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HISTORICAL INFORMATION ABOUT
BRUCE LEE -- ETC.The following paragraphs are from written notes and mental notes that I started
taking in 1959.
They will also include some direct quotes from Bruce Lee.
Of course, the following ramblings will include a lot of my own random thoughts
and recollections about Bruce, and what I perceive to be some of his various
philosophies regarding Gung Fu. Please understand that each of these thoughts and
recollections are preceded by the invisible words, In my opinion;
I realize that some of Bruces other friends/students will probably have someopinions and recollections that are different than mine.
My intent here is not to set myself up as an expert, or to insinuate that my
viewpoint is the correct one.
My intent is to simply consolidate a few of my notes and thoughts and present my
own viewpoint as I lived it -- experienced it -- and perceived it.
I want to make it "VERY" clear that I do NOT profess to be an expert concerning
Gung Fu -- Bruces life -- Bruces philosophies -- Bruces thoughts Bruces fighting
techniques -- or anything else.
In other words, if you disagree with anything that I say on this page, then I hereby
admit that you are absolutely right and I am absolutely wrong.
J
PLEASE HELP ME EDIT THE FOLLOWINGARTICLE ABOUT BRUCE LEE:
The following article about Bruce involved some cutting andpasting on my part. Unfortunately (?) the article became quitelengthy, and therefore it might involve some "duplicate pasting"that has not yet been detected.
Please let me know if you find any duplications -- or typos -- oranything else that needs to be corrected. Thanks, pardners !!!
Perhaps the most complete and accurate history regarding Bruce will bedetermined in the same way that Mulligan Stew was traditionally madeduring the Great Depression (with each hobo bringing whatever ingredientshe had throwing the ingredients into a common pot -- and hoping forthe best). The ingredients contained on the following pages are simply myown contribution to the Mulligan Stew of history regarding that part ofBruces life that he personally shared with me.
After Bruce Lee became a famous martial artist, almost everyone in the world
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loved, respected, and admired him. Everybody wanted to be his friend. Bruce was
completely aware of the shallowness and insincerity of this -- and it bothered him
greatly.
However, I believe it is important that Bruce was also aware that his original friends
in America loved and respected him when he was only a completely unknown 18
year old dishwasher at a Chinese restaurant in Seattle, Washington with noapparent future at anything.
For example, when I first became friends with Bruce in 1959 he was a nobody in
the American martial arts community. No one in America had heard of him. In fact,
even in the Hong Kong martial arts community he was still relatively unknown.
In 1959, no one ever dreamed that Bruce Lee would someday be the mostfamous martial artist who ever lived or that he would someday be afamous movie actor.
If anyone had tried to tell us that Bruce would someday become a famousman we all (including Bruce) would have laughed at the idea.
The possibility that any of us (including Bruce) would ever become famous (or even
"socio-economically successful") was the furthest thing from any of our minds.
When I first met Bruce, during the period of time which historians now call his
Seattle days, he could be described partially as follows:
1. Bruce was an unassuming, average looking, skinny, 18 year old Chinese boy who
didnt speak English very well. He had a heavy Chinese accent that made him
difficult to understand. He talked too fast, which made it even more difficult to
understand him. He stuttered considerably when he was nervous or excited.
2. When he was wearing normal street-clothes (jeans and a shirt with long sleeves),
he was the last person anyone would notice in a crowd. Ironically, if anyone did
notice him they might have worried about him blowing away if there was a strong
wind.
3. Bruce was not readily employable here in America. As far as the "real-world"
(and Bruce Lee himself) was concerned, he had no skills that were commercially
viable.
4. Bruce was working as a dishwasher at a Chinese Restaurant called Ruby Chows.
The restaurant was on the ground floor of an old, dilapidated mansion on Capital
Hill.
[Unfortunately, in the historical sense, the building has since been torn down.]
5. Bruce told me that when he first came to America he was under the impressionthat Ruby Chow was a friend of his family in Hong Kong and that his family had
arranged for him to live with Ruby Chow's family as a guest as he attended school
in Seattle. He did not expect that he would be required to work at the restaurant as
part of the deal. Because he was forced to work at the restaurant, he felt that he was
being treated as an indentured servant. He was eager to free himself from this
position, but he felt that he was trapped because he had no readily available
alternative. Therefore, he was simply trying to make the best of his situation at
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least for the time being. Bruce felt that it was demeaning for him to work in the
kitchen as a dishwasher, and these feelings were definitely a negative but highly
motivating factor for Bruce during that period of his life.
6. When Bruce worked for Ruby Chow he lived upstairs at the Restaurant in a verysmall room (a converted walk-in-closet approximately 4 X 10). A description of
the room can be found elsewhere on this website (Chapter One of the Two Chaptersregarding Bruce Lee).
7. When I first met Bruce he wasnt hip at all as far as his personal appearance is
concerned. For example:
He wore thick horn-rimmed glasses that made him look like a geek.
He had peach-fuzz all over his face, and he appeared to be oblivious to it because he
made no effort to shave.
He seemed to be completely unconscious of his own personal self-image.
He didnt have a clue regarding what clothes to wear (which is generally important
to people who are that age).To a casual observer, Bruce Lee appeared to be skinny and vulnerable an easy
mark.
8. In our American culture, Bruce didnt know how to handle himself socially in a
way that would lead to his social acceptance in polite society. For example, we
could be in downtown Seattle, standing on a corner, waiting for a light to change,
and Bruce would suddenly start to repeatedly kick a lamp-pole with the kicks
landing six feet up the pole. He would do this 15 times in a row, and everyone else
that was standing at the corner waiting for the light to change, would slowly back
away from Bruce as though he was nuts.
9. He didnt know anything at all about the American culture in general, so hedidnt know how to fit in.
10. He didnt know what he was going to do with his life -- educationally,
professionally, or economically.
11. He was tentatively hoping that he could eventually get a college education and
perhaps teach Psychology, or Sociology, or Philosophy at the high-school level. He
sometimes discussed the possibility of teaching at the college level, but he felt that
this would probably never happen because it would take too much time and money
to obtain a Ph.D., or even a Masters Degree.
12. When I first met Bruce, perhaps the most ironic things about him were the
following:A) Bruce did not realize that Gung Fu could potentially become important to him in
America.
B) He did not realize that Gung Fu could potentially open many doors for him
socially in America.
C) He did not realize that Gung Fu could be used to make money in America.
D) In other words, he did not realize that anyone in America would ever give a
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damn about Gung Fu.
E) Bruce knew that Gung Fu would always be a very serious part of his life
(perhaps as a hobby) but he did not realize that he would someday be able to use it
commercially -- to become rich and famous.
It was at that time in Bruces life that he became good friends with people like Jesse
Glover, Ed Hart, Skip Ellsworth, LeRoy Garcia, Taky Kimura, Tak Miyabe, Charlie
Woo, John Jackson, Doug Palmer, etc.
In my opinion, that period of Bruces life (which historians now call The
Seattle years), is probably the last time in Bruces life that Gung Fu did not
at least partially get in the way of his establishing true friendships with
people.
In other words, later on, when Bruce became a well-known martial
artist, he was bothered by the fact that it was difficult (almost
impossible) for him to differentiate between people who liked the real
him -- and those who only liked his persona (the fact that he was afamous guy).
A rich and famous man seldom knows who his true friends are.
A rich and famous man seldom makes new friends.
Like most rich and/or famous people, Bruce sometimes became
frustrated and isolated by his own fame and notoriety. He sometimes
pondered questions such as the following;
Would all of these strangers love me if they really knew me ???
Would these people love me if I was still only a dishwasher at a Chinese
restaurant ???
Whenever Bruce would verbally reflect upon these types of questions I would just
laugh and say something like, Your friends in Seattle still love you in spite of the
fact that you are famous -- so it is quite possible that other people would also love
you, even if they really knew you.
When Bruce was only a dishwasher at Ruby Chows Restaurant, any of us would
have gladly risked our lives for him. This was because we really loved the guy. Our
love for Bruce (and our attitude towards him) did not change when he became a
famous martial artist. He was still just our friend, Bruce.
We loved him and respected Bruce Lee because of the way he was as a human
being and as a friend.
We loved him because he was a good friend meaning that he was honest, loyal,
ethical, intelligent, perceptive, hard-working, brave, generous, and dependable.
The fame that he later obtained through Gung Fu could not get in the way of his
friendships with his Seattle friends because none of these friends placed him on a
pedestal. No one hero-worshipped him. No one kissed his ass (which is an
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American expression that might be confusing to people from other countries).
In the early Seattle years, Bruce Lee was just a good friend who could fight better
than the rest of us -- and who knew more about fighting (which involves a different
concept than just being better at it) than all the rest of us put together.
Initially, at least some of Bruces Seattle friends were not overly excited by the
fact that he could fight better than the rest of us. In some ways, it was almost like,
So what ? In those days, most of us (soon to include Bruce) carried guns -- so we
all knew that it didnt really matter who could fight the best.
Obviously, I can not speak for the rest of the group (hows that for a way out ?) but
in those days at least SOME of us were just punk kids, who generally came from
lower socio-economic backgrounds. Through various circumstances, we all became
good friends and our love for each other (including our love for Bruce) was not
based upon anyones ability to fight well.
Initially, it seemed almost incidental to me that Bruce was teaching us Gung Fu. It
seemed so natural that he should be doing this that I didnt even give it much
thought. Another way to say it is I just took it for granted.
When Bruce Lee was teaching us Gung Fu, he was not our Sifu (the word never
came up except when he was talking about Yip Man, etc.) -- he was just our good
friend.
Bruce did not teach us in exchange for money. Also, he did not teach us in exchange
for friendship because the friendship was already there, with or without Gung Fu.
In other words, Bruce gave us two very precious gifts. The first(and most important) gift was his friendship. The second giftwas his Gung Fu.
Both of Bruces gifts were deeply and profoundly appreciated.When I first met Bruce in 1959 his approach to martial arts (and life itself) was
already very non-traditional. He was always challenging traditional concepts. He
was always putting authority and tradition to the test. He was always working hard
at being innovative, creative, and adaptable.
Later on, this resulted in Bruce creating his own approach to Gung Fu which in
later years he tried to explain to me.
Bruce lead me to believe that he did not consider his own approach to Gung Fu to be
a fighting style. Rather, he considered it to be a pathway through which people
can get the most out of their potential as martial artists. He lead me to believe that
he only meant for his own style to represent the pathway to creativity andbecoming free of preconceptions.
I recently thought of an analogy regarding what Bruce meant when he was trying to
explain his own approach to Gung fu. This happened as I was struggling to learn
how to deal with computers. When I first got my computer, I didnt even know
how to plug it in and turn it on. It would have taken me forever (or at least a very
long time) to figure out everything on my own. At that stage of my learning, I
definitely needed formal instruction. I needed to go by the book (almost ANY
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book) in order to have a foundation upon which to build whatever knowledge would
later come my way. I needed to be told exactly what to do (and how to do it) at all
times. However, as I became more and more familiar with various computer
programs, and more familiar with how computers work, I became adept at figuring
things out on my own. Eventually, by studying many different programs, and
solving many different problems on my own, I could approach new (and totallyunfamiliar) problems with confidence and success. I could encounter a new
computer system and figure out a solution to almost any problem that would
present itself. In many instances, my solution was NOT the only one that would
work. However, it was the one that seemed most natural for my background and my
personality, and my degree of experience. In other words, my computer moves
became almost instinctive. I developed a feeling for how I could get the job
done regarding those computers.
Bruce later gave me the impression that he was sorry he gave his own approach to
Gung Fu specific name because a specific name implies that it is a specific style
instead of only an "approach" to solving the problems that are normally associated
with fighting.
In solving my unfamiliar computer problems I would use all of the accumulated
knowledge that I had been taught as well as the accumulated knowledge that I had
obtained on my own. This involved a continuous process. It also involved a state-
of-the-union as far as my own knowledge was concerned.
In other words, should the above approach to operating a computer be considered a
process ??? The answer is yes.
Will it also reflect the current state of my own knowledge including knowledge
of myself, of various techniques that I can draw from, of my ability to be as effective
as possible when synthesizing and innovating, etc. ??? The answer is yes.
Can this approach be considered an amalgamation ??? The answer is yes.
Can we look upon this as being an approach to problem solving in general ???
The answer is yes.
Does everyone have the-same-and-equal-ability (based upon talent, personality
type, life experiences, etc. ?) for learning the above approach to dealing with
computers (or martial arts) ??? The answer is no, because some people have much
MORE ability and some have much LESS.
Some people need a lot of structure when they are trying to learn something new.
They need constant guidance. They are not comfortable if they are forced (or even
encouraged) to become innovative. They are not comfortable when forced (or
encouraged) to figure things out on their own.
Some people are not imaginative. They are not adaptable. They are overly afraid of
making a mistake. They are overly afraid of getting injured (in the largest sense of
the term). These types of people would probably not be good at learning how to be
innovative when dealing with computers and they would probably not be good at
incorporating Bruces approach to Gung Fu into their lives.
However, these people might be exceptionally good at learning something that
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requires a different set of attributes.
Regarding innovation and perception -- when some people hear the first few
notes of a tune they can continue to play the entire rest of the tune for you in any
key and they can even include counter-point, tympanis, and the entire brass band.
In my opinion, this was how Bruce Lee related to Gung Fu.
In other words, ones personality and natural ability obviously play an important
part in the learning process.
Bruce Lees situation reminded me of an excellent movie I once saw. It was called
Short Circuit. It was a science-fiction comedy about a robot that got struck by
lightning, and therefore developed a mind of its own. After this happened the robot
was only interested in one thing obtaining input. His life became a never-ending
quest for new information. He would rush into as many libraries as possible, and
voraciously read every book he could get his hands on. He was obsessed with
obtaining knowledge.
In a similar way, Bruce was also TOTALLY ADDICTED to obtaining input and
knowledge.
Bruce Lee did not intentionally set out to develop an approach (a process) for
learning Gung Fu He was only seeking to become the best Martial Artist that he
could possibly be using anything and everything at his disposal.
He thought that getting rid of pre-conceptions was one of his most important
tasks.
His own approach to Gung Fu was only a by-product of his personal never-ending
quest for knowledge -- perfection -- and freedom.
Bruce Lee was not a follower he was a leader. Therefore, it is ironic that so many
martial artists think they can become like Bruce by following him. It is a
contradiction-in-terms for martial artists to think this way because a person can
not become a leader by following someone else through life.
In my opinion, this gives new meaning to the old saying Get a life of your own.
In other words, if martial artists want to emulate Bruce, they should not follow him
-- they should only follow his example.
If Bruce Lee were alive today, I think he would tell his students not to copy his
fighting style because he does not have a fighting style per se. He would say that
copying is not related to his approach to Gung Fu.
He would say that he developed his own fighting concepts (that were specificallysuitable to himself) based upon many things -- including (but not necessarily limited
to) the following inherited and acquired things: size, weight, strength, strength-to-
weight ratio, height, speed, reflexes, natural ability, natural athletic skill, ability to
take a hit without becoming unconscious (which is important when assessing
possible courses of action), ability to withstand pain (also important when assessing
possible courses of action), etc.
As a result of his remarkable "awareness" he even considered such things as the
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weight of his hands, the weight of his feet, the length of his arms, the length of his
legs, the length of his torso, the width of his hips, the width of his shoulders, etc. I
believe that if Bruce Lee was still alive today he would say that martial artists
should consider all of the above factors when creating, accumulating, and
synthesizing an approach to fighting that is specifically suitable to themselves.
Even if Bruce wanted people to copy his fighting style (which he didnt), whatspecifics would he teach them to copy ??? To exaggerate the principle for the
purpose of illustration, please consider this example: If Bruce had a student that
weighed 400 pounds, and was only five feet tall, he would certainly not try to teach
that student to rely speed and agility. Likewise, if he had a student that was confined
to a wheel-chair, he would certainly not try to teach that student to rely primarily on
kicks.
Each one of us is different with our own set of good points and bad points. Each
one of us has things missing (e.g. perhaps speed, agility, balance, power, guts,
toughness (some guys think they are hurt if they get a few teeth knocked out and
their nose broken), an intuition, a perception, an ability to see clearly, etc., etc.
Bruce was a man of many dimensions and facets. Therefore, almost every person
who knew him could experience a different Bruce Lee. This reminds me of the
folk-tale about 20 blind men who were each told to feel a different part of an
elephant and then describe the entire animal. One of the blind men felt the
elephants legs and said an elephant is similar to a tree-trunk. Another felt the tip of
its tail and said an elephant is like a broom. Another felt the elephants trunk and
said an elephant is like a snake. Another felt the elephants tusks and said an
elephant is like two pieces of wood. To a large extent, anyone who tries to describe
Bruce Lee is faced with a similar problem.
Bruce Lee was extremely adept at consciously presenting different facets of himself
-- to different people -- at different times for different reasons to accomplishspecific purposes. He would often do this either to accomplish something for himself
-- or (in fairness to Bruce) to accomplish something for a person he was trying to
help.
Bruces approach to Gung Fu obviously means different things to different people.
Everyone seems to have a different definition and/or interpretation of it. This is
especially true if they can make a profit by promoting their own viewpoint. A
potential profit could materialize in many different ways, including (but not limited
to) the following: by promoting their own martial arts school -- by enhancing their
own reputations as martial artists -- by getting more students -- by selling books
they have written or whatever
Bruce once told me, Martial artists should never accept any fighting style in its
entirety. Instead, they should constantly search for an approach to fighting that
personally works best for them, and is best suited for their own bodies, abilities, and
personalities.
Bruce often discussed with me one of the secrets as to why he was so fast with his
hands. He told me that his hands were so fast because they were extremely small
(and light in weight) relative to the strength in his arms, shoulders, back, legs, and
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waist.
In other words, his hands were extremely small, and therefore they were relatively
light and easy to maneuver. This meant that he didnt need to overcome much
inertia when he threw a punch, or when he re-positioned his fists, or when he pulled
back an extended arm or punch, or when he made his hands change directions.
To exaggerate the above principle (for the purpose of illustration) Bruce would not
have been nearly as fast if each one of his hands had weighed ten pounds or twenty
pounds or even if he had been holding a roll of nickels in each hand.
Jesse Glover recently told me that one of his best students could straight-punch
almost as fast and hard as Bruce Lee. I remember thinking to myself, Jesses
student probably has very small hands, broad shoulders, small hips, and does not
weigh very much.
The size of Bruces hands is just one of the examples of why Bruces techniques
would not be suitable for everyone. For example, any martial artists who have large
hands (that weigh 20 pounds each) and who also have weak shoulders, weak arms, a
weak back, a weak waist, and weak legs, would be greatly disappointed if they triedto imitate Bruces fighting techniques.
Bruces approach to Gung Fu involved a personal adaptation to problem solving
using any suitable raw material that is available. This means that there can be a
different answer for almost everybody. In other words (to exaggerate for the
purpose of illustration), a man who weighs 100 pounds will never be able to fight
effectively using the same techniques as a man who weighs 400 pounds and vice
versa.
The above analogy amuses me, because Bruce Lee often exaggerated for the purpose
of illustration.
To be most effective, adaptations regarding the approaches to fighting should bespecifically chosen and suitable for each specific practitioner. Therefore, in the most
technical sense, these adaptations and approaches could (perhaps should would
be a better word) be different for almost each person. As martial artists, we should
only adapt those methods that are specifically suited to our own physical,
psychological, and emotional make-up. If we see a martial artist who has a
technique that would work well for us, we should incorporate it into our own system
and then immediately continue in our search for another technique that is suitable
for us.
Bruce Lees approach to Gung Fu reminds me of building a house in the sense that
a house must be built to satisfy the specific limiting and/or enabling needs (physical,
emotional, psychological, etc.) of its owner. For example: if the owner of a house is
only 3 tall, then he would not want to have a kitchen counter that is 5 high.
Conversely, if the owner of a house is 8 tall, then he obviously would not want to
build a house with doorways that are only 6'8" high.
In other words, we do not want to design our own house to fit the physical and/or
psychological needs of someone else. We do not want to blindly (without thinking)
design and build our own house based upon what we see someone else do.
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In terms of tailoring:
Martial arts (and especially Bruce Lees approach to Gung Fu) should not be looked
upon as an off-the-rack-one-size-fits-all suit of clothes that any person can
purchase at the store (without any tailoring) and wear successfully.
Fighting (especially regarding Bruces approach to Gung Fu) is a suit ofclothes that should be tailor made for each particular practitioner by
the practitioner himself hopefully with some initial help from a
trusted, knowledgeable, and perceptive teacher.
Bruce once said, Gung Fu is not a destination it is a never ending journey.
Forty years later, we have probably all seen the placard that says, Martial arts is
not a destination it is a journey. In my opinion, this is especially true regarding
Bruce Lees approach to Gung Fu.
Bruce once told me, It is ok if my moves while fighting are instinctive
however, it is much better if my approach while fighting is instinctive because
then the appropriate moves will follow and they will always be there for me.
Regarding Bruces approach to learning Gung Fu, he told me that people should
go through life as a detective constantly searching for ways to develop their own
best approach to Gung Fu.
Bruce Lee lead me to believe that YOUR approach to learning Gung Fu should be a
search for your own truth based upon who you are, what you are, and how
you are. In other words, your own study of Gung Fu should not be a quest for Bruce
Lees personal truth (whatever worked best for him) -- instead it should be a
quest for your own personal truth (whatever works best for you).
Bruce once told me by phone (with apparent amusement); The term Jeet Kune Do
is more like a verb than a noun.
[Think about it]
The verb-noun concept might at first seem to be only a joke or a play on words.
However, as I reflect upon it, I feel that there might be a large element of truth
associated with it. If I was forced to make comments about this, my comments
would be as follows:
Is JKD a noun ??? The answer is yes.
Is JKD a verb ??? The answer is yes.
However, in the final analysis, I believe that Bruce really felt that JKD is more of a
verb than a noun.In my opinion, Bruce Lees approach to Gung Fu is not a specific physical method
of fighting that can be choreographed and memorized but rather it is a mental,
intellectual, philosophical, and physical approach to fighting that is tailor made to
fit a specific individual.
Bruce Lees approach to Gung Fu does not involve a specific rigid fighting method.
Instead, it is a way of searching, innovating, creating, adding, discarding,
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analyzing, improving, synthesizing, etc. based upon ones own abilities and
limitations.
Bruces approach to Gung Fu is not a specific fighting method per se. Instead, it is
a way of approaching the task of problem-solving as it relates to fighting... and
even as it relates many facets of life.
To be technically correct, Bruces approach to Gung Fu is not a specific method of
fighting (ie, If someone tries to hit you like this, then you should put this foot here
and this fist there.). Instead, it is an approach to developing the ability to do
whatever it takes to win in any situation using any and/or all of the fighting
techniques that you have at your disposal (in accordance with your own inherited
and acquired abilities).
Bruces approach to Gung Fu has much more in common with learning-how-to-
react-in-the-most-efficient-and-effective-manner-in-terms-of-fighting than it does
with learning-a-specific-style-of-fighting.
Jeet Kune Do involves learning how to think for yourself in terms of fighting in
a way that relates specifically to who you are (physically, emotionally,psychologically, and personally).
Bruce would be disappointed if he thought that a present-day martial artist was
trying to copy his approach to Gung Fu. In my opinion, he would admonish the
copy-cat martial artist by saying, I developed an approach and/or a process
regarding Gung Fu, and I took it this far. You should take it further by being
innovative and creative and by being all that you can be as a fighter.
He would recommend that you not put yourself in a box that you not develop
tunnel vision and that you not copy anyone, NOT EVEN HIM.
As indicated elsewhere above, creating you own personal approach to Gung Fu is
like cooking a stew. It needs a little bit of this and a little bit of that etc. Itgenerally cannot be made with only one ingredient. As a limiting factor, it must be
made with whatever natural ingredients are available. If you do not have any
carrots, then you must make your stew work effectively without carrots. In other
words, if you are short, fat, and have poor reflexes, then you must create your own
personal Gung Fu (your own personal way of developing your own personal
fighting system) by using whatever ingredients you DO have at your disposal.
Your own personal approach to Gung Fu must be pursued (made, done, followed,
created, etc.) in accordance with your own personal attributes, abilities, needs,
tastes, and the amount of time you are willing to spend.
In spite of the great American myth, we are not all created equal. Some people aretaller smarter faster braver -- etc. Some martial artists are even physically
disabled. For example, if a martial artist only has one arm then he should use an
approach to Gung Fu that will help him to create the best fighting system for
himself.
In my opinion, using Bruces approach to Gung Fu would be the best way for a one-
armed man to create his own efficient and effective fighting system. To some extent,
most of us are all faced with this problem because (as indicated elsewhere above)
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most of us have a few things missing.
One word that is often used in conjunction with Bruces approach to Gung Fu it is
the word eclectic. However, the question remains Eclectic comprised of
what ??? One answer that works for me is as follows Bruces style is the process
of learning how to use any resource at your disposal to accomplish your goals
(when fighting) in the most efficient, and most effective way.
Bruces approach to Gung Fu includes an as-is-where-is factor concerning the
potential of your physical and mental abilities. It involves your heredity and
environment -- including height, weight, strength, age, physical condition, ability to
withstand pain, ability to keep yourself from falling apart when you are hit,
intellect, motivation, instincts, etc.
Bruces approach to Gung Fu often involved the ability to synthesize
two or more concepts (that are sometimes unrelated) into a totally new
concept. Coincidentally, Bruce once told me he felt that the ability to
synthesize a new idea from two old ideas is probably one of the main
factors that determine IQ.
Bruces approach to Gung Fu was not a specific fighting style.
Instead, it is a process whereby each person tries to learn how to find
the most efficient and effective techniques for dealing successfully with
any situation that one might encounter when fighting.
In a way, Bruces approach to Gung Fu was about learning how to
learn.
Sometimes people say that Bruces philosophies appear to contain contradictions. Of
course they do. This is especially true when they are viewed in a superficial way.People should realize that Bruce would often use contradictions intentionally when
he was teaching. In fact, he would sometimes capitalize on contradictions play
jokes with them, have fun with them. For example, he would often instruct student
A in a way that was completely contradictory to the way he would instruct
student B. For example, if student A was making the mistake of leaning too far
forward, then Bruce might tell the student to lean much too far backward for the
next 1,000 repetitions. On the other hand, if another student (student B) was
leaning too far backward, then he might tell that student to lean much too far
forward for the next 1,000 repetitions. Bruces contradictions were often used as a
tool to achieve a desired finished product.
Regarding the above paragraph, I think it is important to realize that similarcontradictions would occur when Bruce was explaining a philosophy, or an ideal, an
approach, or whatever This meant that a superficial observer could become
confused by some of the things Bruce said. When Bruce was teaching, he would use
any technique (including contradictions) that enabled him to get the job done as
quickly, simply, and effectively as possible which is another example of Bruces
Gung Fu philosophy.
Bruce was not a patient teacher. He would show a student something once or twice,
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but if the student didnt learn it almost immediately, Bruce would lose interest, and
his mind (and body) would soon be elsewhere.
Bruce was always trying to achieve a balance within his students, always fine-tuning
them in accordance with their own needs and abilities, always pushing them to
achieve their own highest possible degree of perfection.
I once heard someone say that Bruce was rude and conceited. In reality, nothing
could be further from the truth. Bruce was obviously a self-absorbed man, but this
was only because he took his own personal goals very seriously. In order to achieve
his goals, it was necessary for him to focus completely on himself (his own mind --
his own body). Bruce was involved in an intense effort to become all that he could
be. Therefore, when he was practicing Gung Fu, he didnt have much time for
anything except an intense focus on himself. When Bruce was concentrating on his
fighting techniques, which was most of the time, he did not want to be interrupted
by anyone. If people interrupted Bruce when he was practicing (which often
happened), his response might cause them to think that he was rude, or conceited
but in reality this was not the case. In reality, the only rudeness that was exhibited
would be on the part of the people who interrupted Bruce while he was working.
Interrupting Bruce when he was practicing Gung Fu would be like
interrupting a brain-surgeon while he was in the middle of an operation.
Under those circumstances, no one would expect the "interrupted"
brain-surgeon to be warm and friendly.
ONE OF BRUCES MAIN APPROACHES TO BECOMING A
BETTER FIGHTER IS AS FOLLOWS:
Bruce Lee once told me; Always practice the following two things
consistently:#1) Always practice what you are best at.
#2) Always practice what you are worst at.
When we discussed this, he explained that as you practice what you are
worst at, you slowly
become better at it -- and it will eventually no longer be what you are
worst at.
In other words, as you continue to practice your worst thing, and
become better at it, then it will eventually no longer still be your worst
thing and you will therefore replace it with something else etc. In
the meantime, as you continue to practice what you are already best at,
then you will constantly get even better at it. This gives you some solid
roots, that are constantly expanding.
Bruce once told me; If you always practice what you are worst at, and what you
are best at, and then everything else will take care of itself.
Regarding the above thoughts for many years after Bruces death I did not
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publicly discuss my association with him or my friendship with him. To me it was
too personal a thing to discuss because it involved a deep friendship that changed
my life forever. After Bruces death my feelings were as follows:
1. I did not want to teach people what I knew about Gung Fu even though people
would often ask me to show them some things that I had learned from Bruce.
2. I thought Bruce should be allowed to rest in peace.
However, through my discussions with the rest of Bruces original students, I have
accepted the fact that it is our responsibility to keep Bruces memory alive and
that we can best accomplish this if we tell the world about him in a truthful and
accurate way.
I have now accepted the fact that Bruce would want us to talk about him. He would
want us to tell people what we know about him and his approach to Gung Fu.
Therefore, at this time I am writing a few things about Bruce and my friendship
with him.
Also, I decided to write a few things about Bruce at this time because I recently
heard some lies being told about him and I wanted to put a stop to the lies.
Specifically, some of the lies were as follows:
Lie #1. Bruce Lee was not a fighter he was only a movie actor.
In reality, I believe that the exact opposite might be more in keeping with the truth
In fact, I would guess that the average movie critic would be amused by the above
lie.
Personally, I dont know anything at all about acting but I do know about fighting.
I have seen some of the best fighters in the world and I have seen Bruce fight for
real. Please believe me when I tell you that if Bruce Lee was alive today there is no
man on earth who could beat him. Each one of Bruces original students (JesseGlover, Taky Kimura, Ed Hart [now deceased], LeRoy Garcia, Jim DeMile, etc.)
would gladly verify this. In fact, anyone who knew Bruce (or who ever saw him
fight)would readily confirm that he was the best fighter in the world.
Lie #2. Bruce was an ego-maniac.
In reality, the exact opposite is true. Obviously, Bruce was very self-absorbed but
this was only because he wanted to be the best that he could be. He drove himself
ruthlessly. He constantly reflected upon his progress, his research, his art, his
physical conditioning, and how he could improve his fighting skills. In other words,
Bruce was a busy man and he felt that he was on an important mission. Whenever
he was working on his techniques (which was most of the time), he had no interest in
small talk. Trying to make conversation with him at that time would be
analogous to trying to exchange jokes with the pilot of a 747 as he is landing in a
mountain pass -- in a blinding snow storm -- with 250 passengers aboard. Under
those circumstances, a person might walk away saying, The pilot of the 747 was
obviously an ego-maniac, because he didnt want to exchange jokes with me. The
pilot is obviously conceited. The pilot is stuck up. The pilot was not polite to me.
Etc. However, it is obvious that these would not be fair criticisms.
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In reality, Bruce Lee was always focused on what he perceived to be an important
mission. He was always focused on what he was trying to accomplish with his life.
Bruces approach to Gung Fu reminds me of my own experiences inteaching people how to build log homes (which I have been doingprofessionally for the past 40 years). My students generally started out by
asking me a lot of questions about log homes regarding differenttechniques, different styles, different methods, etc. Initially, it wasimportant that I taught them about all of those things so they get a wellrounded background in the basic principles of log home construction.However, my real goal was to eventually teach my students how to THINKINDEPENDANTLY in terms of construction. Once my students can THINK interms of construction then they soon get to a point where they do not needto ask specific questions about specific problems. They learn how todevise the most effective and efficient solutions to their constructionproblems contingent upon whatever tools and materials they have on handat any given time.
In other words, my job as a teacher of log home construction is not limitedto teaching construction. It also includes teaching students how toTHINK FOR THEMSELVES in terms of construction. To succeed as ateacher, I must teach them how to THINK THINGS THROUGH ON THEIROWN, no matter how unusual or bizarre the problem.
My point is this: Although the above principle might seem to be simplistic, Iwas not aware of it at all until I met Bruce Lee. I constantly try to pattern myteaching style after the things I learned from Bruce about teaching. In myopinion, Bruce was one of the best teachers in the world.
When I was teaching people how to build log homes, it was my hope that each of my
students would eventually be able to rely upon their own resources to find a solutionto any construction problem -- in the easiest, most efficient way.
Another way of looking at it would be as follows: Learning how to build log homes
should not ONLY be a matter of learning a bunch of specific answers to a bunch of
specific questions. Instead, it should be a matter of learning how to think in terms
of construction and developing an ability to invent ways to take solve ANY
construction problem in the most effective and most efficient way.
My favorite way of teaching the phenomenon described above is to use a teaching
technique that I learned from Bruce. I have been using this teaching technique
successfully for the past 40 years. There is more than one way to describe this
technique so I will try to describe it in at least a couple of different ways.The first way is as follows:
I try to let my students experience the thrill of discovery whenever possible.
I try to never deprive my students of the thrill of discovery regarding the things
they are learning.
When I am trying to teach a principle, I lead people right up to it but then I stop
short of explaining it or showing it to them. If possible, I let them discover the
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principle for themselves.
I let my students discover whenever possible because then the learning
experience would be personal and it would mean more to them.
Every time someone experiences discovery it enhances their ability to learn how
to discover.
One of my most important jobs as a teacher is to teach people how to learn to
discover.
When I was teaching, I did everything possible to enable my students to experience
the thrill of discovery as many times as possible. In this way, they get better and
better at discovering and they become more innovative, inventive, etc.
In other words, they learn to rely less and less upon me or anyone else.
It sets them free from their teacher and the teachers way of doing things.
As they say The goal of a teacher is to make his job redundant.
For a student who is just beginning to study the martial arts, a teachers way of
fighting is generally better than no way of fighting at all. On the other hand, both
the student and the teacher should be working to set the student free from the
teachers way so the student can devise a personal way that works best for him.
I often prefaced a teaching session by saying something like this;
Today you should be able to personally discover an important principle of log
house construction (or Gung Fu, or whatever). I will try to teach all around the
issue without teaching it specifically. Please interrupt this process as soon as you
think you realize what I am trying to show you. Please keep in mind that this is not a
test -- and there may be more than one answer to the problem. We are simply going
to have some fun here, by trying to teach you something in a way that will not
deprive you of the thrill of discovery.
The more things that a student can discover on his own, the better he will become at
doing so. In time, this process of discovery can become second-nature, and a person
can become exceptionally good at it.
This learning how to discover process can happen without consternation, worry,
dependence, stress, or whatever As a teacher, I am always hoping that my
students can become as comfortable as possible with this discovery process, until
it becomes an integral and intrinsic part of their lives. In this way, I encourage my
students to become independent thinkers who are capable of synthesizing a new
idea from two or more old ideas. I encourage them to have the confidence that it
takes to take care of any construction problem that they might encounter.As a teacher, my main job was to work myself out of a job by making it so my
students did not need me any more. In other words, it could be said (only partly in
jest) that as a martial arts instructor, I have not done my job completely until my
students can kick my ass. And as a log house instructor, it could be said (again,
partly in jest) that I have not done my job until my students know more than I do.
When I was teaching people how to build log homes, I would sometimes even begin
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a session by telling my students that I was going to intentionally mislead them
regarding at least one thing during the session. As a game, I intentionally put myself
in an "adversarial" relationship with the class, and I challenge them to catch me
making a mistake concerning what I was teaching them about the ridge pole log. I
would intentionally lead my students into a trap by enabling them to easily discover
a relatively ineffective (as in NOT effective) solution to the ridge pole problem and I would totally LOVE it when one of them immediately (and confidently)
showed me a better, faster solution.
When my students passed the above test consistently, it was graduationtime.
Another way that I consistently tried to teach innovation is to say the following:
I am going to present a problem, and I would like for you to give me as many
solutions to the problem as possible. This is related to a procedure called brain-
storming that is commonly used in business. Brain-storming is where people make
a list of every possible solution to a problem (no matter how far-fetched the solution
might sound) for the purpose of examining the list at a later time. In this process,each person is encouraged to stretch the limits of their imagination and put forth
every idea they can think of, no matter how weird it might seem at the time. There
can be no criticism or censure regarding anything the students say or suggest when
brainstorming. No one is allowed to laugh at anyone elses idea or approach.
Everything must be done in the proper spirit of trying to find new solutions to old
problems. This is about innovation and learning how to discover.
As a teacher, it was my job to know more about the problems (and the possible
solutions) than any of my students. I was constantly saying things like, The
problem we are dealing with still has at least five possible solutions that you havent
thought of yet. Can you determine what those solutions are ???
When I was trying to lead my students in a specific direction, I often provide
hints. I might find myself saying such things as:
One possible solution I am thinking of involves a twelve letter word that begins
with a B.
Another possible solution involves doing something that might be the exact
opposite of what you might expect under these circumstances.
The best of my students generally enjoyed this process of expanding their own
consciousness regarding finding their own personal solutions to problems.
My students would often get quite excited about this, and say, Dont tell me the
solution, man !!! Let me think this through on my own. Give me a few seconds, andIll come up with something that will work. WOW, Im really learning how to
THINK, man !!!
Essentially, I learned the above-described method of teaching from Bruce Lee in
1959 and he didnt know anything at all about log home building.
J
Another example of how I used Bruces methods in teaching LOG HOME
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CONSTRUCTION is as follows; At one point in the construction process, by
students would always come to me and say, Hey Skip, now that the concrete in
these huge pier blocks is hard, how do we pull the wooden concrete forms off of
them ??? What can we do to make it easy ??? In response to their questions, I would
always get them a 20 chain and a Buda Jack, and say, These are the tools that I use
to solve that particular problem. They would then look at the chain and jack andsay, What are we supposed to do with this stuff ??? I would simply laugh and say,
You are supposed to learn how to think, and I would walk away. We all laughed a
lot as they struggled to think through this new problem, and find an efficient
solution to it. It would usually take them about twenty minutes to figure it out, and
it was a far better learning experience for them than if I had simply showed them
how to do it my way. Also, once they got it figured out, Of course, after they
figured it out, I stepped in and showed them every other way I could think of to do
the same job so they had more options to reflect upon. [I learned this from Bruce.]
As a teacher, I did not want to try to make clones of myself. Instead, I wanted to
teach my students how to think for themselves, and how to arrive at their own
solutions to their own problems, and how to NOT become dependent upon me.
I always began to teach my students this process by using the very simplest of
problems and then I gradually worked with problems that were more and more
complex.
Under some circumstances, I loved it when students did something the wrong way
a few times -- before finally discovering the right way. In other words, I loved to see
my students make mistakes so they could learn from them. We often spent as
much time talking about a solution that might be wrong for us (and learning why it
would be wrong) as we did learning how to do it RIGHT. This was especially true
when teaching people how to deal with bad habits that were already established.
Some people might argue that under Bruces approach to Gung Fu there issometimes no right way or wrong way because these might be different for
everyone (depending upon size, strength, weight, experience, etc.). However, I would
simply say, If you lost, then you did it the wrong way. If you won, then you at least
did it right enough under the circumstances.
In other words, if you accomplish your objective in the most efficient and effective
way (considering the circumstances involved) then you did it the right way.
Bruce was a man of many facets. This is why so many people know a different
Bruce Lee.
In my opinion, Bruce Lee compartmentalized his life in many ways. He often
preferred to socialize with his friends and colleagues one at a time so he couldbecome a different person for each student, friend, etc. In that sense, he was like a
chameleon fitting in being compatible with whatever colors (moves) that were
coming at him. Bruce wanted to be all things to all people and therefore it was
easier for him if he could keep people separated in his life. In a sense, there were
many different Bruce Lees almost a separate one for each occasion or almost a
different one for each person he would be communicating with. He would quickly
devise a way that would enable him to deal effectively with each situation or
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person and he would often establish relationships on that basis. Because of his
generosity, he would always try to provide what each of his friends was looking for.
This was easiest to do on a one-on-one basis, which is why he almost always
preferred to become involved with people in this way.
Bruce was constantly in the process of taking things from people. He constantly took
their concepts, their thoughts, their techniques, their methods, etc., etc. While he wasdoing this, he kept the best things and incorporated them into his own approach to Gung
Fu.
He would take INPUT regarding Gung Fu from more sources that you would ever
believe.
Bruces approach to Gung Fu involved learning how to think freely in an unrestrictedmanner. It involved learning how to become liberated from pre-conceptions. It involved
becoming adept at thinking in terms of a specific genre (whether it was Bruces
approach to Gung Fu or whether it was the art of log home building or whatever).
It is common knowledge that Bruce Lee accomplished more for the martial arts than any
other man who ever lived. However, we should not forget that he accomplished evenmore for the Chinese people in general. The reasons why this is true should be obvious toanyone who thinks about it.
Bruce used analogy a lot in his teaching, and he was a master at doing so. From Bruce I
learned that the use of analogy is one of the most effective ways to teach and I used itconstantly when I am teaching people how to build log cabins.
Obviously, things have changed a lot in the Martial Arts business since Bruces death.
On those rare occasions when I pick up a martial arts magazine, I am amazed, andsometimes amused, by the fact that new systems and new names for systems are
seemingly being invented at the rate of 20 (?) per second. Sometimes people tell me that
they are practicing a martial art form that I never even heard of before perhaps becauseit was only invented a few minutes ago. I never say so out loud, but my initial thought
whenever I hear about such things is, It doesnt matter what you call it, man or what it
is because the only thing that matters is what you can personally do with it.
In martial arts, as in science, the important questions to a practitioner is, Can the ability
to do it be replicated, if one is given the proper set of circumstances ??? In other words,
can the ability to do it be taught ??? If not, then any technique in question will only beimportant to you if it is your own technique -- or if it is a technique that is being used by
a person you are fighting.
Regarding the above paragraph, a simplistic example (exaggerated for the purpose ofillustration) would be as follows:
There is a fighter who is as large as a gorilla. His skull is two inches thick, and he can
withstand massive amounts of pain without becoming unconscious. When he is fighting,he generally lets people punch him and kick him until they become too tired to move.
Then he squashes them like a bug.
As a student of martial arts, I would have to ask myself, Can the gorilla teach me how to
do this in the same way that he does it ? Would I want to use that technique, even if he
tried to teach it to me ???
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Is all of this stuff absurdly simplistic ??? Perhaps so
However, I will none-the-less continue to write -- in the unlikely possibility that thesenotes might contain a small element of truth about Bruce Lee, and his approach to Gung
Fu, that no one has previously considered.
Sometimes people ask me what Bruce Lees philosophy was. This is an impossible
question to answer, because Bruce Lee had a great many philosophies (as does any
thinking person). I generally reply by asking, His philosophy about what ??? To
this they generally say, Well what was his philosophy about Gung Fu ??? As a
question, that one isnt much better than the first. I usually reply by saying
something like, In what sense ??? At that point, the questioner usually realizes
that he is in the process of flunking an IQ test and he tries to tighten up the
questions in such a way that they could have a meaningful answers. To some extent,
this even necessitates defining the term philosophy as it pertains to martial arts.
In fact, Bruce and I used to argue (perhaps debate would be a better word) about thephilosophy of Gung Fu. I would often (only somewhat jokingly) ask questions such as
these: If I want to learn philosophy, then why dont I just by a book and studyphilosophy ??? Does learning how to dig out an opponents eyes make me a better
philosopher ??? How ??? Why ??? What does fighting (and thereby possibly killing) haveto do with philosophy ???
What fears do we have that are driving us to be so obsessed with learning how to defendourselves ??? Why are we so insecure that we need this stuff ??? Is it our fear and
insecurity that drives us to practice martial arts ??? All of us have read the ads that say,
Learn martial arts, and fear no man. Gain confidence. Become the man you always
wanted to be. Etc., ad nauseam. What kind of person would be interested in learninghow to injure, maim, and kill other people ??? Does this kind of behavior really involve a
meaningful philosophy ??? Who is kidding who ???
When a person is practicing martial arts is not about physical competition, or physicalconditioning. If thats what it is about, then we could simply see who could throw a ball
the furthest or run the fastest or lift the most weight or whateverMartial arts is
primarily about fighting people and hurting them. This means that the martial arts are alsoabout killing people (because accidents can happen and because fighting can sometimes
escalate to the point where it becomes necessary to kill especially if an opponent is so
tough that this is the only alternative).
Bruce often discussed with me one of the reasons why he was so fast in combat
situations. He said that he was so fast because he practiced slowing time down in his
own mind -- regarding the moves that his opponent would make. He also said that he
practiced speeding time up regarding his own moves. In this way, he said that he wasable to see his opponents moves in slow motion. In one of my last conversations with
him, he said that he was frustrated by the fact that he was able to use this technique moreeffectively against some styles of Gung Fu that he was against other styles. I cant
remember which styles were easiest for him to deal with using this technique, but I do
remember that he said he was getting better and better at controlling his perception oftime. We discussed this phenomenon many times, and he told me that he felt it was a
form of self hypnosis. On one occasion he also told me that he could probably do it
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simply because he was convinced that he could do it.
One of Bruces favorite philosophies was this; Things are often the exact opposite ofwhat they at first appear to be. Of all of Bruces philosophies, this is one of the five or
six that have helped me the most in business in personal relationships in
determining the presence of danger etc.
When I am teaching my students how to build log homes it is ironic that I rarely teach
them anything that they dont already know. I simply take a bunch of things they already
know, and rearrange these things so they apply to the new field of endeavor. Forexample, everyone knows that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
Everybody knows the importance of distance, speed, range, and power. Everybody knows
about the effects of gravity. Everybody knows that something light is easier to move than
something heavy. Everybody knows about the effects of inertia. Everybody knows thatrepetitive movement facilitates learning. Everybody knows that a leg is generally stronger
than an arm. Everybody knows about the effects of leverage. Everybody knows that it
takes more power to shear a nail if it is driven between two boards at an angle.Everybody knows that if you can dig out your opponents eyes before he can dig out your
eyes then you will almost certainly win the fight. In other words, when I am teaching
people how to build log cabins I simply take a bunch of these concepts (that my studentsalready know) and rearrange them in such a way that they pertain to solving new
problems in these new fields. Again this is some of the stuff that I began learning this
from Bruce in 1959.
Bruce had no fear when it came to fighting, and he once told me why he had no fear.
Bruce told me that after he had been practicing Gung Fu for two years, he actually
learned to be afraid to be afraid. At first, I didnt understand what he meant by this sohe explained, as follows;
At first, when he was a young student of Gung Fu, he was sometimes afraid of getting hit.
This was especially true when he was fighting someone who was larger and stronger.However, he soon learned that the number of times he got hit always increased in direct
proportion to the amount of fear he was experiencing at the time. In other words, he got
hit much more often when he was afraid than he did when he was not afraid. At that time,he learned to be afraid to be afraid.
Bruces fear of being afraid became the thing he needed to deal with not his fear of the
enemy.
In a way, this relates to Winston Churchill said during WW II, The only thing you have
to fear, is fear itself.
If someone said to you, You should acquire a knowledge of Gung Fu by only learning
the things that work best for you, you wouldnt know where to begin because youwouldnt have the necessary frame of reference. You wouldnt even know what
ingredients were available to you. In other words, before you can bake a cake, you mustknow what flour is and sugar, and salt, and eggs, and heat, and etc., etc., etc. Until
you know what those things are, and know the basics of cooking, it would not be realistic
for someone to tell you, Just bake your cakes using innovation.
Sometimes I hear people say that Bruce's approach to Gung Fu can not be taught. I do
not agree. I believe that it is possible to teach it. In analogy, this is how I see it:
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A good friend of mine is an exceptionally good cook. I am always amazed at some of the
things that he can invent in the kitchen, with no recipe at all. On many occasions whenhe has visited us, he cooked some amazing things for us by simply using left-over
ingredients that he happened to find in the refrigerator. He did this without a recipe, and
without a clue as to what he would find when he opened the refrigerator door. As we wereeating, we would ask him, How in the hell can you make up a recipe like this right off
the top of your head ??? He said, Because it isnt a recipe at all it is just a way or a
method or a process of doing it. He said if I wanted to learn how to cook, then Ishould use recipes for the first year or two and then forget about them. From then on, I
should just learn what types of things go well together (and conversely, what type of
things do not go well together.). To some extent, the final product will obviously be a
matter of personal taste, cultural conditioning, etc. However, there are certain standardsregarding the tastes of food that most people seem to agree with. He suggested that I
could probably learn a lot about cooking if I just made a large pot of stew (with the most
commonly used ingredients) and added to it each day. He said that when I first made the
stew, I should follow a recipe so I would have some working knowledge or a frameof reference. He said that after making the original stew, I should use my own
imagination when adding to it each day and I should not worry about a recipe. Hesuggested that I start out by adding relatively normal ingredients, such as tomato sauce,
potatoes, carrots, olives, beans, chili sauce, barbecue sauce, and various spices. After
becoming comfortable with this, I should expand my efforts to include anything I thinkwill work, such as cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, sour cream, rice, asparagus, a can of
corn, a can of soup, bread-crumbs, powdered mashed potatoes (for thickening), etc., etc.
He suggested that if I continued to add to the stew in this way, I would soon learn the
combinations that went well together, and that this would be one of the best ways for meto learn about cooking in general. I tried this method of experimentation, and eventually
it almost liberated me from my collection of recipe books. In analogy, I believe that my
friend developed his own personal approach to cooking that was similar to Brucesapproach to Gung Fu. Not only did he develop it but he also devised a unique way to
teach it.
At this time, when I am cooking breakfast for my family, I can beat the eggs for anomelet before I even open the refrigerator door. After the eggs are beaten, I can then open
the refrigerator door and select from whatever ingredients happen to be available. Using
my friends methods, I simply invent an omelet as I go along. For example, I can startby chopping up some leftovers, adding some cheese, adding some onions, adding some
soup, or whatever... I know that I can make almost anything work because I only select
ingredients that compliment the other ingredients I have already selected.
From Bruce Lee, I learned that when one is attempting to determine the truth about anysituation, one should collect as much information as possible and then fit the pieces
together like a cross-word puzzle. Ironically, I am now hoping that I can contribute a fewpieces to the puzzle that will give us a more complete picture of Bruce Lee and of his
own personal approach to Gung Fu.
I do not claim to know what Bruce Lees philosophy was regarding his approach to GungFu. I only claim that I think I know what several facets of it were.
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Do the most effective job you can, with what you have, where you are.
Eventually, Bruce's approach always involved the ability to be innovative. Unfortunately,a persons ability to be innovative is directly related to IQ, heredity, and environment.
The ability to be innovative can be improved but only to a limited extent. For the most
part, people either have the ability to innovate, or they dont. In a sense, the same is true
regarding ones skill at playing basketball it would never be possible to turn GeorgeForeman into a Magic Johnson. In other words, it is easy to tell someone to be more
innovative -- but is sometimes quite another thing for the person to achieve that goal.
Innovation for its own sake is not necessarily a good thing. Innovation must be
effective in order to be good.
Depending upon ones innate abilities, innovation is sometimes almost a sure road tofailure. For example, if a novice at chess is playing with a chess master, the novice will
undoubtedly be more successful using one of the tried-and-true tactics that have been
relatively perfected throughout the years. On the average, if a novice tries to beinnovative in any field it will only lead to failure.
Being able to immediately determine the things that are most important, andkeeping them in the fore-front of your consciousness, is extremely important in
Gung Fu. Bruce Lee was a master at this no matter what he was doing attacking,
defending, organizing his actions, organizing his thoughts, doing whatever it takes to
win, etc.
Bruce once said, in a joking way, One of the most important things is to learn is
how to tell the difference between what IS important and what ISNT important.
Bruce once said, As you go through life, one of the most important things is to
learn how to tell the difference between what IS your business and what ISNT
your business.
Bruce once said, It is very important to learn how to anticipate. One can never rely onit completely, but it can be an exceptionally valuable tool.
Bruce once said, To completely rely upon anticipation will lead to failure and tocompletely ignore anticipation will also lead to failure.
Bruce once said, The ability to anticipate can be learned and be developed. The ability
will grow only if one thinks about it constantly, and practices it constantly.
Bruce once said, The ability to anticipate involves the ability to read circumstances,
evaluate them, and understand them. Of course, this only happens through experience and
constant practice.
The ability to anticipate is a facet of Kung-Fu that must be mastered. In the simplest of
terms, if you are physically fighting with someone then it is easy to anticipate that they
might try to punch you with either hand or kick you with either foot. In a more complexsituation, if you are fighting a man who only knows a certain fighting style, and you are
familiar with his fighting style, and he is in a certain position, then you can anticipate that
he might make certain specific moves that are commonly used from that position. Itmight seem like a simplistic thing to say, but it is quite important to always be aware of
your ability to anticipate and use it effectively. Concentrate on it, and learn how to
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develop it.
Fear can be a motivating factor, but it can get in the way of success. If you arepreoccupied with your own fear then you will not be effective as a fighter.
A man can not fight to the best of his ability if he is preoccupied with his own fear.
Learning how to deal with your own fear is an important part of fighting.Everything that happens when you are fighting can potentially effect the way you live the
rest of your life. If your back gets broken, you would be paralyzed for the rest of yourlife. If your eyes are dug out, you would be blind for the rest of your life. If your nose is
bitten off, you would be ugly for the rest of your life. If your testicles are ripped off, you
would never be able to have children. When you are fighting someone you know, it is
often relatively easy to assess your risk of receiving serious injuries. However, if youare fighting a stranger, then it is usually impossible to predetermine his skill or to
predetermine how seriously he would injure you if he has an opportunity.
Bruce Lee once said, You should not be magnanimous when fighting. You should
always assume that your opponent knows as much as you know, and that his skill is equal
to your own. You should assume that he will kill you if he has an opportunity. Therefore,
you must do whatever possible to win as quickly as possible.
Bruce Lee once said, It is not a good idea to fight anyone unless you are prepared to kill.
Fighting and killing are always potentially related.
Bruce Lee once said, When you are fighting, there is no room for complacency, or over-
confidence, or pity. If you value who you are, then you must win as quickly and
effectively as possible.
Bruce Lee was preoccupied with the words efficient and effective. I think these
concepts were the tape measure by which he judged all of his fighting techniques. This
might seem simplistic, because most of us do the same thing. Perhaps the difference is,many martial artists do this unconsciously whereas Bruce did it in an extremely
conscious manner. It seemed to me that these concepts were always in the forefront of his
consciousness.
Bruce was an excellent teacher because he could always diagnose what each student
needed, and he could prescribe something that would help each student accomplish that
objective.
Bruce lee could grasp large concepts, and put them into simple words that almost anyone
could understand. Sometimes it was almost like haiku. Sometimes it was almost like a
Japanese painting that captures the essence of a situation with only a few simple strokesof the brush. He was good at doing this and he knew he was good. He enjoyed it. He
practiced it. He knew that he was getting better and better at it. It became a large part ofhis life.
Bruce felt that each person he met was a separate problem for him to solve on an
individual basis. Once Bruce categorized each person (as they related to his own social
life), it was sometimes difficult for him to be in a room full of people who he hadpreviously befriended one at a time -- on an individual basis. Bruce always tried to
provide what each of his friends was looking for. Therefore, it was more expedient for
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him to deal with one friend at a time.
Bruce often borrowed things from his friends including character traits, ideas, interests,etc.) that he could use to re-create himself. He was constantly creating, and re-creating
himself as he took in new concepts, discarded old concepts, and developed the way of
thinking about fighting that eventually became how own personal approach to Gung Fu.
Bruce Lee once said, If a man is not your friend, then he is your potential enemy.
If a man who weighs 220 pounds tries to copy Bruce Lees fighting style, it would be
similar to an elephant trying to copy a hawk. An elephant will always be an elephant --and a hawk will always be a hawk.
When I was teaching my students how to build log homes it was ironic that I rarely
ever taught them anything that they dont already know. I simply took a bunch of
things they already knew, and rearranged these things so they apply to the new
field of endeavor. For example, everyone knew how to drill a hole drive a nail
put one thing down on top of another dig a hole etc. Regarding Gung Fu,
everyone knew that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
Everybody knew the importance of distance, speed, range, and power. Everybodyknows about the effects of gravity. Everybody knew that something light is easier to
move than something heavy. Everybody knew about the effects of inertia.
Everybody knew that repetitive movement facilitates learning. Everybody knew that
a leg is generally stronger than an arm. Everybody knew about the effects of
leverage. Everybody knew that it takes more power to shear a nail if it is driven at
an angle. Everybody knew that if you can dig out your opponents eyes before he can
dig out your eyes then you will almost certainly win the fight. In other words, when I
was teaching people how to build log homes (or Gung Fu) I simply took a bunch of
these concepts (that my students often already knew) and rearrange them in such
a way that they pertained to solving new problems in these new fields. Again this
is from stuff I started learning from Bruce in 1959 long before he ever devising hisown unique approach to Gung Fu..
Regarding the above phenomenon I often try to facilitate the development of JKD
by leading my students to the point of discovery -- but no further. In other words, if
I have done an effective job of teaching, I should be able to lead my students to the
point where they can synthesize a new truth from two or more old ones. In this
way, they can learn to be more innovative, more inventive, more fluid in their
thoughts and reactions, and more confident.
When I had known Bruce for only a short time, he told me that he would soon show
me a way to attack an opponent in such a way that I could prevail over almost
anyone I would ever need to fight on the street. Frankly, I was somewhat skepticalwhen he told me this. My skepticism was caused by the fact that I did not yet know
Bruce very well. Later on, I learned that I should never be skeptical no matter what
Bruce told me. A couple of weeks later, Bruce and I were practicing Gung Fu at my
mothers house when I reminded him that he promised to teach me how to attack in
a very effective way. Therefore, he sat me down at my mothers dining room table
and explained the process to me. He always realized that I needed to come to grips
with a theory or a principle on an intellectual basis, if possible, before
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approaching it physically. He explained that he had only been practicing Wing Chun
for a short time (and had not yet mastered a lot of the techniques) when he was
called upon to fight a more advanced student from another clan. Bruce said that Yip
Man called him aside a couple of weeks before the fight, and told him that when he
was fighting his opponent he should rush forward with as much ferocity as he could
call up from inside himself and straight punch as hard and as fast as possible(alternating between left hand, right hand, left hand, etc.) and always with the
appropriate weight-shift. He was told to strike with his palms, aiming for his
opponents nose with his hands being held like a cats claw. In other words his
palms were striking forward with the fingers facing upward. This meant that the
fingers of each hand would be jabbing at his opponents eyes at the same time that
the palms stuck his nose. Bruce was to time the punches in such a way that one (or
the other) of these claws was striking his opponents nose/eyes at all times. He
explained the obvious to me -- that each time he succeeded in landing a blow to his
opponents face his opponent would be getting hit six times once by each finger
once by the thumb and once by the palm. He explained that even if his palms
missed his opponents nose, there was still an excellent possibility that his fingers orthumb would damage his opponents eyes. He explained that only one or two of
these blows would need to land successfully in order for him to win the fight. He
explained that if he attacked in that way fast enough, and with enough ferocity and
power, he could almost ignore what his opponent was doing -- especially if he felt
that he could successfully withstand a few of his opponents blows. He explained
that the success of this attack would partly depend upon how the straight punches
were executed and partly upon speed, power, and ferocity. After Bruce explained
the entire process to me we spend the rest of the day practicing it me against him
and him against me.
Bruce told me that if I practiced that particular attack until I got extremely good
(and powerful) at it I would be successful in winning most of the fights I got into onthe streets. In the context of 1959, when very few people on the street had any
martial arts training, I soon learned that he was telling me the truth about this.
Bruce later added to the effectively of my attack (as described above) by also
showing me how to move instantaneously from a straight-punch to a double-fist.
In other words, he showed me how to incorporate the double-fist into the attack in a
way that was smooth, natural, and absolutely instantaneous.
The double-fist eventually proved to be one of my favorite tools, and I would use
it whenever possible. I would try to use the straight punches to move in and
establish myself, and then when there was a clear shot I would do a double-fist. If
the double-fist connected solidly with my opponent then I would follow up with asecond double-fist and that would generally finish it.
Bruce was always interested in helping his friends find solutions to their own
specific problems involving martial arts. He would play off of their questions and
problems in order to stretch his own envelope, and expand his knowledge, and
develop his own inventiveness.
Bruce always wanted to get into the psyche of each of his students so he could
relate to how they thought and how they approached problem solving. For
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example, if one of his students tended to be extremely and primarily physical then
Bruce would concentrate on that aspect of teaching that student. On the other hand,
when he was dealing with someone like me (I would always want to think things
to death, and I needed to take that approach when dealing with the learning
process) he would readily adapt to the situation and do whatever was necessary to
get the job done.On the other hand, if he thought a student was too physical in his approach then
he would sometimes try to balance the student out by bringing in as many
instructional techniques as possible from the other end of the spectrum.
It is amusing to me, but sometimes the same thing happens to me when I am trying
to teach people how to build log homes. Sometimes a big guy, with football player
mentality will insinuate that he just wants to move logs around with his hands -- and
be physical with them in a way that does not incorporate many bone-fide
techniques. At the other end of the spectrum, sometimes a cerebral guy, who has
an approach to problem-solving that is primarily mental, will tell me that he
wants to spend several weeks just thinking about how he should move the logs.
Obviously, one student needs to be balanced out in one direction -- and the other
student needs to be balanced out in the other direction. I learned from Bruces
example that it is my job as a teacher to recognize these issues, and deal with them
effectively. Frankly, as simple as it might sound, I probably never would have
consciously thought of that on my own.
Through his example, Bruce taught me a great deal about teaching. Every time I
teach a class in log cabin building I use many teaching techniques that I learned
from Bruce. Not only do I use them, but I am also extremely conscious that I am
doing so. Sometimes when I am teaching it is almost like Bruce is by my side -- and
when I ask myself what he would do under any particular set of teaching
circumstances, the answer suddenly becomes obvious to me and I proceedaccordingly.
On these pages I do not feel that I should make any comments about Bruces specific
fighting techniques. There are several reasons for this including the following:
1. A lot of things have already been written about Bruces fighting techniques.
2. Obviously, there are many other people who know MUCH more about Bruces
later fighting techniques than I do.
3. There seems to be a lot of controversy about Bruces later fighting techniques
regarding what they specifically consisted of what his specific philosophy was
and what the specific essence of his approach to Gung Fu is really all about.
Unfortunately, I can not say anything that would help resolve these issues.
4. In my opinion, it would be contrary to Bruces philosophy if anyone professed to
be teaching his specific fighting techniques because this might be like taking a suit
of clothes that was tailor made for Bruce Lee and trying to make it fit the Jolly
Green Giant.
It would probably be difficult for most people to make a list of the most important
specific things they learned from their best friend. Likewise, it is difficult for me to
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list the specific things that I learned from Bruce.
A TEACHING TECHNIQUE THAT I LEARNED FROM BRUCE LEE:
When I was teaching my students how to build log homes, it is ironic that I seldom
ever taught them anything that they didnt already know. I simply took a bunch of
things they already knew, and rearranged these things so they would apply to
building log homes in general.
For example, regarding log home building each of my students already knew how
to drill a hole drive a nail