Jackie Chan is a black belt in the Korean martial art Hapkido and also knows Karate, Taekwondo, Judo, and Jeet Kune Do.This means that Jackie is constantly using his hands, making people wonder whether he is left handed or right handed.
Jackie Chan is not left-handed. Although being left-handed would make him a better fighter, Jackie Chan is right-handed. This can be seen both in his fighting scenes, but also in various videos of him signing autographs with his right hand.
Continue reading to find out more about Jackie Chan being right handed and how that may affect his fighting.
Left Hand Dominant Fighting
As being left handed is fairly rare, fighters are typically used to their opponent being right handed. Research has shown that left handers thus have an advantage because their opponents will be disoriented by their stance when fighting.
The studies further show that 54% of the time in fighting or martial arts, the left handed fighter does better. Many scientists have wondered why left handedness has not been eliminated by evolution and this advantage may be one of the reasons.
If being left handed is rare and presents an advantage over right handed people, it may not be eliminated through evolution. Fighting may be one of the only times being left handed is beneficial though.
Being left handed has also been known to cause injuries as many tools, like scissors or shears, are designed for right handed people. So, while it may be lucky that most people are not right handed, it would have been advantageous to Jackie Chan.
Left Handed Celebrities
Though Jackie Chan is not left handed, some of his celebrity friends are. Jackie Chan is arguably most well-known in Hollywood for his starring role in the Rush Hour series. In the film, he and Chris Tucker played police officers.
Chris Tucker is actually left handed. He and Jackie Chan continued working together as the first Rush Hour did so well, grossing over $244 million worldwide. They went on to make a Rush Hour 2 (2001) and Rush Hour 3.
Unfortunately, Jackie Chan has said that he dislikes the Rush Hour series. He said that he is normally in a film because he has something to say, but with regards to Rush Hour, he said: “There was no reason in making it, you just give me the money and I’m fine. I dislike ‘Rush Hour’ the most, but ironically it sold really well in the United States and Europe.”
Another popular Asian fighter, Manny Pacquiao, is a Filipino professional boxer. He is also left handed. Many fans have wondered who would win in a fight: Manny Pacquiao or Jackie Chan, but the two have not fought.
On the other hand, Jackie Chan’s idol, Bruce Lee, was not left handed, but fought as though he was. Bruce Lee took on the ‘Southpaw’ stance in order to get an advantage over his opponents.
It is actually recommended that fighters train on both sides to develop power and coordination in their weak, non-dominant side. Jackie Chan does not do this, however, and just sticks to his right side.
Another left handed actor that Jackie Chan has worked with is Owen Wilson. Similar to Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson worked on a multiple-film series, Shanghai.
The film stars Jackie Chan as a Chinese Imperial guard and Owen Wilson as an American bandit. It is made up of three films: Shanghai Noon (2000), Shanghai Knights (2003) and Shanghai Dawn which has not been made yet.
So, although Jackie Chan is not left-handed and does not take a left handed stance in fighting, he knows and has worked with a lot of people who are.