In 1984, The Karate Kid was released in theaters, a martial arts film that would quickly gain cult status. The story of young Daniel, an isolated and persecuted boy who would become, alongside a wise old Japanese man, a karate champion. But did young Ralph Maccio, who plays Daniel, really learn karate for this iconic film?
Before playing the lead role in The Karate Kid, Ralph Maccio was not at all a karate specialist. The young American had just a few notions of the discipline, having practiced jiu-jitsu in elementary school. It was through contact with John G. Avildsen, director of The Karate Kid but also of Rocky, that he realized that perfect mastery of karate would be necessary to make his character of Daniel absolutely credible.
A style that “combines attack and defense in one movement”
So Ralph Maccio really learned karate to play in The Karate Kid. Alongside Pat Morita, nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Mr. Miyagi, he specifically trained in Okinawan karate, the originality of which, according to the terms of the French Karate FederationEast “open hand work, toe strikes, eye pokes, circular blocks.” A karate whose “The style combines attack and defense in one movement and promotes the hardening of the body for attack and defense.”
After Karate Kid, Ral…
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This 80s film is so cult that it even had its own animated series!
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