This weekend, Jakob had the incredible opportunity to take part in a course led by world class actor and producer Jon Xue Zhang, known for his work in major productions such as Doctor Strange, Rogue One, and the upcoming Masters of the Universe. Sharing the mats with a performer of his calibre was nothing short of inspiring.
Also joining the session was Jon’s colleague and fellow stunt actor Muleya, adding even more depth and expertise to an already exciting day.
Jakob and the other attendees explored essential on-set stunt skills, learning how professionals build scenes safely while keeping the action intense and believable. Under Jon’s direction, everyone stepped into a short role-play sequence to experience how actors bring physical storytelling to life.
After that, the group faced a fun challenge: 15 to 20 minutes to create their own fight scene. Jakob teamed up with two partners, and although they were a bit unsure at first, especially since controlling distance felt so different from real sparring and competition fights, they quickly adapted. In his dojo life, Jakob’s instinct is to score the hit, so learning to pull or making techniques bigger and slow while maintaining realism was a powerful new lesson.
And of course, anything involving martial arts was a win for Jakob, especially the chance to practise with plastic knives, which made the session even more exciting and fun!
Why This Is a Great Opportunity for Jakob
This experience gave Jakob a fresh perspective on how his martial arts skills can be applied beyond the dojo. Learning stunt work teaches discipline, timing, coordination, and control, qualities that strengthen his karate while opening doors to new possibilities in performance and film. Being guided by professionals who work on blockbuster productions showed him how far dedication can take you, and it encouraged him to step outside his comfort zone with confidence. Opportunities like this help shape not just his technique, but his ambition and imagination.
Jon himself shared some encouraging words after seeing Jakob train:
“Your son is exceptional! I can’t wait to see how far he goes.”
Hearing this from a professional stunt actor with international credits was a powerful moment and a reminder of Jakob’s talent and potential.
A huge thank you to CDMA for bringing this movie star to our dojo and giving the community such an amazing opportunity to explore martial arts from a completely new angle that is safe, fun, and full of inspiration.
If you’d like to support Jakob on his martial arts journey, you can do so here:
👉 GoFundMe Page
Jon Xue Zhuen, when you return, we’ll be ready for round two!