts Federation, the official body that teaches the art, was created in 1990.

There is a ranking structure based on different colored belts, same like in other forms. Black belt is the highest rank and is divided into 10 degrees. Only four people, including Chuck Norris, possess a 10th degree black belt. Around the world, the approach is taught at about 100 schools.

Of course, Norris is hardly the only actor to develop his own combat technique. Jackie Chan invented what is described as a drunken fighting style for his Drunken Master movie, whereas Bruce Lee famously created Jeet Kune Do. Even Keanu Reeves has been given credit for inventing a fresh form of Gun-Fu for his John Wick movies. Gun-Fu is a technique borrowed from Hong Kong action flicks that combines conventional combat with gunplay.

Born: March 10, 1940

Years active: 1968–present