Skillset Fight Club: How To Train Like John Wick

Ok, without any possible chance of debate, the King Badass of all recent films Badasses is John Wick. The Gun toting, assassin killing machine is portrayed by none other than Ted of Bill and Ted fame Ted. America’s favorite stoner Ted now goes by his legal name, Keanu Reeves.

So, to become a walking widow maker on film Reeves had to transform himself completely. And transform himself he did, as he is now one of the top action stars of the past decade. The real question is, how did he transform himself, his skillsets, and his image to become this believable, perfect killer? And more importantly, how can you learn how to train to fight like John Wick? Will you defeat the Iron Chef Mark Dacascos in a dual of mortal combat once adequately trained? You can get your action movie fix here: Best Action Movies

Luckily, we could acquire the answers for you without getting smoked by assassins. And we have decided to share this information with you without charging you a gold coin.

Train Like John Wick

So, to learn how to train to fight Like John Wick, you must do what the man did. Keanu Reeves has been studying a variety of martial arts for decades. We are still determining if it is out of a pure love of the arts or to prepare himself for his films.

Keanu busted his ass for months fighting choreographer Yuen Woo-ping to become Neo. He also followed guidance from stuntman Tiger Chen. Reeves returned to that well of badassness with both coaches in his directorial debut Man of Tai Chi. Reeves has studied punching and kicking techniques from different striking systems, but he has also studied aikido and some grappling arts. For John Wick, Reeves focused his training and on-screen fighting style on something with a heavy emphasis on throwing and grappling techniques.

The style is a blend of Aikido, BJJ, Judo, and Defensive Tactics Training classes offered by companies like Controlled F.O.R.C.E. So. If you want John’s hand skills, those styles are the place to begin. If you want to learn how to beat his John Wick nemesis and co-star Common in a freestyle rap battle, we cannot help you, so look elsewhere.

Keeping yourself in peak physical condition and constantly trying martial arts, is a great way to be like John Wick.

The Art Of The Pew

Keanu’s C.Q.T. (Close Quarter Tactics) and firearm training came from Taran Butler. Taran is a highly regarded firearms instructor often referred to as one of the best firearms instructors in the industry. Taran is also globally renowned for being a former competitive shooter with multiple awards in different areas of the sport.

Keanu also tapped into the knowledge and real-world experience of C.I.A. contractor and former Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan, who runs the tactics training company Vigilance Elite’. Keanu wanted to look and move like a badass operator, so he trained eight hours a day, five days a week, to bring his character to life and his enemies to death. Seeing that these two worked with reeves, their availability may be limited or costly.

One company that we recommend is Tactical Response in Camden, Tennessee. The family of the late GREAT James Yeager owns Tactical Response. James was considered a loud and controversial voice to some, but no one can deny that the training at his school continues to be world-class, even after his passing. R.I.P. James, the tactical industry will always have a center mass hole in it without you.

Drive It Like You Stole It

Mr. Wick loved his wife, puppy, guns, and muscle cars. He could drive cars and ride motorcycles like an angry yet emotionless homicidal maniac. Johnny dangerous can be seen performing all kinds of crazy defensive tactics, driving while blasting baddies in his films. While it is 100% illegal to perform any of its driving tactics anywhere, you can do some controlled albeit reckless driving yourself.

Keanu got a lot of his 1969 Mustang Fastback stunt driving skills from working with Bobby Ore Motorsports, a training ground in Los Angeles with locations in Florida and Georgia.

Reeves enjoyed smashing up cars and is quoted as saying: “In the second film, they let me be in a car and crash into another car,” he said with joy. “I was surprised about that. They said, ‘Get in the car, drive backward, and smash into that other car.’ It was funny because I hit that car so hard, I ripped the steering wheel off the steering column.”

It’s no secret that a 2,000-pound vehicle beats a 9MM any day of the week. Stunt coordinator Darrin Prescott refers to it as “car fu, where we use the car as a weapon.”