THE KARATE KID’s famous crane kick was such a difficult stunt it almost didn’t happen

There were so many things that were perfectly fine in the 1984 film The child of karatenamely the casting, the script and the on-screen chemistry that led to the sequels and the fantasy series Cobra Kai which is currently on Netflix. There are so many memorable moments in the movie that people are still talking about today, “wax, wax off”, “sweep your leg!” and the ultimate tool of defeat, the crane kick. This was a fantastic move, but according to the movie star, Ralph Macchiothe invented move was so difficult to execute that it almost didn’t happen.

In Macchio’s new memoir (via / Film), Waxing: Me and the karate guy, talks about the Crane Kick, saying, “It worked so well on paper and paid off beautifully on the page, but in concrete and practical reality, it wasn’t that easy to achieve,” Macchio wrote. “And in the beginning, it was absolutely impossible to run from script to screen.” The move was described as LaRusso balancing on one leg due to the injury, so he threw a high front kick before landing again on the good leg that provided the kick. This meant that the injured leg would never touch the ground. It’s a nice idea, but as Macchio says, expert stuntmen and professional martial artists have all tried to get the crane kick out, but nothing worked.

He went on to explain:

“No one could effectively attack the landing without appearing unbalanced. If I remember correctly, there was even talk of doing it with cables to reach the height needed to throw the kick with enough time to bring the good leg back to the basic landing position. “

Fortunately, an acrobatic martial artist named Darryl VidaI figured out how to make it work. Vidal appeared as one of Johnny Lawrence’s semi-final opponents The child of karate and doubled for Pat Morita like Mr. Miyagi on the log at the beach when Daniel-san sees the technique silhouetted in the distance. “Darryl was a spectacular aerial martial artist, almost balletic in his fluency,” Macchio said. “His skill and his technique created a perfect move and blueprint for what Daniel-san needed to achieve.” Macchio worked tirelessly with Darryl and martial arts choreographer Pat Johnson to learn the technique, making sure Macchio didn’t need a stunt double to make the move for him. “It wasn’t an option in my mind,” he said.

As it turned out, the crane kick scene was shot somewhere around 30 times. “We shot it from multiple angles too, sometimes in slow motion, sometimes very close for impact,” she said. “Those shots were never used The child of karatejust the low, the wide angle. ”It wasn’t until Cobra Kai that any of the other angles have been revealed to the public. Macchio added:

“In ‘The Karate Kid’ itself, the moment was all about Daniel LaRusso’s victory and Mr. Miyagi’s magic. The bully got the punishment. The crowd jumped to their feet cheering for their hero. Euphoria. The winner is it. loot gone. Something iconic was born that day of shooting. “

Certainly. There is a reason this film has survived as a favorite of so many fans. It was great to revisit the Karate Kid universe Cobra Kai and see some of the film footage we’ve never had before, and it’s especially great to see the characters come back and confirm their relationships and storylines in such a believable and in-depth way.

Waxing: Me and the karate guy is now available wherever books are sold.