Jon Xue Zhang: About Me

My Martial Arts Part 2

Jon Xue Zhang — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 18:30:51 GMT

In Part 1, I wrote about my background and philosophy. It’s still such a huge part of my life, 10 years on, I thought it would be nice to revisit those ideas and reflect on how my life has changed, whilst my approach to martial arts has for the most part, remained the same.

I’ve always chosen to train at times that aren’t particularly sociable or convenient; I think it’s important to train when you don’t want to so that you can fight when you have to, when all else fails. Of course, I’m not looking to get into fights, but I see martial arts training as a preventative measure; maintaining the skills and awareness that might one day help you avoid or deal with a confrontation.

I’ve also always kept my training diverse. Having trained for 33 years, I’ve made a conscious effort to develop a broad skill set rather than specialise in just one area. My instructor always told me that to master one thing, you must master all things. To me, that means keeping every tool in my toolbox sharp.

Training in different styles also allows me to work around the limitations of any one discipline, whilst adapting my training to how I feel physically and mentally. I therefore consider motivation largely irrelevant; discipline is what counts. By practicing complementary styles, I can continue to train regardless of my frame of mind or physical condition. For instance, if I’m tired or sore, I can still do something softer without sacrificing the quality of my training. The goal is consistency, not simply pushing through for the sake of it as that could result in injury.

Martial Arts splits into three main categories; fighting, health and performance. I still train to keep my fighting skills sharp, as mentioned earlier, but I also train to stay healthy and strong. However these days, performance has taken on a new meaning as I make my living as an actor.

Having trained in many different styles has proved particularly useful in my career as every role is different and each character has their own way of moving. My martial arts background gives me a broader physical vocabulary to draw from, allowing me to adapt my movement to the needs of a character rather than approaching every role in the same way.

At one point in my life, I would meditate for 3 hours every day. Not necessarily all at once, but it was an important way for me to connect with nature and cultivate a sense of calm equanimity. I was also working through some personal challenges at the time. The amount of time we employ a coping mechanism can sometimes say something about what we’re dealing with.

I still meditate, but my relationship with it has changed. My natural state of being is now much closer to the state I used to work towards through meditation, so I don’t need to spend nearly as long getting there. In fact, it doesn’t take long at all.

So where does that leave me and my training today?

In many ways, I’m still doing the same things. Life has changed, but my lifestyle hasn’t. I no longer work in security (thankfully!). Whilst I still teach, it’s considerably less frequently than I used to. These days, that means the occasional seminar, plenty of screen fighting and some private sessions.

My values haven’t changed, but I’d like to think my approach has become more concise; with experience comes a better understanding of what matters, what works and how to communicate those ideas more effectively. That’s one of the reasons I decided to rewrite my 2020 book and release a second edition; to reflect my development as a practitioner and express the same core concepts with greater clarity, efficiency and the perspective that comes with experience.

Handwriting

Jon Xue Zhang — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 13:46:00 GMT

I handwrite a lot and often get comments about it, so I thought I’d write a little something here. So usually at the end of a production, I’ll write a bunch of (mostly personalised) thank you cards to cast and crew, different departments etc. (93 for The Brothers Sun, 88 for Masters of the Universe etc. etc.); it takes absolutely ages, but showing appreciation to those I worked with and those who took care of me is really important to me.

I’ve always loved cursive handwriting; it’s just beautiful to look at. It’s an art form at the end of the day. I’ve been writing cursively for the last 30 or so years, it’s just a matter of refining it over time! It starts with knowing how to join your letters, before learning how certain letters will look different when written cursively (for instance a normal ‘f’ and a cursive ‘f’ look different)

I base my handwriting similarly to how you’d write music; I use the horizontal lines to structure the level of the letters.

Italicising the writing is just more comfortable in joining the letters together. Take the sentence ‘I think this is the best!’, I’ll start with ‘I’, then ‘think’, where I dot the ‘i’, loop it around to cross the ‘t’ and continue the line to start the ‘t’ in ‘this’, then dot the ‘i’ and loop it over the start of the next word, ‘is’, where I dot the ‘i’, loop it round and continue to start the ‘t’ in ‘the’. I’ll then cross the ‘t’ and extend it to start the ‘b’ in ‘best’, then cross the ‘t’ and extend it to form the body of the ‘!’.

Take another sentence, ‘I want to indicate that’, it’s only when I cross the ‘t’ in ‘want’ that I continue the line to start the ‘t’ in ‘to’, then write ‘indicate’. I’ll always dot the ‘i’ first before crossing the ‘t’; so I’ll dot the second ‘i’, loop it round to dot the first ‘i’, continue to cross the ‘t’, which then continues to start the ‘t’ in ‘that’.

The only time I don’t loop the ‘i’s or ‘t’s over the rest of the word is when there are ‘l’s in the word, like ‘illegitimate’, where I’d dot the last ‘i’, loop it over to dot the second, then the first ‘i’s. I don’t cross the ‘t’ with this continuous line because that crosses the ‘ll’s, which would make the word look like ‘ittegitimate’.

When I used to spend hours a day in the woods, I noticed that if you dug up the ground, all the roots of the trees would be connected. When you look up, a lot of branches at the top of each tree are also touching the branches of another trees. As such, my handwriting is somewhat inspired by the time I spent in nature, where the orientation is almost symbolised by a breeze. I love that I like that all the letters are connected in some way or form.

It all sounds a little complicated, it’s just how I’ve written for years; I find it forces me to be forward thinking and intentional with how I communicate my ideas when writing. As it’s an art form, I take my time to handwrite everything! If it’s rushed, it won’t be legible and won’t be art!

Here’s how the last paragraph looks:

On another note, at one point I was trying to learn how to write with my left hand, where I would write different words with both hands at once, in an ill advised way to make my time more efficient. So, I would write ‘Hello’ with my left hand and ‘how’ with my right, then ‘are’ with my left and ‘you’ with my right. In theory, I was certain that my piano playing and my ability to dual wield Kali sticks would help, but no; all it did was give me headaches!

Piano and dual Kali sticks have a harmonious coordination to them, whereas I was forcing my brain to divide a single linguistic sequence into two parallel streams, creating some kind of cognitive interference. I don’t think my hands were necessarily the problem, but rather the visual strain, concentration and muscle tension (not just in my hands, but probably my face too), especially trying to make the handwriting in my weaker hand consistent with the other, were probably the causes of the headaches...! My hands can move independently to one another but my brain can’t handle parallel handwriting processes particularly efficiently at the same time. Sad times. As such, I don’t do practice this anymore! ...I won’t ever be as cool as Ringo Yu in Iron Monkey, where he writes two separate medical prescriptions with both hands!

Even thinking about it gives me headaches…!

Interviews

Jon Xue Zhang — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 13:24:00 GMT

2026

2025

Stage and Screen with Me’Sha Bryan

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

The Ross Trevena Project
Propaganda Forum with Derek James
Take 97: A Film Podcast
Modern Aikidoist Podcast
Kickback with Chris Jones Martial Arts Podcast
The Creative Venture
Gram Fitness
Ben’s House Party
The Supplement Review
The Sydney Bouncer

2019

2018

2017

Kung Fu Movie Guide Podcast

2016

Kung Fu Masters UK

2008

BBC Video Nation

Articles and Mentions

Jon Xue Zhang — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:07:12 GMT

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

The Bucks Herald - Aylesbury Dead II

2017

2016

Oxford Mail - Take Me Out

I’m on Substack!

Jon Xue Zhang — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:23:00 GMT

Hey everyone! So, I’ve decided to join Substack!

As an actor, visibility is really important. Since I wasn’t eligible to join Spotlight and didn’t have representation at the time, I made sure to build an online presence through Facebook, Instagram, IMDbPro and of course, my website. I also did a lot of interviews with media outlets and podcasts about my martial arts, film and other projects I was involved in, all to help get my name out there.

I’d had a website since the early 2000s, as I was always interested in web design as a kid. I used it to share the various projects I was working on, from training and music to science fiction and even articles about flexibility. In many ways, it was social media before social media existed! So when I decided to pursue acting, using a website to promote my work felt like a natural extension of what I was already doing.

My website and social media helped me land a lot of work in the early days of my career, so I must have been doing something right! IMDbPro was essential, too, as it gave me a professional profile with a photo (which was key to how I was found for The Brothers Sun).

Over time, my website became more of a passive archive, with the occasional update here and there. Eventually and ultimately, I took it down for ethical reasons. Reasons I’ll get into another time.

…But for now, I’m really excited to be here on Substack, where I can write about the things I like and care about. I’ve also reposted some of my old articles, dating them retrospectively. There are a few things I’d change about the writing and content, but I’ll leave them as they are for now. At their core, the values behind them are still ones I hold and practice today.

Film and TV

Jon Xue Zhang — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 13:27:00 GMT

I have worked as an actor and stunt performer on numerous productions such as 47 Ronin, 24, Dr Strange, Ganapath, Kraven The Hunter. I have worked as an actor as well as a fight coordinator for various projects. I have also worked on numerous short films, which have gone on to win awards in festivals, more recently with director, Daryn Castle. In addition to the performance side of things, I have taught at colleges and universities such as City of Oxford College, Oxford Brookes University and SAE Institute to deliver lectures on fight choreography, screen fighting as well as career guidance as a guest lecturer.

I have also worked on TV shows such as The Continental, CBBC’s The Wonton Warrior, Silent Witness , Eastenders, the Brit Awards, Gangs of London Season 2 and was a contestant on Take Me Out and even made the front cover of the Oxford Mail. More recently, I worked on the new Fast and Furious spin off, Hobbs and Shaw, The Gentlemen, Back In Action and Kraven The Hunter. I have also worked on The Complex and Mia and The Dragon Princess, which are interactive movies.

One of my career highlights to date is doubling for one of my heroes, Don Lee in Marvel Eternals, as well as for my very good friend, Hon Ping Tang in The Gentlemen series on Netflix.

As of 2021, I became a regular guest tutor at Stepping Stones Performing Arts and have taught screen fighting workshops in addition to helping actors and fellow stunt performers with their showreels, fight scenes as well as choreographing sequences for motion capture. More recently, I have been teaching workshops and seminars specifically for screenfighting and stunt work at Virtue Gymnastics.

In addition to this, I have also been working as a producer for other independent short films, such as Daughter, Scarlet and Mr Mimoto, which have done exceptionally well on the festival circuit. Mr Mimoto has currently won 23 awards; I am also honoured to have been the recipient of the Critic’s Choice Award for Best Actor from the Golden Lion International Film Festival.

As of 2022, I joined the cast of ‘The Brothers Sun’ series, starring Michelle Yeoh, created by Byron Wu and Brad Falchuk, directed by Kevin Tancharoen and Viet Nguyen, now available to stream on Netflix! A huge thank you to Jenny Jue from Downtown Casting! We hit 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and were in the top 5 most watched shows on Netflix.

In 2025, I was cast as Ram Man for the upcoming Masters of the Universe film, to be released in June 2026, distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, directed by Travis Knight, which has been doing exceptionally well on Prime Video. I was also cast for an upcoming arctic action thriller, Sirius, directed by Lee Smith, to release in 2027.

For castings:

Stride Management
I A G (Identity Agency Group)

My Lifestyle

Jon Xue Zhang — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 14:40:00 GMT

This is just a little article on my lifestyle in terms of things I continue to do and I’m doing more of. I will have touched upon these topics over years in conversations, interviews and social media, but thought I’d consolidate it all into one place.

Things I continue to do:

Martial arts training
- 32 years of consistent training. As there are so many aspects of martial arts, I like to keep my training varied. I’ve always emphasised the importance of training when you don’t want to so you can fight when you have to do; this is an approach I’ve had for years, which proved invaluable for when I worked in more dangerous environments. It’s not easy nor necessarily enjoyable, but is a conscious decision as this is a physical form of insurance (in addition to my preparedness practices). As I’ve mentioned previously, martial arts splits into 3 categories; fighting, health and performance; I still train to be able to fight, when all else fails and I’ll train for health purposes but perform for a living.
Gym training
- 23 years of training 4-6 days a week and I still look forward to every session. Over the past couple years, I’ve cut down the volume considerably, shortening but intensifying my training even more, which is more challenging. Despite the job requiring me to look a certain way, health is still the most important aspect of gym training for me. Again, to address a frequently asked question, I am and always have been natural.
Meditation
- I used to meditate 3 hours a day in the woods for years. Sometimes not all at once, other times even longer. To be honest, I just loved the serenity. For the past decade or so, my emotional state baseline is usually quite close to my meditative state, so my meditative practices don’t take long for me to reach that level. That being said, I still meditate every day and especially prioritise it when I feel like I don’t have enough time for it.
Mindfulness
- I remind myself that I am in the driver’s seat of my thoughts and actions; I spend my thoughts as wisely as I would want to spend my money.
One meal a day
- This is something I started 5 years ago during lockdown. I must say, it’s not for everyone, so I would never prescribe this to anyone, but it just works for me. Certainly a contrast to eating 6+ meals a day every 2-3 hours! It’s mostly a way for me to control what comes in and in what amounts and makes me more appreciative and mindful of that one meal. Of course, I still have practical reasons as to why I do this as there will likely be a time where food will not be as readily available. OMAD works especially when I know I’m not going to be out all day and will be eating out with people.
Music
- Whilst I don’t play as much violin or viola these days, piano is still something I absolutely love. Music is just another language to express oneself and almost takes me elsewhere. Still learning guitar when I get the chance. Growing up, music, similar to martial arts (just far less physically painful!) was not the most enjoyable as I was working towards grades, shows and also competitions. Even after all that, it still took me 11 years to complete my album, which wasn’t at all easy to do (or remember!). So these days, I just play for enjoyment and I think that’s really underrated!
Being social
- Of course, I love seeing friends. I can’t express just how important it is to have a good group of people around you, who are supportive, honest and kind. It’s also important to be aware of your social battery too and take time out for yourself. I’m grateful to be in a position where these days, I do have more free time (in between jobs), where I can see and catch up with people. I really have a wonderful and pleasant life and I’m so grateful to have those around me and also to those who support me online.
Living within my means
- I’ve never been a big spender or wanted for expensive things. I live quite a simple life, especially as work isn’t always consistent. That being said, I’m never afraid to spend money (such as meals out, fun experiences, things that need fixing up etc.), I just don’t waste it.
Self study
- You never stop learning, even the smallest things, the shortest interactions are always learning experiences. I like to make the conscious effort to continue to read and educate myself further as well as challenging what I already know. That means taking up new activities, researching topics I know little about and also topics I do know about but update that knowledge base to become more informed. As such, I’m always willing to change the conclusions I formed in light of better knowledge and research as well as what works better as I get older.
Being kind and empathetic
- Y’know, the world just needs more of this.

Things I’m doing more of:

I started a bucket list, which I’m going through and adding to. Life is a collection of experiences; it’s what you do with it that makes it worth living, so I’ll always want to find new things to try and have a good time doing it, not to mention, choosing the right people to spend those times with. As I previously mentioned with music, I do a lot of things now just for enjoyment.
When I see something that needs doing, I don’t put it off; I’ll do it there and then. For instance, if there is a lightbulb or battery in a clock that needs changing, I’ll take the time to do it. Putting things off just adds to the list of things you need to do, which can end up getting overwhelming.
Setting boundaries and saying no (this is a big one and I’m still working on this), whilst standing firm when pressed.
Not being bothered about comparisons, competitions or who is better than who, just because we’re all at different stages of our lives and careers. There’s something to be learned from everyone, especially if it’s a realisation for yourself to practice patience. As such, I’m not as hard on myself as I used to be; I still have aspirations, but I won’t achieve them at the expense of anyone else.
Donate more money and resources. For the past few years, I’ve taught classes for free or where my cut either goes back to the school or to charitable causes. I give as I go along, especially to causes that mean so much to others. This also includes helping with film productions, where I can. In terms of donating time, I take on a lot of action design work for my friends’ passion projects as well as helping more behind the camera for charity events.
Being more present! Whilst I get a lot of messages each day, which to be honest, I’ve always been good and timely at responding to; when I’m with others, I make sure to prioritise my time with them as opposed to getting caught up with messages, which I know I’ll clear out at some point.
Reading more fiction. For years, I struggled with reading fiction. When I think, I don’t have a voice that narrates the words. As such, I think quickly because I’m not thinking my thoughts at the rate in which I speak. As such, I naturally tend to read quickly, which has always been an asset when reading research papers and textbooks, but can be difficult to absorb and process emotions when reading fiction. These days, I try to slow down the rate in which I read just to enjoy it more. This has certainly become more relevant in my life as an actor when reading scripts.
Not just visualising more, but embodying more of the attributes and traits my future self already has and resonate with the outcomes that I want to experience by being more of that person now.
Practicing more gratitude!

I’ll update this as I go along!

Resistance Training

Jon Xue Zhang — Tue, 28 May 2024 17:35:00 GMT

Starting point in September 2023 at 110kg down to 88kg in December 2023 to May 2024, still at 88kg, where I recomped

I won’t spend too long on this section, but thought I would add this in as this absolutely counts as an ‘interest’, but is also very much a lifestyle as it is something I’ve been enjoying since around 2002, where I used to collect all the magazines and most likely over-trained from trying out all the different routines in an effort to put on some muscle. Over the years, I’ve tried many different styles of training, including calisthenics. For years, I trained with my old friend, Sid Abbey, who was a world powerlifting champion in 1993, national bench press record holder for 8 years and a bodybuilding champion in 2003, where a lot of our training was with lighter weight, high reps and little rest in between sets, with emphasis on technique with slow and controlled eccentrics.

These days, I continue to train 5-6 days a week. My training is usually 35-45 minutes, maximum. Weight training is something that I deem to be essential, due to the many physical but also mental benefits, especially as it also teaches delayed gratification and discipline. Keep in mind, building and strengthening your body is an amazing goal, so long as it doesn’t get in the way of mental development and transcending those barriers and plateaus. I enjoy training and pushing myself close to failure, but never absolute failure; for instance, I could do 12 reps of dumbbell press and may have a couple reps in reserve, although those reps would most likely be my joints taking the stress off the target muscles. As I don’t do nearly as many sets as I used to per workout, I try to hit everything twice a week.

As for my nutrition, since 2020, I generally eat once a day, which was a gradual change that I have been able to sustain with ease. Whenever I feel hungry, I always question whether it’s hunger that I’m feeling or withdrawal, so I can make conscious and good choices with my nutrition. I also drink between 3-4 litres of water. I am often asked about how strict one needs to be for intermittent fasting; whilst I found that IF worked for me and can certainly help with cutting weight, there isn’t a significant difference in weight loss or health benefits compared with overall caloric restriction. Being in a caloric deficit is ultimately the key as opposed to overall meal timings / eating patterns.

Although as of August 2023, I decided to cut my weight down as I have been 105-110kg for many years. With the expert advice, guidance and regular check-ins with my good friend, Roger Snipes / UHP Fitness, I managed to drop down to 88kg, which is the lightest I’ve been in over 20 years; my relationship with food has also changed. It’s very much a case of choosing what you want most over what you want in the moment. These days, I definitely prefer to be slimmer and more athletic, especially as I feel healthier, which is by far, the most important thing.

As this is a very frequently asked question, I will state now that despite the pressures of social media and working in the film industry, I have never used any exogenous substances or PEDs; my opinion on this is that I am unwilling to jeopardise the course events in the future of my health over aesthetics. With PEDs, you’re essentially borrowing time from the future to look and perform better now. The photos are as a result of losing bodyfat over time; I am absolutely not bigger despite what it may look like in the above (Additionally, it’s important to state that I am pumped and under good lighting in those photos; I only look that way for the duration of my workout)! Having more definition will make you look bigger. The only supplements I used are Creatine and Essential Amino Acids (EAAs over BCAAs!).

Mobility and flexibility are also things that are essential, where I hired Taya from THEA Fitness to specifically help me achieve my goals. I’ve always been flexible since childhood from my martial arts training, but have sustained injuries over the years, which Taya helped me through and beyond, whilst teaching me new methods to build strength and endurance within my flexibility, which have ultimately improved my overall performance and mobility; I would therefore highly recommend incorporating flexibility into a regular routine. Coming from a dance background, Taya’s approach was quite different to what I was used to, but exceptionally beneficial. These days, I continue to do a full body routine 2-3 times a week, which have not only helped with my flexibility, but also my performance and endurance.

I used to be a firm advocate of cold therapy (especially as my boiler stopped working so I had no choice!), although whilst it could seemingly mask muscle soreness, I didn’t find that it helped with my recovery as I didn’t see improvement in performance. What I did find however, was more mental benefits, which helped with alertness and resilience. I also found that Hydrogen water did help me with my recovery ever so slightly (keeping all variables the same and only changing the water that I drank), but the most important thing for recovery is and always will be sleep!

Sports massages have also helped me with my injuries and general wear and tear, which is something else I would also recommend once in a while. Alan from Meridien Bodyworks is phenomenal, especially having fixed my sciatica!

I’ll probably add more to this section at some point…!

Aethereality

Jon Xue Zhang — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 09:05:00 GMT

Album cover by Kirsty Cox Photography

I chose Aethereality as a name for my Piano album as I am a spiritual individual whose inspiration comes from nature, revelations and meditations as well as my own personal experiences. All my pieces have meaning to me, as I have composed them to express and reflect on those experiences as a diary without words, where the only indication about their stories are the titles. I never really tell people what my personal experiences were as I’d rather the listener go on a separate journey and relate to each tune differently.

I am pleased to announce that as of August 2020 during lockdown, my album is complete with the help of my very good friend, Dani Bonventre, who is an exceptional audio engineer, who has also been helping me with other musical endeavours.

My album consists of 26 of my compositions (that I can remember!), which I have composed between 2009 and 2020. I am very excited for the release of Aethereality. It has taken me 11 years to finally complete this album, which I am excited to share with you. Aethereality has been distributed on all major streaming platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music; click on the links above to listen for free. Whilst it took 11 years to complete, it’ll only take you just over an hour.

My Martial Arts Part 1

Jon Xue Zhang — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 17:07:00 GMT

Photo by Kirsty Cox Photography

I am a Martial Arts and Self Defence practitioner, coach / instructor. I have been training since 1993 and have cross-trained in multiple disciplines such as various forms of KungFu, Karate, Aikido, JiuJitsu, Hapkido, Arnis, Silat as well as Boxing and Kickboxing, to name a few. I have spent over 26 years training under an SAS Instructor, who I have taught seminars and workshops with.

Traditional Martial Arts nowadays is watered down from generation to generation; it is essential for an individual to learn the essence and principals of a discipline and assimilating it into his or her own ‘style’. Rules control whereas principals guide. Learning the rules of a style will limit one’s development to progressing solely within that one paradigm. However, learning the principals of a style will allow for the individual to continue to progress and transcend the paradigm completely. This results in the creation of a new fusion and new expression that becomes unpredictable and unique.

My approach to Martial Arts is to continue to learn and evolve my own paradigm. Being good at one style is comparable to being good at one musical instrument; a musician does not want to run out of songs to play either. S/he should also consider different genres as well as different instruments. This comparison can be made in principle with regards to the Martial Arts.

I do not train the same routines over and over as real life situations are never the same and are always subject to change; the same routine will only work again if the conditions are the same. As we rarely have influence over those conditions, we can only train in as many different scenarios with different techniques, combinations and principles as possible to contain and handle the situation accordingly.

Is this Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)? The answer in short is yes, but in the most literal sense of the term. It is important to train in both armed and unarmed combat against one and multiple assailants who may be armed or unarmed. Traditionally, Martial Arts was used in war times with movements and techniques to encompass various weapons as well as multiple opponents; training today, whilst techniques may be modified to suit the needs of today, should be no different in principle.

I am not freestyle; I am ‘style free’.

A true Martial Arts practitioner should be disciplined, righteous, be of sound mind and being, whilst having complete control over his/her mental, physical and spiritual faculties.

As a coach, my aim is to encourage and help students realise their potential by exposing them to different Martial Arts disciplines whilst providing them a challenging environment in which to thrive whilst appealing to their creative side. I will also coach my students so that they will have skills to lead classes to pass not only the physical attributes but also martial values.

It is the student who wants to be the master, but the master who knows that he himself will always be the student. The more you learn, the more you realise there is to learn; we are students for life.