Hollywood star and martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme training Nick and Nate Diaz at Gold’s GYM.
Van Damme has a rich martial arts background. He is a second degree black belt in Shotokan Karate.
He began martial arts at the age of ten, enrolled by his father in a Shotokan karate school. His styles consist of Shotokan Karate and Kickboxing. He eventually earned his black belt in karate at 18.He started lifting weights to improve his physique, which eventually led to a Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title. At the age of 16, he took up ballet, which he studied for five years. According to Van Damme, ballet “is an art, but it’s also one of the most difficult sports. If you can survive a ballet workout, you can survive a workout in any other sport.” Later he took up both Taekwondo and Muay Thai.
Van Damme began his full-contact kickboxing career in 1977, when Claude Goetz promoted the first ever full-contact karate tournament in Belgium.
From 1977 to 1982, Van Damme compiled a record of 18 victories (18 knockouts) and 1 defeat.
Jean-Claude Van Damme teaches Nate Diaz some kicking techniques: