# Bruce Lee's books



## PhotonGuy

Bruce Lee is best known for his phenomenal ability and devotion to the martial arts but he also wrote some really good books. He was a good writer and wrote some excellent books on his art of JKD and how it's done. I've got some of his books. Anybody else like his books?


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## Xue Sheng

Read a few, liked Chinese Gung Fu : The Philosophic Art of Self Defense and I liked Tao of Jeet Kune Do. But also own the Bruce Lee fighting method, complete edition


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## Christopher Adamchek

i like his books, his descriptions, drawing, and life quotes


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## Deleted member 39746

Be warned his hand writing leaves some to be desired for the tao of jeet kune do written notes.  Might just be because i cant read cursive so well, but its a bit and bit gesture.  

Im making my way through the above, but i have a on and off reading style.


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## Buka

The Tao is a tough read. Not surprising, as it was his notebook and worked on by others after his death. It's difficult to do that - have different writers work on one book project. Especially when some of the contributors aren't exactly Martial Artists.

And Bruce Lee wasn't really a talented writer.

But the end of The Tao says it best, in my opinion.

_“If people say Jeet Kune Do is different from “this” or from “that,” then let the name of Jeet Kune Do be wiped out, for that is what it is, just a name. Please don’t fuss over it - it’s a philosophy of the individual, and not something that has ironclad forms and techniques and rules. It is a journey, not a destination.”_


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## JR 137

Buka said:


> The Tao is a tough read. Not surprising, as it was his notebook and worked on by others after his death. It's difficult to do that - have different writers work on one book project. Especially when some of the contributors aren't exactly Martial Artists.
> 
> And Bruce Lee wasn't really a talented writer.
> 
> But the end of The Tao says it best, in my opinion.
> 
> _“If people say Jeet Kune Do is different from “this” or from “that,” then let the name of Jeet Kune Do be wiped out, for that is what it is, just a name. Please don’t fuss over it - it’s a philosophy of the individual, and not something that has ironclad forms and techniques and rules. It is a journey, not a destination.”_


For what’s basically a compilation of a ton of different things he had laying around and some people having to make sense of it all and present it in a way that can be read, I think they did a great job with it. If I had to go through my wife’s stuff and do what they did, it would be an absolute disaster.

He wasn’t the most talented writer. I’ve read his various Fighting Methods books; they were separate ones when I first came across them. But I remember the technical stuff to be quite good - it was written in a very simple and direct manner without any unnecessary hoopla. “Make a fist like this. Keep your hand and body loose until right before impact. Strike a few inches past the target. Hit with these two knuckles.” type stuff. That’s paraphrased, but that’s basically what I remember it was. Nothing mystical nor magical. Dry in a sense, but it wasn’t intended to entertain or motivate.

So yes, not very talented. But at the same time very talented in the sense that there wasn’t many unanswered questions. Kinda like technical/scientific writing. At least his technique stuff anyway. His philosophy stuff was pretty typical of others’ IMO.


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## Tony Dismukes

A bunch of the material in Tao of JKD was copied directly from an old boxing manual Bruce was reading, only with right and left switched since he preferred to fight southpaw. I forget the name of the original work, but I've seen scans and it's pretty much a straight copy.


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## JR 137

Tony Dismukes said:


> A bunch of the material in Tao of JKD was copied directly from an old boxing manual Bruce was reading, only with right and left switched since he preferred to fight southpaw. I forget the name of the original work, but I've seen scans and it's pretty much a straight copy.


Interesting. He was probably taking notes from it, then going to put his spin on it. He obviously ran out of time if he even intended on that being in a book in the first place. If it was published while he was alive I’d call him out. Posthumously, there’s no way to tell what anything was truly intended as. 

Same for Hendrix’s countless posthumous albums.


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## frank raud

Tony Dismukes said:


> A bunch of the material in Tao of JKD was copied directly from an old boxing manual Bruce was reading, only with right and left switched since he preferred to fight southpaw. I forget the name of the original work, but I've seen scans and it's pretty much a straight copy.


   Most of Bruce Lee's boxing in the TAO was lifted from either Edwin Haislet's Boxing, or Jack Dempsey's Championship Fighting.


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## jobo

how come Bruce get more kudos than Jacki chan, there much the same as far as I can see, apart from Jacki is the better actor


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## JR 137

jobo said:


> how come Bruce get more kudos than Jacki chan, there much the same as far as I can see, apart from Jacki is the better actor


Lee was first. Kung fu movies weren’t known well, if at all outside of China and Far East Asia. Lee crossed that barrier and brought the genre into the mainstream internationally. When Chan got in, it wasn’t groundbreaking.

None of that has to do with who’s better. Better and greater aren’t one in the same. Muhammad Ali is considered the greatest boxer of all time pretty much unanimously by the experts and the general public. Most experts say there were several boxers, before and after him, that were better.


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## jobo

JR 137 said:


> Lee was first. Kung fu movies weren’t known well, if at all outside of China and Far East Asia. Lee crossed that barrier and brought the genre into the mainstream internationally. When Chan got in, it wasn’t groundbreaking.
> 
> None of that has to do with who’s better. Better and greater aren’t one in the same. Muhammad Ali is considered the greatest boxer of all time pretty much unanimously by the experts and the general public. Most experts say there were several boxers, before and after him, that were better.


jacki chan was in enter the dragon, so they did it together at the same time

he definitely  has iconic status, but so has fred astair, who wasnt a great dancer, or marilyn  monroe was whasnt a great actor, 

comparing him with Ali, isn't really on, ones a professional  athlete of the highest order, one did make believe with compliment  partners,


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## Tony Dismukes

JR 137 said:


> Interesting. He was probably taking notes from it, then going to put his spin on it. He obviously ran out of time if he even intended on that being in a book in the first place. If it was published while he was alive I’d call him out. Posthumously, there’s no way to tell what anything was truly intended as.
> 
> Same for Hendrix’s countless posthumous albums.


My understanding is that those notes were intended mostly for his own use and possibly for developing into a full-fledged book, but he never got past the note-taking phase. After he died, his wife decided to organize them for publication. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and guess that she didn’t recognize which notes were copied from existing books that Bruce was studying.


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## JR 137

jobo said:


> jacki chan was in enter the dragon, so they did it together at the same time
> 
> he definitely  has iconic status, but so has fred astair, who wasnt a great dancer, or marilyn  monroe was whasnt a great actor,
> 
> comparing him with Ali, isn't really on, ones a professional  athlete of the highest order, one did make believe with compliment  partners,


I wasn’t comparing anyone to Ali. It was an analogy. 

And Chan was little more than an extra in that movie, if my memory serves me correctly. In no way shape or form did they peak at the same time.

Great and good aren’t interchangeable terms. Ali and Monroe transcended their respective athlete and actress statuses. Both were icons far bigger than their professional talent. So did and was Lee. Chan hasn’t done much outside of acting to attain the icon status of Lee. 

Is Chan better than Lee? I’m not a movie critic and nor am I a MA movie fan. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and agree Chan is better. But that doesn’t make him greater. Lennox Lewis was a better boxer than Ali, according to some experts. Does that mean he’s greater? Not a chance. 

Let’s say Lewis is the better boxer. Lewis and Ali are both at the same fan convention, but in separate rooms. Which room are people fighting to get into?

Let’s say Chan is better than Lee, and both are at the same convention (not with Lewis and Ali), but separate rooms. Which one are people fighting to get into?

Better doesn’t mean greater.


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## jobo

JR 137 said:


> I wasn’t comparing anyone to Ali. It was an analogy.
> 
> And Chan was little more than an extra in that movie, if my memory serves me correctly. In no way shape or form did they peak at the same time.
> 
> Great and good aren’t interchangeable terms. Ali and Monroe transcended their respective athlete and actress statuses. Both were icons far bigger than their professional talent. So did and was Lee. Chan hasn’t done much outside of acting to attain the icon status of Lee.
> 
> Is Chan better than Lee? I’m not a movie critic and nor am I a MA movie fan. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and agree Chan is better. But that doesn’t make him greater. Lennox Lewis was a better boxer than Ali, according to some experts. Does that mean he’s greater? Not a chance.
> 
> Let’s say Lewis is the better boxer. Lewis and Ali are both at the same fan convention, but in separate rooms. Which room are people fighting to get into?
> 
> Let’s say Chan is better than Lee, and both are at the same convention (not with Lewis and Ali), but separate rooms. Which one are people fighting to get into?
> 
> Better doesn’t mean greater.


but Bruce didn't do anything outside of acting to achieve icon status, did he ..? if he hadn't been an actor no one but his mum would have heard of him,  so ... actor could fight a bit, maybe, like John wayne


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## jobo

jobo said:


> but Bruce didn't do anything outside of acting to achieve icon status, did he ..? if he hadn't been an actor no one but his mum would have heard of him,  so ... actor could fight a bit, maybe, like John wayne


nb analogy  8s a comparison !


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## JR 137

jobo said:


> nb analogy  8s a comparison !


English, please. No idea what you're saying. If you're saying it's not an analogy, you're wrong. Nothing else to say.


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## JR 137

jobo said:


> but Bruce didn't do anything outside of acting to achieve icon status, did he ..? if he hadn't been an actor no one but his mum would have heard of him,  so ... actor could fight a bit, maybe, like John wayne


Lee developed his own MA system. Chan did not. Lee wrote books on his MA system. To the best of my knowledge, Chan did not. Most notably, Lee was an enigmatic character and a high profile MA teacher to Hollywood stars and pro athletes. To the best of my knowledge, Chan is not. And Lee died tragically and young; that adds a bit of legend status somehow. Chan is a well respected MA actor; he hasn't made a pop culture statement anywhere close to the others. I don't know about your side of the pond, but over here people aren't joining MA schools in droves because of Jackie Chan movies like they did with Bruce Lee movies. 

Sure Lee got his start as an actor. Just like Monroe. Just like Ali with boxing. Sure no one would've know any of them if they didn't. But they all went past their respective "day job" and into icon status.


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## Danny T

Bruce made a lot of notes from many books he read. John Little took the many notes he attributed to Bruce and formed them into a couple of books not realizing much were copied from other authors.


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## Deleted member 39746

Buka said:


> But the end of The Tao says it best, in my opinion.
> 
> _“If people say Jeet Kune Do is different from “this” or from “that,” then let the name of Jeet Kune Do be wiped out, for that is what it is, just a name. Please don’t fuss over it - it’s a philosophy of the individual, and not something that has ironclad forms and techniques and rules. It is a journey, not a destination.”_



I think its always been in existence like that anyway, you seek the best martial practice for yourself and situation.    I also think its kind of evolved into MMA as they train to be hybrid fighters.     He was kind of at the time the most popular proponent of being a hybrid fighter and what works for you and your situation.    (i think anyway)


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## JR 137

Rat said:


> I think its always been in existence like that anyway, you seek the best martial practice for yourself and situation.    I also think its kind of evolved into MMA as they train to be hybrid fighters.     He was kind of at the time the most popular proponent of being a hybrid fighter and what works for you and your situation.    (i think anyway)


Have you found the best martial practice for yourself yet, or are you still searching?

Not a criticism, just a question.


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## Buka

jobo said:


> jacki chan was in enter the dragon, so they did it together at the same time
> 
> he definitely  has iconic status, but so has fred astair, who wasnt a great dancer, or marilyn  monroe was whasnt a great actor,
> 
> comparing him with Ali, isn't really on, ones a professional  athlete of the highest order, one did make believe with compliment  partners,



Saying Fred Astair wasn't a great dancer is like saying......hell, it's just fricken stupid.


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## Headhunter

Tony Dismukes said:


> A bunch of the material in Tao of JKD was copied directly from an old boxing manual Bruce was reading, only with right and left switched since he preferred to fight southpaw. I forget the name of the original work, but I've seen scans and it's pretty much a straight copy.


Yeah I saw that in another book about him that showed a philosophers quote and one of lees. It's almost identical apart from a few words. Seems he copied a lot


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## Headhunter

jobo said:


> how come Bruce get more kudos than Jacki chan, there much the same as far as I can see, apart from Jacki is the better actor


Because Lee trained genuine martial arts. Jackie chan trained stunt choreography with a few flashy moves


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## Deleted member 39746

JR 137 said:


> Have you found the best martial practice for yourself yet, or are you still searching?
> 
> Not a criticism, just a question.



Probably going to do boxing*, then move over to a kickboxing style.  Im thinking Muay Thai or sanda if either are available when i can go past my town.     Then i might try to go to seminars and such as and when i find any i can get to which interest me.    Still going to try and make a conscious effort for FMA though.

*if i like the persons teaching style and what they teach, waiting on the first actual training lesson.


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## Buka

Rat said:


> Probably going to do boxing*, then move over to a kickboxing style.  Im thinking Muay Thai or sanda if either are available when i can go past my town.     Then i might try to go to seminars and such as and when i find any i can get to which interest me.    Still going to try and make a conscious effort for FMA though.
> 
> *if i like the persons teaching style and what they teach, waiting on the first actual training lesson.



Rat, keep in mind, it's important to find a place that's fairly convenient to get to. And, yes, the teacher's style of teaching is a good thing to keep in mind. 

Man, I hope you find some place you like. I's obvious how much you love the arts.


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## Headhunter

Rat said:


> Probably going to do boxing*, then move over to a kickboxing style.  Im thinking Muay Thai or sanda if either are available when i can go past my town.     Then i might try to go to seminars and such as and when i find any i can get to which interest me.    Still going to try and make a conscious effort for FMA though.
> 
> *if i like the persons teaching style and what they teach, waiting on the first actual training lesson.


Why don't you just do one and stick with it? You need to have a solid base not just get a few bits and pieces. Doing seminars in styles you have 0 experience in when you have barely any training won't do much for you. You should really spend a few years getting a solid foundation then you can start to add new things


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## jobo

Buka said:


> Saying Fred Astair wasn't a great dancer is like saying......hell, it's just fricken stupid.


his audition  notes famously said " cant sing, cant act, balding, can dance a little," seem pretty accurate


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## jobo

Headhunter said:


> Because Lee trained genuine martial arts. Jackie chan trained stunt choreography with a few flashy moves


 genuine ma  ..?. I thought he trained wing Chun?  that why he had to invent his own, any way he appear to have a trained a number of ma


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## Buka

jobo said:


> his audition  notes famously said " cant sing, cant act, balding, can dance a little," seem pretty accurate



Nice try, bro. But it won't work.

Everyone's a critic. Like the Pope said to Michelangelo,  "Yo Mikey, it's very nice, but couldn't you make that hand in the center of the ceiling a little smaller?"

You're cherry picking. That review you mentioned was written by an underling at MGM who was soon after fired. It isn't in line with other reviews of the man, at least on the subject of dance, by people, who, you know, know something about the subject.

“…like Bach, who in his time had a great concentration of ability, essence, knowledge, a spread of music…Astaire has that same concentration of genius.” –Balanchine

“…simply the greatest, most imaginative dancer of our time.” –Nureyev

“What do dancers think of Fred Astaire? It's no secret. We hate him. He gives us a complex because he's too perfect. His perfection is an absurdity. It's too hard to face.” –Baryshnikov

I could dazzle you with instances of bad reviews concerning masterpieces, such as _Ulysses_, by James Joyce (1918)  “In Ireland they try to make a cat clean by rubbing its nose in its own filth. Mr. Joyce has tried the same treatment on the human subject” –George Bernard Shaw. 

Or Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte 1847. Actually one of my all time favorite reviews for it's absurd cruelty.
_How a human being could have attempted such a book as the present without committing suicide before he had finished a dozen chapters, is a mystery. It is a compound of vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors_." –_Graham's Lady Magazine_

 I have many more in a notebook somewhere, but no need, you got eyes don't you? If you don't think Fred Astaire is a great dancer you either don't think at all...or know absolutely nothing of dance.


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## jobo

Buka said:


> Nice try, bro. But it won't work.
> 
> Everyone's a critic. Like the Pope said to Michelangelo,  "Yo Mikey, it's very nice, but couldn't you make that hand in the center of the ceiling a little smaller?"
> 
> You're cherry picking. That review you mentioned was written by an underling at MGM who was soon after fired. It isn't in line with other reviews of the man, at least on the subject of dance, by people, who, you know, know something about the subject.
> 
> “…like Bach, who in his time had a great concentration of ability, essence, knowledge, a spread of music…Astaire has that same concentration of genius.” –Balanchine
> 
> “…simply the greatest, most imaginative dancer of our time.” –Nureyev
> 
> “What do dancers think of Fred Astaire? It's no secret. We hate him. He gives us a complex because he's too perfect. His perfection is an absurdity. It's too hard to face.” –Baryshnikov
> 
> I could dazzle you with instances of bad reviews concerning masterpieces, such as _Ulysses_, by James Joyce (1918)  “In Ireland they try to make a cat clean by rubbing its nose in its own filth. Mr. Joyce has tried the same treatment on the human subject” –George Bernard Shaw.
> 
> Or Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte 1847. Actually one of my all time favorite reviews for it's absurd cruelty.
> _How a human being could have attempted such a book as the present without committing suicide before he had finished a dozen chapters, is a mystery. It is a compound of vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors_." –_Graham's Lady Magazine_
> 
> I have many more in a notebook somewhere, but no need, you got eyes don't you? If you don't think Fred Astaire is a great dancer you either don't think at all...or know absolutely nothing of dance.


I give more credit to your research if you new its was rko and not MGM, so who was fired from. MGM and what has it to do with this

I agree with both the reviews of Ulysses and wuthering heights, Ulysses  is quite the wors3 book I've ever read


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## Deleted member 39746

Buka said:


> Rat, keep in mind, it's important to find a place that's fairly convenient to get to. And, yes, the teacher's style of teaching is a good thing to keep in mind.
> 
> Man, I hope you find some place you like. I's obvious how much you love the arts.



Yeah the boxing is the only place  i can conveniently get to.       I was just tagging onto the two things i would progress to when i can.


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## Gerry Seymour

Rat said:


> Yeah the boxing is the only place  i can conveniently get to.       I was just tagging onto the two things i would progress to when i can.


Then get to, it, brother. You're missing all the fun!


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## Star Dragon

I read _Tao of Jeet Kune Do_ in my early teenage years and felt greatly inspired by it. (Just by watching Bruce's movies it is not immediately evident what a profound thinker he must have been.) I also read some of his other books. In fact, I was so impressed that I would have started studying JKD rather than Karate, had it been offered anywhere in my area.

Not least, Bruce's writings increased my interest in Daoism and Zen.


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## hoshin1600

Just pointing out what @Headhunter already noted. Bruce was a true martial artist in so much as it was his passion and he put it on screen as an actor. Jackie studied chinese theatrics and became a stunt man. He never studied a martial art until much later in life. I think he studied Tae Kwon do.
The question of Bruce vs jackie is a bit racist, why compare those two? Just because they are asian?  Why compare Chan and not Jason Stathum to Bruce lee? How about Dolf Lundgren who is also a real martial artist.


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## Buka

jobo said:


> I give more credit to your research if you new its was rko and not MGM, so who was fired from. MGM and what has it to do with this
> 
> I agree with both the reviews of Ulysses and wuthering heights, Ulysses  is quite the wors3 book I've ever read



No. Most of Astaire's work was with RKO, the quote was by a nobody at MGM.


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## EdwardA

Tony Dismukes said:


> A bunch of the material in Tao of JKD was copied directly from an old boxing manual Bruce was reading, only with right and left switched since he preferred to fight southpaw. I forget the name of the original work, but I've seen scans and it's pretty much a straight copy.



Strong side forward.  Right handed, right side forward.  Left handed, left hand forward.  Not so much a preference, as a structural technique.


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## ShortBridge

Headhunter said:


> Because Lee trained genuine martial arts. Jackie chan trained stunt choreography with a few flashy moves



I don't know about that. Lee dabbled and was talented, dedicated, and charismatic enough to do something with it, but he didn't ever go deep in any system. I highly recommend Jackie Chan's autobiography to anyone at all interested in Chinese Martial Arts. The way that he was trained was very traditional and very in depth. His hours of formal instruction by credible kung fu sifus eclipses Lee's 10x or 20x times over.

He was primarily a performer, though. I think the main reason that they are not talked about that was is because Chan never put any claims out of unique fighting superiority, as Lee did. He was very well trained, but he positioned himself to the world as a actor and action star. Lee was also an actor and action star, but he positioned himself to the world as a fighter. 



jobo said:


> genuine ma  ..?. I thought he trained wing Chun?  that why he had to invent his own, any way he appear to have a trained a number of ma



First of all, you're being a troll in thread where there is no reason to be a troll. Please don't do that.

Second of all, Lee has some Wing Chun training, but it was far from complete. He moved away from his sifu as an old teenager/young man with intermediate knowledge of the system at best and started teaching. He didn't augment with other styles because he had mastered Wing Chun and found it lacking, he did so because he no longer had instruction in it available to him. As a charismatic, exotic college freshman at the University of Washington he made friends and made a name for himself as an expert in something that virtually no one had seen before. To his credit, he kept exploring and kept growing, but any time anyone claims that he knew and outgrew Wing Chun...


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## jobo

ShortBridge said:


> I don't know about that. Lee dabbled and was talented, dedicated, and charismatic enough to do something with it, but he didn't ever go deep in any system. I highly recommend Jackie Chan's autobiography to anyone at all interested in Chinese Martial Arts. The way that he was trained was very traditional and very in depth. His hours of formal instruction by credible kung fu sifus eclipses Lee's 10x or 20x times over.
> 
> He was primarily a performer, though. I think the main reason that they are not talked about that was is because Chan never put any claims out of unique fighting superiority, as Lee did. He was very well trained, but he positioned himself to the world as a actor and action star. Lee was also an actor and action star, but he positioned himself to the world as a fighter.
> 
> 
> 
> First of all, you're being a troll in thread where there is no reason to be a troll. Please don't do that.
> 
> Second of all, Lee has some Wing Chun training, but it was far from complete. He moved away from his sifu as an old teenager/young man with intermediate knowledge of the system at best and started teaching. He didn't augment with other styles because he had mastered Wing Chun and found it lacking, he did so because he no longer had instruction in it available to him. As a charismatic, exotic college freshman at the University of Washington he made friends and made a name for himself as an expert in something that virtually no one had seen before. To his credit, he kept exploring and kept growing, but any time anyone claims that he knew and outgrew Wing Chun...


you know i made that comment nearly 18 months ago ??? it a vit late to get all orizy over it.

he vlearly found it lacking or he would have returned to it, instead he syaryed his own better ma,

its just one man opinion that its substandard and he could dp much better,  if you disagree with bruce that fine, im sure he wont mind


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## ShortBridge

jobo said:


> you know i made that comment nearly 18 months ago ??? it a vit late to get all orizy over it.
> 
> he vlearly found it lacking or he would have returned to it, instead he syaryed his own better ma,
> 
> its just one man opinion that its substandard and he could dp much better,  if you disagree with bruce that fine, im sure he wont mind



Didn't notice the date of your post. I apologize for that. As for the rest, it's revisionist history. 

No disrespect to Bruce Lee, he was an extra-ordinary individual, but that version of events (admittedly not originally attributed to you) is historically inaccurate.


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## jobo

ShortBridge said:


> Didn't notice the date of your post. I apologize for that. As for the rest, it's revisionist history.
> 
> No disrespect to Bruce Lee, he was an extra-ordinary individual, but that version of events (admittedly not originally attributed to you) is historically inaccurate.


ive not got anythibg against wc,i think its a perfectly valid style,  it was just a throw away line and im not that over welmed with bl, more show man than serious ma


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