VIDEO: Willie Nelson Earns Fifth-Degree Black Belt in GongKwon Yusul

(Props: USA Today)

GongKwon Yusul is a modern Korean martial art system that “emphasizes the application of striking, locking and throwing techniques in practical, free-flowing fighting situations,” and is influenced by Western boxing and the grappling techniques of judo and jiu-jitsu. Until this morning, I’d never heard of it. But apparently, 81-year-old country music legend Willie Nelson has been studying it for 20 years and just got his fifth-degree black belt in the martial art in Monday. Luckily, the video above doesn’t portray GongKwon Yusul as a Martial Arts Fail of the Week-worthy embarrassment, though we can’t help feeling a little skeptical when Willie discusses the board-breaking involved in the belt tests.

Whatever keeps the Red Headed Stranger happy and active is fine by us. That being said, we will go to our graves defending the superiority of Kuk Sool Won.

Celebrities in the Martial Arts

Willie Nelson is far from the only star with a serious martial arts habit. The country legend trained for decades before receiving this fifth-degree black belt in his eighties, and he joins a long list of entertainers, from Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme to Tom Hardy and Keanu Reeves, who have devoted years to training.

GongKwon Yusul, like many modern systems, borrows from boxing, judo and jiu-jitsu, reflecting the way MMA has influenced traditional martial arts since the 1990s.