The Legend Begins: Bruce Lee’s Early Years

Bruce Lee: “There is the finger jab, there is the punch, there is the breakfast, and then more. They start back here and then come back.”

Bruce Lee was the martial artist’s martial artist. I know we’ve got a lot of guys who are killing it today and are famous for their fighting prowess, but I can assure you that most of these guys had Bruce as their Mentor or inspiration. Despite only living for 32 years, Bruce was able to leave a mark on pop culture that remains indelible to this day, and the man’s fighting exploits were so insane that to date, a lot of people actually don’t believe that he was able to do some of the things he did. Fortunately, we have video evidence of some of Bruce’s most insane fights, and if you’re an unbeliever, perhaps these clips would be enough to show you that this man was definitely the real deal. Oh boy, got to tell that the dragon of martial arts. Before we go deep into footage of Bruce’s incredible scraps, it might be worth looking into just who this man really was.

From Childhood to Combat: Bruce’s Martial Journey

First, it might interest you to know that Bruce’s name isn’t actually Bruce. He was actually born Lee Junfan in 1940 to a Cantonese opera singer father and a Chinese mother. Bruce was born in California after his parents traveled to the United States for an international Opera tour, and because of his birth, he was able to claim American citizenship. When Bruce was just 4 months old, his family moved back to Hong Kong; however, they soon experienced some hardship, especially as Japan launched an attack on Hong Kong in the middle of World War II and ruled the city for the next 4 years. Because of his father’s profession, a young Bruce was quickly introduced to the world of cinema at a very young age. He even appeared in several films as a child, where he soon took a Chinese name that translated loosely to “Lee the Little Dragon.” By the time he was 18, Bruce had already appeared in 20 films; however, he struggled a lot in school at this time as well. Instead, he’d be involved in several street fights, seemingly unable to ever get out of trouble. Due to his penchant for fighting, Bruce’s parents decided it would be best for him to be trained in martial arts, and in many ways, this might just have been the best decision of his life.

The Rise of a Master: Bruce’s Martial Arts Legacy

By 1953, Bruce’s friend William Chung introduced him to Yip Man, although he was unable to learn Wing Chun Kung Fu under the legendary trainer due to a long-standing rule in the Chinese martial arts community that prevented the arts from being taught to foreigners, and because Bruce had a European background from his mother’s side. Nevertheless, Chung spoke on Bruce’s behalf, and he was later admitted into martial arts school. Bruce began his Wing Chun training with Yip Man, who encouraged his students to discipline themselves and only fight in organized settings. Anyway, it didn’t take long for Bruce to become pretty good at martial arts. In 1958, he even won a Hong Kong schools boxing tournament, knocking out the former champion. But he never really could stay out of trouble; his street fights became more frequent, and he even got in trouble when the parents of one of the boys he beat reported him to the police. By 1959, Bruce’s mother decided it would be best if he went back to the states to stay with his older sister Agnes. A few months after returning to San Francisco, Bruce moved to Seattle, where he continued his education and worked as a live-in waiter at a local restaurant. That same year, Bruce became so good at martial arts that he literally began teaching it. He invented his own style, which he called Jun fan Gung Fu, and he opened his first martial arts school in Seattle. After dropping out of university in early 1964, Bruce moved to Oakland, where he continued to train as a martial artist. He saw a lot of success here, competing in the 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships, an event where he also performed his popular one-inch punch for the first time.

Challenges and Triumphs: Bruce’s Battles Beyond the Ring

Bruce’s profile as a martial arts master was really only just growing. People loved the fact that he was teaching something new, and many who were fighting enthusiasts had actually come around to learn from him. Here’s the thing though, this act didn’t necessarily go down well with some people. Remember when Bruce was looking to learn Wing Chun in the first place? Well, like I said, the Chinese were very shy about the art form, and they were especially not happy with teaching it to foreigners. Because Bruce’s mother was Eurasian, he basically qualified as an outsider, and he was only able to learn the art form because someone vouched for him. Now when Bruce got to America, he pretty much put a spin on Wing Chun and began teaching it to everyone, and some Wing Chun purists were incredibly furious at this. One such person was Wong Jackman, a martial artist and teacher who studied under Ma Fin Fung. Wong was known for his mastery of several martial arts, including Xingyiquan, Northern Shaolin, and Taiji. Now there have been several stories about what happened between Bruce and Wong, but the most prominent is the account that was given by Bruce’s very own wife, Linda.

Lights, Camera, Action: Bruce’s Hollywood Journey

Bruce went on to have a successful acting career. It all started when he played the role of Kato alongside Van Williams in the TV series “The Green Hornet,” and from there, he became a bona fide movie star. Over the next few years, Bruce would continue to star in several movies, including “Ironside,” “Marlowe,” and more. At the same time, he also helped in the production of movies like “The Wrecking Crew” and “A Walk in the Spring Rain,” acting in positions like choreography instructors and technical advisers. In this same period, Bruce also invented Jeet Kune Do, a new take on martial arts which he founded in 1967. After being out of work for a bit, Bruce established the Junfang Gung Fu Institute and decided to once again make a new spin on traditional Kung Fu that would focus more on practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency. Under Jeet Kune Do, Bruce focused on using methods such as weight training for strength, running for endurance, and stretching for flexibility. He believed the traditional fighting styles had already become too obsolete and rigid, and he was looking for a quick break from the norm.

Enter the Dragon: Bruce’s Magnum Opus

Heading into the ’70s, Bruce decided that he had had enough of Western movies and chose instead to go back to his hometown to create martial arts flicks. Once again, he struck gold with this idea. Going back home would help him develop the martial arts scene over there, and interestingly, it made him even more of a cult hero in Hollywood as his films continued to generate the type of appeal that kept him relevant. At the same time, Bruce’s ability to still draw this international pull helped to feed into his mystique as a person and a character. Bruce was able to hone his martial arts skills in the presence of like minds, and the fact that the acting gigs kept coming meant that he essentially got the best of both worlds. Now, Bruce’s work back in Hong Kong and Asia was really where people got to see just how much of a dedicated fighter and choreographer he was. And you can just imagine the intense tales that were told of his time here. Just as well, there are several pieces of footage that just go to show how intense Bruce was when it came to putting in the work and perfecting his craft.

Training Montage: Behind the Scenes with Bruce

For instance, check out this training montage of Bruce at his house. Now, it should be worth noting that this kicking pad isn’t light. Most kicking pads weigh a few pounds, and if you know anyone who trains with them, they’d tell you that these things can be pretty thick and heavy. Still, despite his relatively slender frame, Bruce was able to kick that pad with such ferocity that even the guy who held it had no choice but to take a few steps back every time. Bruce’s kicking exploits were the stuff of legend. According to many sources, he loved his kicking pad so much that he would actually take it anywhere with him. Bruce would regularly invite people into his home to spar with him, and as the reports go, he’d regularly kick them so hard that they’d straight up go flying into the air. I know this guy didn’t fly, but something tells me Bruce was just getting warmed up here. Besides his intense kicking regimen, Bruce was also known to be a particularly strong puncher. Many have alluded to the man’s ability to punch quick and hard, giving him that deadly combo that no one ever wanted to mess with, even on their best day.

The Power of the Punch: Bruce’s Martial Arts Mastery

And you can see a perfect example of this in another training video. Bruce’s punching was so intense that he reportedly had challenges with regular punching bags because he’d just punch through them and tear them down. So, instead of just leaving things to chance, he actually found a new challenge. For regular people, punching bags usually weigh somewhere around 50 kg. For Bruce, however, his bags were said to weigh somewhere around 135 kg. That’s almost three times the size of a regular bag, and I’m pretty sure Bruce would have grown to tear some of those down as well. Yeah, if you loved yourself, you never wanted to get on Bruce Lee’s bad side, for sure. Bruce’s push-up routine. Moving on, there’s also an interesting clip here of Bruce performing his famous one- and two-finger push-up. For us mere mortals, doing push-ups on two hands in itself is a hassle. Once you’re done with the first 5 to 10, you start to feel a tingle in your core that tells you this was a bad idea. The best among us can complete a few push-ups with a single hand. For Bruce Lee, however, this was more than a cakewalk. So much so that he decided to make things even more challenging by only using two of the fingers on a single hand to lift himself up and go back down.

One-Inch Phenomenon: Bruce’s Signature Moves

Finally, we have footage of the famous one-inch punch. Remember when I mentioned it earlier? Well, the one-inch punch is one of the most impressive things Bruce Lee invented. To understand it, imagine trying to hit someone with a punch. Normally, you’d try to stand at a reasonable distance, then throw the punch, allowing your dominant hand to get enough momentum to strike the person head-on. For Bruce, though, standing at a far distance was a pointless exercise. Instead, he preferred his technique where he’d literally stand at about a distance of an inch from his target, then still hit them with enough force to get them to move backward. To date, the one-inch punch has remained one of the most impressive martial arts moves. Hundreds of people have tried to replicate it, but not many have been able to do so successfully. It is a rare move that exhibits the seamless combination of power and speed and one which will require a significant amount of expertise to maneuver.

The Legacy Lives On: Bruce’s Enduring Inspiration

Bruce Lee was and remains one of the most prominent martial artists to ever walk the earth. This man did things that no one would have believed if the video footage didn’t exist, and even to this day, many people who have tried to replicate what he did have simply failed. Still, Bruce is an inspiration, living proof that you can achieve anything you want to do if you set your mind to it. But what do you think? Got any fond memories of Bruce? Let us know in the comments.