Dan Inosanto is a Filipino-American martial arts instructor who is best known as a training partner of Bruce Lee. Inosanto is an authority on Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Martial Arts including Eskrima and Pencak Silat.
Dan Inosanto began training in martial arts at the age of 11 receiving instruction from his uncle who first taught him traditional Okinawan Karate and later also Judo and Jujutsu. He was a student of Ed Parker, from whom he received a shodan rank in American Kenpo. Inosanto is one of three people who have been appointed to teach at one of the three Jun Fan Gung Fu Institutes under Bruce Lee; Taky Kimura and James Yimm Lee are the other two people.
Inosanto studied with different martial arts masters elsewhere in the United States, Southeast Asia, and Europe, including Johnny Lacoste, and Chai Sirisute. After Bruce Lee’s death, Inosanto became the principal spokesperson and historian for Jeet Kune Do. He has had minor roles in a number of films, including Bruce Lee’s uncompleted last film Game of Death (1972). During this time period (1964–75), he also taught physical education at Malaga Cove Intermediate School in Palos Verdes Estates, California.
The transcript below is from the video “Dan Inosanto: Meeting and Training With Bruce Lee” by World of Martial Arts Television.
Guro Dan Inosanto discusses the early days with Bruce Lee, what training was like and how the school was established, and how he heard of his unfortunate death.
Inosanto teaches The Art and Philosophy of Jeet Kune Do, Filipino Martial Arts, Shoot Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, Silat, Mixed Martial Arts and other arts at his Marina del Rey, California school, the Inosanto Academy of Martial Arts. He was an instructor for Ed Parker in American Kenpo Karate before becoming a student of Bruce Lee. Inosanto is one of three people allowed by Bruce Lee to teach his Martial Arts style, and the only one to be given Instructorship in Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do. Inosanto also studied with dozens of martial art masters elsewhere in the United States, Southeast Asia, and Europe. After Bruce Lee’s death, he has become the principal spokesperson for Jeet Kune Do. He has had minor roles in a number of movies, including the Game of Death (1973).
Always a student himself, he continues to train with many highly regarded martial artists. Consequently, he holds Instructor or Black Belt level ranks in numerous, different martial arts. In addition, he is well known for promoting the Filipino Martial Arts. He is responsible for bringing several obscure forms of the Filipino Martial Arts into the public eye and saving them from extinction. He has recently acquired his black belt in the Machado Family style of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Will Henshaw (World of Martial Arts Television & YouTube Channel)
“Who are you?”
Dan Inosanto (Filipino-American Martial Arts instructor)
“Okay, my name is Dan Inosanto. I’m from Los Angeles, California.”
Will Henshaw (World of Martial Arts Television & YouTube Channel)
“How did you first meet Bruce Lee?”
Dan Inosanto (Filipino-American Martial Arts instructor)
“I believe it’s August the 1st, 1964. I was under Ed Parker at that time and I always told him, “Take care of Bruce Lee” when he was in Long Beach, California.”
Will Henshaw (World of Martial Arts Television & YouTube Channel)
“What did your job entail for Ed Parker?”
Dan Inosanto (Filipino-American Martial Arts instructor)
“I was the elimination tournament. I set up the tournament. That was the first international karate championships they had and my job was to make sure that Bruce Lee ate and to drive him around for sightseeing along the Long Beach area, and just saw him the Long Beach area, Los Angeles area. That’s what I did with Bruce Lee at that time.”
Will Henshaw (World of Martial Arts Television & YouTube Channel)
“Do you remember Bruce Lee’s demonstration?”
Dan Inosanto (Filipino-American Martial Arts instructor)
“His demonstration was that he showed various different things. He showed what the… His best demonstration was in front of the black belts, in my opinion. Then he gave one in front of the whole crowd in 1964, demonstrating what was traditional Chinese Kung Fu and what his system was at that particular time period.”
Will Henshaw (World of Martial Arts Television & YouTube Channel)
“What were your first impressions of Jhoon Rhee and Bruce Lee?”
Dan Inosanto (Filipino-American Martial Arts instructor)
“Jhoon Rhee was probably one of the best instructors at that time in the United States in Taekwondo, and exceptionally good kicker. My thing of Bruce Lee was that he was very all-round at kicking, punching, striking. In the clinching game or in the trapping game, he was superb.”
Will Henshaw (World of Martial Arts Television & YouTube Channel)
“How did you begin training with Bruce Lee?”
Dan Inosanto (Filipino-American Martial Arts instructor)
“He at that time was living in Seattle and then he was going to move in with James Lee but before he did that, he stayed about it seemed like three weeks doing demonstrations at the Kim Sing Theatre in Chinatown. He needed a fall guy to do this and so I wanted to learn from him. I told him I was very impressed in what he was teaching. He phoned me up and he says, “Well, would you dummy for me at these demonstrations at Kim Sing Theatre?” So about three weeks, he taught me and I became his dummy for demonstration at Kim Sing Theatre in Los Angeles, Chinatown.”
