Jan Plas

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.

Jan Plas
Born(1945-03-16)16 March 1945
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died1 September 2010(2010-09-01) (aged 65)
Zwaag, Netherlands
Nationality 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

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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