Bruce Lee: The first great Mixed Martial Artist?

[Boxing Master]

I have only read some of the techniques of JKD as created by the late great MA, Bruce Lee, and I have a question concerning his creation of JKD. Was this style the first like it of it's kind(Mixed Martial Arts)? He devised it some 30 to almost 40 years ago of studying different MA's to acquire their best techniques. I know that with the advent of UFC and other MMA competitions in the 1990's that MMA styles such as the Militich Fighting Systems, Thugjitsu(used by Yves Edwards), and Ruas' Vale Tudo have come into the equation, but was JKD a forerunner to the MMA movement?, or was it just a style that Bruce developed, in which other styles decades later mimicked without taking it into direct consideration that someone else had already done it?

[IPON]

Lee's concepts were, without question, the most public and therefore also the most influential. However, there are many styles which have been created this way well before Lee was born. So to answer the question, no he was not the first, just the most well known.

[seany85]

The concept of cross-training is nothing new,
like IPON has stated Bruce just made the public more aware of it.

[m.artist]

Lee's concepts were, without question, the most public and therefore also the most influential. However, there are many styles which have been crerated this way well before Lee was born. So to answer the question no he was not the first, just the most well known.

who was?
i've always wondered that...

[Britt]

Certainly not the first ever, but kajukembo (tang soo do, judo, jiu-jitsu, kempo, sil lum kung fu) might have been the first eclectic art created in the United States, around 1947-49.

[atlas1212]

Bruce was definitely the first to approach the blending of arts in a western and scientific way. He also was the first to completely call many masters out on so called "secret" techniques and legendary mythology.

[Ikken Hisatsu]

vale tudo was in brazil before lee was even a glint in the milkmans eye. also, the gracies were by far the first to call people out on their arts and had an open door challenge. bruce lee fought nobody of note.

[atlas1212]

The Gracies deserve a lot of credit, but they were hardly "mixed" martial artists. Vale Tudo, until it came to the US was exclusively "style vs. style". No one seemed to wisen up and adapt until the UFCs in the US.

I don't argue that Bruce Lee wasn't a successful prize fighter. But that in the martial arts community, he was the first to approach it with a western mindset and get rid of the tradition and mystery.

[pstevens]

Before Bruce Lee, people were essentially adding techniques on to their style. For instance, BJJ with Muay Thai, but it was still BJJ, etc... They were sort of filling in the holes, but not really cross-training.

Bruce Lee was the first to scientifically research, cross-train, and blend martial arts training. It was truly MMA training, because Bruce was more interested in the concept behind each art, not just adding techniques.

Vale Tudo was NOT MMA, it was a grappling match with 20% striking from facets of Muay Thai, but mostly unorthodox striking... This is evident from the stance of most lutra livre fighters – flat footed with chin high in the air.

Actually, the UFC became something greater than the Gracie's could fathom, so they dropped out. It paved the way for MMA which I don't believe was the ultimate Gracie plan. The Gracies originally believe that after a few UFC's, everyone woulb be convinced that Jiu Jitsu was the supreme art and just learn Jiu Jitsu... But that's not what happened.

[Thai Bri]

Bruce Lee was the first to scientifically research, cross-train, and blend martial arts training. It was truly MMA training, because Bruce was more interested in the concept behind each art, not just adding techniques.

No he wasn't.

[atlas1212]

Thai Bri, care to explain?

[Thai Bri]

Well, I have no idea who the first was, but tend to think it was centuries ago.

But I do know that W.E. Fairbairn mixed and matched systems in the early 20th Century, coming up with both the Police art of Defendu and the military at of Silent Killing, taught to specialist troops in WW2.

[atlas1212]

I think you might be technically correct Thai Bri. But you have to give credit where credit is due. In most of the world there was no scientific approach to self-defense. It was either sport such as boxing/wrestling or speculation such as karate/kung fu. Training methods were usually tradition based, even in sports. When Bruce Lee came to America, there was almost NO knowledge of the martial arts here. Meaning, you ask 99% of Americans what martial arts are they won't know. Those who did would have heard of only Karate and Judo. Karate and Judo were being practiced here by caucasians with limited knowledge and who also held to the traditions of the arts sometimes more strongly than the Japanese they learned them from.

Bruce Lee was the first person in the modern era to say, "hey, a punch is a punch whether it comes from kung fu or karate". He was the first or at least the first major proponent in the west to introduce Chinese arts to all. He was definitely the first to incorporate western training such as weights, exercise machines etc. He owned a massive collection of books on fighting and honestly tried to learn martials arts in a way that cast aside all dogma. Now, at this time in the east, martial arts training was 100% dogmatic. In the west, it was the same. A system was a system and you defended your system as superior. Bruce really made people question tradition and the reason for doing things simply for the sake of tradition.

NOW, were there possibly others on the right track. Of course. But I think it's hard to deny that Bruce Lee was a unique individual in that he broke tradition and popularized not only traditional martial arts but the concept of cross training martial arts more than any person who has lived.

[Thai Bri]

So the argument ges like this.

Person a. - Bruce Lee was the first to publicise cross training.

Person b. - No he wasn't, though he did bring it to the attention of the world more than anyone else.

Person a. - see. I told you. He brought it to the words attention more than anyone else.





Durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[atlas1212]

Well, the question was, was he the worlds first MMA and I would still say yes. He was the first person I've come across in my research, who was observed combining the best aspects of various arts for the sole purpose of combat. Not a mere hodgpodge but a concerned effort to mix martial arts. If Fairbairn added boxing to Jujitsu for the purpose of policing, than more power to him. But as far as I'm concerned, Bruce Lee was the first to thoroughly study several arts and pick them apart and rebuild them with the complete disdain of the rest of the martial arts community. The guy was a pioneer. This is OBVIOUS by the negative attention he alone received. If anyone else around was doing this, we would have heard something about it. But the fact that Bruce Lee shocked people shows that it hadn't happened before, or by default, they could not or would not have been shocked. But as a rational person, I have to admit there is no way for me to tell if anyone in the entire world had come before him (but someone has to hold the title so I'll give it to him). His approach to martial arts, training, fighting and competition was unique and original. We can split hairs over the theoretical but for some reason I sense you don't want to give him credit or that you want to antagonize people on the forum.

Bruce Lee has been recognized universally as the one man who bucked tradition and trained scientifically in a search for truth in combat. All during a time when it was relatively if not totally unheard of.

We simply have different opinions and respect for the man. No need to split hairs any further I think.