The transcript below is from the video “I Trained Like JACKIE CHAN For 7 Days” by Jesse Enkamp.
Jesse Enkamp:
This week, I’m training like Jackie Chan because I’ve always wanted to be like him. Then I’m entering the national championship to test my skills. But I don’t know any Kung Fu and the tournament is only seven days away.
Luckily, I got a bottle of liquor and a great teacher.
This is Sifu Jacob, a world-class Kung Fu expert.
Sifu Jacob:
Drinking, and then we step…
Jesse Enkamp:
He’s gonna teach me the same Kung Fu style that Jackie does in his movies. It’s called Drunken Fist.
Sifu Jacob:
Oh, no, no, no, no, you do not have to do it for real, it’s just pretending.
Jesse Enkamp:
Oh, thank God.
Turns out Drunken Fist is based on deception and not intoxication.
Sifu Jacob:
By playing drunk, you don’t consider me as a big threat. You’re saying no, no, no, I’m not going to fight you, and then all of a sudden…
Jesse Enkamp:
Drunken style is used by world-class fighters to confuse their opponents and knock them out. But pretending to be drunk is much harder than it looks.
Sifu Jacob:
And then turn and sit.
Jesse Enkamp:
How did you (laughs)
Sifu Jacob:
So you go like this, we drink and we fall. I switch legs, you can also sink down into this and then go down here and kick.
Jesse Enkamp:
And then came the hardest part.
Sifu Jacob:
This is basic Wrestling.
Jesse Enkamp:
So we’re practicing how to throw somebody
Sifu Jacob:
Exactly.
Jesse Enkamp:
and how to get thrown.
Sifu Jacob:
Exactly. The story that we’re telling, we’re drinking and then we get so drunk that we flip over.
Jesse Enkamp:
Okay, I’m gonna go with the beginner version.
Sifu Jacob:
And now we need to flip up.
Jesse Enkamp:
Oh no, I can’t do that.
Sifu Jacob:
Yeah. We have to learn it.
Jesse Enkamp:
And then, things got really strange.
Sifu Jacob:
This is the drunkest part of the whole form. We are so drunk that we can’t even stand up. So I move with the shoulders like this.
Jesse Enkamp:
What?
Sifu Jacob:
Yes. Turn around.
Jesse Enkamp:
After two hours of training, we had finally done all of the moves.
Sifu Jacob:
You got it?
Jesse Enkamp:
I don’t think so!
Jesse Enkamp:
But Drunken Fist also includes strength training.
Sifu Jacob:
So from here, I will lift, and now over the shoulder.
Jesse Enkamp:
And that’s just like what we did in the form.
Sifu Jacob:
Exactly. But, we usually work out with 60 or 70 kilos, so this is
Jesse Enkamp:
So this is for me?
Sifu Jacob:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. 10 in a row.
Jesse Enkamp:
Okay…
Sifu Jacob:
Good! Yes…
Jesse Enkamp:
I don’t remember Jackie Chan doing this.
Sifu Jacob:
This is just the first exercise. So now we have the middle grip and now, holding the head of the opponent.
Jesse Enkamp:
This, I can feel this is effective!
Sifu Jacob:
Yes, lifting and pressing, but with this grip and then, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12… 40… …and 50! And then you feel a slight burn.
Jesse Enkamp:
This is insane.
Sifu Jacob:
And the burn, that’s Kung Fu coming out.
Jesse Enkamp:
Wow. I guess there’s only one thing left to do. I need to look like Jackie Chan.
Jesse Enkamp:
This is the exact same shirt that both Jackie and Bruce Lee wore in their movies. And now it’s my turn.
Okay, from here on I’m all by myself. Let’s see how much I remember.
Turns out, I remember the first few moves, but then things fell apart. Luckily I had my video recordings to watch. It took me quite a while to put everything back together. And I wasn’t even sure if I was doing things right. But I decided to trust the process.
And slowly but surely, I started forming a muscle memory. I even developed my own exercises. But I still couldn’t figure out the kip-up. And the tournament was approaching fast. I needed to step things up.
Jesse Enkamp:
And then came the final test. Today, I’m gonna perform the full routine in front of a live audience in full speed. Please have a seat.
I forgot the first move. One more time.
Despite missing the first move, my form felt amazing. My brother and mom were clearly entertained, but I was fully focused on nailing every single move. And that’s exactly what I did. This was everything I had hoped for. I was finally ready to compete. And then everything changed.
Jesse Enkamp:
This morning, I woke up and I have a terrible pain in my shoulder. I could barely sleep on my left side. Maybe it’s some kind of impingement or rotator cuff injury, tendonitis? I’m not sure, but I slept like five hours tonight. Maybe you can tell, because of the pain. And the tournament is tomorrow. So, I’m at the dojo now because I’m gonna ask my mom to give me a treatment cause she’s a physiotherapist. She does some acupuncture and manual work. And if this shoulder doesn’t get better I might have to cancel the tournament. Because health is always my number one priority. And if this gets worse, it might become some kind of permanent injury. I could barely put on my shirt today. So it hurts just lifting my arm like this. I feel an immense pain right here. So it’s kind of… My only wish is that I can compete tomorrow even if there’s pain.
Jesse Enkamp:
It’s not that I have a problem with pain, it’s just that I hate performing less than my best. And if I give up now, at least I have a good excuse. But while I was sitting there feeling sorry for myself, I started watching old clips of Jackie. You know the bloopers at the end of his films. And that’s when I realized, Jackie never gave up. He’s broken almost every bone in his body. And he still does all of his own stunts. Because the show must go on. If I wanna become the next Jackie Chan, this injury is not an obstacle. It’s an opportunity. To stop training like Jackie… And start being him.
There it is. National Championships.
Jesse Enkamp:
After one week’s training, it’s finally time to test my skills against the very best. Luckily, Sifu Jacob is here to coach me. But first, he wants to check my drunken form, because we haven’t seen each other in a week. Unfortunately, it seems I got a few details wrong and there’s not enough time to correct me. This means I will have to play so drunk that the judges don’t notice any mistakes. And one of them is a real Shaolin monk from China.
I have no idea if this plan is going to work but there’s only one way to find out. It’s time to get wasted.
Sifu Jacob:
Top score, top score.
Jesse Enkamp:
I got top score. This is insane!
Sifu Jacob:
Very proud, very proud.
Jesse Enkamp:
Wow. Imagine if I become the national champion.
Sifu Jacob:
We got right under nine, right under it which is like, high-level performance. From nine and up. So very good.
Jesse Enkamp:
Whoa!
Jesse Enkamp:
I don’t know if you could tell, but I was so nervous when I stepped onto that mat. My heart was pounding out of my chest. But then I remembered that I’m supposed to be drunk! So I just instantly relaxed. And that was the key to everything, because the drunker I felt the better I performed, until I got to the end when I started to overthink that jump kick and I missed my hand. But I still got a higher score than the guy in front of me so let’s see how far it goes. But that was super fun!
Let’s hear what place I got.
I got bronze!
This is proof that anything is possible. So go out there and make your younger self proud. Jackie, this one is for you.
