Bruce Lee was without a doubt one of the greatest martial artists that ever lived. Every martial art has its masters and figureheads, but Lee’s legacy outlives them all. So what was Bruce Lee’s hidden secret?
Lee founded his own fighting style of Jeet Kune Do because he believed that other arts were too restricted and confined. I think this remains a fair observation and criticism to this day. The desire to retain the traditions of some martial arts and keep their true roots alive can have the opposite effect and mean that they do not develop and ‘improve’ over the years. This is a strange situation since most martial arts can be traced back to other martial arts and to other combat systems.
Let’s take the self-defense system of aikido as an example. Although aikido in its ‘pure form’ is quite modern, it can be traced back to much older systems and techniques used by samurai. Although there are some progressive styles that have modernized and embraced new thinking, some clubs eschew this approach and keep everything as it was in the founders’ days.
Bruce Lee observed that you cannot train in “patterns” as some martial arts do because in reality the fights, eg street fights, are bewildering and chaotic. Each person fights with a different style, speed and approach and to win we must be able to adapt to this.
Lee also understood that being a winning street fighter involved a high level of fitness and technical skill. This is another key lesson we can learn. In addition to the physical demands of a fight or violent encounter, the body will react under stress, and the heart rate and other bodily functions will react in different ways. Spending hours learning self defense techniques without a good level of fitness can be a waste of time.
One of Bruce’s key aerobic exercise regimens was running. In addition to the distances, this would involve changes of pace from ‘jogging’ to fast sprints. Of course, we now know that this method is the best way to train for marathons and other demanding events.
Good old jump rope exercises were another key element of Bruce Lee’s training methods. Shadow boxing helped improve stamina but also speed and of course speed is what Lee was known for. It is one of the amazing facts about Bruce Lee that he had to slow down his movements to allow them to be captured on film! There are many myths and legends surrounding it, but this is a fact.
Lee also understood the need to warm up and cool down for any exercise. Once again, he was ahead of his time in that modern sports scientists tell us these are essential. To maintain and improve joint and muscle health, it is important to allow warm-up and cool-down time.
Modern street self defense methods are largely based on the foundation that Lee created and I am grateful to him and his memory for the combat systems we have today.
