Why I like Bruce Lee

[MightyB]

1. He popularized the idea of pragmatic Kung Fu practice (popularized, not created).
2. He believed in consistent hard sparring.
3. He pushed refinement of basic movements over accumulation of techniques.
4. He advocated strength training and conditioning as necessary for a martial artist.

[MightyB]

5. Also - he advocated using what works regardless of where it comes from.
6. He pushed developing a "fighters" mindset.
7. If TCM artists say forms are a display of jing - you could look at how he moved in his movies and say the man had jing.

[MasterKiller]

8. He stole almost every quote he's famous for from someone else.

[brothernumber9]

except, "That island. On the beach. We can take this boat?"

[Punch.HeadButt]

9. The look on his face after he kicks the board in this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4TXz-buqzU

[SimonM]

8. He stole almost every quote he's famous for from someone else.

Well you know the saying:

Mediocrity borrows, genius steals.

By the way, true story, I am the originator of that saying.

[David Jamieson]

1. He popularized the idea of pragmatic Kung Fu practice (popularized, not created).
2. He believed in consistent hard sparring.
3. He pushed refinement of basic movements over accumulation of techniques.
4. He advocated strength training and conditioning as necessary for a martial artist.

1. ok, but that goes to David Carradine too (unfortunately)
2. Maybe he believed in it, but he didn't do it
3. I totally disagree with that. he jumped all over the place with styles and used outrageously non usable moves in his movies.
4. Doesn't everyone?

5. Also - he advocated using what works regardless of where it comes from.
6. He pushed developing a "fighters" mindset.
7. If TCM artists say forms are a display of jing - you could look at how he moved in his movies and say the man had jing.

5. He did this after he failed to use what he had with any effect in a real situation. (read the WJM affair and how Bruce was stunned that his delusion of taking someone out in 30 seconds was not doable.)

6. He said a lot of things he didn't do. Many here advocate, push and train for a fighters mindset more than BL ever did.

7. He was also a professional competitive dancer. So yeah, he could move.

8. He stole almost every quote he's famous for from someone else.

QFT

Well you know the saying:

Mediocrity borrows, genius steals.

By the way, true story, I am the originator of that saying.

No you're not, that was George Bernard Shaw!!!

j'accuse!

[sanjuro_ronin]

I liked BL because he did something that we all take for granted NOW.
Told the TCMA community where to shove it.
Was he over hyped? Sure, who the **** isn't?
Was he as good a fighter as everyone made him out to be? No, no one ever is.
Was he good enough to leave his mark on the likes of Norris, Lewis, Inosanto and others?
yes, he was.

[SimonM]

No you're not, that was George Bernard Shaw!!!

j'accuse!

P'shaw

[David Jamieson]

I liked BL because he did something that we all take for granted NOW.
Told the TCMA community where to shove it.

he was also ill mannered and arrogant. His telling the tcma community to shove it was nothing more than a temper tantrum from my point of view.

Was he over hyped? Sure, who the **** isn't?

Ali? Frasier? Foreman? I dunno...real fighters? lol

Was he as good a fighter as everyone made him out to be? No, no one ever is.

He was never really in any sanctioned fight was he? Nope. He smacked around a 16 year old kid on the set of ETD...and that's about it except for teh secretive WJM match.

Was he good enough to leave his mark on the likes of Norris, Lewis, Inosanto and others?
yes, he was.

Those guys wouldn't have the careers they do without Bruce Not a single one of them.
They would never say a bad thing about Bruce ever for that fact alone.


I liked Bruce because he was strong willed and made Kung Fu movies that made sense to the western mind.

Shaw brothers flicks were almost always these particularly weird films with little inthe way of congruence or good writing etc.

so, the fact that Bruce made Kung Fu movies with a beginning, middle and an end means that he knew how to tell a story.

That's why I like him, because that's what he really did!

[sanjuro_ronin]

he was also ill mannered and arrogant. His telling the tcma community to shove it was nothing more than a temper tantrum from my point of view.

Ali? Frasier? Foreman? I dunno...real fighters? lol

He was never really in any sanctioned fight was he? Nope. He smacked around a 16 year old kid on the set of ETD...and that's about it except for teh secretive WJM match.
Those guys wouldn't have the careers they do without Bruce Not a single one of them.
They would never say a bad thing about Bruce ever for that fact alone.


I liked Bruce because he was strong willed and made Kung Fu movies that made sense to the western mind.

Shaw brothers flicks were almost always these particularly weird films with little inthe way of congruence or good writing etc.

so, the fact that Bruce made Kung Fu movies with a beginning, middle and an end means that he knew how to tell a story.

That's why I like him, because that's what he really did!

His attitutde was typical of the TCMA of his era and before, he just gave it to THEM instead of taking it.
All famous fighters are over hyped, that is just part of the whole "fighter mystique".
Joe Lewis wouldn't have had a career without Lee?
Don't know what you are talking about there and Chuck made his own career, far surpassing ANYTHING Lee would have dreamed f having.
Inosanto is his own Man.

Lets be real here, before BL, you didn't hear about cross training and mixing MA and taking only what is useful, etc, etc.
Read any of the books and articles from the 60'a and 70's and you won't read that.

[bawang]

if you guys speak to normal people once in a while, you would realize america sees bruce lee as a weirdo and a joke. a bizzare freakshow.

he is the epitome of cantonese passive aggresiveness and cantonese napoleon complex.

i really wished instead of cantonese immigrants in the 1800s they brought 6 foot 200 pound hui muslims. they no one would mess around with chinese today.

[sanjuro_ronin]

if you guys speak to normal people once in a while, you would realize america sees bruce lee as a weirdo and a joke. a bizzare freakshow.

You say that as if it was a bad thing.

[bawang]

all the real martial artists in the kung fu film industry filled the role of bad guys and side kicks, because they looked strong and honest.

bruce lee also restarted the omega male fantasy.

[goju]

8. He stole almost every quote he's famous for from someone else.

was that more a case of people just thinking he came up with them himself ?