How tough was Bruce Lee?

[ciscodog]

Mas was wicked, and I mean real tough.

[Britt]

Before anyone gets bent out of shape at this thread, note that it's a bumped thread from 2004 and the offending party seems to be long gone.

[fenwick99]

the value of jkd

JKD is something beyond the personality of Bruce Lee. It is not grafted onto Bruce's ass. I think that is something to remember. TKD is now separate from the personality of Choi, just as kyokushin continues with Oyama gone.
JKD is now beyond Bruce; it is only as good as modern practitioners.

I messed up my right shoulder doing rack shrugs last Feb. and it still has not healed. Since my right side is still more coordinated, but the left is now stronger, I want to use my right hand and leg for defense and my left hand and leg for offense. So I am going back to the right lead. Bruce did more than anyone else in developing the right lead. And I don't care if Bruce lost a "challenge match" to Cheech Marin! Ring arts are usually predicated on weak side forward. Asian arts like taekwondo and wing chun want you to switch-hit. I neither want to switch-hit or go orthodox, I want to lead right
so my crocop-like left power kick can be sent hard to an unconditioned, weak thigh. Bruce was the innovator in teaching the right lead, although some boxers Like Oscar De La Hoya use strong side forward.

[Ghost]

lead right leaves your powerful right leg open to low kicks.
its a bad method, unless you are only punching then it makes some sense. if kicking is involved its vastly inferior.

anyone that sparres hard against a thai boxer will just KNOW that.

also,switch hitting is fine as long as you disguise it. simply alternating stance is only going to confuse a complete novice.

[fenwick99]

two comments, Bruce loses to Oyama

First, leads do not normally even matter in a street fight. You usually have to react to a surprise attack with no time to assume a stance. You may be in an awkward position like being "on the throne" in a public john (insert Senator Craig joke here...)
In terms of your general point, perhaps mt and bbj
is the challenge of 21st century jkd, to maintain the integrity of the right lead against muay thai. Many mma guys lead strong side forward, because the shot in wrestling usually is done off the power side.

Second, I don't buy the idea any man of Mr. Lee's size, no matter how good, could have beaten Oyama. That said, not everyone believes the myth of Oyama, either. His 270-0 record and his claims to invincibility has been challenged by many writers. I will buy the fact that he knocked out Black Cobra, the heavyweight muay thai champion. Even though the best thai fighters were/are
in 120 or 125 pound range, it was still quite an accomplishment to beat a thai champ under thai rules. Thai boxers destroyed most of the karate and kung-fu stylists who faced them. For that, at least, the godhand deserves sacred respect. But do not believe everything you read. I am suspicious of anything like Ricson Gracie's claim to a 400-0 record.
Like Liddell, anyone can lose a fight.

[tigrtclaw]

Bruce Lee at his time was ground breaking many areas of Martial arts Philosophy and film. he also was very fit and accomplished a lot in a short time. What would he have accomplished if he was around for another 20 years?

[Ghost]

First, leads do not normally even matter in a street fight. You usually have to react to a surprise attack with no time to assume a stance. You may be in an awkward position like being "on the throne" in a public john (insert Senator Craig joke here...)
In terms of your general point, perhaps mt and bbj
is the challenge of 21st century jkd, to maintain the integrity of the right lead against muay thai. Many mma guys lead strong side forward, because the shot in wrestling usually is done off the power side.

Second, I don't buy the idea any man of Mr. Lee's size, no matter how good, could have beaten Oyama. That said, not everyone believes the myth of Oyama, either. His 270-0 record and his claims to invincibility has been challenged by many writers. I will buy the fact that he knocked out Black Cobra, the heavyweight muay thai champion. Even though the best thai fighters were/are
in 120 or 125 pound range, it was still quite an accomplishment to beat a thai champ under thai rules. Thai boxers destroyed most of the karate and kung-fu stylists who faced them. For that, at least, the godhand deserves sacred respect. But do not believe everything you read. I am suspicious of anything like Ricson Gracie's claim to a 400-0 record.
Like Liddell, anyone can lose a fight.

id suggest most street fights start with a verbal confrontation + pushing.
powerful rear low kick is a weapon i want to have and i want to stay upright in a street fight, last place i want to be is on the ground.
so strong side stays logically at the rear.

[Tom Yum]

Alot of people aren't used to being kicked in the legs and remain unflinched when it comes barreling down at the sciatic nerve...

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/231970/thai_kick_to_the_leg/

[Ghost]

Alot of people aren't used to being kicked in the legs and remain unflinched when it comes barreling down at the sciatic nerve...

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/231970...ck_to_the_leg/

i have no idea what that means, does that mean youhave to be trained in order to feel pain?
pain is pain.
a painful dead leg will screw up most people punching and movement, trained or not.
if someone can do it properly or not is another matter, but even if you cant get the pain part to work the fact you destabalize them is enough to create some good openings.
very useful

[Tom Yum]

Leg sparring and traiing with leg kicks lets you 'suck' up more punishment to the legs than those who don't.

Yes they still feel pain, but its more tolerable. Just like taking a punch to the face. Yeah it hurts, but when you've taken a few before its not as bad.

[Ghost]

Leg sparring and traiing with leg kicks lets you 'suck' up more punishment to the legs than those who don't.

Yes they still feel pain, but its more tolerable. Just like taking a punch to the face. Yeah it hurts, but when you've taken a few before its not as bad.

sorry but low kicks can and do make a huge difference.in terms of kicking i would say it would be the best single kick in terms of chances of it landing vs effect.

to put this at the front is madness especially considering most people are orthodox in stance and your front foot in southpaw has a less direct groin strike. it just doenst make any sense to me to switch. cons outweight the pros easily when it comes to kicking and kneeing in southpaw if its not your natrual side.

[fenwick99]

re

I have studied everything I could possibly find concerning the life and teachings of Bruce Lee, and I have done so since 1982.
Conclusions:

1. He was a bad kid.

2. He was a good husband and father as a man, but he may have cheated on his wife, too.

3. He started out as a nice guy, but he may have become a jerk toward the end of his life.

4. He could not defeat Judo Gene LeBell, Master Mark, Shihan Desova(?)

or Wong Shun Leung.

5. Chuck Norris was afraid of him.

6. Joe Lewis wanted to beat Bruce up once, but Bruce won the confrontation by fighting without fighting.

7. Bruce Lee could have kicked my ass.

8. Bruce Lee could have kicked your ass.

[Ghost]

captain kirk would have kicked his ass.

[Happy Cat]

I read an interview yesterday from one of the actors on the set of enter the dragon. He discused seeing bruce finaly acsept a chalenge from a martial artist who was on the set as an extra. Bruce tried to deescalate, but the fight was forced.

The witness said that Bruce moved so fast that the witness did not even think the extra was hit, until he opend his mouth and he saw all the blood.

[Tom Yum]

captain kirk would have kicked his ass.

He had trouble fighting the Gorn