One of Hollywood’s best actors and stuntman, Tom Cruise was once challenged by musician, Justin Bieber, to a fight. This made us really wonder if Tom Cruise knows how to fight. We are used to seeing him pull different stunts in movies. But if it actually comes down to a real fight, will Tom Cruise be able to kick anyone’s butt? Does he know martial arts, or was it just a choreography for his movies?
Tom Cruise knows martial arts as he has received training in it. As a professional stunt actor, Tom has had the opportunity to pick up some great skills while acting in different movies.
How Tom Cruise Learnt Martial Arts
Learning how to fight is quite easy. You can throw a few punches, and if you are lucky enough, you will be able to knock out your enemy. However, martial arts is not just about punching someone in the face. It is an art and a skill that is learnt. Few people possess the skills today, although it used to be a common skill traditionally. Martial arts has faded over the years because of modernization. However, some people are determined to keep the tradition alive. Tom Cruise happens to be one of the few people that have actually mastered the art. Here is a video that shows his skills.
Tom Cruise did not learn martial arts from watching people fight or trying his luck in a boxing ring. He actually had professional training for the shooting of Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol. Tom and other of his crew members were trained by a martial arts professional.
It was reported that the producers of the movie hired practitioner of Jiu-Jitsu and other martial Arts, Robb Alonzo to train Tom and his crew. They trained for 2 hours daily to get the martial art skills instilled. The training lasted for over 8 weeks. Rob Alonso was specifically gunning for perfection and made the crew understand this. According to him, they had to make the right moves for the camera. “I thought, if I’m a secret agent, I have to be really efficient with all the moves,” Robb told Vip magazine in summary. Thus, there was no way out for Tom and the crew.
Well, without Robb Alonzo saying that everyone already knows how much passion and dedication Tom Cruise brings to his movies. He is always willing to go the extra mile and give every movie his best. Thus, we are pretty sure that he trained hard and learnt all he needed to about martial arts to deliver an excellent performance in the movie.
Tom Backs Out of A Fight
In the real world, Tom Cruise is not one to fight without reason. He ignored Justin Bieber’s tweet challenging him to a fight. The question on everyone’s lips, including James Corden, was why Justin?
If Tom Cruise and Justin Bieber had eventually got into the octagon, we would put our money on Tom Cruise. Even Justin Bieber knows this as he recalled his tweet later on. He told TMZ that it was just a random tweet. According to him, “I do that stuff sometimes. … I’m pretty sure Tom would, I think he would — he’d probably whoop my (expletive) in a fight.” We wholeheartedly agree. Justin is right, and we are so glad Tom Cruise did not accept the challenge.
Also, Tom Cruise has been fighting for a very long time even before Justin Bieber was conceived. He was a member of his high school wrestling team. He has also received training in other forms of fighting like sword fighting for The Last Samurai movie and bare-knuckle brawling for Far and away. He whoops badasses all the time like aliens mummies and bad guys. Justin is not a bad guy, and we are glad he dodged this one.
On a final note, Tom Cruise is a trained fighter in martial arts and other types of fighting. Thus, you are seriously advised not to attempt imitating his moves or challenge him to a fight.