Originally Posted by Mike Brewer

Liberty,
First of all, awesome video. Second, I have talked with several people "in the know" about those demonstrations (such as the one at the Long Beach Internationals where Bruce and Dan met). Bruce was a big fan, apparently, of calling on random folks to be demo partners because it allowed him to show that his stuff worked on anybody. However, he also understood that the sublties of the art had to be demonstrated against someone who could bring them out. As a result, he used his own students who were familiar with how to best help present things when it came to more complicated things like trapping. Bruce Lee was an awesome martial artist, to be sure, but he was an equally accomplished showman. He knew that to make any point about combative reality, you had to first grab people's attention in ways they were already accustomed to. Hence the board breaks and all that nonsense.

The video here shows Bruce covering what looks to be about eight feet in no time flat. That's an incredible penetration step from long range! But in a sense, it's for show, because you see him staying close, leaning in, and neglecting the recovery he was equally known for. Why? Because it emphasized the point, I think. He knew that in a demo setting, people would be more impressed with the ability to get in than to get out. He was at a point-sparring tournament if I recall, right? So the demo was perfectly tailored to the audience! Just another example of Bruce's ability to send the right message to the right crowd. It's also another reason to respect his ability as a teacher as much as his ability as a fighter.