With the internet now, you can easily look up his life history and phsyical/mental feats. Go to his wikipedia page, scrool down a little, and you can get a list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee
Yet I was browsing many martial arts forums and with those popular "best martial artists ever" threads. Anyone who nominated Bruce Lee was flamed.
Whats the deal?
2007-09-16 15:27:12 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Martial Arts
well i certainly do respect bruce lee. i think should get a lot of credit due to his tough conditioning, beliefs on full contact sparring(which was kinda rare among martial artist back then), and helping make the idea of mixed martial arts popular in the US(notice i said help and not create MMA existed long before him), i also liked his philosophies and also him teaching martial arts to non asians especially to blacks back then.
now on the his creditability of skills. i dont doubt he was a good fighter however much of what we hear is speculations since he never participated in sanction tournaments or have real sparring clips. i notice you put up a link to wikipedia...the thing about wikipedia is ANYONE can edit it so all the info isnt always factual.
one of the "feats" on the website says "Lee could spring a 235lb opponent 15 feet away with a 1 inch punch" now this seems very far fetched i mean if you look at his videos of the one inch punch you can tell hes not gonna launch people 15ft away maybe a few feet but 15?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=keS3OTNger8
other things such as "Lee could throw grains of rice up into the air and then catch them in mid-flight using chopsticks." sound a lil off to me too
often times too people comment on bruce lee and they know nothing about the man other than he does movies and they heard amazing stories about him. one day on here i heard someone say bruce lee had a black belt in EVERY martial art.
some people tend to hug bruce's nuts too much making him an immortal god of fighting i mean hes not prefect so he could be beaten, and they talk about him and have no clue who people like mas oyama and benny urquidez are. i dont care who you are or how good you are, you can be beaten all it takes is the right person at the right time
you cant really blame people for being a lil skeptical because sometimes seeing is believing. we have people out there like frank dux who claimed to train in ninjutsu fight in underground kumites and work as a field agent for like the cia. without physical proof many people can make up any history they want. im not necessarily saying bruce lee is like frank dux its just something to think about
once again i must say i respect the man and he did revolutionize martial arts in america but his untimely death and lack of sanction fights leaves nothing but speculations in our minds we dont know anything for sure. this early death and hearsay of talent gave him the legendary status that has helped him remind immortal in our minds and give him many supernatural "feats"
2007-09-16 16:27:46 · answer #1 · answered by Cnote 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Most people believe that he was a Wing Chun master when even his students admit he only learned some basics and that was not for very long. Some people say 6 months.
Some say he was a trouble maker and liked to pick fights. In those days, no teacher would accept a student who is like that. He never lasted long under any particular teacher.
Yeah, he was in great physical condition. So is a dancer, and an ice skater.
His hopping side kick sucked. SUCKED! It's not even a good technique to use in a real situation.
You won't have time to use it when 2 or 3 guys are beating you to a pulp.
There are sooo many true martial arts practitioners out there with sooooooooo many more accomplishments than Bruce Lee.
If his Jeet Kune Do is so good, why do all JKD students wind up studying other arts too?
Take a look at video from Taika Seiyu Oyata. That is real Martial Arts. Look at Grand Master Ed Parker. These guys are the TRUTH!
2007-09-17 11:27:12 · answer #2 · answered by Darth Scandalous 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Perhaps much depends on the age of the person responding, and their relative experience and researched learning.
I think many today are too greatly influenced by television and movies, and this includes the martial arts community. Bruce Lee was undoubtedly an outstanding martial artist in his own right, and he brought about many positive changes. To some though who are unaware of that history, perhaps the only source of knowledge they have for him, are the posters from his movies and perhaps the movies themselves.
It's unfortunate that so many waste their time and energy debating who, what, where is best when the question is moot. Those who hold the opinion that Bruce Lee was merely an actor will discover the folly of their beliefs eventually, and hopefully sooner rather than later.
Ken C
9th Dan HapMoosaKi-Do
8th Dan TaeKwon-Do
7th Dan YongChul-Do
2007-09-16 23:37:36 · answer #3 · answered by Ken C 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
because for most people, saying bruce lee was the best martial artist ever is the equivalent of saying that Ty Webb (chevy chase) is the best golfer ever based on his performance in the movie "caddyshack".
perhaps mr. chase had some golfing ability and experience in order to portray ty webb accurately, and perhaps he is a decent golfer in real life. but the truth is that from watching that movie you really don't and can't know. (I don't know- maybe I should post a question on the golf section stating he was and see what kind of responces I get).
most of you "fanboys" spout crap that just promotes bruce lee that the man himself wouldnt' even agree with. I'm sure chuck norris is amused that people are going around saying he could roundhouse kick people into next week, but doesn't take it seriously and certainly doesn't add it to his resume'.
go, see what is out there, understant what he said and understand martial arts and a person's physical limitations (unarmed martial arts) and you will have a more complete understanding of bruce lee, his skill level and the world of martial arts in general.
most people who state bruce lee are simply fan boys. they take what they have seen in movies and use that as a basis for his skill level in real life. And since there are so many fanboys outhere and wiki is edited by the public, well- you do the math.
EDIT:
link to my golf question
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070917110727AAv7ku2&pa=FYd1D2bwHTHwLbpmEeg_RaVQwF19azzhcScq1qiNlLQl8g--&paid=asked&msgr_status=
EDIT2:
read my golf answers. why is it wrong to insult someone for basing thier opinion on a person's skill based on a movie in golf but not in martial arts.
Same thing, would you hire the guy from house to treat you as a doctor?
2007-09-17 14:00:27 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Bruce Lee was a fantastic martial artist. He sure as heck could fight - ask the people who knew him. There are several reports of Bruce fighting - and winning - other, hardened, competition winning, opponents - IN THE STREET!
JKD works. I've used it - successfully.
The people who diss Bruce Lee are comparing him to the wrong people!
There is a lot of BS floating around about Bruce Lee, so I would recommend sifting through everything and, like a credible historian or reporter, read the accounts of the people that met him, knew him etc. not just the stuff that's written by lazy pseudo martial artists who want to promote their own styles.
2007-09-18 09:53:21 · answer #5 · answered by Stormy 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Most people see things as either one way or the other way. They see no grey, just black and white. Well, nothing is black and white, everything is actually grey. If he wasn't the deified reincarnation of the Bodhidharma, he must have been a bum who couldn't fight at all. This same is done with Van Dame, who's not the best martial artist in the world, however, he did fight and win some full contact karate tournaments before he started acting, so he wasn't a complete bum, as some would have you think.
Simple minded people can't understand complex ideas.
2007-09-17 08:31:13 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Heres a lil cold hard fact for you..
The best American film featuring Bruce Lee... wasnt actually Bruce Lee at all. It was his son Brandon Lee, playing his father.
Now you may ask yourslef, "What does this lil bit of information have to do with anything?"
My answer... is simple this... Americans dont know anything about Bruce Lee, other then his movies. Hence my first comment above... See where I'm headed yet?
2007-09-16 23:32:43 · answer #7 · answered by Shay Battle 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Bruce Lee was the most influential martial artist of his time! His teachings are still widely celebrated. Most people dislike him for the simple reason that he did not stick to a particular style of martial arts. The technique that he developed is a flowing blend of defensive and offensive styles that work well with one another. He was also very philosophical and always tried to enlighten his students and himself as well. He was always a "Work in progress" i.e. ; he constantly worked to better himself physically as well as mentally. He really was true to his art and not many people can say that for themselves.
2007-09-16 22:51:32 · answer #8 · answered by Ronnie Y 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Jealousy.
There's a whole bunch of people who'll put down anyone who has shown talent and dedication. Best not to pay attention.
2007-09-16 22:43:48 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
They are stupid.
2007-09-17 07:23:36 · answer #10 · answered by Ray H 7 · 1⤊ 3⤋