Thom Harinck

Last updated

Thom Harinck
Tom-harinck.jpg
Born (1943-12-22) 22 December 1943 (age 80)
The Hague, Netherlands
Style Judo, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Kyokushin Karate, Savate, Kempo, Wrestling, Boxing, Dutch kickboxing,
Team Chakuriki Gym
Rankblack belt in Judo
black belt in Jujutsu
6th degree black belt in Kyokushin
7th degree black belt in kenpo
OccupationKickboxing Trainer, kickboxer
Notable students Peter Aerts, Gilbert Ballantine, Branko Cikatić, Lloyd van Dams, Hesdy Gerges, Badr Hari, Jérôme Le Banner, Melvin Manhoef, Anderson Silva, Sergei Lascenko

Thom Harinck (born 22 December 1943) is a Dutch kickboxer and kickboxing trainer and founder of the Chakuriki Gym in Amsterdam. He is married to Marjan Olfers, former member of the board of Ajax and from 1 May 2012 professor in sports law.

Contents

Biography

Harinck started training in judo and wrestling at 8 years of age. He ended up giving up on judo, after he wasn't allowed to advance to the rank of black belt, due to his youth. Outside of martial arts, he partook in football, motorcross, and shooting.

While working on a cruise ship he met a French sailor who was also a national champion of Savate. The sailor began training Harinck in the discipline, alongside others. Harinck continued practicing Savate after arriving in South Africa. He later took up boxing after he returned to the Netherlands and also started teaching Savate in Holland. While serving in the military as a teenager, Harinck started boxing at the competitive level. At the age of seventeen he worked as a bouncer at a local Club and began a partnership with Jan Stapper, a Kyokushin instructor.

His global journeys continued after he moved to Japan where he received the Uchi-deshi instruction under numerous masters in Tokyo, Nagano and Yokohama. He also received judo and traditional jujutsu instruction from Tokyo police department. He also spent plenty of time in Taiwan, where he entered to train Chinese Kenpo in addition to karate. Eventually he traveled to Thailand where he received the rank of the grand master in Muay Thai as one of the first foreigners ever.

In 1972, he founded the Chakuriki Gym in Amsterdam, originally teaching his own style named "Chakuriki", [1] a mixture of techniques from Kyokushin karate (in which he holds a 6th degree black belt), boxing, judo, jujutsu and wrestling which would later be known as modern contact karate or kickboxing in Holland. [2]

Chakuriki later became a kickboxing gym as Harinck added Japanese kickboxing and Savate to his repertoire. Harinck founded the NKBB (Dutch Kickboxing Association) in 1976, the MTBN (Dutch Muay Thai Association) in 1983, the WMTA (World Muay Thai Association) and the EMTA (European Muay Thai Association) in 1984. [3]

Harinck is one of the most famous trainers in the sport and has trained numerous world champions including Peter Aerts, Branko Cikatić, Gilbert Ballantine, Jérôme Le Banner, Badr Hari and Hesdy Gerges. [3]

He announced his retirement in April 2013 at the age of sixty-nine. [4] [5] In January 2016 Thom Harinck began coaching again. He trains a group of fighters daily, that includes Hesdy Gerges. In May 2016 Harinck published his memoirs in the English language. The book is called "Thom Harinck: Godfather of Muay Thai in The West" and is co-written with Julio Punch. An updated edition was released by Amsterdam Publishers in June 2020.

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kickboxing</span> Full-contact hybrid martial art and combat sport

Kickboxing is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and bare feet to favor the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general fitness, or for competition. Some styles of kickboxing include: full contact karate, Muay Thai, Japanese kickboxing, Lethwei, Sanda, and Savate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martial arts</span> Codified systems and traditions of combat

Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preservation of a nation's intangible cultural heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combat sport</span> Competitive contact sport involving combat

A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opponent, or attacking the opponent in a specific or designated technique. Combat sports share a long history with the martial arts.

Saskia Merk van Rijswijk is a Dutch Muay Thai champion and actress. Currently she works as a hypnotherapist, mental coach and psychologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Bluming</span> Dutch martial artist

Johannes Cornelius Bluming was a Dutch martial artist, instructor and actor. Known as a pioneer in a variety of martial arts, Bluming held 9th dan in Judo, 10th dan in Kyokushinkai Karate and 10th dan in Hapkido. He was also the coach of two-time Olympic champion Willem Ruska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd van Dams</span> Dutch–Surinamese kickboxer (1972–2021)

Lloyd Daniël van Dams, also known as The Tornado, was a Surinamese-born Dutch heavyweight kickboxer. He was a Dutch, European, and World Muay Thai champion. Known for his durability, van Dams was never knocked out in 84 professional fights. He held notable wins over Remy Bonjasky, Brian Douwes, Alexander Ustinov, Bjorn Bregy, and Brecht Wallis. Van Dams also competed in mixed martial arts.

Peter "The Hurricane" Smit was a Dutch martial artist who mastered such different fight disciplines as kyokushin karate, kickboxing and Muay Thai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Hasdell</span> English kickboxer, combat sport promoter and mixed martial arts fighter

Lee Hasdell is a British martial artist, promoter and former professional kickboxer and mixed martial artist. Hasdell is considered by many to be a pioneer of mixed martial arts in the United Kingdom, particularly in the 1990s, when he drove a great deal of innovation in the field. Hasdell promoted the first professional mixed martial arts events in the UK and helped develop many of the standards within the British MMA scene of today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hesdy Gerges</span> Dutch kickboxer and mixed martial arts fighter (born 1984)

Hesdy Gerges is a Dutch kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He held the It's Showtime World Heavyweight title between 2010 and 2012. Gerges has competed in the K-1, It's Showtime, SUPERKOMBAT and Glory promotions.

Yoshiji Soeno is a Japanese karateka and a retired professional welterweight kickboxer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chakuriki Gym</span>

Chakuriki Gym was a kickboxing gym and headquartered the International Chakuriki Association located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It was also known as Dojo Chakuriki, Pancration Chakuriki, and Chakuriki Amsterdam. Founded in 1972, it was one of the oldest and well-established kickboxing gyms in the Netherlands. It has produced many top-level kickboxers and including K-1 world champions such as Peter Aerts, Branko Cikatić and Badr Hari. It also provided training in wrestling, as well as instruction in knockdown karate, judo, boxing and mixed martial arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Royers</span> Dutch kickboxer (born 1955)

Fred Royers is a Dutch former kickboxer who competed in the middleweight division. He was known for his powerful low kicks, which is now a staple of Dutch kickboxing.

Nobu Hayashi is a professional Japanese Heavyweight karateka and kickboxer. He is a two-time K-1 Japan tournament runner-up and holds notable wins over Ben Edwards, Sander Thonhauser and Faisal Zakaria. Hayashi fights out of Dojo Chakuriki Japan in Tokyo, Japan. Hayashi was diagnosed with Leukemia, but was recently able to recover and is now cancer free.

Gilbert Ballantine is a Surinamese-Dutch retired professional kickboxer and a nine-time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion. He also took part in mixed martial arts competition, winning three Rings Dutch championships.

Frank Muñoz is a Spanish heavyweight kickboxer, who has competed in the SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship, where he is a former 2013 SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix Tournament Champion. He is also the former WAKO-Pro K-1 European champion.

The World Muay Thai Association (WMTA) is one of the oldest amateur and professional sanctioning organizations of Muay Thai in the world for the sport.

Shidōkan (士道館) is an eclectic style of knockdown karate, founded by Yoshiji Soeno. Established in 1978, its governing body is the World Karate Association Shidokan, with its headquarters located in Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture. Currently, it has branches in 68 countries.

Lucien Carbin is a Surinamese-Dutch former kickboxer, karateka and trainer. He was the first European Kyokushin karate champion, a world kickboxing champion and a European Savate and Muay Thai champion. As a trainer, he raised 49 world champions in different versions of martial arts.

Kenji Kurosaki is a Japanese martial arts instructor, specializing in full-contact karate and kickboxing. He is a 7th dan black belt in Kyokushin Karate and operates various martial schools. He is most well-known as a pioneer of full-contact karate and kickboxing in both Japan and the Netherlands.

References

  1. ↑ "Muay Thai" by Arnaud van der Veere. Page 19. Meyer & Meyer Verlag, 2012. ISBN 1841263281.
  2. ↑ "Thom Harinck". USMTA. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Thom Harinck". FightingMaster.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  4. ↑ "Articles". Liver Kick. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  5. ↑ "Thom Harinck of Chakuriki Amsterdam ends career". FightStartTV. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.