What have you learned from Bruce Lee?

[Taiji Rebel]

Bruce Lee is a big name in the martial arts industry. This year will be the 50th anniversary of his death. His impact on the martial arts and movie industry is undeniable. Every year his image and articles are features in the martial arts magazines. A lot of people worship at the man, and many are inspired by his journey and the challenges he overcame.

What lessons you have learned from studying Bruce Lee?

 

[Cynik75]

No one.
Nor his movies were close to reality, nor his influence on full contact fighting tactics, strategies, training methodology was more then marginal.
He inspired some people to start training the same way John Rambo aka Sylwester Stallone inspired some people to join Green Berets.
He is also called "philosopher" but his philosophy of martial was secondary to basic understanding of fighting of amateur boxer/wrestler from his time.

 

[Holmejr]

The art of fighting without fighting. I’ve used it with success more than once.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Boards don’t hit back 😀

probably A lot more, but I’m pressed for time at the moment, more later

 

[marvin8]

 

[Hot Lunch]

He said a lot of things that would have fallen on deaf ears if they had been said by anyone else. He died at the age of 32, nowhere near the age of someone you'd look to for wisdom.

I see him as a martial arts actor, and nothing more.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Wisdom is knowledge through experience, not age.

age does not make you wise, choice does - Levy Ludwig

12 Things That Happen When You're Wise Beyond Your Years​

and before this gets silly, talking Bruce Lee, I’m specifically talking Martial Arts

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[marvin8]

He said a lot of things that would have fallen on deaf ears if they had been said by anyone else. He died at the age of 32, nowhere near the age of someone you'd look to for wisdom.

He said a lot of things that others had said before him.

 

[Hot Lunch]

He said a lot of things that others had said before him.

And things that are common sense. For example: "Absorb what is useful, discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own."

This is a concept that even a small child understands without being told. When you thought about having your own family when you grew up, you used this very concept in deciding how you were going to parent your children, while using your own parents as a reference point.

 

[Yokozuna514]

One man can inspire the world and bring light where there was little to none before. Love him or hate him, his mark cannot be denied.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Speak kindly of the dead.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Bruce Lee was not a God, he was a martial artist. And by all accounts of the big name martial artists of the time, he was a darn good martial artist. He also happened to be ab actor. But then today we have Donnie Yen, who is also an actor, but by all accounts he is a dark good martial artist…possibly the most serious in the Hong Kong Film industry

 

[drop bear]

Roids and coke don't mix.

 

[Taiji Rebel]

How popular do you think martial arts would have become without the influence of Bruce Lee?

 

[Hot Lunch]

How popular do you think martial arts would have become without the influence of Bruce Lee?

If Bruce Lee was the driving force behind the popularity of martial arts, I'd expect Jeet Kune Do to be the most widely practiced martial art.

I also think that with the US occupation of South Korea, Japan, and Okinawa following World War II; it would have only been a matter of time before the martial arts from those countries were featured in movies.

 

[Taiji Rebel]

He said a lot of things that would have fallen on deaf ears if they had been said by anyone else. He died at the age of 32, nowhere near the age of someone you'd look to for wisdom.

I see him as a martial arts actor, and nothing more.

Maybe Caine from Kung-Fu made a bigger impact with the words of wisdom shared via his show

 

[Taiji Rebel]

He said a lot of things that others had said before him.

Yes, Alan Watts was a big influence on him. Krishnamurti too. You only need look at his personal library to see how much he valued the thoughts of others. According to one of his previous students though, it was only when the TV show Kung-Fu became so popular that Bruce started to quote Eastern philosophy a lot more.

One of the strange things was how Americanized he was in his pursuit of success - heavily driven by books such as Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill - chasing the dream and trying to be bigger than Steve McQueen was not such a bright idea in the end 🤔

And, the martial arts industry has been very clever in their use of his image to create sales 🤑🤑🤑

 

[Taiji Rebel]

If Bruce Lee was the driving force behind the popularity of martial arts, I'd expect Jeet Kune Do to be the most widely practiced martial art.

I also think that with the US occupation of South Korea, Japan, and Okinawa following World War II; it would have only been a matter of time before the martial arts from those countries were featured in movies.

It is worth remembering that JKD is not a martial art

 

[Buka]

What I've learned - Martial Artists like to argue about Bruce Lee. But then, Martial Artists like to argue about a lot of things.

Also, I'm an avid reader of books, I love to read. And I was a big Bruce Lee fan when I was young. But the Tao of Jeet Kune Do is one of the most useless books I've ever opened. I don't think that was Mr Lee's fault, I always heard it was a notebook he used.

 

[Taiji Rebel]

What I've learned - Martial Artists like to argue about Bruce Lee. But then, Martial Artists like to argue about a lot of things.

Also, I'm an avid reader of books, I love to read. And I was a big Bruce Lee fan when I was young. But the Tao of Jeet Kune Do is one of the most useless books I've ever opened. I don't think that was Mr Lee's fault, I always heard it was a notebook he used.

The Tao of Jeet Kune Do was a cash-in on his name back in the early 70s 😢

Bruce Lee is a contentious subject in the MA world. It was the same when Bruce was alive. He annoyed plenty of martial artists with his thoughts and philosophies on the classical mess. A kid in a gym once told me "Bruce Lee got all his training wrong" - the kid had been doing Wing Chun for 8 weeks or so

There are pluses and minuses in every situation. Some people are looking for a hero to emulate, others seek a villain to annihilate, but whatever your stance - Bruce Lee certainly made his mark!