The time he fought Black Belt Jones 

Jim Kelly was so Athletic and Charismatic. Great Story :)

Jim Kelly was a very smart fighter.

Hey Sensei Ichi, i studied under Jim Kelly for seven years. I started in April, 1984 to 1991 in Los Angeles. In 1986, i began taking private lessons in his apartments recreation center.

My mother was actually in the movie Black Belt Jones, the funeral scene at the church on the corner of 42nd Street and Main, in LA California, we lived on the Block, she sang in the choir at BBJ's funeral in the movie. The church is still there to this day,

With all due respect that movie is great.

As a huge Jim Kelly fan, thanks for this!!! This is great!!!!! New subscriber!

Perhaps cheesy by today's standards, but this was a very entertaining movie in its day! Like Norris, Kelly was both a great competitor and a wooden actor, but unlike Norris, a lot of Kelly's real life physical dynamism did transfer to the big screen which shouldn't be discounted. Really enjoyable to watch your clip. Thanks for posting

Awesome story! I watched Jim Kelly and Ron Van Clief movies day in and out as a kid (during the 80's). While I wasn't a big fan of his movies and wasn't a personal influence it was clear that Jim Kelly was an amazing martial artist. He inspired people in my area (mostly the older ones since I was born in 1980) to train.

Incredible I love Jim Kelly kudos and man I remember the afro and bell bottom days LOL

The shoot he's describing turned out be one of my favorite intro scenes to any movie. #BlackBeltJones. Shout out to #DennisCoffey for the music in that scene and the entire cast especially the leading lady #GloriaHendry 🔥 #RIPJimKelly 🙏🏾🤜🏿💥🤛🏿🐉🥋

Thank you sensi lchi great memories

Seeing it from that perspective, you was pretty good 👍 😊 The movie is legendary, and one of the best of it's time. 💯

I *PAID* to see that movie in the 70s!! And me n your Dad had the same hair length back then. I dont mention the flared trousers anymore..oh the humanity ! 😔

Love the stories, keep them coming :)

Thank you for sharing! 🙏🏽

This is an amazing great story experience. Just subscribed, notification bell!!!

Thank you for the post!

Respect and salute to your father, Sensei Ichi! He is an excellent stuntman/martial artist!👍💖

Love these stories..these stories are legendarily passed down only by shared experience..brings back great feelings of my childhood in Torrance.

That’s cool!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!💯👌🏽🙏🏽👊🏽

Awesome story I was huge fan of Jim Kelly although he wasn't the greatest actor he was a tremendous fighter on screen and a legitimate martial artist.

Another great story! Keep 'em coming sir!!!

This was awesome.

Ultimate respect to your Father. Kwan Soo Dude.

Awesome 👌🏾🏁

Black Belt Jones is the first Kung Fu action movie I ever saw. I watched it in 1978 in Rawalpindi , Pakistan in a cinema . They had a great big hand painted poster outside Bollywood style . I was blown away .

stilleven doe he didnt get to many parts in the movies he still the greatestest im gonna miss you

Dig these!!!

It might be cheesy but it's awesome! Especially the nut shot guy

Thanks for the story. I was 16 in 1974 and I use to watch all Jim Kelly's movies. At that time the Karate looked legit but by today's standards it does look cheesy.😬 I wonder did Jim tell any Bruce Lee stories we haven't heard? Thanks for the memories!❤

I love this style of the B=slap

I like listen to ur dad stories

Awesome.

Awesome Sensei Ichi!

Man you came right of the comic book

Fantastic story, and thank you very much for sharing your professional experience. By the same token, if there were more individuals such as yourself that communicated their respective positive experience with Jim Kelly, it would be an added value as to "who" he really was a "true martial artist and human being" to our society. However, thank you again....

I love your story and sharing this with us. You took those shots the best. However, I hate that Kelly blatantly tried to duplicate Lee and sucked at it. No originality at all. Come on Jim! There's just no need brotha. Then again it reflects his short time with Bruce and his admiration for him. I'm a fan of Kelly's since the 70's. Always thought he was a cool dude and he's one of the few humble people who could talk honestly about how awesome Bruce was without his ego getting in the way. This was a cool story. Again, thank you for sharing that with us.

I love the cheesey movies, they are what they are

Wow Grandmaster Dennis Ichikawa was in Black Belt Jones, with the legendary Jim Kelly from Enter the Dragon? Thank you Sensei Ichi, for bringing us this wonderful interview, witn your father. I truly like hearing his stories from the good old days. I am glad to see that your father is still keeping strong, fit, healthy and active, until this day. One can only ponder, what it would have been like for the legendary Bruce Lee, if he was still here today with us! Jim Kelly was definitely a phenomenal athlete and an amazing, charismatic, cool individual. Definitely a great role model for young African American people, to look up to, as well as aspire to be like. What Sensei Dennis Ichikawa said, about the fights being improvised on the set, during the filming process of the movie, is reminiscent of Hong Kong action films of that era, as well as today. Martial arts films in Hong Kong, get choreographed by sporadic and instant improvisation, as the film is getting filmed and the action sequence comes up to be filmed. The stunt or martial arts director will tell the stunt performers roughly what he wants each person to do and away they go and just wing it lol. Awesome films nonetheless. Have a wonderful week ahead Sensei Ichi, Osu!🥋✌👍😊🇦🇺👊Juan!

There's a video online with Jim Kelly talking about Bruce Lee and his instructor Gordon Doversola of the Okinawa The Organization... Apparently Bruce Lee took private lessons from Gordon Doversola...

I think people really get hard of themselves when they talk about the past. Back then hollywood just barely got into martial and so was usa. Meaning choreography wasn't to par with china who had been doing it for generations upon generations. I think the film still holds up to date. Its not going to be fast flashy just like the times and thats how I see it. It was how americans actually fought in those times. Now with ufc mma kickboxing and boxing all gotten more professional the films reflect this. But whats best about the past is that you can actually recognize each move. Which kinda teaches you. I feel like now in days its too fast and it becomes one quick blur. You go wow what happened and have to rewind over and over again. When films back then you recognized it and could go to movies and your eyes and mind relax and just focus on the story. Thats my take on it anyways. To put it this movie was the Karate Kid of its time. Notice how that movie as well is not fast paced or has the best actions scenes. But the story the characters made it a great movie. Just like this one. Jim Kelly beats up the villains in a safe way and instead of killing the guy he shots him in the butt. Punishing him but letting him live, but also showing his character that hes a slight joker. And then Jim Kelly walks cool and smooth. Tell me if movies today do that? pssh no, Its a great film!!!!!!

I disagree with dude. I loved watching the entire movie. It also did damn good at the box office.

Now I know it is you. Thank you.

Hello Sensei Ichi, here is part three of one of my training sessions with Jim Kelly...ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DVZWWFZ819A.html

If you could star in your own Martial Arts movie... What would it be called?

A red belt is a masters belt. I wish the korean arts would not do this. Most kyokushin schools have replaced it with orange as well. Being that tang soo do is actually a karate style... the belt system as their art came from the Japanese, I don’t understand this?

Practically unrehearsed, it is the reason why the fights in this type of movies look so fake, it was the way to film in this type of production. And without a choreography director to practice the fights, the stunts, just a bunch of guys, very talented, waiting around doing nothing. Today even actors with no martial arts experience look decently good thanks to the choreography director and multiple rehearsals for weeks or months.

Thanks...What did Jim Kelley die of?Thanks again man 👨😑