Actor Chuck Norris Founded His Own Martial Arts Style After Earning Black Belts In Six Others

Mar 11, 2022 by apost team

Actor Chuck Norris is undoubtedly one of the most famous men in the entertainment industry. Norris first catapulted into fame during the 1980s as a well-known action star. He has since had a very busy and popular career starring in a handful of shows and movies, such as “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “The Way of the Dragon,” “Invasion U.S.A.” and “Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos.” As an expert in various martial arts systems, Norris implemented these skills and used them to become a highly successful action star.

Known for his impeccable skills as a martial artist and his work as an actor, producer, and screenwriter, Norris is an unstoppable force. 

While Norris has slowed down a bit with his career in recent years, the actor is still a prominent figure in the entertainment industry. Part of his fame came from his ability to make realistic, action-packed films. While many fans look up to Norris as a great example of what an action star looks like, others are still blown away by his real-life skills as a martial artist. 

The legendary man has definitely proven himself, receiving black belts in many different martial arts styles. On top of that, Norris has also founded two major martial arts systems over the course of his lifetime. These systems are American Tang Soo Do and the Chuck Norris System, formerly known as Chun Kuk Do. 

Read on to find out more about how Norris used his impressive skills and previous fighting knowledge to help develop his own martial arts system.

Norris currently lives on a ranch in Texas with his wife Gena O’Kelley, whom he married in 1998. While the world now knows him as an actor and martial arts instructor, Norris wasn’t always the legendary man he is today. He came from humble beginnings with a complicated childhood and went on to join the United States Air Force with aspirations of becoming a police officer.

However, according to Mental Floss, he found a love for martial arts while stationed in South Korea. He went on to become a world champion in various karate and martial arts competitions and even became an instructor in the field. According to Mental Floss, he even taught celebrities, such as Priscilla Presley and Steve McQueen. It was McQueen who encouraged Norris to try his hand at acting back in the mid-1970s. 

IMDB reported that Norris often trained with Bruce Lee. According to Norris’ biography, he was the current World Karate Champion at the time he and Lee filmed “Return of the Dragon” and jokes that he “let” Lee win in their epic fight scene in the movie. Norris has since become a World Karate Champion six times and has even faced off against other actors, including Joe Lewis and Steve Sanders, as per IMDB.

Over the years, Norris has lent his time to showcase his abilities in martial arts and help teach others the skill set. The actor is the founder of two major martial arts systems: American Tang Soo Do and the Chuck Norris System, formerly known as Chun Kuk Do.

apost.com

American Tang Soo Do was first created by Norris in 1966. He drew inspiration from a combination of Moo Duk Kwan-style Tang Soo Do, Judo, and Karate. Norris’ own students have further developed this style. According to IMDB, Norris also founded the National Tang Soo Do Congress (NTC) and the United Fighting Arts Federation (UFAF). He is the president of the latter.

The Chuck Norris System is a style that Norris founded back in 1990. According to ufaf.org, it was known as Chun Kuk Do from 1990 to 2015. However, at the UFAF International Training Conference in July 2015, Norris and his board of directors announced that they were renaming the system as the Chuck Norris System.

Inspired by his training in Tang Soo Do in South Korea, Norris decided to create his own style of martial arts. As more time progressed, so did the difficulty of the style as Norris studied multiple martial arts styles to better understand them and help enhance his own. 

According to ufaf.org, Norris is still committed to evolving the Chuck Norris System by including aspects of other styles or coming up with new, original styles. There are currently ten black belt degrees in this system, with only Norris, his brother Aaron and a man named Ken Gallacher holding the highest rank.

On top of all of the other amazing accomplishments Norris has made in the martial arts department, he also has black belts in six different styles of martial arts. These styles include Tang Soo Do, Tae Kwon Do, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Chun Kuk Do, Karate and Judo.

Are you impressed with Chuck Norris’ wide skill set in martial arts? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your family and friends, too.