Bruce Lee's Views on "Styles"

[Dancing Dragon]

I was studying Tao of Jeet Kune Do, and I looked more into how Bruce felt about styles and methods of combat. Personally I think styles are inevitable, because every human being typically wishes to establish their own individuality. Just as a style of Karate may be one person's approach to combat, Jeet Kune Do was Bruce Lee's approach (as much as he tries to deny that JKD is a style). I believe that regardless of who learns what martial art, each person will interpret and practice each art differently and in their own light. If that is so, then why does Bruce stress so much on the topic of styles? Is it that he simply wants us to venture into other arts and see what's out there, even though in the end we will still have bias in what mode of combat we prefer (such as grappling, striking, submission)? Or does he mean something else? What do you guys think? Do you agree with Bruce's view on "styles?"

 

[Flatlander]

If that is so, then why does Bruce stress so much on the topic of styles?

I think that things are different now than they were when Bruce was writing. I'm no expert, but my understanding is that the pursuit of individual expression was much less prevalent then; today it's nearly everywhere. With the proliferation of new or rearranged styles and methods, this added to that with a mix of the other, people will invariably find their own way. Tradition has gone out the window.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not expressing a value judgement on TMAs. Rather, I'm suggesting that they hold an entirely different status now than they did 30 or 40 years ago - due primarily to the explosive growth of the martial art industry, and the egos within. Too many people want to be the next Bruce Lee.

So, we're in a different world now. Bruce would likely be pleased.

 

[tiburon]

Flatlander is right. This is something that you have to look at in context. Reading his views and opinions is one thing but you have to understand what was going on in the martial arts community when he lived. People on the average didn't coss train. They went to one school where they were devoted to that school. Chinese martial arts were hard to find. They were very rare and to see them was both a treat and a boon of luck (if you could convince the instructor to train you). Okinawan and Hawaian born martial arts were the craze as was competitive kick boxing (from karate and Tang Soo Do and Tae Kwon Do).

Everyone was devoted to their style and the thought that prearranged forms was the way to go. This was not only an enviornment that pushed Lee into what he was about to do but it was also an enviornment that shapped the Belt and Pajama crowd for the future. Forms were not taught correctly and not understood (You are an okinawan master confronted by a foreigner who just conqured your country. You really going to show him how to do you valued fighting treasure right or are you going to hold things back). It is even documented that Lee didn't learn the style in its entirety (wing chun). Part of what he created he did so so as to not have to rely on old masters for more knowledge. He basically reverse engineered his original so he could see what other thigns did different and similar. His basic message was not really that all these forms of combat are crap. Most of what he did was based on that crap so he couldn't really call it that. He was saying that people's blind devotion to it was. People at the time were practicing outdated museum peicesthat couldn't evolve. That's what he wanted people to notice.

 

[MA-Caver]

I was studying Tao of Jeet Kune Do, and I looked more into how Bruce felt about styles and methods of combat. Personally I think styles are inevitable, because every human being typically wishes to establish their own individuality. Just as a style of Karate may be one person's approach to combat, Jeet Kune Do was Bruce Lee's approach (as much as he tries to deny that JKD is a style). I believe that regardless of who learns what martial art, each person will interpret and practice each art differently and in their own light. If that is so, then why does Bruce stress so much on the topic of styles? Is it that he simply wants us to venture into other arts and see what's out there, even though in the end we will still have bias in what mode of combat we prefer (such as grappling, striking, submission)? Or does he mean something else? What do you guys think? Do you agree with Bruce's view on "styles?"

I'm gonna dig into my archives here... lessee...hmm... wish we could post video clips directly here... (whistling) hmm, AH! Ok...
I'm gonna have to type this out verbatium but it's a clip from Lee's "last interview" and in it he talks about his view on styles, it'll be short as it's a 3 minute long clip ... The full interview can be found on the DVD "Warrior's Journey."

"Empty your mind... be formless, shapeless, like water. Now if you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. If you put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle. If you put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow, or it can crash. Be water my friend.
I mean, here it is, the natural instinct, and here is control. You are to combine the two in harmony. If you have one to the extreme, then you will be very unscientific if you have another to the extreme you become all of the sudden a mechanical man.
See actually I do not get into Karate because I do not believe in styles anymore, I do not believe that there is such thing as uh, a Chinese way of fighting, a Japanese way of fighting or whatever way of fighting because if you do not have a style then you say 'well here I am as a human being'. How can I express myself totally and completely.
I mean that is the expression of the human body. I mean everything! And you're talking about fighting with, (interviewer: with no rules?), wel lthen baby you better train every part of your body.
And when you do punch, and I mean you put every part of it... and hoping not to hurt any camera angle, you got to put your whole hip into it and snap it... (intersected by various video clips of his movies for examples).
Martial arts has a very deep meaning, as far as my life is concerned because as an actor, as a martial artist, as a human being all these I have learned, from martial arts.
To me, ok? To me, ultimately martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. I mean it is easy for me to put on a show and to be cocky... But, to express one's self honestly not lying to one's self, that my friend is where it is."

Again, here in his last interview Lee talks about abstaining from styles because he felt that they would restrict his own desire to express himself as who he is. As a philosophy major he realized that by confining one's self to this or that it is staying within a boundry of the mind and of the self. Lee understood that even though having this or that style can be very effective, he felt obviously that it was restrictive. Adapting and being able to change to however the circumstances change. Which is why he advocated training "every part of your body" because of the no-rules scenario in a real fight.
JKD is not a style, it's a name for a method of fighting... IMO. Someone here on MT had a signature quote from Lee where he stated that he didn't want to give a name to JKD but had to call it something. I can't remember that...hopefully they'll read it and quote it for us.
Because you are combining all that you learned from various arts into one method that you and ONLY you know how to use... you are expressing yourself.
How effective is it? Depends upon of course how much you train.

 

[AlwaysTraining]

I believe the most important statement made with regard to Bruce Lee's take on styles is this: Take what is useful, and disregard the rest.

 

[Dancing Dragon]

Thanks guys, this helps a lot! Keep the opinions coming!