Jean Claude Van Damme Training, Sparring & Fitness

First, Little Info About Jean Claude Van Damme:

Jean-Claude Van Damme is a Belgian martial artist and actor. Born and raised in Brussels, his father enrolled him in martial arts classes at the age of ten, which led Van Damme to hold the rank of 2nd-dan black belt in karate, and compete in several karate and kickboxing competitions. With the desire of becoming an actor, he moved to the United States in 1982, where he did odd jobs and worked on several films, until he got his break as the lead in the martial arts film Bloodsport (1988). He began training in martial arts at the age of ten when his father enrolled him in the Shotokan Karate School.

His styles include Shotokan Karate and kickboxing. He eventually earned a black belt in karate at age 18 and was promoted to 2nd dan black belt. He began lifting weights to improve his physique, which eventually led to the Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title. At age 16, he took up ballet, which he studied for five years. According to Van Damme, ballet “is an art, but it is also one of the most difficult sports. If you can survive training in ballet, you can survive training in any other sport.” He later took up taekwondo and Muay Thai.

Van Damme’s breakthrough film was Bloodsport, which opened on February 26, 1988, and is based on the purported true story of Frank Dux. It was produced on a Cannon budget of $1.5 million and grossed $50 million. He became a popular action film star and followed up with commercially successful films such as Cyborg (1989), Kickboxer (1989), Lionheart (1990), Death Warrant (1990), Double Impact (1991),

Universal Soldier (1992), Nowhere to Run (1993), Hard Target (1993), Timecop (1994), Street Fighter (1994), Sudden Death (1995), The Quest (1996), which marked his directorial debut, and Maximum Risk (1996). Regarded as an icon of action and martial arts cinema, his films have grossed over $1 billion worldwide, making him one of the most successful action stars of all time.