The transcript below is from the video “Bruce Lee. Real Fights and Dispelling Myths” by The World of Boxing!
Bruce Lee (movie extract):
“You wanna fight? I’ll take you on”
The World of Boxing! (An informative and educational boxing channel whose main goal is to inspire the next generation of athletes to engage in sports.):
Because of his determination in the face of obstacles thrown at him by life, Bruce Lee remains remembered by millions of fans around the world. 45 years after his death, Bruce is still recognized as the greatest martial artist in history to have achieved so much. Redefining a genre of cinema and acquainting the masses with the true beauty and effectiveness of martial arts and, accomplishing all of this in the short 32 years of life, is truly remarkable. Bruce died too early, not having time to implement many projects but it was his sudden and premature death that gave rise to many myths and legends around his larger-than-life image.
This is not a retelling of Lee’s biography, rather an attempt to look at the life of a great master and a bright personality through the eyes of those who are lucky enough to know Bruce personally, by training with him, working with him in cinema, sharing in his philosophy. His attitude towards the world and his unique style of fighting. We seek to understand where the fabrication and speculation lie in the stories about Lee and where the incredible truth about the legendary fighter can be found.
Bruce’s significant influence on the film industry and the fact that he essentially redefined fighting films was predetermined by his talent and his fresh outlook on martial arts. Lee’s special, most realistic approach to staging fight scenes was due to the experience of his youth. When Bruce, who was a member of a local gang, often had to fight off attacks on the street and often his opponents wielded melee weapons and chains. The early style of the fighter was a mixture of Tai Chi, practiced by his father, the famous comedian Lee Hoi-chuen which was perfected by the great Ip Man thin by nature and still living from hand to mouth. Bruce proved to be a talented student. Inspired by the dream of demonstrating his skill on the big screen. Bruce did not concentrate only on studying martial arts, he also studied dancing and even won the local Cha-cha-cha championship and later, teaching both.
The World of Boxing!:
After moving to the USA, namely to Seattle, he worked part-time in a restaurant and was already giving martial arts lessons. At the time, if you asked Lee what his style of martial arts was, Kung Fu would be his answer.
Bruce Lee (an interview extract):
“Well, Kung-Fu is originated in China. It is the ancestor of karate and Jiu-Jitsu. It’s more of a complete system and it’s more fluid. By that I mean, it’s more flowing, there is continuity in movement instead of one movement, two movements and then stop. The karate punch is like an iron bar. “Whack!” A gong fu punch is like an iron chain, with an iron ball attached to the end
and it goes “Whang” and it hurts inside.”
The World of Boxing!:
But the deeper his knowledge of the uses of punches became and his understanding of combat was supplemented by the knowledge gained in his study of philosophy, the more Bruce was inclined to create his own style, which would be different from those that existed at the time, and would depart from the recognized traditions.
Bruce Lee (an interview extract):
“You see, actually I do not teach you karate because I do not believe in styles anymore. I mean, I do not believe that there is such thing as like Chinese way of fighting or the Japanese way of fighting or whatever way of fighting because unless human beings have three arms and four legs, we will have a different form of fighting. But basically, we have only two hands and two feet. So styles tend to uh uh uh not only separate men you know because they have their own doctrines and then the doctrine became the gospel truth you know, that you cannot change you know.”
The World of Boxing!:
Lee respected the traditions of martial arts but did not understand why the masters were overly focused on dogma, sacrificing a deeper knowledge of the styles and penetration into the true essence of martial arts. Lee developed his own style based on the principle of conservation of energy as well as maximum simplicity and practicality. Bruce said: “only one thing determines the technique of combat; it must be effective in relation to the enemy.”
The World of Boxing!:
Bruce focused not on defense, which would allow the enemy to set their own pace in a real fight but on the attack and his ability to precisely precede the enemies attack. This is how the style of Jeet Kune Do, The Way of the Intercepting Fist was born. Its essence was in the absolute freedom of reaction to the enemy’s actions. Bruce said: “Don’t use any ways as ways. Don’t have any boundaries as boundaries.” It meant that you cannot take everything that happens literally. You cannot react to the opponent’s initiative in only one way.
Bruce Lee first formally set out his methods in this early book “Chinese Kung Fu” published in 1963. He also illustrated it with precise drawings which highlighted every detail of the text. “We must adapt”, said Bruce. To analyze and know what is happening completely like water that fills a vessel without adjusting it to itself but taking its shape. Bruce conveyed the same idea in his few roles in the West. For example, in the tv series “The Green Hornet”. Contemporaries noted that the then young Bruce who played Kato, the sidekick of “The Green Hornet” who was fighting for justice was remembered by the audience almost more than the lead actor Van Williams.
Over the years, Williams recalled that working with Bruce was a very special experience for him. The young actor had already made an impression with his abilities and at the same time was extremely respectful of his colleagues. Williams noted that Lee was rather alien to the role but he strove to define himself in the film industry by taking on unusual characters. In those days, Bruce still had a strong accent and still the actors talked with him for a long time after filming, exchanging experiences. Lee understood that he was a newcomer to cinema and therefore willingly listened to the advice of his experienced colleagues. Bruce would often demonstrate his various martial arts skills that would amaze everyone as he performed his techniques. Van Williams recalls that Lee’s actions were difficult to see even when watching him. It was his fantastic speed.
Bruce Lee (an interview extract):
“There are various kinds of stripes. It depends on where you hit and what weapon you will be using. To the eyes, you will use fingers. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Or straight at the face, from the waist, everything on. And then of course, Kung Fu is very sneaky. You know the chime of the Chinese, they always hit low from high. Let’s go back to the start. There is the finger jab, there is a punch, there is the breakfast and then low. Of course, then they use legs. Straight at the groin or come up or if I can back up a little bit. They start up from the head and then come back. ”
The World of Boxing!:
In the year 1967, at a karate tournament, Lee proposed a concept of contact fighting based on Jeet Kune Do. But not everyone liked Bruce’s departure from tradition. He was condemned not only by many masters in the East but also by the teacher Ip Man, who is against Lee’s intention to bring martial arts to the Hollywood film industry. Bruce was also condemned in the West and the Chinese community in San Francisco was against Lee opening his martial arts groups to other races. However, Bruce solved this problem very simply. He challenged his critics, defeated their best and thereby proved his right to teach Kung Fu at his own discretion.
The World of Boxing!:
Before long, word is out concerning Lee’s art and he begins to attract the attention of America’s top martial artists as well as many prestigious southern California actors and athletes. Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar among them.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Basketball Player & Bruce Lee’s Private Student):
“Bruce was an iconoclast and a rebel. He thought that the traditional martial arts were way too bound by tradition. People who were not really that effective at martial arts really were not promoting martial arts but their own nationalistic brand of martial arts and their view of the world more so than a realistic martial art fighting system. And he wanted to get to the pure essence of the art.”
The World of Boxing!:
Lee’s movement began to gain notoriety as his views were called innovative and not only beginners but also black belt holders flocked to his schools. Bruce, in front of his contemporaries through his own work and a clear view of the future of martial arts, created a name for himself and was ready for more. But in January, 1970, he closed all three schools and in August of that year, during training, Lee injured the fourth sacral nerve of his spine. Because of this injury, he was bedridden for six months and the consequences of this injury haunted Bruce all his life. But during a long period of recovery, he had enough time to realize no matter how fresh his ideas, clear his intentions and effective his techniques, Hollywood was not ready to accept him primarily because he was Chinese, which made their offers to him very narrow and stereotypical.
Bruce Lee (an interview extract):
“You better believe it man. I mean, it’s always the pigtail and bouncing around chop chop, you know with the eyes and all that. Unfortunately, such thing does exist in this world. You see, like I don’t know, a certain part of the country right, where like.. they think that business-wise it’s a risk and I don’t blame them, I don’t blame them. I mean, in the same way it’s like in Hong Kong if a foreigner come and became a star. If I were the man with the money, I probably would have my own worry of whether or not the acceptance would be there. But that’s alright, because if you honestly express yourself it doesn’t matter.”
Bruce Lee (Phone Interview – 1970):
Here I am, a Chinese and, I mean, not prejudiced or anything, but really, in realistic thinking, how many times in film is a Chinese required?
Interviewer (Phone Interview – 1970):
“Right”
Bruce Lee (Phone Interview – 1970):
“And when it is required, it is always branded as the typical, you know, “Tung-de-de-lung-dung-dung-dung-dung”
The World of Boxing!:
So Bruce decided to return to Hong Kong and establish himself there so that the West would accept him as a movie hero. He returned to the realities in which he grew up and which his viewers could relate to in one way or another as the goal of a fighter.
What was especially memorable about Bruce as opposed to other fighters who just threw repetitive blows on their opponents and the viewers did not have time to appreciate the movement in front of their eyes, each blow by Bruce was exponentially powerful and unique, honed, calibrated and punctuated with a yell.
Bruce Lee (an interview extract):
“Alright, for instance, you will read it in the book, in the magazine and everything that when somebody grabs you, you will first do this and then this and then and then and then and then, thousands of steps before you do a single thing. Of course, this kind of magazine would teach you to be feared by your enemies and admired by your friends and everything. But in gong fu it always involves a very fast motion. Like for instance, a guy grabbing your hand. It’s not the idea to do so many steps, step him right on the instep he’ll let go. This is what we mean by simplicity.
Same thing in striking, in everything; it has to be based on a very minimum motion so that everything would be directly expressed. One motion and he’s gone. Doing it gracefully, not to go “Aah..” yelling and jumping all over him. ”
The World of Boxing!:
We won’t focus on how he gained fame with Chinese producers and broke the box office records film after film, instead we want to focus on what Lee was remembered for and what attracted the viewers to him and why he is still impressive today. Several generations of viewers grew up on action films with Bruce and as we will find out later, Bruce impressed many people as a child. Lee’s characters had clear motivation. They did not go against evil on their own initiative but they could not stand aside when the innocent were suffering so that the viewer would realize that violence is only resistance against evil and injustice but not the goal itself.
Bruce Lee (an interview extract):
“I hope that the picture I am in, would either explain why the violence was done whether right or wrong or what not but unfortunately, pictures most of them here are done mainly just for the sake of violence you know what I mean, like you know, fighting for 30 minutes, get stabbed.”
The World of Boxing!:
It is no secret that many of the techniques that Bruce used in his films were intended for more dramatic scenes while not being an example of real Jeet Kune Do martial art techniques. However, even the techniques selected for filming were also as realistic as possible which was significantly different from the vision of Chinese cinema of those times.
“Well if there is no genre, I will become its founder”, Bruce reasoned.
Interviewer:
We were talking about the far eastern philosophies. I was just wondering if you ever practiced a Kung Fu or any of the other martial arts.
James Coburn (Actor):
Kung Fu, yes. Bruce Lee was a great friend of mine and we used to work out together for a long time. It was very close. We were very close friends. He’s a very interesting gentleman. Bruce, oh yes, he was a groovy guy. Yeah, I was very sorry to see him go.
Interviewer:
What do you think made him so unique?
James Coburn (Actor):
Uh… well he related everything. His whole life was related to martial arts. He lived, breathed, thought, moved, everything was dedicated to the highest principle of his own self-evolution. He created himself. Bruce Lee was a little Chinese guy who demanded of himself great excellence. I mean, he was a true artist in that respect. He created himself. We used to work out of his place and he had a 700 pound bag hung on a big iron you know or what they call them stuck in his patio and it would swung on a big spring and he would kick that thing and double it over. And uh, I would kick it and it would double me over, yeah. But he would get that thing to swing, and back and forth and pop it and pop it. He was amazing, really amazing.
Bruce Lee (an interview extract):
“To me okay, to me, ultimately, martial art means honestly expressing yourself. Now it is very difficult to do. I mean, it is easy for me to put on a show and be cocky and be flooded with a cocky feeling and then feel like, pretty cool and all that. Oh I can make all kinds of phony things. You see what I mean, blinded by it or I can show you some really fancy movements. But to express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself and to express myself honestly, now that my friend, is very hard to do.”
The World of Boxing!:
Bruce was an innovator. He showed the world martial arts in a completely different way and people took notice and then fell in love with him. But the point was not only in the techniques themselves but also in how Lee showed them, how he achieved perfection and visualization of his art. It was Bruce who once conveyed the idea that it was not enough to be a master of martial arts to shoot a complete and vivid combat scene. It was necessary to show your strikes so skillfully that audiences in the cinema felt its power as if they were there. To achieve this effect, only selected shots were included in the final version of a film, only a third of the footage that was shot. Lee was extremely demanding of all participants in the filming process but especially of himself. He sometimes recorded 10 takes of the same scene until he was completely satisfied with what was happening on camera.
Jackie Chan, one of the best actors of the martial arts genre, who many called a worthy follower of Lee, at one time worked as an extra in Bruce’s films and later recalled how once he got knocked down after a strong blow but the pain was short-lived when after the director’s command, Bruce personally approached him, helped him up and apologized for not calculating the blow.
Jackie and Bruce Lee are often compared but even Chan with his martial arts skills and worldwide popularity couldn’t match Bruce in terms of charisma and cultural influence. Thus, a new style and an incredibly pedantic approach to the work on the screen were the trademark features of the new star of the genre but Lee inspired not only with his skills and deep analysis of the fight but also with his physical form. No wonder bodybuilding icon Arnold Schwarzenegger called Bruce’s body, the benchmark for the complete absence of excess body fat. It is believed that Bruce with his height of about 171 cm and weighing from between 57 to 65 kgs, was born with an exceptional physique but this is not so.
The World of Boxing!:
From childhood, he ate poorly so that it became his habit. Even after becoming a popular actor, he still struggled with food until he finally reached a new level of training and diet which in subsequent films showed the maximum of his form. This is especially striking when comparing his form from the movie’s “Big Boss” and “Fist of Fury” to his form in “The Dragon’s Way” and in “Dragon’s Exit”. With his focus on physical strength, Bruce in principle, set the trend for active training including with weights to increase efficiency in martial arts.
Chuck Norris (Martial Artist, Actor, Film Producer & Screenwriter):
And then he calls me out of the blue, he says: “Chuck I’ve done two mov
ies in Hong kong and they’re hugely successful.” He says: “I want to do a movie now in Rome, in the Colosseum, with a fight, just like two gladiators.” He said:” and I want you to be my opponent”. And I said, so kidding, I said: “Well Bruce, who wins this fight?” He says: “I win. I’m the star of this movie.” I said: “Oh…I see”. I said: “You want to beat the world champion”, because I still held the world title. He says: “No”. He said: “I want to kill the world champion”.
The World of Boxing!:
Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee had a lot in common and given how early Bruce passed away, it was Chuck who later shared many revelations about their relationship.
Jean-Claude Van Damme (Actor, Filmmaker, Fight Choreographer & Retired Martial Artist):
“Bruce Lee was somebody who was far away but close to my heart to become what I became today. He was also powerful on the screen in terms of acting but also in terms of fighting. He was not doing “hap hap hap”, he was just like that explosion, that something very unique which you can see some traces of it in “Bloodsport”. So I want to say, thank you to Bruce Lee. I want to say thank you to his way of fighting. I want to say thank you to his acting. I want to say thank you to nature of how his face and his body was put together, his emotion. He was just the only one.”
The World of Boxing!:
An innovator, scholar, martial artist, a man with tremendous charisma and impressive muscle development, Bruce Lee became the hero of his time. The excitement around films with him in the lead was so great that sometimes the screening of films were suspended, while police were trying to deal with traffic jams and crowds of people who were attending the cinemas. And therefore, we can only imagine what a shock for many the sudden death of Bruce Lee was.
The reason for his death, we will not focus on at this time because the official version is already known. A brain edema after the body’s reaction to a medication. All other theories are unverified. Documentaries show footage from his funeral, where the procession gathered tens of thousands of people, some of whom had not really comprehended what had happened. But the real scale of the shock over his death can only be conveyed by the contemporaries of the legend.
Linda Lee (Bruce Lee’s wife):
“The speculation that surrounds Bruce’s death. It always devastates me because it is such a focus of people’s curiosity. I mean, of course, here this perfectly physically fit young man of 32, all of a sudden dies and there is no external reason that’s visible. He wasn’t in a car accident, he didn’t fall out of a building or anything like that. ”
The World of Boxing!:
On the day he lapsed into a coma, Bruce had taken a painkiller for a headache.
Linda Lee (Teacher, Martial Artist, writer & widow of Bruce Lee):
“They determined that there was an ingredient in that tablet called Meprobamate, to which he was hypersensitive, much as a person who might be allergic to penicillin or to a bee sting. What happens then, is the fluid on the brain begins to expand. It’s called cerebral edema. The brain, the fluid presses on the brain, person goes into a coma and they die and that is what happened to Bruce.”
The World of Boxing!:
Bruce’s last film, the “Game of Death” is shrouded in mystery. A significant part of the material was lost for many years after it was discovered. The film was originally being shot backwards starting with the ending climax and so much of the remaining footage was from the ending of the film. The film was supposed to express the philosophy of Lee’s martial arts, his fights with the masters, each of which represented their own style. During the filming of this movie, Lee appeared at the same time as the leading actor, director, producer, choreographer, scriptwriter, production designer, cameraman and even gaffer. He put all his skills into this picture and assembled a cast of outstanding masters. But the version edited years later, according to his fans, still did not correspond to his plans. As is the case with those who become a legend during their lifetimes.
The World of Boxing!:
Bruce’s death of 32 gave rise to many rumors and myths around his name. At the same time, no matter how incredible they became over the years, any doubt about their veracity was perceived as an insult to Lee’s memory. And yet, videos where Bruce allegedly played table tennis or lighted matches with a nunchaku are nothing more than commercials filmed much later using modern technology in a stand in. Lee’s contemporaries claimed that he could hold a 32 kg kettlebell on his outstretched arm for several seconds, that the height of his vertical jump was
more than 2 metres. A 300 kg punching bag was thrown to the side by his blows and Bruce could do 50 push-ups on one finger. All his achievements and abilities, Lee usually recorded on camera including his one-inch punch and repetitions of the most difficult push-ups.
However, a significant part of the abilities attributed to him are undocumented, which however, does not deny in theory that Lee was capable of them. The task of exposing myths surrounding Bruce Lee is difficult to say the least. The existence of such materials on platforms such as YouTube, makes separating fact from legend difficult. Anyone presenting the belief that some facts about him are just legends are doomed to condemnation. But there is a difference between criticizing and raising historical facts. Even still today, if people of fame question Bruce’s abilities, the backlash can be severe. For instance, Michael Jai White, who is a famous actor and fighter, a popular performer in his genre with several memorable roles, at one time, he made an extremely careless condemnation about Lee.
Radio RJ:
“Bruce Lee would be no match for… ” to which Michael Jai White adds: “me”. You saying you could beat Bruce Lee?
Michael Jai White (Actor & Martial Artist):
“Bruce Lee is 132 pounds. I outweigh him by a hundred pounds. He could… oh size matters baby. I mean, yeah, size matter is a great deal but um um no i’m… that slipped out but it’s it but yeah size matter is a great deal that’s that’s it’s it’s too big of a discrepancy you know, you can run across the street I ain’t gonna feel.”
The World of Boxing!:
Michael made the worst mistake possible, stating that he believed he could beat Bruce Lee. Regardless of what you think about Bruce, public statements such as this, are careless as you would receive a wave of indignation from Bruce’s fans. And so it happened. On the 44th anniversary of Lee’s death, Michael published a statement in which he admitted that he never had regretted anything so much in his life as what he had said earlier about Lee. Michael himself is far from a novice in the world of martial arts but nevertheless, when addressing a wide audience, words should be chosen much more carefully, when talking about Bruce Lee, who is revered as the greatest martial artist in history.
In addition, the weight of an opponent would not have been an advantage in a fight against Bruce. This exact thought was voiced by martial artist and performer Jim Kelly, who had a role in the film “Coming out of the Dragon”.
Jim Kelly (Athlete, Actor & Martial Artist):
“I’ve been.. I fought the best. I trained with the best. I know great martial artists and there’s never been anybody in my opinion, like Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee was unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable guys. You don’t know how great this guy was but this guy was.. I don’t.. there’s stories I know about Bruce Lee I don’t even share because I have more.. I have respect for the people… other people the martial arts..and I… it’s not necessarily name names. I know who Bruce Lee sparred with. Yeah I know. They won’t tell you but I know people he sparred with. I never mentioned their names either but Bruce Lee was untouchable. Yeah, it doesn’t matter what size, you can be a lightweight, middleweight, heavyweight, didn’t matter. Bruce does this with light lightweight. One Bruce one point one fifty-five yeah like one maybe yeah… but how tall five seven maybe seven no more. Uh he could spark anybody any size. Didn’t matter what size you were and he would spar with you and pants and feet and then he said: “Okay, let’s just go hands.” Just hands.”
The World of Boxing!:
But the fact remains that being a recognized martial arts master and a professional in demonstrating strikes on camera, Bruce had no sanctioned competitive fights in his entire life, in comparison with someone like Chuck Norris. Indeed there are a few records of Lee’s demonstration performances on the internet. There is evidence that he conducted closed sparring’s with masters from all over the world. But the truth is, he did not participate in official competitive battles. However, this does not mean that Bruce’s style would not be effective within the framework of a tournament but the truth is that all the talk about real fights of the legend as well as assumptions about how it would look against modern stars of mixed martial arts, are just that; assumptions.
The World of Boxing!:
Such speculation is inevitable when it comes to a legend of Bruce’s scale. Moreover, the fighter continues to inspire his followers even in our time. For example 8-year-old Ryusei Imai, who from a very young age copied Lee’s movements, repeats his workouts and is already appearing in films. Nike designers once created one of the best sneakers in the Kyrie 3 series, inspired by the talent and charisma of Bruce Lee and Kobe Bryant.
In this video, we did not strive to cover every detail of Bruce’s life, since a lot has been said before and we relied on some of those materials and we would be more than happy to create further videos on this legend if the viewers are interested. This special video is rather an attempt to remember what traits made Bruce a legend. I am sure that some of our viewers can supply further details about Bruce’s personal influence such as: Which of his movies did you see first? What impression did he personally make on you? And don’t forget to mention whether his philosophy influenced your life in any way.
Thanks to everyone who enjoyed the video. Please leave any comments below and don’t forget to subscribe to the channel.
