Getting Roles in Martial Arts Entertainment

What’s in store for the martial artist who has trained diligently, practiced faithfully and perhaps even gained a martial arts black belt or two who now wants to enter the entertainment industry?

In essence, there are a myriad of options. As long as you stay grounded and keep your goals in focus you can find yourself doing what you love for an audience. However, stars are not groomed overnight.

A Question of Money
If your only desire is fame you might find yourself disappointed. Plenty of martial artists are doing work in the entertainment industry and not known by the general public. Nevertheless, the rewards of doing what they love are manifold.  

Still interested? Here are a few of the most requested roles for martial artists.

Martial Arts Actor
If you enjoy the idea of acting, this might appeal to you. Becoming an actor takes courage and there can be stiff competition. Your martial arts will need to be supplemented by acting courses and sometimes courses for screen-fighting. An effective fight on the streets can be quick and messy. Once you find yourself fighting for film your moves need to be cleaner, clearer and often slower. After factoring in the instruction from choreographers and the chance of getting beat to a pulp by the star of the film, you'll find you have a few things to think about before embarking on this path. Smaller productions and short films are a great way to get your feet wet and see if you’d like to keep at it. You can also focus on acting for theater, commercials or even video games. Each venue has its own demands.

Martial Arts Stunts
If you find you love the idea of being on film but find the thought of acting rather uninteresting you can explore the options of martial arts stunt work. You will still need to show up for rehearsals and take instructions from directors and choreographers but in this arena the most important element is your delivery of martial arts techniques.  You are essential to the action of the story and now it’s all martial arts, all the time. You’ll still have to learn to take a punch or two. You'll often have to play the bad guy. Your name will show up way down in the credits under “stunts” or “action”. Nevertheless, you can take pride in knowing you made the film that much more credible by demonstrating authentic techniques.


Martial Arts Model
If you can hold exacting martial arts poses for a while and make it look effortless this might be a great supplement to your goals of getting more exposure. Photographers love to shoot martial artists doing one-legged poses, low stances or body-stretching high kicks. Modeling is not only for women. The demand is just as high for men. What’s more important is that you look elegant while demonstrating your techniques. Your discipline for working under pressure may come in handy. Overcome the stiffness, be patient with photographers and enjoy the experience. Additionally, it’s a great way to add some ground-breaking photographs to your portfolio.

Martial Arts Choreographer
Do you like calling the shots? As a martial arts choreographer, sometimes billed as “fight director” or “action choreographer”, you will have the opportunity to create martial arts sequences for creative productions. Choreographers are used in film, theater and television. They have an exacting job and sometimes are called upon to teach non-martial artists how to look realistic for certain fight scenes. Training for the scenes start well before filming and your creativity to put together fight sequences are needed in advance as well. You’ll be called upon to demonstrate something the audience hasn’t seen before in terms of the action so a good imagination is essential.

Martial Arts Film Director
If you call yourself a film enthusiast and think you can improve upon the offering of current martial arts films on the market, you can look into making your own films. You’ll first need a good script (yes, a good martial arts film is not only about the fight sequences). Dialogue and story are equally important to a martial arts movie. You’ll need to find a cast, a production team, and a location. You'll also need the proper equipment. After that, it’s your vision on screen. You might not shoot the next Tony Jaa film but there are enough venues and competitions where you can get exposure and perhaps a following for your productions.

The Finale
These are just a few of the opportunities available to martial artists. You can integrate yourself in the entertainment industry in many other ways as well. The key is patience, discipline and hard work.  

Check out the latest castings in our casting section.