Jet Li

[sinthetik_mistik]

I am posting this because I have seen sites on the internet that say Jet Li is not a real martial artist, just a Hollywood martial artist. I don't have the quotes but he has even admitted as much... in my opinion he was just exercising humility. Yes, Jet Li is known for his humility. In one interview he admitted that while receiving lots of praise for being such a great Wushu fighter he had to struggle to stay humble. So my theory is he downplays himself as a means of maintaining humility. He won 15 gold medals in Chinese Wushu competitions (a lot) not against contenders his age, but against contenders in age ranks above his, which to my knowledge is pretty much unheard of. I rewatched Fist of Legend like not too long ago, and I was astounded by his speed and technique. In my humble opinion, Fist of Legend is right up there with Enter the Dragon as one of the greatest martial arts films of all time. Personally, I would say that Jet Li is one of the greatest Wushu artists of our time.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Jet Li studied traditional Chinese Martial Artist prior to going to the Modern Wushu team and training there.

What he did in Wushu competitions is mostly for show and has no real martial application, but it looks pretty. However he also got a lot of Sanshou training there as well, so he can fight. But many CMA guys, particularly those trained in China, who still live there and are not trying to entice western students, will tell you they don't know anything about fighting and/or martial arts.

 

[Tez3]

will tell you they don't know anything about fighting and/or martial arts.

It also never hurts to be under-estimated!

 

[Xue Sheng]

It also never hurts to be under-estimated!

Particularly if your old school in that culture, because bragging leads to "prove it"

 

[donald1]

I like his movies

 

[sinthetik_mistik]

Jet Li studied traditional Chinese Martial Artist prior to going to the Modern Wushu team and training there.

What he did in Wushu competitions is mostly for show and has no real martial application, but it looks pretty. However he also got a lot of Sanshou training there as well, so he can fight. But many CMA guys, particularly those trained in China, who still live there and are not trying to entice western students, will tell you they don't know anything about fighting and/or martial arts.

people may argue that Jet Li is not a real martial artist, which i totally disagree with, but no one is saying that about Bruce Lee! is he an exception to the rule that Chinese Martial Arts are useless and have no fighting application? another Chinese Martial Artist, also a celebrity, Jackie Chan. I've heard people say he is just a stuntman without *real* martial arts prowess. but i heard, and this may not be true, that he got attacked by multiple guys at a bar or something and beat down all of them. but i have no source to verify that

 

[clfsean]

people may argue that Jet Li is not a real martial artist, which i totally disagree with, but no one is saying that about Bruce Lee! is he an exception to the rule that Chinese Martial Arts are useless and have no fighting application? another Chinese Martial Artist, also a celebrity, Jackie Chan. I've heard people say he is just a stuntman without *real* martial arts prowess. but i heard, and this may not be true, that he got attacked by multiple guys at a bar or something and beat down all of them. but i have no source to verify that

<soapbox on>

Bruce Lee was a street punk that studied some martial arts & parlayed that into what he became. He liked to fight long before he ever took his first lesson. His WC was incomplete & he had bits & pieces of other parts that he squirrelled into his interpretation of "jiit kuen". Is he a world class example of TCMA? No.

Jackie Chan had BSL training in the opera school & also some Bak Mei. He also has an honorary black belt in Hapkido & in his prime was a first rate stuntman with a sack the size of station wagon. Is he a world class example of TCMA? No.

Jet Li is a wushu player with some traditional training (faan tzi quan mainly if I remember right.) I met the man that "unseated" him in 1981 (Zhao Zhang Jun). He's done movies & brought to light mainland & "obscure" MA's to light (taiji, bagua, xingyi <done with a faan tzi feel>). He know is the spokesman for "Jet Li's Tai Chi Zen". Is he a world class example of TCMA? No.

To find real TCMA, step away from the spotlight. Go find people you don't hear much if anything about from the Republican / WW2 / Civil War era. Those were people fighting & dying with real TCMA.

<soapbox off>