Bruce Lee and his skill - statements by various people

[lucidmist]

Hey Lucid:

Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...&search=Search

Man, T-H-A-N-K-S! Interesting stuff, and finally, Longbeach demo in color.

[lucidmist]

I feel a Michael Knight joke coming on!

Boxers moving into martial arts tend to be tough to deal with. Boxers don't take anything on faith, you either win, lose, or get better doing either. They see a great deal of our art as unnecessary nonsense, and want to be convinced otherwise. My approach to teaching has always been that you don't try to convince anyone of anything, you simply present the material and offer the student the luxury of choice. A lot of Boxers choose to go back to what they know, and thats cool.

Lol.. I don't think Mikey could do anything outside KITT (I've seen the fight scenes, yeech!).

Surprisingly, I know many boxers who cross-train in other styles, even Ninjitsu. They believe that the other styles help them in their boxing.. but there's still a great number who think that "zen" theories or taoist teachings weaken their psychological edge in the ring.. these boxers are those who are more resistant to traditional martial arts.. but I can hardly blame them, given how tough ring fights can be, both physically and mentally.. though I do not completely agree with them.

[Liberty]

Hey Lucid:

Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Bruce+Lee+-+Ted+Thomas+Interview&search=Search

[Knuckles&Knees]

Just remember that the sun rises from the east, sets in the west and you're a man.

You seem to be describing a directional path a body member of mine follows every morning. And yes, that's the only way I ever remember I'm a man.

I feel a Michael Knight joke coming on!

Boxers moving into martial arts tend to be tough to deal with. Boxers don't take anything on faith, you either win, lose, or get better doing either. They see a great deal of our art as unnecessary nonsense, and want to be convinced otherwise. My approach to teaching has always been that you don't try to convince anyone of anything, you simply present the material and offer the student the luxury of choice. A lot of Boxers choose to go back to what they know, and thats cool.

[Tom Yum]

Like I said... I feel a bit lost at times.

Just remember that the sun rises from the east, sets in the west and you're a man.

[lucidmist]

Hey, when I get my knighthood you can call me sir, and lets face it "Knuckles & Knees" is a bit of a mouthful!

I see your point about fighting the boxer outside of the ring. My answer to that? Don't. We are good guys, just calm us down and buy us a beer

Seriously, I hear you about feeling lost sometimes. Do you know what that tells me? That you have a good teacher. That may sound like a contradiction, but good JKD instruction raises more questions than it answers, because it encourages the individual to find their own path. If you ever walk into a JKD school where everyone moves the same, thinks the same, and follows blind a path dictated by their teacher - then walk out because you haven't found JKD. The study of JKD should be about problem solving and having to find the solutions for yourself, thats how you become a smart martial artist who can flow and adapt.

Just be patient and remember the best phrase that anyone ever said to me about martial arts: "Those that do, know. Those that don't do, don't know."

This is why I thank God there are still people like you around in the martial arts community, Sir Michael Wright (your name does sound like a knight's).

Sadly, there are always black sheep around. When I was doing taiji, there were occasions where boxers joined the class. I guess they weren't there on their own accord (maybe their wives made them??), cos throughout the class, they were either di*cking around with the forms or just giggling. Of course, not saying all were like that. There were some who were really friendly, and were serious in it cos they believed it actually helped their boxing.

[Knuckles&Knees]

Hey, when I get my knighthood you can call me sir, and lets face it "Knuckles & Knees" is a bit of a mouthful!

LOL. Yeah... I see your point.

Seriously, I hear you about feeling lost sometimes. Do you know what that tells me? That you have a good teacher. That may sound like a contradiction, but good JKD instruction raises more questions than it answers, because it encourages the individual to find their own path. If you ever walk into a JKD school where everyone moves the same, thinks the same, and follows blind a path dictated by their teacher - then walk out because you haven't found JKD. The study of JKD should be about problem solving and having to find the solutions for yourself, thats how you become a smart martial artist who can flow and adapt.

Just be patient and remember the best phrase that anyone ever said to me about martial arts: "Those that do, know. Those that don't do, don't know."

Thanks. That provides a bit of encouragement. I feel good about my teacher and school... really I do.

I'll try to keep your advice in mind for my future down the road.

Hey, when I get my knighthood you can call me sir, and lets face it "Knuckles & Knees" is a bit of a mouthful!

I see your point about fighting the boxer outside of the ring. My answer to that? Don't. We are good guys, just calm us down and buy us a beer

Seriously, I hear you about feeling lost sometimes. Do you know what that tells me? That you have a good teacher. That may sound like a contradiction, but good JKD instruction raises more questions than it answers, because it encourages the individual to find their own path. If you ever walk into a JKD school where everyone moves the same, thinks the same, and follows blind a path dictated by their teacher - then walk out because you haven't found JKD. The study of JKD should be about problem solving and having to find the solutions for yourself, thats how you become a smart martial artist who can flow and adapt.

Just be patient and remember the best phrase that anyone ever said to me about martial arts: "Those that do, know. Those that don't do, don't know."

[Knuckles&Knees]

This answer will be further to a million posts on this topic sir, this question is an old friend for us all. To answer your question correctly I'm not going to dick around with the definition of trapping, it means different things to different people, but I know what you are asking.

Does trapping work in a fight i.e. ring or street? My answer is, and has been for years - I couldn't care a less.

In an altercation outside of the ring, trapping would never, ever be a primary consideration for me. I have a small arsenal of simple techniques, coupled with a strategy and mentality when it comes to dealing with real violence. Trapping just isn't in there, so I stopped worrying about it's effectiveness in a real fight a long time ago. Does it work in the ring, against a good boxer? Why would you want it to or even try to prove that point? I get in the ring to box, not to trap, I'm there to knock him out - thats what boxing is about. So does it work in the ring? Couldn't care a less.

So what is the purpose of trapping? Its like anything else in JKD, its the purpose you find in your own journey. If you can make it work in the street or in the ring then more power to you, its just not something I feel the need to do. So what do I get out of trapping? Its great fun, it looks cool, and its a break from getting punched in the face. Thats good enough for me

Hey thanks for the reply, Michael.

You can stop calling me sir though. I appreciate you extending respect to other people - myself included - but you're much more experienced than I am, plus I'm not your student, and better yet if anyone should be calling anyone sir it should be me to you. lol.

Regarding my question about attempting "trapping" against the boxer though, I was meaning to imply *outside the ring.* So in other words in a real bare knuckles fight on the street against a person trained in western boxing.

I've got enough experience in boxing to know "trapping" wouldn't be practical inside the square ring of boxing given the nature of things.

Honestly, I haven't yet read some of the required reading on Bruce Lee that my Sifu requires. I bring that up because being very new to JKD (and to some extent martial arts in general [but not quite]) I feel a bit lost at times; like swimming in a big, vast, ocean where I see no land in any direction in which I look. I think I pretty much can distinguish between JKD concepts and Jun Fan techniques now but then I'm still sometimes confused as to where Jun Fan begins or ends and Kali/Escrima etc begins or ends. And then when you add something like the class room *practice* of "trapping" (where two students place their forearms against the others) I'm not sure how much of that Jun Fan technique is *pure* technique or actually part *concept* itself that is not meant to be replicated in a literal way in real engagements (such as the positioning of the forearms).

Like I said... I feel a bit lost at times.

This answer will be further to a million posts on this topic sir, this question is an old friend for us all To answer your question correctly I'm not going to dick around with the definition of trapping, it means different things to different people, but I know what you are asking.

Does trapping work in a fight i.e. ring or street? My answer is, and has been for years - I couldn't care a less.

In an altercation outside of the ring, trapping would never, ever be a primary consideration for me. I have a small arsenal of simple techniques, coupled with a strategy and mentality when it comes to dealing with real violence. Trapping just isn't in there, so I stopped worrying about it's effectiveness in a real fight a long time ago. Does it work in the ring, against a good boxer? Why would you want it to or even try to prove that point? I get in the ring to box, not to trap, I'm there to knock him out - thats what boxing is about. So does it work in the ring? Couldn't care a less.

So what is the purpose of trapping? Its like anything else in JKD, its the purpose you find in your own journey. If you can make it work in the street or in the ring then more power to you, its just not something I feel the need to do. So what do I get out of trapping? Its great fun, it looks cool, and its a break from getting punched in the face. Thats good enough for me

[Knuckles&Knees]

IMO: In the ring, without question to succeed at any real level, you must become a disciple and athlete of the sport you choose. I believe good JKD instruction will offer a base of attributes and strategy. But step into the ring with a Thai Boxer of any quality, or a Boxer of any experience - you will soon find yourself in a different world. A good JKD man fully embraces that world and respects the sport he enters.

It is outside of the ring where for me JKD (at least the way I have been taught) comes into it's own. All ranges, with or without weapons, against one or multiple opponents, pressure tested, no rules. This is the way JKD (especially Sifu Paul's PFS) has taught me to fight outside of the ring. It hasn't let me down yet*


*I'll probably get jumped by 5 ninjas tonight

I like this answer!

I have to tell you, I'm very impressed with Panatukan, I sincerely believe that one day I can use Panatukan in *my* own way of fighting.

However, let me ask you a question, I am questioning in my own mind the practicality or effectiveness of "trapping" as done in the way Bruce Lee taught (which I think comes from Wing Chung), have you ever used "trapping" in real life? How in gods name would anyone ever use "trapping" successfully against a western boxer?

I'm only asking - just because I don't comprehend something doesn't mean it doesn't or can't work.

[lucidmist]

IMO: In the ring, without question to succeed at any real level, you must become a disciple and athlete of the sport you choose. I believe good JKD instruction will offer a base of attributes and strategy. But step into the ring with a Thai Boxer of any quality, or a Boxer of any experience - you will soon find yourself in a different world. A good JKD man fully embraces that world and respects the sport he enters.

It is outside of the ring where for me JKD (at least the way I have been taught) comes into it's own. All ranges, with or without weapons, against one or multiple opponents, pressure tested, no rules. This is the way JKD (especially Sifu Paul's PFS) has taught me to fight outside of the ring. It hasn't let me down yet*


*I'll probably get jumped by 5 ninjas tonight

Thank you. Really helped!

I just hope the true lineage of JKD doesn't go missing someday.. but I guess overtime, nothing can be kept in its purest form, nor necessarily beneficial for it to be.

And check this guy out. He's better than bruce lee!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXjP8n12ooo&NR=1

However, just a thought.. do you think a martial artist, without having learnt any other art, like boxing or muay thai, would stand a chance in the ring or outside the ring if he had learnt only JKD?

IMO: In the ring, without question to succeed at any real level, you must become a disciple and athlete of the sport you choose. I believe good JKD instruction will offer a base of attributes and strategy. But step into the ring with a Thai Boxer of any quality, or a Boxer of any experience - you will soon find yourself in a different world. A good JKD man fully embraces that world and respects the sport he enters.

It is outside of the ring where for me JKD (at least the way I have been taught) comes into it's own. All ranges, with or without weapons, against one or multiple opponents, pressure tested, no rules. This is the way JKD (especially Sifu Paul's PFS) has taught me to fight outside of the ring. It hasn't let me down yet*


*I'll probably get jumped by 5 ninjas tonight

[lucidmist]

How about Paul Vunak and the SEALs who used to go out on the weekends and fight for real? Thank God Vu is still around to teach.

JKD's philosophy itself seems to be to take the best of a style to complete your full range of combat. I'd imagine some of the tools can't be used in competition, take eye shots and even when done accidentally in competition take the fight out of a fighter (i.e. Penn vs. Hughes UFC 63).

Maybe a JKD practitioner could create a competition style, but frankly that's sort of how MMA has evolved on its own.

Yes.. pardon my question. Now that I think about it, it was kind of the wrong question to ask. To ask if someone uses "JKD" as a style to compete, wouldn't really be JKD.. :P