Bruce Lee, who was born on November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, is the martial arts icon you cannot ignore. Most individuals are not aware how diversified his martial arts background was. In addition to kung fu, Bruce Lee was also trained in western boxing where he won the boxing championship against Gary Elms by knockout in the third round. Moreover, he learnt fencing techniques from his brother, Peter Lee, who was a well-known champion in the field. This varied background led to personal modifications to Wing Chun Gung Fu. Bruce Lee named his newer version of the style, Jun Fan Gung Fu. Interestingly, he even opened his first martial arts school in Seattle called Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute.
However, he was unsatisfied with established parameters and limitations of Jun Fan Gung Fu and other martial arts styles. Therefore, he developed his unique style in 1965 – Jeet Kune Do, which was a hybrid martial arts system and philosophy of life designed for street fighting and opened two more schools in California to promote this new style. Jee Kune Do is characterised by simple direct unique non-classical movements because Bruce Lee strived to achieve minimal movements with maximum effects and extreme speed. On top of that, Jeet Kune Do’s success lies in contingent methods hence different martial arts techniques are used for different situations. The situations are divided into ranges, which are kicking, punching, trapping, and grappling, where martial artists use specific techniques to preform smooth flow between them. Jeet Kune Do style is also referred to as “a style without style” or “the art of fighting without fighting” because of there is not only one right pattern of fighting and all actions are underlined by the interception concept where attacking takes place when an opponent is about to attack.
Bruce Lee was also a fantastic actor and surprisingly had his first role as a baby carried on the stage. Great Bruce Lee’s martial arts abilities can be admired the famous movies such as: The Chinese Connection, Enter the Dragon, Fists of Fury and Green Hornet.Enter the Dragon was the last movie Lee finished before his death in which he played a British agent that enters an Asian criminal organization through lord Han. There is a lot of skillful fighting to admire in this film, which culminates with a battle between Lee and Han. The rest you should see by yourself.
“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.
Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
Although Bruce Lee is best known as a martial artist he also studied philosophy at the University of Washington.His quotes are very wise and inspirational.He published several books on martial arts and fighting philosophy,which are rich in his famous quotes.His philosophical views were influenced by mainly by Taoism.Bruce Lee believed that any knowledge eventually leads to self-awareness “After all, all knowledge simply means self-knowledge.”
aleksandraola77 