How good is Bruce Lee?

[kiteman]

You decide.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqGQ7...layer_embedded

[msteeln]

I know his nephew...

[bcdon***]

Good, but this guy might be even better! :-)

[Spudman***]

WoW! Just Wow! I'd never seen that first video, but I had seen him do some things that mortals should not be able to do. So maybe it was the ping pong clan that had him killed after all?

It's really sad he left us so early, but I know it wan't his choice.

[Tone2TheBone]

Those are some serious numchuck skills.

[Ch0jin]

I think that video helps illustrate why Bruce Lee was looked down on by the Kung Fu schools of the day. All about the flash and the showmanship. I mean look at the size he built himself up to as well. More bodybuilder than martial artist.

I mean these days with MMA being all the rage, especially in the USA (I couldn't walk down the street without seeing a "TAPOUT" logo when I was over there last year) being huge and a martial arts guy is the norm, but back in the day being as big as Bruce got was not a good look for the Fu styles of the day.

I was watching a martial arts doco ages ago and I found it interesting when they pointed out that having massive biceps is totally counterproductive to punching fast, as the bicep -retracts- the arm, it adds nothing but drag to an arm extension.

Interesting...

EDIT: I am actually a Bruce Lee fan by the way, love his movies. Just saying.

[kiteman]

I'm a Bruce Lee fan too and Bruce said something like be a sapling but not an oak, springy and fast. He didn't plan to build bulk but to be strong and lithe.

The movies were fun and I know they're staged but the movements were something to watch. They're real martial artists and big names actually.

[Ch0jin]

I'm a Bruce Lee fan too and Bruce said something like be a sapling but not an oak, springy and fast. He didn't plan to build bulk but to be strong and lithe.

The movies were fun and I know they're staged but the movements were something to watch. They're real martial artists and big names actually.

Oh yeah, staged or not they are still impressive.

I guess I'm just jealous I never developed that massive ripped V shape accidentally haha

[bigoldron]

Seriously impressive!

[Commodore 64***]

He's a pussy. I could take him.

[kiteman]

He's a pussy. I could take him.

That made me laugh.

Lots of people tried to own him and sent lots of martial artists to persuade him but he sent 'em back bundled up with a pretty bow on top.

EDIT: by the way there's a good movie about Bruce Lee played by Bruce Li, The Man.. The Myth..

Bruce Li is pretty friggin good himself.

[Tig***]

I suggest watching Ip Man (2010) about Bruce Lee's master teacher.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386932/
Excellent movie!

[tunghaichuan***]

I think that video helps illustrate why Bruce Lee was looked down on by the Kung Fu schools of the day. All about the flash and the showmanship. I mean look at the size he built himself up to as well. More bodybuilder than martial artist.

It seems to me it was more that Lee was teaching non-Asians, i.e., non-Chinese. His movie moves may have been flashy, but his personal art/philosophy was to be direct and use the most effective techniques, not necessarily the prettiest. Martial arts in movies need to be flashy and impressive looking to maintain viewer interest. Wing Chun, Bruce Lee's original art, is all about speed, directness and economy of motion.

He was very ripped to be sure, but he never really was a very big guy. About 5' 7" and only weighed 135 lbs.

To paraphrase Robert W. Smith: you can be sure that a 6' 5" 250 lb. stevedore will beat the crap out of a 5' 7", 130 lb., 5th Dan karateka. Size is a huge deciding factor, which is why there are weight classes in contact/combat sports.

I mean these days with MMA being all the rage, especially in the USA (I couldn't walk down the street without seeing a "TAPOUT" logo when I was over there last year) being huge and a martial arts guy is the norm, but back in the day being as big as Bruce got was not a good look for the Fu styles of the day.

There were lots of guys bigger than Lee back in the day, many of the Westerners were very big compared to Lee. Chuck Norris for example. Anybody who would have been in the heavyweight class. Most of them weren't as ripped as Bruce Lee, though.

I was watching a martial arts doco ages ago and I found it interesting when they pointed out that having massive biceps is totally counterproductive to punching fast, as the bicep -retracts- the arm, it adds nothing but drag to an arm extension.

Of course, that assumes that a punch is performed by pistoning and retracting the arm. Bagua and Xing-yi for example punch with the arm mostly straight and use body weight and forward movement to generate power. Beng chuan (Xing-yi's "crushing fist") is an example of this. It is my understanding that this is why arts of this nature are called "long boxing" by the Chinese.

When I was studying Bagua and Xing-yi, there was a definite prejudice against weight lifting, which was more of a Shaolin or Hung Gar, training method. My Bagua instructor seemed to think that weight training impeded internal art training.

When I was a wrestler, one of the coaches made a comment that really stuck with me: he said that as wrestlers, we should only be concerned with muscular strength, power and endurance, not necessarily how pretty the muscle looks, or even how big it gets. In fact, it is possible to develop a lot of strength without putting on much bulk at all. Look at Olympic weight lifters, especially the middle and light weight classes. They are very strong compared to the general populace, but very few of them look like pumped up body builders.

EDIT: I am actually a Bruce Lee fan by the way, love his movies. Just saying.

I was a big fan, too. But I remember one of my karate teachers back in the day saying that everybody worshiped Lee, but he never competed in the many tournaments of the time. He gave lots of demonstrations, but never really tested himself against the best of his time. Back then, karate tournaments were mostly full-contact with minimal padding. Many times competitors were carried out on stretchers.

He was on the right track and was integrating grappling into his style at the time of his death, but at that time, the Gracies had already pretty much perfected their ground fighting techniques. They just hadn't made it to America yet.

Personally, I think it is fortunate for Lee that he never came across any of the Gracies. I don't think it would have gone well for Lee. Heck, today Lee's #1 student, Dan Inosanto, is a student of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

[sumitomo]

Here's the Master!!!Sumi

[piebaldpython***]

At some point in time, somebody on Snopes.com will expose this video as an elaborate hoax. To think that he could consistently hit a ping-pong ball with nunchakus is an extraordinary feat in and of itself. To be able to hit the ball back in play at all........highly doubtful.

Lee was very, very good at what he did. And he he took Yip Man's Wing Chun, and adopted aspects of other styles to form his own Jeet Kune Do.

That said....against a highly trained Chinese stylist.....especially one who had access to internal/external strength/power conditioning programs like Stone Warrior, Iron Palm and Iron Vest, to name a few.......Lee would have been destroyed quickly.

Other than nunchakus, he was not skillfully adept with weopenry (sp ?) and so did not have that basis to draw fighting skills and strength on.

[Ch0jin]

It seems to me it was more that Lee was teaching non-Asians, i.e., non-Chinese.....

Of course you're right, I forgot all about that.

Martial arts in movies need to be flashy and impressive looking to maintain viewer interest. Wing Chun, Bruce Lee's original art, is all about speed, directness and economy of motion.

For sure, there is even a style of Kung Fu specifically for that. I saw that on TV too. Of course many of the guys I saw trained in various disciplines, but their main focus now was a style with a name I don't recall, but they train to do the big flashy martial arts movie moves, training to fight on wires and so forth. Think Crouching Tiger kinda stuff.

I completely agree on the Win Chun stuff. A good friend of mine trained in that style for many years whilst I messed around with Muay Thai and Boxing (briefly). The main thing I remember about trying to spa with him is all the awesome arm locks and wrist traps and stuff in Win Chun. Basically when I would try to straight box him I'd always end up with my arms folded back in on themselves and wrists bent the wrong way. Oh and that chain punch thing they do. Thats rattled my head a few times. I think it may have also been design so that women could also train in it for self defense as it didn't require huge strength, but I might be thinking of another style..

Of course, that assumes that a punch is performed by pistoning and retracting the arm. Bagua and Xing-yi for example punch with the arm mostly straight and use body weight and forward movement to generate power. Beng chuan (Xing-yi's "crushing fist") is an example of this. It is my understanding that this is why arts of this nature are called "long boxing" by the Chinese...

Excellent point. I feel like I've been totally schooled! Thanks for clearing up my messy ill-informed posting.

Oh I almost forgot... You might have seen it already, but there was this 10 part series on TV some time back called "Mind, Body and Kick *** moves" which is well worth a look. Thats where I saw the Kung Fu school for movie styles and the stuff about the biceps I mentioned. In ten episodes they cover a lot of ground martial arts wise, giving examples of plenty of styles as well as some amusing "back home" practical stuff (the presenter is English). My favorite being when he walks into this seedy pool hall in London, picks the biggest meanest guy and says "You think you can take me down for the cameras?" The outcome is obvious, but the look on the huge guys face when he's disarmed and on the floor in s split second is priceless.

[kiteman]

Who needs martial arts when we have this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3K-mrlYG7Y

[Ch0jin]

Who needs martial arts when we have this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3K-mrlYG7Y

Yeah that guy is a weapon and quite the entertainer! "Bang Bang Bang"

Although I think what he's doing IS martial arts of the purest form by which I mean fighting for combat rather than sport. Just my definition though.

I giggled at "everything is legal on the street" I'm sure the police and legal system would strongly disagree hahaha.

I'd love to train with him though, even for half an hour.

[piebaldpython***]

It seems to me it was more that Lee was teaching non-Asians, i.e., non-Chinese.

To paraphrase Robert W. Smith: you can be sure that a 6' 5" 250 lb. stevedore will beat the crap out of a 5' 7", 130 lb., 5th Dan karateka. Size is a huge deciding factor, which is why there are weight classes in contact/combat sports.

Nah, it wasn't him teaching non-Asians.....sheesh, plenty of American servicemen have learned the Oriental fighting arts since at least the 1940s. Robert W. Smith learned from a whole host of Asian teachers on Taiwan in the 1960s.

What got Lee into "trouble", was saying that just teaching "forms" was not really beneficial for a student. The "form" in and of itself was just a dance and didn't necessarily impart fighting techniques. Glorified and gussied up phys ed that served as a money making machine. "Forms" can be a good thing in the hands of a dedicated teacher. The Form teaches certain physical characteristics not noted in prior or related forms. There is fighting application, but if a teacher doesn't reveal it, then the student is just doing a dance.

Lee didn't teach "forms"......he taught techniques and concepts and so his students were motivated to learn more, to search, to relate everything to fighting.