Jean Claude Van Damme 1960 –

Jean Claude Van Damme 1960 –

“A Movie Star with Amazingly Perfect Kicks”

Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme and abbreviated as JCVD, is a Belgianmartial artist, actor, and director best known for his martial artsaction films. His two most famous are still Bloodsport and Kickboxer.

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. Van Damme joined the Centre National De Karaté (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Claude Goetz in Belgium. Van Damme trained for four years and he earned a spot on the Belgian Karate Team later training in full-contact karate and kickboxing with Dominique Valera.

At the age of 15, Van Damme started his competitive karate career in Belgium. From 1976-1980, Van Damme compiled a record of 44 victories and 4 defeats in tournament and semi-contact matches.

Van Damme was a member of the Belgium Karate Team when it won the European Karate Championship on 26 December 1979 at La Coupe Francois Persoons Karate Tournament in Brussels.

Van Damme placed second at the Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials). At the 3-day tournament, Van Damme defeated 25 opponents before losing in the finals to fellow team-mate Angelo Spataro.

Van Damme began his full-contact 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. He even was named "Mr. Belgium" in a bodybuilding competition this dubbed him the nickname “The Muscles From Brussels”.

He moved to Los Angeles in 1982 where he and a childhood friend had the dream of becoming Hollywood Action stars and the rest is history.