Kung Fu Boi
White Belt
I have noticed throughout the internet, there are many people who are confused if what Bruce did on screen depicts JKD. I have put together quotes from Bruce and those who knew him to give a clearer picture on this notion:
"Some of the techniques used [on screen] are not what I practice in gung fu. For instance, I never believe in jumping and kicking. My kicks in actual gung fu are not high but low, to the shin and to the groin."
Black Belt, pg. 14, October 1967
"Some things in the films are not what he would have done in a real situation. In the films he had to dramatise it, make it look showy. He didn’t think that a flying kick or a kick to the head is the most effective thing. He always stuck to the simplest, most effective, like he'd usually try to keep his kicks below the belt."
Linda Lee interview 1974
"Bruce told me he purposely “hyped” action sequences in the movies in a preposterously flamboyant style for entertainment value, and for demonstrating the perfection of human body mechanics. Bruce Lee's character in the movies is not to be confused with his real martial arts fighting techniques."
Dan Inosanto's Letter clarifying the misconception about Bruce Lee
"He [Bruce] said he kicked high in the movies for the audience. In a real fight, he would kick low, targeting knees, groin area, etc." (Chan met Bruce near the end of 1971)
Chan Wai-Man interview, Bax forum
(When Ed Hart was asked if Bruce Lee added many styles to his art)
"Your basic premise is mistaken. That is, you are under the impression that Bruce “incorporated” many styles in his system of fighting. He didn't. He experimented with many styles. He also learned various fighting styles, as well as the forms for those styles, simply because he was a person who had a lot of curiosity. He also liked to learn new things, even if he didn’t use them…Bruce also learned high kicks for fun, just to see if he could do them. He never seriously considered using them in a fight. He also learned a lot of flashy moves, which looked spectacular, but which he would not have used in a fight. When he started teaching publicly he taught some of these moves because people were more impressed by watching them then they were by the things he’d actually do in a fight. He knew that if you want to get a lot of students you have to teach them moves that look good. So he mixed in some of the stuff he would actually do (in a fight) with a lot of flash. In his movies he was even more showy. He did the most complicated moves and did them very well and the public was quite impressed. But that wasn’t the way he would fight.
Remembering Bruce Lee, Ed Hart Interview, Inside Karate, February 1996
"Some of the techniques used [on screen] are not what I practice in gung fu. For instance, I never believe in jumping and kicking. My kicks in actual gung fu are not high but low, to the shin and to the groin."
Black Belt, pg. 14, October 1967
"Some things in the films are not what he would have done in a real situation. In the films he had to dramatise it, make it look showy. He didn’t think that a flying kick or a kick to the head is the most effective thing. He always stuck to the simplest, most effective, like he'd usually try to keep his kicks below the belt."
Linda Lee interview 1974
"Bruce told me he purposely “hyped” action sequences in the movies in a preposterously flamboyant style for entertainment value, and for demonstrating the perfection of human body mechanics. Bruce Lee's character in the movies is not to be confused with his real martial arts fighting techniques."
Dan Inosanto's Letter clarifying the misconception about Bruce Lee
"He [Bruce] said he kicked high in the movies for the audience. In a real fight, he would kick low, targeting knees, groin area, etc." (Chan met Bruce near the end of 1971)
Chan Wai-Man interview, Bax forum
(When Ed Hart was asked if Bruce Lee added many styles to his art)
"Your basic premise is mistaken. That is, you are under the impression that Bruce “incorporated” many styles in his system of fighting. He didn't. He experimented with many styles. He also learned various fighting styles, as well as the forms for those styles, simply because he was a person who had a lot of curiosity. He also liked to learn new things, even if he didn’t use them…Bruce also learned high kicks for fun, just to see if he could do them. He never seriously considered using them in a fight. He also learned a lot of flashy moves, which looked spectacular, but which he would not have used in a fight. When he started teaching publicly he taught some of these moves because people were more impressed by watching them then they were by the things he’d actually do in a fight. He knew that if you want to get a lot of students you have to teach them moves that look good. So he mixed in some of the stuff he would actually do (in a fight) with a lot of flash. In his movies he was even more showy. He did the most complicated moves and did them very well and the public was quite impressed. But that wasn’t the way he would fight.
Remembering Bruce Lee, Ed Hart Interview, Inside Karate, February 1996
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