| Jan Plas | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1945 |
| Died | 2010 (aged 65) |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Style | Kickboxing, Kyokushin Karate, Muay Thai |
| Team | Mejiro Gym |
| Trainer | Jon Bluming, Kenji Kurosaki |
| Notable students | Peter Aerts, Lucien Carbin, Ivan Hippolyte, Rob Kaman, Andre Mannaart, Fred Royers |
Jan Plas (1945–2010) was a Dutch kickboxing trainer and founder of the Mejiro Gym in Amsterdam. He is considered to be one of the fathers of kickboxing in the Netherlands.
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,[1] a Japanese martial artist who founded the original Mejiro Gym in Mejiro, Tokyo.[2] In 1976, he founded the NKBB (The Dutch Kickboxing Association) with Thom Harinck. He also went on the run 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, jr., the son of hash dealer Gijs van Dam, with a gang known as "The Hakkelaar". He worked as a bodyguard for well-known gangster Klaas Bruinsma, and murdered kickboxer Andre Brilleman was also a student of his.[3] 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.[4]
On September 1, 2010, it was reported that Plas had committed suicide in his jail cell at the age of 65.[5][6]