Bruce Lee

Question posted by “Knowledge Seeker” on 4/05/05”:

I was very impressed to read a lot of Bruce's philosophy in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do, and was later disheartened to hear that most of the Zen quotes were actually from other sources. Apparently, his heirs wanted to cash in when he died, and published a lot of notes he had taken from other sources, and passed them off as his original words.

I dug a little deeper, and found there is no evidence that Bruce had ever even been in a real fight… EVER! Just a lot of hype and movie making.

Is there any evidence that Bruce is anything but a hyped up fraud? If so, I would love to see it.

My response:

Though I’d peg you as a troll trying to drum up controversy, (not unlike myself, in some respects), I understand where you’re coming from, Knowledge Seeker. The truth is, I DON’T know that Bruce was in that many street fights, and since there’s very little video footage of him actually training, well, only those that worked out with him and can OBJECTIVELY evaluate his skill, know for sure how good he was.

But a fraud? Come on, man! The innovations he made to martial arts in general, (manifested today by JKD), are MORE than enough to convince any critically thinking individual that he was legit. What does “legit” mean, anyway? What constitutes legitimacy? What would Bruce have to have done- in your eyes- to be considered legit?

The question is one only a moron would put up for scrutiny. Granted, I cringe when people say, “Oh, Bruce Lee was the best fighter that ever lived!” because there’s simply no basis for a statement like that. Did Bruce fight every fist slinger that ever lived? Of course not, so a declaration like that is frivolous.

I’ll tell you what’s NOT frivolous, though… his legacy.

The principles of Jeet Kune Do, (the style Bruce INVENTED, you beast fisting farmhand), are some of the most revolutionary the field of unarmed combat could possibly entertain in a society such as ours. This is the man that gave us the Leading Straight Punch, (the most effective self-defense strike ever, in my opinion). This is the man that shattered the dogmas of traditional martial arts by debunking static stances and punching air, in lieu of fluid footwork and impact training. This is the man that formulated the concept of interception, the concept of closest weapon to closest target, the concept of maximum power through proper incorporation of body weight, the concept of acquired skill through realistic sparring.

If he’d NEVER crossed gloves with a single opponent in his entire life, Bruce Lee would still be one of the greatest martial teachers in modern society- solely on account of the things he passed on, the ideas he gave us, the new directions he forced us to consider.

Ironically, I’m not a Bruce Lee fanatic, largely because I think his “greatness” was due to the historical timeframe during which he imparted his wisdom. Does that make him any less legitimate? Uh, FUCK no?!? Calling Bruce Lee a fraud is like calling Christopher Columbus a fraud. Modern cruise ships sail across the Atlantic Ocean everyday, but they sure as fuck aren’t the first to do it. Being the first, being a pioneer, takes balls and intelligence and courage and conviction, and Bruce had all of those things. He was the Christopher Columbus of the modern martial arts era, and only a pimple-assed shittalker would dare to say otherwise.

It really doesn’t matter if he beat the hell out of twenty seven angry bikers in a single sitting. All that matters is that he took what was basically a bullshit religion, (martial arts), and showed us the light with objectivity and critical thinking. It’s within the CONCEPT of his ideals that you must judge him; NOT in the venue of retrospective hindsight. There are mixed martial artists today that could probably tear Bruce apart, but the reason they have that ability, is because he laid the foundation for combative evolution.

Don’t be a bitch, Knowledge Seeker. Like Brent said, if you want proof, all you have to do is show up.

-Mike

P.S. I’ll be here all week, so please send contributions of admiration to:

Mike Descado

453 Giant Testicle Ave.

Asheville, NC 28806

Or send money electronically to: michaeldescado.tripod.com

THANK YOU!!! GOOD NIGHT!!! (And don’t forget to tip your waitress)

“Knowledge Seeker’s” response on 04/06/05. His ONLY response:

Did you just call me a Beast Fisting Farmhand? Shit, that was pretty good!


				*The Chronicles of Descado* *Bruce Lee*



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		Question posted by “Knowledge Seeker” on 4/05/05”: I was very impressed to read a lot of Bruce's philosophy in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do, and was later disheartened to hear that most of the Zen quotes were actually from other sources. Apparently, his heirs wanted to cash in when he died, and published a lot of notes he had taken from other sources, and passed them off as his original words. I dug a little deeper, and found there is no evidence that Bruce had ever even been in a real fight… EVER! Just a lot of hype and movie making. Is there any evidence that Bruce is anything but a hyped up fraud? If so, I would love to see it. My response: Though I’d peg you as a troll trying to drum up controversy, (not unlike myself, in some respects), I understand where you’re coming from, Knowledge Seeker. The truth is, I DON’T know that Bruce was in that many street fights, and since there’s very little video footage of him actually training, well, only those that worked out with him and can OBJECTIVELY evaluate his skill, know for sure how good he was. But a fraud? Come on, man! The innovations he made to martial arts in general, (manifested today by JKD), are MORE than enough to convince any critically thinking individual that he was legit. What does “legit” mean, anyway? What constitutes legitimacy? What would Bruce have to have done- in your eyes- to be considered legit? The question is one only a moron would put up for scrutiny. Granted, I cringe when people say, “Oh, Bruce Lee was the best fighter that ever lived!” because there’s simply no basis for a statement like that. Did Bruce fight every fist slinger that ever lived? Of course not, so a declaration like that is frivolous. I’ll tell you what’s NOT frivolous, though… his legacy. The principles of Jeet Kune Do, (the style Bruce INVENTED, you beast fisting farmhand), are some of the most revolutionary the field of unarmed combat could possibly entertain in a society such as ours. This is the man that gave us the Leading Straight Punch, (the most effective self-defense strike ever, in my opinion). This is the man that shattered the dogmas of traditional martial arts by debunking static stances and punching air, in lieu of fluid footwork and impact training. This is the man that formulated the concept of interception, the concept of closest weapon to closest target, the concept of maximum power through proper incorporation of body weight, the concept of acquired skill through realistic sparring. If he’d NEVER crossed gloves with a single opponent in his entire life, Bruce Lee would still be one of the greatest martial teachers in modern society- solely on account of the things he passed on, the ideas he gave us, the new directions he forced us to consider. Ironically, I’m not a Bruce Lee fanatic, largely because I think his “greatness” was due to the historical timeframe during which he imparted his wisdom. Does that make him any less legitimate? Uh, FUCK no?!? Calling Bruce Lee a fraud is like calling Christopher Columbus a fraud. Modern cruise ships sail across the Atlantic Ocean everyday, but they sure as fuck aren’t the first to do it. Being the first, being a pioneer, takes balls and intelligence and courage and conviction, and Bruce had all of those things. He was the Christopher Columbus of the modern martial arts era, and only a pimple-assed shittalker would dare to say otherwise. It really doesn’t matter if he beat the hell out of twenty seven angry bikers in a single sitting. All that matters is that he took what was basically a bullshit religion, (martial arts), and showed us the light with objectivity and critical thinking. It’s within the CONCEPT of his ideals that you must judge him; NOT in the venue of retrospective hindsight. There are mixed martial artists today that could probably tear Bruce apart, but the reason they have that ability, is because he laid the foundation for combative evolution. Don’t be a bitch, Knowledge Seeker. Like Brent said, if you want proof, all you have to do is show up. -Mike P.S. I’ll be here all week, so please send contributions of admiration to: Mike Descado 453 Giant Testicle Ave. Asheville, NC 28806 Or send money electronically to: michaeldescado.tripod.com THANK YOU!!! GOOD NIGHT!!! (And don’t forget to tip your waitress) “Knowledge Seeker’s” response on 04/06/05. His ONLY response: Did you just call me a Beast Fisting Farmhand? Shit, that was pretty good!



		*Tim Tackett's Forum*