Who is the best martial artist in India? Meet Vidyut Jamwal

Vidyut Jamwal is an Indian film star who has featured in the Commando movie series and is also known as a kalaripayattu practitioner. He claimed to have started training in this martial art at the age of 3 years old, so it’s fair to say he’s well versed in the martial art. Not only this, but Jamwal also claims to supplement his kalaripayattu training with a mixture of yoga and strength and conditioning. So, what is kalaripayattu and what does Jamwal say about it?

Kalaripayattu – India’s ancient martial art

Kalaripayattu is known as the first martial art to be taught in India and is seen by many as the predecessor to Kung Fu. With this said, stylistically it has a similar method to Kung Fu which features an array of kicks and striking. However, it also features methods in grappling and joint manipulation which lend to the art of Jiu Jitsu. Not only this but the art can also be commonly trained alongside swords and shields in a nod to its traditional past.

With this said, it’s quite a broad martial art so this means Jamwal should be quite well-rounded in combat given his time spent training kalaripayattu. One of the many benefits of kalaripayattu is the combination of strength conditioning, as well as the cardio benefits that are created by sparring the techniques that help improve your physical body and even helps your breathing patterns.

Regarding Vidyut Jamwal, he had this to say about the movements found in kalaripayattu – “With time, and due to the lack of continuous practice, we forget the natural rhythm of actions which result in us becoming unfit. These are basic freeform techniques to bring back your natural instincts.” He can be seen practicing these moves here which are fluid and show his athleticism.

If ever you’ve trained a martial art, you may find these dynamic movements similar as they can be seen in various MMA warm-ups. Interestingly, Jamwal has also spent time training with Shaolin monks in China. As the Shaolin style is also found in Kung Fu which is similar to kalaripayattu it makes sense that Jamwal would also cross-train in Shaolin to further develop his skills. With this in mind, it’s easy to find comparisons between Jamwal and India and Bruce Lee and China.

Another comparison is that both do their own stunts. It’s common to find Jamwal doing impressive moves on the set of Bollywood movies. Similar to Bruce Lee, he is also capable of doing the one-fingered press up which requires incredible impressive focus, technique, and physical strength.

Vidyut Jamwal is also very patriotic when it comes to kalaripayattu, speaking to IANS he once said “When I go and pursue an award from Jackie Chan, and when they talk of kalaripayattu, the Indian martial art, I feel proud. My vision for Indian action cinema worldwide is that we need to present this,” With this said, it’s clear that Jamwal has a positive vision for kalaripayattu and still plans on using it in other films when possible.

Not only in great physical shape due to conventional workouts, but Jamwal also has the striking skills to back up his impressive physique. As seen in the video below, his kicking and chopping technique is used to blow out candles which is clearly not an easy feat. Because of this, it’s quite clear why he’s considered the best martial artist in India. Not only can he perform skills on the big screen, but you’d also be a fool to try and mess with him away from the camera.