Jan Plas (16 March 19451 September 2010) was a Dutch professional

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

, trainer and founder of the

Mejiro Gym Mejiro Gym is a kickboxing gym headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The gym is considered the "birthplace" of Dutch kickboxing. History Mejiro Gym was founded in 1978 by Jan Plas, a Dutch kickboxer who learned kickboxing from Kenji Kurosak ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. He is considered to be the father of kickboxing in the Netherlands.

Career

Plas began his career in

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

, learning

Kyokushin is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Ja ...

from

Jon Bluming Johannes Cornelius Bluming (6 February 1933 – 17 December 2018) was a Dutch martial artist, instructor and actor. Known as a pioneer in variety of martial arts, Bluming held 9th dan in Judo, 10th dan in Karate and 10th dan in Hapkido. He was a ...

. He founded the

in 1978 after learning

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

from

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 focusing in different arts. He is most well known as a pioneer of Fu ...

, a Japanese martial artist who founded the original Mejiro Gym in

Mejiro, Tokyo MInami 1 gou kan

is a residential district of Toshima, Tokyo, Tosh ...

. In 1976, he founded the NKBB (The Dutch Kickboxing Association) with

Thom Harinck 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. Bio ...

. He also went on to run the Vos Gym and trained many world-class fighters including

Peter Aerts Peter Aerts (born 25 October 1970) is a Dutch semi-retired kickboxer. Known for his devastating high kicks, which earned him the nickname "The Dutch Lumberjack", he is widely considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers of all time ...

Lucien Carbin Lucien Carbin (born 7 September 1952) is a Surinamese-Netherlands, Dutch former kickboxer, karateka and trainer. He was the first European Kyokushin, Kyokushin karate champion, a world kickboxing champion and a European Savate and Muay Thai champi ...

Ivan Hippolyte Ivan "The Hydro" Hippolyte (born 7 October 1964) is a Surinamese-Dutch former kickboxer World champion. He is currently the chairman and coach at the Vos Gym in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He is a former sparring partner and teammate of four time K-1 ...

Rob Kaman Rob "The Dutchman" Kaman (born 5 June 1960) is a Dutch retired 9-time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion. He is often called "Mr. Low Kick" because of his feared low kicks which he used to set up his devastating offensive attacks. Biograp ...

Andre Mannaart Andre Mannaart (born November 2, 1960, in Krommenie) is a Dutch former kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He was four times world champion in kickboxing and Muay Thai, having fought against K-1 legends such as Ernesto Hoost, Branko Cikatić, Ma ...

and

Fred Royers Fred Royers (born March 15, 1955) 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. Biography and career Royers began practicing karate at t ...

. Plas was also a member of the Dutch

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

world. In 1986, he was involved in the

kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...

of Gijs van Dam II, the son of hash dealer Gijs van Dam, with a

gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...

run by the drug lord Johan Verhoek, also known as "De Hakkelaar". In April 2008, Plas was arrested on suspicion of

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

and his daughter and son-in-law, both

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

s in

, were charged with

fraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...

and

money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...

. On September 1, 2010, it was reported that Plas had committed suicide in his jail cell at the age of 65.Tragedy in the World of Kickboxing
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plas, Jan 1945 births 2010 suicides Dutch male karateka Dutch male kickboxers Kickboxing trainers Kyokushin kaikan practitioners Martial arts school founders Bodyguards Dutch gangsters Dutch drug traffickers 20th-century Dutch criminals 21st-century Dutch criminals Sportspeople from Amsterdam Suicides in the Netherlands People who committed suicide in prison custody Dutch people who died in prison custody 20th-century philanthropists 2010 deaths Criminals from Amsterdam