Michael Jackson’s public image was built on moonwalks and falsetto vocals, but according to Matt Fiddes, his former bodyguard and martial arts instructor, the King of Pop harbored a lifelong devotion to karate and a deep fascination with Bruce Lee.
Fiddes, who now runs one of the largest martial arts franchises in the world, revealed that Jackson’s training began in childhood, at the direction of his father.
“Joseph Jackson made all the Jackson Five study martial arts,” Fiddes said in an interview.”He wanted to proceed with his training to Second Dan. He was damn good. Not just him, though. [Michael’s brothers] Tito, Jermain, all of them did it, all the Jacksons. Joseph made sure they wanted to make sure they could take care of themselves.”
According to Fiddes, Jackson’s martial arts training eventually became intertwined with his legendary dancing. He pointed out that many of the singer’s signature movements appeared to draw from techniques he had learned through martial arts.
“Look back at Michael Jackson’s dancing he puts all the kicks and punches and blocks in his dancing, it’s all in there,” Fiddes said of Jackson’s ability.
Jackson’s fascination with martial arts extended well beyond his own training, particularly when it came to Bruce Lee. Fiddes described him as a devoted fan who could recite entire scenes from Lee’s most famous films.
“He was a Bruce Lee fanatic. You sit down with Michael and watch a movie, he would annoy you because he would know every single word to Enter The Dragon, The Way of the Dragon, The Big Boss. No matter how many times he just watched the movies over and over again. ”
Fiddes said Jackson wanted to meet Lee’s widow, Linda Lee, and his daughter, Shannon Lee, to understand the source of Lee’s enduring cultural impact.
Matt stated, “He wanted to meet his only surviving child, his daughter Shannon Lee and Linda Lee, Bruce Lee’s ex-wife.”
The bond over martial arts also shaped Fiddes’ own career. Jackson personally encouraged him to franchise his martial arts schools, using his own path from poverty in Gary, Indiana, to global stardom as proof that scale was possible with the right mindset. That conversation, Fiddes said, led him to open 400 new schools within a year.
Fiddes now runs over 2,000 martial arts schools worldwide, a legacy he credits in part to the late superstar’s belief in him, both as a martial artist and as a business mind.
