Jean-Claude Van Damme is one of the most iconic martial arts and action movie stars in the world, thanks in large part to his incredible footwork throughout his many fight scenes. The Belgian martial artist and actor has become synonymous with bombastic hand-to-hand combat over the course of Van Damme’s impressive filmography, with each new credit to his name showing off some new fighting form or technique that nearly revolutionized the industry. For the most part, his most memorable moves have all been kicks.
As a real-life former kickboxer, Van Damme is able to combine his valuable combat experience with his trademark hip flexibility to craft some eye-popping strikes with his legs in his films. His fighting style is so unique and memorable that it even inspired the moveset of a famous video game character, Johnny Cage, who Van Damme hasn’t yet played in any of the Mortal Kombat films. In the films he has appeared in, however, Vam Damme has always been able to treat audiences to some new ingenious kick that only he could pull off convincingly on a film set.
You are watching: The 9 Coolest Kicks In Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Action Movies
9 The Triple Roundhouse Kick
Cyborg (1989)
One of the most impressive things about Jean-Claude Van Damme’s kicks is his ability to fire so many off them off in such a short succession. When utilizing the triple roundhouse kick, Van Damme is able to target the same exact spot on his opponent with pinpoint accuracy despite rotating his entire body to generate as much force as possible. In Cyborg, to make things even more impressive, Van Damm’es character takes an unreal amount of punishment before pulling off the complicated maneuver.
Cyborg (1989) 0
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Set in a post-apocalyptic future ravaged by a deadly plague, Cyborg follows the journey of a mercenary named Gibson Rickenbacker, played by Jean-Claude Van Damme, as he escorts a cyborg containing a cure to the plague to Atlanta. They face brutal challenges from a vicious gang leader determined to seize the cure for himself.
Director Albert Pyun Release Date April 7, 1989 Cast Jean-Claude Van Damme , Deborah Richter , Vincent Klyn , Dayle Haddon Runtime 82 Minutes
One of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s better sci-fi movies, Cyborg posits the star as Gibson Rickenbacker, a mercenary who signs up to fight against a deviously tough gang leader named Fender. In the two’s sweaty, glistening final fight, Van Damme lets off a rare triple roundhouse kick straight to Fender’s head, doing damage to even the brutish warlord. It’s a good thing Fender was a large, slow target, or else Van Damme’s Gibson might’ve had more trouble landing the attack.
8 The Ducking Leg Sweep
Hard Target (1993)
Admittedly, the leg sweep might not be Jean-Claude Van Damme’s most revolutionary or flashy style of kick he’s utilized across his many films. Still, there’s a certain simple elegance to the move as it is applied in Hard Target. Here, Van Damme plays yet another mercenary, a drifting Cajun vagrant in New Orleans who protects a young Woman against a gang of violent criminals, utilizing some fancy footwork in the process.
Hard Target 0
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Hard Target is a 1993 action film directed by John Woo, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as Chance Boudreaux, an out-of-work merchant sailor. Set in New Orleans, the film follows Chance as he helps a woman locate her missing father, only to uncover a deadly game where homeless veterans are hunted for sport by wealthy businessmen. The movie marks Woo’s American directorial debut and showcases his signature choreographed action sequences.
Director John Woo Release Date August 20, 1993 Cast Jean-Claude Van Damme , Lance Henriksen , Yancy Butler , Chuck Pfarrer , Robert Apisa , Arnold Vosloo , Douglas Rye , Mike Leinert Runtime 97 Minutes
In the first fight scene that introduces the two co-leads to one another, Van Damme demonstrates some of his most practical and graceful martial arts kicks yet against the raging street gang. When one of the gangsters tries flinging a powerful kick at his own straight to Van Damme’s head, he effortlessly ducks, at the same time spinning his foot along the ground to literally sweep the thug off his feet. This results in a hard landing for Van Damme’s opponent, dealing just as much emotional damage as physical damage.
7 The Flying Kick
Death Warrant (1990)
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Admittedly, Jean-Claude Van Damme is far from the first famous movie martial artist to popularize the flying kick, with one of Bruce Lee’s staple moves being the infamous Dragon Kick. Still, it’s not like Lee had a monopoly on straightforward flying side kicks that delivered devastating power, and Jean-Claude Van Damme was happy to demonstrate a few of his own in movies like Death Warrant.
Death Warrant 0
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Death Warrant is a 1990 action thriller starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as Detective Louis Burke. Sent undercover into a dangerous prison to investigate a series of inmate murders, Burke faces corrupt officials and ruthless prisoners. Directed by Deran Sarafian and featuring Cynthia Gibb and Robert Guillaume, the film is a gritty exploration of crime, justice, and survival behind bars.
Director Deran Sarafian Release Date September 14, 1990 Cast Jean-Claude Van Damme , Robert Guillaume , Cynthia Gibb , George Dickerson , Art LaFleur , Patrick Kilpatrick , Joshua John Miller , Hank Stone Runtime 89 Minutes
Death Warrant sees Van Damme take up the role of a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on a vengeful mission to apprehend the killer of his partner, a bloodthirsty serial maniac known as Sandman. One of Van Damme’s most memorable and powerful opponents ever, Van Damme’s character needed to pull out all the stops to defeat him, including a healthy dose of the classic flying kick. This ends up being the killing blow of the fight, as the power behind the strike sends Sandman careening backwards into a raging fire.
6 The Rapid Kick Combo
No Retreat, No Surrender (1985)
It’s easy to see when Jean-Claude Van Damme draws heavily from his real-life experience as a kickboxer in his movies. This rings doubly true for his movies which are more sports or martial arts themed, such as No Retreat, No Surrender. Here, Van Damme plays a young martial artist with a zealous love of Bruce Lee, honoring the unarmed combat legend with his own performance in the ring.
Towards the end of the film, Van Damme’s Jason summons all his athleticism to show off a particularly clever technique in which he blocks with his hands while kicking rapidly with his feet. While standing on one leg, Van Damme is able to unleash a devastating barrage of kicks, all the while holding the opponent’s own striking limb in place with his hands. Movements like this demonstrate why kicking is so effective, freeing the hands up to block while striking with furious force and speed.
5 The Hanging Kangaroo Kick
Double Impact (1991)
One particularly unique (if somewhat silly-looking) trick Jean-Claude Van Damme was fond of using in his fight scenes is the hanging double-footed kangaroo kick. By using his hands to hang off of something, Van Damme was able to kick with both feet at once, doubling his pushing power while showing off his penchant for acrobatics. Fittingly enough, one of his best uses of this technique is in Double Impact, one of the multiple movies in which Van Damme plays two characters at once.
Double Impact 0
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Director Sheldon Lettich Release Date July 31, 1991 Cast Jean-Claude Van Damme , Geoffrey Lewis , Alonna Shaw , Corinna Everson , Philip Chan , Alan Scarfe Runtime 109 minutes
In Double Impact, Van Damme plays a set of twins who are polar-opposites personality wise, and it’s the rough-and-tumble Alex that gets the best fight scenes. During a tense fight on a ship, Alex uses the hanging kangaroo kick to knock two goons into the water at once, dangling off the ship’s mast before striking. The display is so impressive that a third thug simply voluntarily jumps overboard himself when Alex simply grunts and gestures for him to do so, not wanting to fear the wrath of the powerful kick.
4 The Vertical Double Hopkick
Sudden Death (1995)
While having a handhold to dangle from is nice, Jean-Claude Van Damme has repeatedly demonstrated he doesn’t necessarily even need it to execute something similar to the hanging kangaroo kick. Enter the vertical double hopkick, a closely-related technique in which Van Damme simply jumps for long enough to lash out with both legs before somehow getting them under himself again to land. In this way, he gets all the power of a dropkick without having to wind up on his back.
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The most memorable use of this kick happens in Sudden Impact, which takes place inside a bustling hockey stadium. Van Damme as a security guard has to do battle with, of all things, a terrorist dressed up in a penguin mascot suit, all within the claustrophobic confines of the stadium’s busy kitchen. The finishing blow occurs when Van Damme executes the hopkick brilliantly, sending the cuddly combatant reeling with a powerful toe-touch.
3 The Flash Kick
Street Fighter (1994)
While Van Damme never got around to portraying the fighting game character from Mortal Kombat that was inspired by his movies, he did play another fighting game character in 1994’s Street Fighter. As Guile, Van Damme is an all-American soldier desperate to get revenge on the evil dictator M. Bison, gleefully played by Raul Julia, after the tyrant killed his best friend. Finally getting his chance to do so, Guile corners Bison and finally unleashes his signature move from the games, the Flash Kick.
Street Fighter 0
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Director Steven E. de Souza Release Date December 23, 1994 Cast Jean-Claude Van Damme , Raul Julia , Ming-Na Wen , Damian Chapa , Kylie Minogue , Simon Callow Runtime 102 minutes
Just like in the video game series, Van Damme’s Guile crouches down to charge up power before performing a powerful backflip, kicking his opponent in the face with the tip of his boot at the apex of the flip. It’s hard to imagine anyone else but Van Damme believably executing this over-the-top kick designed for use in a video game. Though it doesn’t come with Guile’s signature yellow energy from Street Fighter, Van Damme’s version is as close as it gets to a real-life fighting game ability.
2 The Held Kick
Kickboxer (1989)
Ever the performer, Jean-Claude Van Damme understands that sometimes, flashiness and style points need to take precedence over practicality when it comes to movie fights. He shows off his flexibility time and time again in movies, suddenly launching into the splits to punch an opponent in the groin or maintaining a straight line with his legs with each foot suspended above the air in a chair. However, it wasn’t until Kickboxer, ironically one of Van Damme’s most down-to-earth movies, in which he found a way to incorporate his impressive hip mobility into his kicks.
In one sequence, Van Damme fires off a kick that sends his powerful opponent, Tong Po, soaring straight through a pillar of solid stone. Keeping his foot raised in the air, Van Damme slowly turns on his heel, holding the final position of the kick higher and higher until it seems impossible. Then, just for fun, he kicks again to knock out a hapless spectator, successfully taking down two foes without putting his foot back on the ground once.
1 The Helicopter Kick
Bloodsport (1988)
Despite having so many uniquely impressive kicks in his arsenal, there’s a reason that Jean-Claude Van Damme’s helicopter kick just might be the pinnacle of his foot-based combat skills. This particular kick combines the leap of a flying kick with the spin of a traditional roundhouse, generating absurd amounts of power as his foot sails through the air. The best use of this kick is in one of the single greatest movie battles of Van Damme’s entire filmography, the final fight of Bloodsport.
Bloodsport 0
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Jean-Claude Van Damme stars in the martial arts movie Bloodsport as a fictional version of the real-life Frank Dux, a U.S. Army officer who participated in a secret underground martial arts tournament in Hong Kong. Directed by Newt Arnold, the 1988 action film helped establish Van Damme as a Hollywood star.
Director Newt Arnold Release Date February 26, 1988 Cast Jean Claude Van Damme , Leah Ayres , Forest Whitaker , Donald Gibb , Roy Chiao Runtime 92minutes
In Bloodsport, Van Damme’s character Frank participates in the chaotic Kumite, a no-holds-barred martial arts tournament in which anything goes and death is certainly on the table. His final opponent, the massive and intimidating Chong Li, puts up a grueling fight, but Van Damme is able to finally land the finishing blow with an expertly-executed helicopter kick. The kick that helped shaped Van Damme’s career, the helicopter kick might be the most impactful, both literally and figuratively.
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