While there are many skills needed to become a truly brutal martial arts star, some outstanding fighters have managed to carve out a legacy characterized by impressive high-flying kicks. From Hong Kong legends to Hollywood heroes, several acclaimed martial artists have showcased their talents for kickboxing, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and other kick-related disciplines on the big screen. Although not every one of these stars was primarily known for their kick-centric skills, they all have had some outstanding high-flying kicks across their careers.

Some of the best kung fu stars of all time excelled at high-flying kicks that left viewers’ jaws on the floor due to the sheer technical brilliance and athleticism of what they had achieved. From household names to lesser-known stars, a truly brilliant high-flying kick has the power to stick in viewers’ heads long after the credits have rolled and turn otherwise lackluster releases into cult favorites. While the best kung fu films pack a serious punch, these stars will have you kicking and screaming with excitement.

10

Bruce Lee

Enter the Dragon (1973)

Although Bruce Lee was not primarily known for flashy, high-flying kicks, he did incorporate plenty of clean, well-choreographed, and effective kicks into his tragically short filmography. With just five movies as a leading man before sadly pᴀssing away at age 32, Lee helped popularize kung fu cinema in the Western world and is still remembered as one of the greatest martial arts stars who ever lived. Lee showed off some incredible kick work in fights with Chuck Norris’s Colt in The Way of the Dragon and Bob Wall as O’Hara in Enter the Dragon.

However, the absolute epitome of Lee’s effective kung fu kicking was against Shi Kein’s crime boss Han in Enter the Dragon, boasting attacks that have never been matched in terms of power and precision. It’s upsetting to think of just how many more incredible martial arts masterpieces Lee would have been involved in had he lived, although even in his brief career, he delivered several fight scenes and incredible kicks that live up to his legacy as one of the greats.

9

Donnie Yen

Ip Man (2008)

With a background in Tai Chi and other martial arts disciplines from a very young age, Donnie Yen was incredibly adept at martial arts even before achieving his breakout role in Drunken Tai Chi back in 1984. Following this, the Hong Kong star earned leading roles in beloved films like Tiger Cage and Once Upon a Time in China, which helped turn him into a household name among kung fu fans. While Western viewers will recognize Yen as the blind ᴀssᴀssin Caine in John Wick: Chapter 4, perhaps his defining role was as the Wing Chun grandmaster in the Ip Man franchise.

With a wealth of martial arts experience to back up his outstanding filmography, Yen can deliver a high-flying kick as good as the best of them and particularly excels at this across the Ip Man movies. While Wing Chun focuses primarily on hand combat and calculated, precision-accurate attacks, the fast-paced nature of the choreography in Ip Man showed off this side of Yen’s talent.

8

Sun Chien

Five ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Venoms (1978)

The Taiwanese actor and Tae Kwon Do expert Sun Chien was a regular fixture of many classic martial arts movies of the 1970s and was known as a primary member of the Venom Squad. This team of elite fighters from Shaw Brothers Studios got their name from their appearance in the cult classic Five ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Venoms, a kung fu classic that saw five villainous fighters showcasing their unique animal-themed fighting styles.

Despite being Taiwanese, Sun Chien earned the nickname “the Korean kicker” for his strong legwork and incredible flexibility in high-flying kicks. With roles in cult favorites like Chinatown Kid, Human Lanterns, Spirit of the Sword, and The Lady is the Boss, there’s no shortage of kung fu classics featuring Sun Chien.

7

Mark Dacascos

Only the Strong (1994)

Mark Dacascos is an American martial arts movie star with the credentials to stand alongside the best kung fu performers from all around the world. As a 4th-degree black belt in Wun Hop Kuen Do, Dacascos has been starring in cult favorite fighting films since the 1990s and has even shown up in several major releases like John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. While Dacascos’ skills are vast and varied, one role that showcased his talent for high-flying kicks was the unique martial arts film Only the Strong.

Only the Strong is perhaps the only Hollywood movie to focus solely on the Afro-Brazilian fighting style known as capoeira, a martial arts style that incorporates elements of dance. As a kick-heavy fighting philosophy, Dacascos delivered plenty of incredible high-flying kicks through an incredible performance based on rhyme and grooves. For those looking for a kick-focused martial arts movie that does something new, Only the Strong will tick all the right boxes.

6

Billy Blanks

Lionheart (1990)

Not only is Billy Blanks a major martial arts movie star, but he’s also an accomplished athlete in his own right. As the founder of the Tae Bo exercise program, Blanks was a nationally ranked compeтιтor in semi-contact and point karate during the 1980s and even earned the bronze medal at the 1981 World Games, showcasing him as a world-class compeтιтive fighter. With genuine professional accomplishments to his name, it made sense that he faced off against one of the most renowned high-flying kickers of all time in the martial arts classic Lionheart in 1990.

Blanks has a talent for high-flying kicks, which were prominently seen as he faced off against Jean-Claude Van Damme in Lionheart. Portraying an African Legionnaire in Lionheart, this role was an important early performance from the star that helped him transition from professional athlete to martial arts movie star.

5

John Liu

New York Ninja (2021)

John Liu is a cult favorite martial arts star who mostly appeared in independent Taiwanese productions, and although he was active since the 1970s, he never quite broke through into mainstream releases by studios like Shaw Brothers or Golden Harvest. The most interesting film of Liu’s career was one that viewers didn’t get to see until 2021, which, despite being sH๏τ back in 1984, was never edited or released at the time. This was a real shame, as the results were an incredible display of martial arts talent that could have helped put Liu on the map as a major star.

New York Ninja was a stylish and effective martial arts action movie that showed off Liu’s exceptional skills as a news station sound technician who becomes a vigilante ninja on the streets of New York. With Liu as the original director and star, the appeal of New York Ninja was not recognized until it was reᴀssembled by Kurtis M. Spieler and released through Vinegar Syndrome. As a high-flying, kick-filled film, thankfully, modern viewers can at last enjoy this long-forgotten hidden gem from 1984.

4

Tony Jaa

Ong-Bak (2003)

As a full-contact sport that utilizes stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinching techniques, it’s no surprise that Muay Thai expert Tony Jaa was responsible for some of the most impressive high-flying kicks in any Thai martial arts movies. Jaa gained his breakout role in the 2000s classic Ong-Bak and has since punched and kicked his way through acclaimed films like Tom-Yum-Goong and the spin-off Master Z: Ip Man Legacy.

As a fighter of extreme skill, Jaa helped bring Thai martial arts to the mainstream, and the Ong-Bak series remains one of the most acclaimed fighting franchises worldwide. As an actor who was fighting professionally at just 10 years old, Jaa is also adept at Krabi-Krabong and Taekwondo and brought this sense of versatility to his many film roles.

3

Scott Adkins

Undisputed III: Redemption (2010)

The British actor Scott Adkins proved it’s not just Hong Kong fighters who excelled at high-flying kicks through his role as the Russian fighter Yuri Boyka across the Undisputed series. As a black belt in taekwondo, Adkins started training in martial arts at just 13 years old and quickly graduated to kickboxing championships. With an acclaimed career not just in martial arts movies but also in superhero releases like X-Men Origins: Wolverine and ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool 2, Adkins has slowly been making his name as a major star throughout the 21st century.

The third installment in the Undisputed series particularly showcased Adkins’ talent for high-flying kicks as he brought his gymnastic and taekwondo skills to highly stylized one-on-one fights. With plenty of upcoming projects on the horizon for Adkins, this martial artist looks set to continue to bring the same firm commitment to his roles as he’s previously brought to blockbuster releases like John Wick: Chapter 4 and direct-to-video sequels like One More SH๏τ.

2

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Bloodsport (1988)

Few martial arts stars are more ᴀssociated with high-flying kicks than Jean-Claude Van Damme. As the media-dubbed “muscles from Brussels,” this Belgian fighter got his foot in the door in Hollywood as the original stuntman in a suit in the early production history of Predator before graduating to leading man territory with his breakout role in Bloodsport. As the real ninjutsu pracтιтioner Frank Dux, Van Damme delivered astounding high-flying kicks that have since gone down in martial arts movie history as absolutely iconic.

As a 2nd-dan black belt in karate and a kickboxing champion, Van Damme has brought his real-life martial arts skills to countless film roles, and his persona has become intrinsically linked to impressive high-flying kicks. While Bloodsport remains a defining film for Van Damme, other roles like Kickboxer, Universal Soldier, and Timecop stand out as fan favorites.

1

Hwang Jang Lee

Drunken Master (1978)

While the history of martial arts cinema featured plenty of incredible high-flying kicks, none compares to the fearsome power of Hwang Jang Lee. Gaining prominence opposite Jackie Chan in the classic release Drunken Master, Hwang truly lived up to his name as he played the villainous Thunderleg. With a fighting technique that’s almost exclusively based on devastating kicks, Drunken Master lucked out by casting the most impressive kick-centric fighter of them all.

Hwang is a ninth-dan grandmaster in Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo and has consistently utilized his unmatched talent for high-flying kicks across his career. Now in his 80s, Hwang has since retired from martial arts movies but continues to maintain an esteemed legacy among fans of high-flying kicks worldwide. With a career that kicked down the doors of all his contemporaries, Hwang stands as the undisputed king of kicking.