Bruce Lee & Wing Chun

[dwoolman]

I heard that Bruce Lee practiced the first form (Sil Lum Tao) of Wing Chun about 5 times everyday even when he had created JKD, is this true?
It just seems strange since Bruce was against things like Kata and movements that go in pre-arranged sequences.
It was also said that he felt practicing Sil Lum Tao was very important in his daily training, I wonder if he taught the forms to his students??

[JKD_Jay]

In Bruce Lee, we're talking about a man who worked out 8 or so hours a day, so he could've done just about anything. What period of his life are we talking about? The Wing Chun dummy sets are still a part of the cirriculum in many JKD Concepts schools, for attribute development.

[omgitsroy326]

First of all 5 times everyday isn't that much at all. It only take about less than maybe 2 minutes to perform that form. Also he did complete that form and the next form in Wing Chun.

Well, the thing about Wing Chun's First Form is really to get your ready for the dummy. My master who's lineage is traced back to Ip Man and Ip Chun says that if you Wing Chun Form isn't good then your dummy form isn't good.

Doing the Form helps you do the dummy in a easier way because many of the movements are in that form.

[omgitsroy326]

I just talked to my master about the form. He said that when brue lee said that forms a waste of time, he was saying that if you can't use the form in fighting then it's a waste of time. He didn't say that all forms a waste of time. If you do a form and can't use it effectively then that is a waste of time. My master was a student of Dan Inosanto, Wu Bin (jet li's master), and other world renouned masters.

Also he studied JKD and he said that they include "Little Idea" and "the bridge" he never completed the third and final form for wing chun. He completed the 108 Hong Kong wooden dummy movements.

[Alex]

Sorry, but if you are doing the SLT in two minutes you are missing the point.

[omgitsroy326]

If your form is correct and your breathing patter is correct; you're not missing the point.

It's the same as tai chi. You could take 15 minutes to perform one form, or you could take 5 minutes to perform it perferectly.

Speed in this sense doesn't matter it's the form and breathing.

You are missing the point when you everything too fast, too sloppy, and don't have any breathing.