Will Smith’s Son, Jaden Smith, is well-known for his role in Karate Kid when he was 11 years old. It left many people wondering if Jaden learned martial arts from his father.
Will does know some martial arts as he practices tai chi with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Will seems to enjoy more low-intensity martial arts as he refers to tai chi as Kung Fu for 40-year olds.
Many people were surprised to find out that Jaden Smith did his own stunts in Karate Kid at such a young age and were even more surprised that he did not learn any of it from his parents. Will Smith seems to prefer encouraging his kids to start new activities rather than taking on overly physical activities himself.
Tai Chi
While many people don’t know tai chi is a martial art since it is popular among older people, it definitely is! It is a Chinese martial art used mostly for meditation and health benefits, but can also be used as defense training. Tai chi also improves muscular strength and fitness, so it is a well-rounded workout. At the LA premiere of The Karate Kid, an interviewer asked Will and Jada Smith if they do any Kung Fu training with Jaden, they admitted that their workout is “less intense” as they only focus on tai chi.
Jaden Smith in Karate Kid
When Jaden Smith was only 11 years old, he studied Kung Fu in Shanghai as father wanted him to be able to do his own stunts in the film. With Will’s motivation, Jaden was able to do all his own stunts. Jackie Chan, Jaden’s co-start in the movie, even said that Jaden was better at Kung Fu than even his own son. Will, however, supported Jaden from the sidelines and did not take up any Kung Fu himself. Will is so supportive, that he and his entire family moved to Shanghai, China for three months while Jaden was there learning Kung Fu and filming The Karate Kid.
Will Smith is known for supporting his children in all their endeavors, maybe sometimes too much. His daughter, Willow Smith, was 10 years old when she found fame for her song, ‘Whip My Hair’. She says her parents pushed her to do a tour, promotion and even finish an album despite her not wanting to do it. She says she even started cutting herself because she was struggling with dealing with her own fame and her parents’ fame. She has since forgiven both Will and Jada, but it was a lesson for all of them that children are not always going to follow in their parents footsteps. Will is now supporting his daughter from the sidelines as he did with Jaden while she channels her anxiety into performance art.
Will Smith’s extracurricular activities
Along with cheering on his children from the sidelines, Will Smith seems to enjoy more low-impact sports like golfing. Will Smith started a YouTube channel where he posts videos of his and his family’s international adventures. There are many videos of him golfing alone, but in this one he convinces his family to go as well.
That being said, Will is quite versatile and can also do high-impact activities, usually for movie roles. In the 2016 film Suicide Squad, Will was 47 years old, but his workout regimen for the movie was so strict that he developed 8 pack abs. He did this in just six-weeks at a boot camp designed for the cast of the movie to get fit. So, it is obvious that Will has the ability to do more intense workouts than just tai chi, but seems like he just enjoys the low intensity ones more.