Jan Plas

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Jan Plas
Jan Plas.jpg
Born(1945-03-16)16 March 1945
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died1 September 2010(2010-09-01) (aged 65)
Zwaag, Netherlands
NationalityNetherlands Dutch
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight245 lb (111 kg; 17.5 st)
StyleKickboxing, Kyokushin Karate
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofAmsterdam, Netherlands
TeamMejiro Gym
TrainerJon Bluming, Kenji Kurosaki
Rank8th dan in Kyokushin Budokai[1]
Years active1976–2008
Notable studentsPeter Aerts, Lucien Carbin, Ivan Hippolyte, Rob Kaman, Andre Mannaart, Fred Royers, Rodney Glunder, Ashwin Balrak, Melvin Manhoef, Valentijn Overeem

Jan Plas (16 March 1945 – 1 September 2010) was a Dutch professional kickboxer, trainer and founder of the Mejiro Gym in Amsterdam. He is considered to be the father of kickboxing in the Netherlands.

Career[]

Plas began his career in martial arts in karate, learning Kyokushin from Jon Bluming. He founded the Mejiro Gym in 1978 after learning kickboxing from Kenji Kurosaki,[2] a Japanese martial artist who founded the original Mejiro Gym in Mejiro, Tokyo.[3] In 1976, he founded the NKBB (The Dutch Kickboxing Association) with Thom Harinck. He also went on to run the Vos Gym and trained many world-class fighters including Peter Aerts, Lucien Carbin, Ivan Hippolyte, Rob Kaman, Andre Mannaart and Fred Royers.

Plas was also a member of the Dutch organized crime world. In 1986, he was involved in the kidnapping of Gijs van Dam II, the son of hash dealer Gijs van Dam, with a gang run by the drug lord Johan Verhoek, also known as "De Hakkelaar".[4] In April 2008, Plas was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and his daughter and son-in-law, both police officers in Amsterdam, were charged with fraud and money laundering.[5]

On September 1, 2010, it was reported that Plas had committed suicide in his jail cell at the age of 65.[6][7]

References[]

  1. ^ "IBK International Kyokushin Budokai - Blak Belts". International Kyokushin Budokai.
  2. ^ "Kickboxing Origins", Martial Arts Database
  3. ^ "History" Archived 2010-10-15 at the Wayback Machine, Mejiro Gym
  4. ^ "Bekende kickbokstrainer Jan Plas overleden" [Famous kickboxing trainer Jan Plas is dead]. AT5 Nieuws (in Dutch). Amsterdam. September 1, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2012. De bekende Amsterdamse kickboksleraar Jan Plas is op 65-jarige leeftijd overleden (The famous Amsterdam-based kickboxing teacher Jan Plas has died at age 65)
  5. ^ Kickbokser Jan Plas opgepakt voor drugshandel Archived 2012-03-19 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Jan Plas, Founder of Mejiro Gym, Passes Away
  7. ^ Tragedy in the World of Kickboxing
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