Martial arts make Wesley Snipes Movie star

Wesley Snipes martial arts prowess has arguably been the foundation of his action movie career. Although dramatic roles in early films such as New Jack City and White Men Can’t Jump did not require Snipes to display his formidable martial arts skills, it is interesting to note that many of his later roles involved a great deal of martial arts based fighting.

What is even more amazing is that in his best-known action role as Blade, the day-walking vampire hunter, Snipes acted as both producer and fight choreographer on the first two films in the series. Obviously, this is a man who loves his martial arts.

Wesley Snipes martial arts training and background is impressive. A fifth degree black belt, with high ranks in Shotokan karate and extensive training in capoeira, he is an accomplished martial artist. Snipes first started training at the young age of 12, and credits his martial arts training for helping him overcome adversity. In an interview with the Calgary Sun, Snipes talked about how his early martial arts training taught him valuable life-skills:

“They are what taught me how to deal with adversity in my life. You have to endure and overcome so much physical pain to learn these moves that you can apply the same principles to life experiences. I was a small child. I matured late. It made growing up in a tough world even tougher. I started out using martial arts training to defend myself, so my style is traditional martial arts mixed with Bronx street fighting.”

Snipes seems evasive when asked directly what martial arts he uses most in his films. Yet he never hesitates to give credit to his early training in traditional martial arts, nor his ongoing passion for the Afro-Brazilian art of capoeira, which he studies under Mestre Jelon Vieira. However, he readily admits that he draws on several martial arts styles for his fight scenes, and it’s easy to see influences in his choreography from tae kwon do, hapkido, kenpo karate, and Filipino martial arts.

No matter what martial arts Wesley Snipes practices, there is no doubt that he is one of the most entertaining and engaging action film stars to hit the silver screen.

Wesley Snipes born as Success Martial Art Artist

Wesley Snipes Martial Arts Artist has distinguished himself as one of the most talented and respected leading men, as evidenced by his starring roles in numerous box office hits. He has starred opposite such notable actors as Robert De Niro and Sean Connery. Born in Orlando, Florida, Snipes moved to the South Bronx as an infant and went on to attend the High School for the Performing Arts. His family later moved back Orlando, where he completed high school and teamed up with friends to form Struttin' Street Stuff, a traveling puppet troupe that performed in public parks and schools.

In 1980, Snipes returned to New York to attend SUNY/Purchase, where he was "to be a well-trained actor for the classical American stage." Snipes' big break came in 1985 when he starred opposite Goldie Hawn in the comedy hit Wildcats. In 1987, he appeared as Michael Jackson's rival gang leader in the Martin Scorsese-directed music video "Bad" and the feature film Streets of Gold, which brought him to the attention of Spike Lee and whom he has since worked with in Mo' Better Blues and Jungle Fever.

He then went on to star in a succession of audience and critical hits such as Major League, starring opposite Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen, New Jack City, White Men Can't Jump, Passenger 57, The Waterdance, Rising Sun, Demolition Man, Sugar Hill, Drop Zone, To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar, Money Train, The Fan, One Night Stand (winning him the Best Actor Volpi Cup at the 1997 Venice Film Festival) and US Marshals. Recent feature credits include The Art of War (which he also executive produced), the prison drama Undisputed and a cameo role in ZigZag, directed by the writer of Blade and Blade II, David Goyer. Snipes also served as a Producer on Blade II. He will next be seen in the features Seven Seconds and Chaos. As well as acting, in 1991 Snipes formed his own independent production company Amen Ra Films and its subsidiary Black Dot Media, which have since produced a number of documentaries including the 1997 Sundance hit, John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk. Wesley Snipes Martial art artist is a seasoned, trained martial artist in a number of different disciplines including Karate, Kung Fu and Capoeira, an African/Brazilian martial art.

Wesley Snipes Martial Arts Artist

Wesley Snipes Martial Art biography

Wesley Snipes is a seasoned, trained martial artist in a number of different disciplines including Karate, Kung Fu and Capoeira, an African/Brazilian martial art. Snipes never approached acting from an angle like “wow, maybe one day I'll be using martial arts on films”. And even while he was training at the State University of NY in Purchase, he didn't try to include martial arts in the acting side of his life. But he has been training in martial arts since he was twelve. And he has trained in a number of styles, under some really great teachers. A lot of them come from Harlem.

Snipes likes a lot of fighting styles, each one for a different reason. He loves all of the Chinese systems for line and beauty, and flexibility. And now all of this ancient Egyptian and Brazilian and Indonesian stuff that he is training in.

He also trains in some African-born systems which are very deadly, where you have to train like cats fighting - wild cats in the jungle - jumping out of bushes and that kind of stuff. It is just like living in the Bronx or Brooklyn! Snipes doesn't have time for any pretty stuff. He prefers fast – strong, effective combinations.

Wesley has a basic philosophy of life that guides him through all the standard craziness. He tries to keep things very spiritual. That's a strong motivation for behaviour, and a discipline and a check and balance to all of this Hollywood stuff he is in.

Wesley Snipes Martial Art is combination all art defense.