Aaron Showalter/New York Daily News
No, kick him here! Yip corrects his actors’ form so they fight looks realistic — even though no swing can come within three inches of another actor’s face.
The first rule of this fight club is to break out the video camera.
Long-time martial artist Lang Yip recently opened a Long Island City studio dedicated to teaching the art of movie fighting — the first of its kind in the city.
Yip, 33, a burly Bruce Lee and Steven Segal fanatic, opened the Cinematic Fight Club on Borden Ave. to grow the next generation of action stars in Queens.
“It’s like a dance. It has to be smooth,” said the professional fight choreographer. “Everything has to look good visually.”
After the Muay Thai maven runs clients through a two-day seminar on how to kick, block, fall and use prop weapons, the third day is dedicated to taping a fight scene.
Yip and his partner, Adam Lee, also edit videos when they’re not giving crash course on combination punches.
“Here we can help actors achieve what they want — making sure they look badass and getting their parts,” Yip said.
Sam Gomez, a Washington Heights-based actor, ran through a recent session with Yip because his portfolio lacked a good imitation of Chuck Norris.
“What actor doesn’t want footage? If I need a fight scene, I’m covered,” said Gomez, 27.
But the small-time actor quickly realized that bogus brawling is an intense cardio workout and quite difficult to perfect.
“I woke up really sore the next morning,” he said.
Yip continually corrected Gomez’ technique and showmanship as he sparred with trainer Neyssan Falahi.
“If it looks like a brawl all the time, it may as well be a real fight,” Yip said. “The hard part is selling the punch — you have to add emotion and your facial expression.”
The only other rule of this faux fight club is the “three-inch rule” where any punch or kick has to be that far away from the subject’s body or face. Each customer has to sign an injury waiver, as well.
“It is possible that people will get hurt, but we try to make it as safe as possible,” he said.
Yip said he hopes to make the modest gym a hub where all the talent train. It doesn’t hurt that Kaufman Astoria Studios is just a round-house kick away.
“That’s our biggest goal, to work with the big studios and production companies,” he said.
Cinematic Fight Studio, 25-25 Borden Ave., Long Island City, 718-786-5200, www.cinematicfightstudio.com.
