# Bruce revisited



## Zero (Jan 20, 2009)

Ok, so this is a thread I posted just in the WC section but as I do most of my reading under the Japanese arts, I thought maybe I should post it here to see if there are any views (I know Bruce mainly went around kicking karateka butt in the flicks so not exactly a "Karate" forum post but what the hey):

Ok, so I of course look on the late, great Bruce Lee with absolute reverence. When I was much younger I continually watched his movies, sought all interviews and footage on him and (re)read his books.

I don't mean this to be exactly like a "could the incredible hulk beat superman in an armwrestle?" but a long time ago I asked one of my trainers what he thought of Bruce as a fighter. He said that as a skilled martial artist he was second to none but that he could not honestly comment on his ability purely as a fighter and as to how he may have fared in competiton - he felt there just was not enough footage or documented evidence to Bruce's actual fight time.

I have often wondered how Bruce would fare in modern day mixed martial arts competitions - Bruce having no concern on the philosophy of mixing those workable components of many different styles and forms. He always stated he feared no man but would his speed and pure physial prowess enable him to fight and defeat the type of very large modern athlete fighters we have today. Or would he find himself being steamrolled? I am not talking about in the street opf course, as then I would almost defintely go for Bruce, but does anyone have thoughts on how he might do in mma or UFC type tournaments? Or again just "pure" competitions, is there the like of him out there these days?

Yeah, this is all hypothetical, what-if stuff but I don't see it as pure baloney. 
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## jarrod (Jan 20, 2009)

first off if you search the forum i think you'll find a thread or two about this already.  however i have no problem rehashing it 

i think bruce would have done well, but this is pure conjecture.  while he never competed, chuck norris mentioned that they sparred together & that bruce was the real deal.  of course, that is what you'd be expected to say about an actor you were making a movie with, but i think he was being honest.  bruce also learned a bit of grappling from gene lebell.  gene said bruce enjoyed it & soaked it up, but didn't do much of it because he was focused on movies at the time, & people didn't want to watch guys rolling around.  

in short, i think he'd do great but he wouldn't be unstoppable. 

jf


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## twendkata71 (Jan 20, 2009)

I think that Bruce was the original mixed martial artist, He might have even ejoyed the competition. I believe that martial artist today have advanced physically far beyond what bruce lee could have dreamed.


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## MA-Caver (Jan 20, 2009)

IMO if Bruce were time traveled from the time of his peak physical prowess and MA training to a modern MMA fight... I think he would win. Bruce was not only in superb physical condition and extraordinarily well trained (self-trained at that) but he always stated that the "mind" is his greatest weapon.  
Also remember that he was an experienced street brawler in Hong Kong (prior to coming to America) and that inevitably you're going to come up against someone bigger and stronger than you, but it does not necessarily mean they're going to defeat you.


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## punisher73 (Jan 20, 2009)

With weight classes, I don't know if Bruce would even HAVE a division.  He only weighed about 130-140 lbs.  So given that I would say he would do very well in his weight class.

As far as WHAT he could really do as a martial artist, no one really knows.  He coached some big names like Chuck Norris and Joe Lewis but they were already accomplished fighters before then.  I have read from a couple of old timers like Wally Jay and Gene Lebell that while Bruce was a very gifted athlete he was not that "deep" a martial artist.

I think Bruce's mystique is that he was a famous actor who died young.  He never had to get old and never really had the time to come up with his OWN ideas (The Tao of JKD, is essentially his notes on what other people thought not his own).


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## Zero (Jan 21, 2009)

Woa - Punisher, is that the truth on the Tao of JKD for real?  I re-read that book so many times and although of course a lot of the moves are from boxing, draw from western fencing etc and WC I thought the underlying ideas and concepts in the text were purely his own approach.

Particularly when he's talking about attack/SD combos and going on about pulling hair etc whatever goes to get you into a winning position.

Doesn't take anything away from the books but I thought they were his own take on things by and large.


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## jarrod (Jan 21, 2009)

punisher is right, the real value of the tao of jkd is that it synthesized a lot of existing ideas.

jf


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## Blindside (Jan 21, 2009)

Zero said:


> Woa - Punisher, is that the truth on the Tao of JKD for real? I re-read that book so many times and although of course a lot of the moves are from boxing, draw from western fencing etc and WC I thought the underlying ideas and concepts in the text were purely his own approach.
> 
> Particularly when he's talking about attack/SD combos and going on about pulling hair etc whatever goes to get you into a winning position.
> 
> Doesn't take anything away from the books but I thought they were his own take on things by and large.


 
For a nice example of the source material of many of the BL attributed quotes is shown here:
http://tkdtutor.com/00QuickAccess/Counterpoint/BruceLee/BruceLee01.htm

That many of his quotes were plagarized does not take away from the skill and very analytical approach he took to describing his fighting method.


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