Your Thoughts On Bruce Lee?

[Left2theliver]

I think he was great, in the sense that he openly emphasized mixing styles and getting rid of all the useless crap in favor of stuff that actually works. Of course, as well as being an movie star. As far as the fighting goes, I definitely think that's way overblown. As a martial artist, teacher, and actor he was great. But as far as fighting, eh... It's kind of ridiculous to say that he was a great fighter, considering he never fought.

[theproof]

wonder how he would do if he actually fought against the greats. a bro in philly says he trained with lee and kelly and norris and says he easilt handled them in sparring but did he ever win a world title? i like the last post.

[billeau2]

wonder how he would do if he actually fought against the greats. a bro in philly says he trained with lee and kelly and norris and says he easilt handled them in sparring but did he ever win a world title? i like the last post.

It depends what you mean by "fought." If you put Lee in a ring with gloves, Lee is there to work on his timing, straighness or line of attack, explosiveness and economy of movement....He is not there to win a contest. Why? because the same things that make a straight punch at a downward angle devistating to the jaw make it a powder puff when you glove the hand. The same things that make a guard position a great resource when fighting in an MA contest make it death on the streets where you are going to get kicked in the head, and stomped to death....

Martial Artists concern themselves with fighting that takes place in a chaotic environment....in fact the real skill of the martial artist is to have a measure of control in this chaotic, random and suddenly explosive situation... This is why guys like Lee trained to be able to last during a street fight but to apply technique in a matter of milliseconds. You have to see how it looks to understand it. Not many people can do it because most people really believe that martial arts means punching and kicking harder than the other guy. Try doing that when you are 50 years old and your opponent is some 20 year old sadistic skin head who likes the iron taste of his own blood and teeth in his mouth when fighting. And to the people who would say "I would just pull out a knife" well...me to!!!! xept I train to cut you in so many places before you even see the knife that you won't know where to bleed first....does your average person have the knowledge, where-with-all and confidence to use an edged weapon properly and perhaps without deadly force?

There is a lot more to martial arts that fighting in a ring. Bruce understood this and was perfecting his craft not trying to beat a boxer in a ring.

[billeau2]

I think he was great, in the sense that he openly emphasized mixing styles and getting rid of all the useless crap in favor of stuff that actually works. Of course, as well as being an movie star. As far as the fighting goes, I definitely think that's way overblown. As a martial artist, teacher, and actor he was great. But as far as fighting, eh... It's kind of ridiculous to say that he was a great fighter, considering he never fought.

I thought your post would be a good place to tell a true story that best explains what guys like Bruce Lee understood. Bruce like a lot of guys went through the stage where you learn by getting on the mat and smacking the **** out of each other....What some would call winning and losing in a match. You do this for a long time, learn not to react so hard to the thought and act of violence this way and then? you have to learn the lesson which the following story illustrates:

There was a famous military trainer who studied martial arts for the Marines and Army during the Vietnam war. He was stationed in a village in Vietnam and was given the following order...."watch, guard but do not interfere with any conflicts in the village!" Well these guys in the village were certified bad asses. Unafraid of Americans, snakes...you name it. Turns out that there were conflicts in the village that were settled in a fight to the death between the two contestants and the trainer had the opportunity to watch virtually all of these...these conflicts totally changed the trainer....a man some might know, his name escapes me but he modernized Fairbane's system of martial combat for the military, I think it was Appleby. So what changed this man's notion of combat so much?

Appleby wrote that all these conflicts ended the same way. He was amazed at the resistance these so called "badasses" had to this outcome. I would hesitate to call them "warriors" but you be the judge: So, two guys would face off, they would start hitting each other, they would eventually close quarters and one guy would get a "mount" and rain blows upon the guy on the bottom. the guy on the bottom would eventually get a hand in his pocket, pull out a small folder, open it while getting pelted from above, then proceed to stick the folder in the kidney of the guy on top...whereupon after a minute the guy in the top "mount" position would collapse in a heap...dead usually within the day from kidney failure and toxicity. BUT the guy on top would have his hand raised as the winner, and probably got a great casket to boot.

Does this affect your vision of "winning"? It did affect the program, training of people like Lee I can assure you of that.

[Ray Corso]

billeau2; This is a simple point I'm making, thank you! As to my comments about Cuevas not being a top tier Welter, he wadsn't! His jaw was suspect and thats been proven! I didn't call him a name and or degrade him in any way!
scott9942; you really don't have a clue where I'm coming from you just can't help being intimidated, relax junior!

Like anything else I watch thats considered a pro (paid to) sport I want to see excellance. I'm hoping for a high quality showing no matter what sport or event (music concert) I watch! If your a pro act like one and your performance needs to be a high caliber out put!

MMA is fine by me, it incorperates a mix of contact fighting techniques!! It is NOT inviting when low caliber fighters are promoted as quality perfomers. The Seth Mitchel vs Banks bout last night was a disgrace to boxing and both men should have been paid expenses and their purses revoked!

MMA is fine by me, I don't like the last shots given when you KNOW your opponent is helpless! Thats kind of a "punk" move to me! Ray

[Scott9945]

billeau2; This is a simple point I'm making, thank you! As to my comments about Cuevas not being a top tier Welter, he wadsn't! His jaw was suspect and thats been proven! I didn't call him a name and or degrade him in any way!
scott9942; you really don't have a clue where I'm coming from you just can't help being intimidated, relax junior!

Like anything else I watch thats considered a pro (paid to) sport I want to see excellance. I'm hoping for a high quality showing no matter what sport or event (music concert) I watch! If your a pro act like one and your performance needs to be a high caliber out put!

MMA is fine by me, it incorperates a mix of contact fighting techniques!! It is NOT inviting when low caliber fighters are promoted as quality perfomers. The Seth Mitchel vs Banks bout last night was a disgrace to boxing and both men should have been paid expenses and their purses revoked!

MMA is fine by me, I don't like the last shots given when you KNOW your opponent is helpless! Thats kind of a "punk" move to me! Ray

I don't care where you're coming from Corzo. I'm just calling you out for being the hypocrite that you are. A classic example of someone who can dish it out but can't take it. And if you actually think you intimidate me, your even more delusional than I thought.