“Fight, F*ck, and Throw Rocks”: Willie Nelson’s Kick-Ass History With Martial Arts

Unless you’re a diehard fan of the “On The Road Again” hitmaker, you might not know that Willie Nelson is quite well-versed in martial arts. And he still practices martial arts well into his 90s.

In an interview with CBS Mornings from earlier this year, Nelson talked a bit about his history with martial arts. In the clip, Nelson says that he still practices kung fu, jiu-jitsu, judo, and taekwondo (likely alternating practices) every day. 

When asked what attracted him to the martial arts, Nelson had a pretty comedic response.

“We had a saying in Abbott, Texas, where I come from,” said Nelson. “‘They only do three things down here: Fight, ****, and throw rocks.”

After a laugh, Nelson got a bit more serious. At least, as serious as Willie Nelson can get.

“So, that’s where I grew up,” he continued. “We fought everything and everybody, each other. We fought bumblebees on the weekends.”

Nelson also went on to say that martial arts gave him “confidence” and said that he doesn’t “have to worry about anything.” The interviewer joked that nobody can mess with him now; though we can’t imagine anyone messing with someone as loveable as country legend Willie Nelson.

Willie Nelson’s Butt-Kicking History With Martial Arts

There’s a good chance that Nelson’s good health and ability to tour on the regular in his 90s can be attributed to exercising and practicing martial arts. However, it’s also likely that Nelson’s good health can also be attributed to the fact that he quit smoking his favorite herb and switched to edibles.

Nelson holds a fifth-degree black belt in the Korean martial art known as Gongkwon Yusul, which is often incorrectly referred to as taekwondo. Typically, this level of expertise can take over a decade to obtain through training and hard work.

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Nelson also holds a second-degree black belt in taekwondo. He also practices elements of the Japanese martial arts judo and jiu-jitsu, and he started his martial arts journey in the Chinese martial art known as kung fu. 

According to Nelson, he has been studying martial arts for over three decades. He likely started his martial arts training in his late 60s. So, if you think it’s too late to pick it up; here’s your sign to hit the gym or join a dojo!

Photo by Sterling Munksgard

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