Bruce Lee: Celebrating the Master
October 31, 2009 – Dr. Americana
Some people call him the grandfather of MMA. He is the man behind Jeet Kune Do, an icon, an entertainer, a teacher and a warrior that left us much too soon. I simply call him “The Master”. Here are 5 of his most well-known clips that prove he is just that. Don’t believe it? He even beat Chuck Norris.
Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris
Bruce Lee: “Fists of Fury” ice factory fight
Bruce Lee vs. Kareem Abdul-Jabber in “Game of Death”
Bruce Lee working the nunchucks
Bruce Lee training video
I like this top five, I found it via Digg. Bruce lee videos will never get old.
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Roswell Reply:
January 20th, 2011 at 11:03 pm
@Robert, My favorite martial artist was Bruce Lee. That was a long time ago. Then Steven Seagal, Jet Lee, John Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan came around. All of which I really like. But my favorite now is Tony Jaa, who is better then Bruce Lee ever was. He makes Bruce Lee look like a green belt.
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Tyson C Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
@Roswell, LMAO! wow u said that and meant it. Thats almost as dumb as it sounds buyt hey everyone is entitled to their umm lol opinion ..no matter how ridiculous it is. If like Jaa as ur favortie…thats fine…but to even say he’s better then Bruce makes u sound stupid…and the green belt comment lol. Bruce Lee was a REAL fighter. U only saw his movies i’m guessing which dont even show case his real abilities being that he had to slow down for the camera. Jaa is good but would Kneel b4 Lee when in his presence. Please do some research on Bruce b4 u say something stupid again lol….How old are u again? lol
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=== popurls.com === popular today…
yeah! this story has entered the popular today section on popurls.com…
Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee (Lee Hsiao Lung), was born in San Fransisco in November 1940 the son of a famous Chinese opera singer.
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?????????????
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He’s my favourate kungfu actor no doubt he has long gone & nothing compare & i thing he’s a born kungfu actor & until today i still keep all hi movie.
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The Man is a LEG. simple!
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good kungfu
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u got Muhammad Ali in boxing, Michael Jordaan in basketball, Ell Diego Maradona in socca, Michael Shummacher and Aerton Senna in Motor Spotrs and then u get BRUCE LEE, simply the BEST and arguably THE GREATEST martial arts athlete in living memory of mankind, the very personification of the word LEGENDARY
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Penwell Reply:
October 21st, 2010 at 8:19 am
@oom tae, ….and Rakim in rapping, Gary Glitter in grooming, Matt Hoffman in BMX, Tony Hawk in skateboarding………
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Excuse me, but I was practising Shotokan Karate for years, have about 70+ books of many different MA and have watched (even in slow motion) MANY MA films and (I may annoy some people) Bruce Lee had many important fails while using Nunchakus -I’ve been using 2 Nunchakus at a time regularly for about 30 years now; I’m 46-. Specially, after hitting someone with the Nunchaku and returning it to the most usual position (holded under the arm), the Nunchaku falls down or rests in a half-holded (=bad) position. This is a very clear example as seen in SEVERAL of his films. I can tell you that any good Nunchaku student can perform clearly better thatn him in this area after a few months of serious work. Don’t misunderstand me; as a martial artist, he was unarguably THE one at his time. But don’t forget that others, like Jackie Chan or Jet Lee -which came after- are MUCH, MUCH better than him (and I HAVE watched ALL 82 films by Jackie Chan).
Honestly, Bruce Lee was very good, but others were and are much better. Oh yes… one thing is true: he had ‘something special’ in front of the camera, no doubt about it.
Greetings from Barcelona!.
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jose Reply:
September 6th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
@AudioTiger, can you please rename just one of those you say were or are better than bruce
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bread Reply:
September 11th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
@AudioTiger, er it’s jet li not jet lee….. an bruce lee was the type of martial artist who wouldn’t care much of the form but more on efficiency, because of that the fails you see the nunchucks isn’t really justified. In fact he had a lot of stance wrong in his film but it doesn’t matter, what matters is if he hit the opponent and hit him hard enough…
PS: dude how can Bruce lee be bad at nunchucks, there’s a video on the net showing bruce lee playing ping pong with nunchucks…
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bruce lee fan Reply:
September 27th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
@AudioTiger,
you are so stupid and you don’t know nothing about martial arts, you so ingnorant and stupid asshole
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AudioTiger Reply:
September 29th, 2010 at 8:19 pm
@bruce lee fan,
So you think you are not stupid and you know mor than me about martial arts? And you are not an ignorant and stupid asshole?. OK. Then please tell me what’s your personal experience about MA… Which ones have you practised?. How long?. Do you play nunchaku? 1 or 2 at a time?. How many books and films have you analyzed?.
Flaming is easy. Knowing about something is not… The very furst thing you should practice is education. I just gave an opinion without flaming, and also my opinion was based on visual facts easily seen in BL’s films. I am not inventing anything. He didn’t hold the nunchaku properly many times and that is a fact. On the other side, BL was, no doubt, a great martial artist, BUT he could clearly improve some aspects. Anyone that has seen exhibitions live (Tae Kwon Do, Karate, etc) live may agree with me. Many of the “unknown” masters have the same or higher level thatn Bruce Lee. Just take your time to go to YouTube and look for “Nunchaku”, watch some videos there and you’ll see wahy I say many other people was and is far better thatn BL at playing Nunchakus.
And remember this is just a opinion. I am not flaming anyone nor using bad aducation…
Best wiashes to all (and I mean ALL).
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Dave21 Reply:
October 1st, 2010 at 11:45 am
@AudioTiger, I think the nunchaku thing is debatable, there’s a lot of opinions on the correct way to hold them and I think it’s all bullshit. Freestylers are just doing tricks, they tend to hold closer to the chain. A martial artist would recommend a longer reach and hold it further down which makes some of the techniques harder to master. For me, I prefer somewhere in the middle but its open to interpretation of what it is you intend to do with the nunchaku. At the end of the day, if it works then its correct.
What Bruce Lee was trying to teach us was not to get trapped in tradition. It’s not that tradition is a bad thing. Just seems to me that in any martial arts class you learn body mechanics. The students are different shapes and sizes, some techniques don’t work as well for some people. It’s up to each individual to use their creative mind to expand on what they have learned and find their own way of doing it, in a sense breaking free of the tradition. Your way may differ from the next guy but if it works and is just as effective then it can’t be described as “wrong”.
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AudioTiger Reply:
October 2nd, 2010 at 2:51 pm
@Dave21, I respect your respectful opinion and you are right about there’s not just ONE way of doing things. You can do them thinking about how good it looks, about how efficient it is and many other ways. True. But I mean that in several BL’s films you can clearly see the Nunchaku FALLS from the underarm and he’s grabbing it through the chain, not through one of the sticks and this -as people who play nunchaku know very well- simply makes you LOSE precision when it comes the time to hit with it. I am telling you from my own experience. If anyone can demostrate the opposite, I’ll just take my hats off.
I think many of you may have missunderstood me. I am NOT a world top martial artist like BL (at all!!!), but just someone who loves MAs since I was a kid and has been practising for a long time. BL was big master, of course, but the only thing I say is he was not as perfect as many people may think, once his work is seriously analyzed. Yes, he was based on efficiency, and he reached what he wanted, of course, but I honestly feel nunchaku was his weakest thing. Sincerely, anyone who takes nunchaku seriously and makes about 1 hour a day of practice can easily do better than him in about 6 months or so, believe me; more precise, more effective, faster and with much more tricks (movements). Anyway he was NOT bad at nunchaku. He was mainly a world master at no-weappon fighting (I have all his books and most of his videos, so I know he was VERY VERY good at this)..
Best wishes to all!.
romeodc Reply:
October 2nd, 2010 at 7:26 am
@AudioTiger,
according to your opinion, i can say that you are good in MMA…
But maybe you never use your skill for a show…..
That’s the difference abt you n BL….
BL use his skill for entertainment, so the nunchaku don’t really hit the oponent, and it will be different when he use it for a fight….
I’m not saying that you are wrong, but i can say that you only looking from one side…
That’s all…
PS, Sorry if my english is bad – i’m Chinesse…
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AudioTiger Reply:
October 2nd, 2010 at 2:39 pm
@romeodc, OK I accept your point of view, although it’s different than mine.
Best wishes.
bk Reply:
January 22nd, 2011 at 1:19 pm
@AudioTiger, I do accept your view about nunchaku. i think i should respect the master [bruce lee] because brother [audiotiger] imagine the person who stated using this at early ages, when very few peolple in world new in those days.
And with your view i do understand you ve done good study about all this and it is all possible because of internet an bruce lee did not have that.
2] You did try to invent any thing new but he tried to imlement most of the styles brought infront of other then the latter heroes jackie and jet lee. so old is always gold n one can say he was less inthis department.
3] look at your age and his age and what age he achieved this great height.
so always think the period in which he has done all this , also technology was not that developed as you see today with jackie and jet lee using it today.
So brother one suggestion RESPECT what he has done with resources he had.
Compare the TIME he was in and AGE factor and what he had ACHIEVED in those days with you
THEN i woule say you were real better
SOrry if i hurt anyones feeelings
i am not master i do like MA movies and SPIRITUALITY
I am student at Meditation centre i do love MA which related the mind and body
Best Wishes,
BK
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Clé Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 11:13 am
@bruce lee fan,
Look, who’s calling who stupid. A double negative is a positive. ‘You don’t know nothing’ = You know everything (= there’s nothing, you don’t know).
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T.J Reply:
January 3rd, 2011 at 6:55 pm
@Clé,
Actually ‘You don’t know nothing’ is the inverse of ‘You know nothing’.
So it means ‘You know (at least) something’.
Hence, it doesn’t say much about a persons knowledge at all. ;-)
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Clé Reply:
February 13th, 2011 at 9:49 am
@T.J,
Are you telling me, that ‘you don’t know nothing’ means the same as ‘you don’t know everything’? If you would want to tell somebody, that he/she knows (at least) something, which one would you use?
Sorry, but I stand by what I said. You don’t know nothing = there’s nothing, you don’t know.
oom tae Reply:
October 21st, 2010 at 9:54 am
@AudioTiger, , hola u all tere quiet clearly im no xvpert ot the practise of MA, regardless the form, but wat i wanna say is that, no one is perfect, althought i consider Bruce to have been so close, and yah Jacky, is the closest thing in MY OPINION, to emulate Bruce, wen one wants to crit sum1 its alwayz eazy 2 c da flaws, but its also great and most recommended to recocknize and credit the positives, cause ultimately, they outweighed the VERYFEW NEGATIVES, and negatives there were, make no mistake, afterall he was human like all of us.
Obviously the debate wud go on as to who realy was the MASTER of the ARTS,in that regard every1 is entitled to his/her own opinion, MY opinion is that BRUCE LEE WAS, IS AND WILL ALWAYZ BE THE GREATEST, u can differ as i said b4, cheers guys, sorry for my abbreviated english, im a NAMIBIAN, LOL
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Chris Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
To AudioTiger, sorry but I think you missed the point as far as Bruce goes. Was he an expert at Nunchakus, NO. Did he ever claim to be, NO. He and other actors used these weapons to show case them to the world, showing parts of his cultures history. As far as comparing Bruce to Jakie or Jet, sorry no competition. Bruce was about hand to hand combat, neither Jakie or Jet although great artist are just that “Artiest” not fighters. I have done many MA’s over the years and am still searching for my own personal truth when it comes to combat but having the privilege to have studied Jeet Kune Do concepts for a short time I can vouch for its solid fighting foundation and innovative skull development. As Grand Master Ed Parker said “He is a one in a million Martial Artist. You could have been doing a kick for 20 year and the first time this guy does it it will be as good as you and the second time he will do it better than you.” That is as close to word for word as I can remember, its been a least a decade since I have seen Ed’s book. You can not judge Bruce by his movies, you have to look much further than that to begin to understand what Bruce gave to the Martial Arts.
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Dropby Reply:
January 14th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
@AudioTiger,
After several decade of time, for sure people already modified n improved d correct ways of using Nunchaku, but wat I can said is nobody can do better or attractive MA than Bruce Lee at his time. Without Bruce Lee may b til now in dis world nobody will knw wat is Nunchaku.
Secondly, I deny ur statement tat J.Chan n J.Li r better than Bruce Lee, u cant compare J.C n J.L wif Bruce Lee, B.Lee is lagend, he is d 1 who bring Martial Art to d top of world, he has his own strong style n identity while d others juz follow his footstep. I bet tat u cant differentship who is J.C or J.Li plus a normal ordinary Kung Fu student when they r cover their face during fighting.
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Tyson C Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
@AudioTiger, lol another lost cause i see….and thats said too…4 to to CLAIM ur a martial artists and say what u said on top of how old u are. Its like none of u on here did anything but watch Bruce Lee’s movies and thought that was him lol…jokes. do some research please….BRUCE LEE WAS A REAL FIGHTER!!!…do any of u get this. Jackie Chan was opera acrobatical performer,Jet Li a wu shu competitor..which means its just about the performance forms at tournments so basically 4 show…lol u cant claim being a artist and say…i mean really…i’ve been doing since i’ve doing martial arts since i was 6 bout to be 30 this year so its sad to hear another person claiming it but missing it….well again everyone is entitled to their opinion no matter how sereal it is lol
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Although I agree that Bruce Lee was amazing on screen and I have faith that he was one of the best ever. But….. He didn’t ‘beat’ those people in the films shown above. All of those were choreographed fights (expertly choreographed by Bruce Lee) But were different from a real fight. He didn’t enter tournaments because he didn’t agree to their rules. In a real fight he would utilize the groin strike, eye poke, fish-hook etc.
We have no evidence to show he was the best in competition fighting. I still have faith though. He was great.
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brucefan Reply:
September 27th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
@Graham,
OK this is your opinion and to your knowledge , but of course many know how wrong you are. if you did a bit of research you wouldn’t have said that!
or maybe you still would have , I wish he can fight you, so you can demonstrate your skill at least , or your bodyguard. or maybe you wanted him to hurt and kill for real on screen just for your satisfaction. :)) hey I’m only joking man, good point of view movies are movies real life is another dimension.
PS Bruce lee did fight real fights it is documented and yes he was brutal when confronted you know it’s not a game when it’s for real.
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AudioTiger Reply:
October 2nd, 2010 at 2:56 pm
@Graham, BL was also known for being VERY good at real fight… :)
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OMG he is jus amazing. m really a big time fan of him… i still wonder how great it would have been if only he lived today man… he is the greatest martial artist i have ever seen n known. nobody compares with him no one till date.
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These was awesome. I could not imagine suck skills.mattscradle
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One of my hero, Bruce Lee, is really my idol when I was a child up to Now. There’s no one who are able to fight like him. He’s really the real master of martial arts.
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Bruce lee is a greatest fighter no one can catch his popularity and his personality he is legend he is died but his memory will never die he is my all time favorite.
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Keep in mind, these were all movies and carefully choreographed. The scene with Chuck Norris, for example, was planned by the two of them in an all-night session. Bruce had to win because, as he explained it, “I’m the star and that’s the way the script is written.”
Having said all of that, Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris were good friends and often trained together. When I trained with Chuck Norris, I heard him say on more than one occasion, “No one trains harder than Bruce Lee.” Because I am familiar with how hard Mr. Norris trained, that was a very impressive statement. Anyone that trains that seriously cannot avoid being very good. Even an average talent would become very skilled and impressive. Bruce Lee was far from an “average” talent.
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AudioTiger Reply:
October 2nd, 2010 at 3:02 pm
@James Smith João Pessoa, Brazil, yes, many people tend to confuse movie fiction with real life… :(
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Chris Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 11:03 pm
@James Smith João Pessoa, Brazil, great comment James. It is fantastic to hear from someone close to the source. Training with Chuck!! what an experience!!. Fighter’s like Bruce, Chuck, Joe Lewis, Bill Superfoot, Mike Stone, are all a very rare breed. All the best.
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James Smith João Pessoa, Brazil Reply:
October 26th, 2010 at 6:37 am
@Chris, Of course, being a student of Chuck Norris, I am a bit prejudiced, but there is one thing that stands out about him. He was world champion 6 times in a row. That’s something no one else has done, before or since. While Bruce Lee did not compete in tournaments, I am certain he would have done very well. He had the speed, the technique, and the will to win. He also had nothing to gain, either.
It was the same with Chuck Norris, After he became a film star, he no longer had the time to train specifically for tournaments nor anything to gain by competing. As he will soon be 70 years old, I don’t think we can expect to see him return to competition. He is still active as head of the United Fighting Arts Federation and yes, does train regularly.
Bill Wallace was also a great competitor. He was so good that, even though you knew what he was going to do, he couldn’t be stopped. That was how he won so many full-contact matches.
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Bruce was the best, no comparison. To compare him to anyone in martial arts is just wrong. Some of these other guys have all the tricks but don’t seem to have the same power. I see that specifically in Jet Li when he punches, it looks weak compared to Bruce Lee. Bruce Lees kicks were likened to being hit by a car by many people. The man was electric. Best of it is, if you look at his techniques, he doesn’t do anything flashy, it’s all basic stuff, executed perfectly with outrageous speed. However, I don’t think that the human body reacts well to speed like that.
On another note, Arnold Schwarzenegger looked at Bruce Lee’s hand written list for his workout regime and stated “This guy puts me to shame.”
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we can’t talk about bruce lee easily becuse he is a legend of martial arts.i love him and he is my mould in my life.
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AudioTiger Reply:
October 2nd, 2010 at 3:05 pm
@ehsan, Excuse me but WE CAN talk about anyone if we do it respectfully, and people use to have different opinions. Usually there are as many points of view as people expressing them… If what you say was the case, people couldn’t have an opinion about anyone!!!. :)
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Bruce Lee was unique because he forever changed the face of martial arts and, indeed, Chinese – western relations.
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be like water my friend…….
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@ all who who gave their opinion about a fellow man (bruce lee).
Like Bruce Lee always said:” go with the flow”
He has also said: ” under this sky there is also but 1 family and we are all different”
To all Martial Artists out there ”Love and Respect”
It’s not important who is the best ,greatest,etc….it’s about bringing your love for
MA to the rest of the world so others will also want to learn it….
Peace :))
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I got a book of Bruce Lee, and in one of his photos you can clearly see the striations in his forearms (due to his extreme preference of the Zotmann Curls) and supreme muscle definition and a tight physique. His latissimus dorsi and back muscles are EXTREMELY developed, which meant extreme chin ups; his serratus muscles popped out of his ribcage which meant looooong hours of punch training / push-ups (Even Mr. Olympia contenders don’t have a defined serratus like Bruce’s) and for an actor I doubt anyone would go that far just to look good. As my experience goes with weight training, a body like Bruce’s could only mean that he trained his body for fights not for show. Arnold even quoted “…he got muscles on muscles.”. His muscle quality is amazing, and his muscles are FUNCTIONAL not just some added baggage. Even in modern MMA scenes, a body like his is rarely seen, only GSP comes close, and Manny Pacquiao in Boxing.
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He is one of the best in modern day martial arts.
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He is a master /was
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i love bruce lee picks i love his movies and i like him very much
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we canot talk about BRUCE LEE easily because he is martial arts world number one. past, present, fiutru all so same every cuntry wellcome to master bruce lee especily my cuntry srilanka.
tks.
A.JUSTIN JAYAWARDENA
NEGOMBO
SRILANKA
now i am in doha qatar.
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@AudioTiger,
Mr.Audio Tiger tks. for your Excuse about Ehsan`s mind Mr. Audio excuse me i think you mis undrestand .
ehsan said his pesonal mind not this main mind. ok we can dic.friendly about B.LEE. we have lages ariya i think you now very well.
tks,
justin jayawardena (srilanka)
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very gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood brusle.
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bruce lee is good but not good enough,jet lee is the same it’s just fake.for real fighter consider scott adkins and white,these kungfu actors lot of useles moves
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yle Reply:
November 23rd, 2010 at 7:50 am
@praveen, U should SHUT up if u dunno what ur talking about….. don’t include jet lee in the topic coz he is out of the discussion…. and don’t call jet lee fake… .. coz if ur looking for proof, in a tournament…….. jet li already did that….. he won several trophies….. at a young age competing with adults…
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He /was master !
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Bruce lee first
then comes Jackie Chan
the rest are rubbish
“Don’t mean to bug you guys … thats what I think”
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I was very impressed on Mr Bruce Lee’s abilities in his martial arts in his films, such a thin well being of a healthy person, i have heard he commited suscide couldn’t he cope with fame and fortune or did he do it to escape the limelight we will never know, whatever reasons he had he shouldn’t of done that. i think he should of said when my film contract has expired i will retire. but i think he was a clever fighter on or off the cinema screens.
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Tracy Reply:
January 20th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
@Mrs Gail j Gray,
Actually it wasn’t ruled as a suicide. It was an accidental death. He was having very bad migraines and someone who was with him gave him some medication for the pain. They say he must have had an allergy to one of the ingredients in the pill. His brain swelled, and he had a cerebral hemorage.
First Bruce Lee is the father of popularizing Kung Fu to the U.S., sure a small handfull of people knew about it. Not the main population however. Secondly, Bruce Lee used a far longer rope on his Nunchaka, he hated the chain linked one as it would get too twisted up. Not many people I know use a 12″ to 14″ inch chain or rope, and he used it like a morning star. It may have looked unorthodox, but it was effective for medium to longer range, to help counter a Jo staff, Yasrimsha, or Tonfas.
He was also a very under rated actor, by most in Hollywood. He grew up around theater and knew how to act very well. His facial expressions are priceless, especially playing a simple country boy, like in the movie Return of the Dragon. He also had all the makings of a leading man in films, he had the looks, charisma, and acting qualities of any major actor, and he hated the word “star”, he wanted to be known as an actor. It is unfortunate that the U.S. didn’t give him his just dues, after watching a few documentaries, a number of producers, and directors had a hard time understanding him, and wouldn’t hire him for the picture. They must have had plugged ears, because when I heard him speak English, I could understand him. What a shame, because of it all he went back to Hong Kong, and died shortly after. He and his son Brandon will be missed, by many of us fans.
As for those thinking Jet Li, and Jackie Chan are better. That is all a matter of opinion to be sure. Let me explain a few reasons why I feel Bruce was the best and will never be equaled in the world of Martial arts. First he created Jeet Kun Do, which isn’t a style, but more a philosophy. He wanted to combine every possible form into one person, something I feel was impossible to do, however in his thinking that one must be prepared for anything, and have the ability to counter all opponents. If you restrict your combat technique to one form or style you restrict your possibilities to counter something new.
Secondly, he dedicated his body conditioning like no other athlete I have ever seen, and that is not taking anything away from current or past practicing martial artists. He worked for speed first, and with speed came power. He felt if he could beat the opponent to their move and strike first he could end it quickly, and I might add less pain for his opponent or himself to suffer through.
Lastly, he thought like a chess player. If someone came into a fight with a certain stance he pretty much knew before the first punch or kick was thrown what to do to counter their attack and get his in first. With all this under his belt, it’s a hard thing to beat. Plus he also brought that cocky attitude with him, because he could use that confidence to disturb his adversary. But as all opinions go, its all heresay, and assumption. Regardless of who you feel was better, it really doesn’t matter. He was a great martial artists, and a very good actor.
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Mrs Gail j Gray Reply:
January 20th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
@Tracy, I have to disagree about Mr Lee having Migraines as i suffer from these badly to and i can tell the signs of a migraine sufferer.
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The 70′s martial arts movies really sucked, like most of the other filmes at the time. I saw one of the first images of Bruce Lee, demonstranting hist martial arts: he was so fast that, even in slow motion he still fast.
In other way it’s difficult for professional fighters do movies, that’s why in chinese movies, the fighters are in fact professional dancers.
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First Bruce Lee is the father of popularizing Kung Fu to the U.S., sure a small handfull of people knew about it. Not the main population however. Secondly, Bruce Lee used a far longer rope on his Nunchaka, he hated the chain linked one as it would get too twisted up. Not many people I know use a 12″ to 14″ inch chain or rope, and he used it like a morning star. It may have looked unorthodox, but it was effective for medium to longer range, to help counter a Jo staff, Yasrimsha, or Tonfas.
He was also a very under rated actor, by most in Hollywood. He grew up around theater and knew how to act very well. His facial expressions are priceless, especially playing a simple country boy, like in the movie Return of the Dragon. He also had all the makings of a leading man in films, he had the looks, charisma, and acting qualities of any major actor, and he hated the word “star”, he wanted to be known as an actor. It is unfortunate that the U.S. didn’t give him his just dues, after watching a few documentaries, a number of producers, and directors had a hard time understanding him, and wouldn’t hire him for the picture. They must have had plugged ears, because when I heard him speak English, I could understand him. What a shame, because of it all he went back to Hong Kong, and died shortly after. He and his son Brandon will be missed, by many of us fans.
As for those thinking Jet Li, and Jackie Chan are better. That is all a matter of opinion to be sure. Let me explain a few reasons why I feel Bruce was the best and will never be equaled in the world of Martial arts. First he created Jeet Kun Do, which isn’t a style, but more a philosophy. He wanted to combine every possible form into one person, something I feel was impossible to do, however in his thinking that one must be prepared for anything, and have the ability to counter all opponents. If you restrict your combat technique to one form or style you restrict your possibilities to counter something new.
Secondly, he dedicated his body conditioning like no other athlete I have ever seen, and that is not taking anything away from current or past practicing martial artists. He worked for speed first, and with speed came power. He felt if he could beat the opponent to their move and strike first he could end it quickly, and I might add less pain for his opponent or himself to suffer through.
Lastly, he thought like a chess player. If someone came into a fight with a certain stance he pretty much knew before the first punch or kick was thrown what to do to counter their attack and get his in first. With all this under his belt, it’s a hard thing to beat. Plus he also brought that cocky attitude with him, because he could use that confidence to disturb his adversary. But as all opinions go, its all heresay, and assumption. Regardless of who you feel was better, it really doesn’t matter. He was a great martial artists, and a very good actor.
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Tyson C Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
@Tracy, thank u…at somebody understands on here. Can’t believe some stuff ppl are saying on here lol
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yes yes yes bruce was good but so were many others like fu sheng who also died too young
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bob Reply:
January 24th, 2011 at 11:48 pm
@bob, bruce never beat chuck they were friends so were ther kids please know the differance , life or a movie
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Why are the dumbest ppl who by looking at all these post have no idea who the F*ck Bruce Lee was on here voicing. THe man was a REAL FIGHTER even b4 he became famous. Geez will u ppl do research u obvisously on the Net. Jet Li, Jackie Chan,and Jaa are not on his level. They have their own but he is their peer and not just because he was b4 them fame. He was an actual fighter and Master. Chan-NO, he was a acrobatical opera perform to start,Li was a wu-shu style artist, which mean it was just all about the show,being fast and flashy at tournments in set forms-NOT FIGHTING, and Jaa is a stuntman(look it up) he was said to have learn tae kwan do in a apprenticeship with the stunt team and their is no proof of his formal training in Muay thai. Now Segal he’s real, but still think bruce would take him, and so is Van Damme professional Muay Thai fighting record is 22-2. But bruce would still take him. U ppl say Bruce didnt fight @ tournments..because they were beneathe him. They had rules and Bruce was a street fighter so he didnt compete because as whole fighter it is limiting. See him on the streets and he’ll wear ur azz out. Look it up..he had many of REAL fighting encounters. All these others u ppl are naming(except Segal& Damme) are actors and stuntmen lol…DO UR RESEACH! lol(b4 u sound silly)
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