Information AboutBruce Lee |
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Bruce Lee's sculpture in the Avenue of Stars, HK]] Bruce Jun Fan Lee ( November 27 , 1940 — July 20 , 1973 ) was an American -born Chinese Martial Artist and Martial Arts actor widely regarded as one of the most influential Martial Artists of the 20th Century . Lee's Movies , especially his performance in the Hollywood -produced '' Enter The Dragon '', elevated the traditional Hong Kong Martial Arts Film to a new level of quality and popularity. Lee used filmmaking to prove and demonstrate his Fighting Theories and Jeet Kune Do and his pioneering efforts paved the way for future martial artists and actors such as Jackie Chan , Jet Li , and Chuck Norris . Lee's movies sparked the first major surge of interest in Chinese Martial Arts in the West. The direction and tone of his films changed and influenced Martial Arts and martial arts films in Hong Kong , China , and the rest of the world. Lee became an Iconic figure particularly to Chinese; as he portrayed Chinese national pride and Chinese Nationalism in his movies."Bruce Lee King of Kung-Fu", Dennis, Felix & Atyeo, Don, Straight Arrow Books, U.S. (1974) First Printing, ISBN 0-87932-088-5 Many see Lee as a model Blueprint for acquiring a strong and efficient body as well as developing a mastery of Martial Arts and Hand To Hand Combat skills. Bruce Lee's evaluation of the Traditional Martial Arts doctrines is nowadays seen as the first step into the modern style of Hybrid Martial Arts . EARLY LIFE Bruce Lee was an to his Chinese father Lee Hoi-Chuen (李海泉) and Chinese- German Yang, Jeff, et all. ''Eastern Standard Time: A Guide to Asian Influence on American Culture.'' Boston/New York: Meridian/Houghton Mifflin, 1997. mother Grace Lee (何金棠). Names Bruce's surname (三藩市)""The Bruce Lee Story", Lee, Linda & Bleecker, Tom, OHRA PUBLICATIONS INC., U.S. (1989) First Printing, ISBN 0-89750-121-7. At birth, Bruce Lee was given the English name "Bruce" by Dr. Mary Glover. Mrs. Lee had not initially planned on an American name but deemed it appropriate and concurred with Dr. Glover"Bruce Lee The Untold Story", Lee, Grace & Unique Pub. Editors, CFW Enterprise UNIQUE PUBLICATIONS, U.S. (1980) First Printing, ISBN 0865680094. Interestingly the name "Bruce" was never used within his family until he enrolled in La Salle College , a Hong Kong High School , at 12 years of age. In addition, Lee initially had a birth name (Li Yuen Kam)(李炫金; Mandarin Pinyin: Lǐ Xuànjīn) given by his mother, as at the time Lee's father was away on a Chinese Opera tour. After several months, when Lee's father returned, the name was abandoned because of a conflict with the name of Lee's grandfather. Lee was then renamed ''Jun Fan''. Finally, Lee was also given a feminine name, ''Sai Fung'' (細鳳, literally "small Phœnix "), used throughout his early childhood in keeping with a Chinese custom traditionally thought to hide the child from evil spirits. Bruce Lee's screen name was ''Lee Siu Lung'' in and Phoenix come in pairs to represent the male and female genders, respectively. Education and martial arts training Bruce Lee was educated both academically and in the field of martial arts. His studies of Kung Fu sparked his enthusiasm and understanding of martial arts in the development of Jeet Kune Do . Later Lee studied Judo , Jujitsu , Western Boxing, and other styles of martial arts. Lee received his early Education and Kung Fu training in Hong Kong. Because of his father's fame as a Chinese Opera actor, Lee had the opportunity to appear in several Hong Kong movies as a child. He studied the Wing Chun style of martial arts at a young age and learned English , Cantonese , and Mandarin . Having seen his father practice Tai Chi Chuan , Lee was enrolled in Wing Chun under Sifu Yip Man . Wing Chun would later form a base for his later development and Evolution of martial arts and the development of Jeet Kune Do . At age 14, Bruce Lee entered La Salle College , a High School , under the wing of Brother Henry. In 1959, Bruce got into a fight with a feared Triad gang member's son, and his father worried, so he and his wife decided to send Bruce to the United States to live with an old friend of his father's. All he had was $100 in his pocket and the title of 1958 Crown Colony Cha Cha Champion of Hong Kong. After living in San Francisco , he moved to Seattle to work for Ruby Chow, another friend of his father's. In 1959, Lee completed his , and a son, actor Brandon Lee , who was killed in a film set accident in 1993. Early acting career A few Credits short of Graduation from the University Of Washington as a philosophy major, Lee headed to San Francisco and then Hollywood. In 1964 at a demonstration in Long Beach, California , the soon-to-be-famous Lee met Karate champion Chuck Norris . Lee would later introduce Norris to portray one of Lee's opponents in ''Return of the Dragon'', aka '' Way Of The Dragon '', in a famous Colosseum Fight Scene . Lee went on to star as Kato in the TV Series '' The Green Hornet '', which ran from 1966 to 1967 and afterward opened up his own Jeet Kune Do School . Later Lee would use filmmaking to demonstrate his fighting Theories . He had created the character idea for the role of Kwai-Chang-Caine for the TV Series Kung Fu , but the role eventually went to David Carradine instead. MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Tai Chi Chuan Young Bruce learned the fundamentals of Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan from his father, Lee Hoi Cheun. Lee's Wing Chun Sifu, Yip Man, was also a colleague and friend of Hong Kong Wu family teacher Wu Ta-chi . He always held that the principles of Tai Chi Chuan influenced his view of martial arts all through his life as an actor and a martial artist. While it is obvious that the style studied by his father was the Wu style, Lee was seen on at least one occasion demonstrating the 108 Basic Movements of the Yang form. Hung Gar In between the learning of Tai Chi and Wing Chun , Lee also learned bits and pieces of the Kung Fu style Hung Gar from a friend of his father. While we do not know how much he learned of this particular martial art, there are photographs of Bruce demonstrating animal stances and forms found within its teachings. Wing Chun Bruce Lee began his formal martial arts training at a young age (14) in Wing Chun under Hong Kong Wing Chun master Yip Man . Bruce was introduced to Grandmaster Yip Man by William Cheung , who was then a live-in student of Yip Man, in early 1954 . Like most martial arts schools at that time, Grandmaster Yip Man's classes were often taught by the highest ranking students. One of the highest ranking students under Yip Man at the time of Lee's training was Wong Shun-leung , who is understood to have had the largest influence. Lee did not finish the Wing Chun curriculum. Bruce Lee's first formal, organized bout came as a teenager at his Catholic school in Hong Kong. He was to fight a young British Boxer , a reigning two-time boxing champion. Bruce knocked his opponent out with repeated strikes, using the Wing Chun technique ''jik chung chuy''. Jeet Kune Do See Also: Jeet Kune Do It would not be until his arrival in the United States , however, that Lee began the process of creating his own system, which he would later teach at the martial arts schools he opened first in Seattle starting with Judo practitioner Jesse Glover as his first student who later became his first assistant instructor, and the first person authorized by Lee to teach aspects of Bruce Lee's Gung Fu . Then in , a Kung Fu style; and Jeet Kune Do, which incorporated elements from martial arts outside of Kung Fu with the intent to create a more streamlined and practical martial art, as well as a comprehensive system of fitness training. He frequently gave demonstrations of his two-finger pushups and his famous " One Inch Punch " to demonstrate his martial arts. Bruce Lee saw loyalty to any particular Martial Arts style as a limitation. Instead, he emphasized what he called "the style of no style". Lee also named his martial arts system Jun Fan Gung Fu , which consisted mostly of elements of Wing Chun, with elements of what he knew of Western Boxing , Fencing , and other martial arts. Lee expanded this system over time, including elements from Indo-Malay Silat , Panantukan , Sikaran , Catch Wrestling , Karate , Judo , Jujitsu , Taekwondo , and other martial arts. It would be much later that he would come to describe his system as ''Jeet Kune Do'' or the ''Way of the Intercepting Fist'', a term he would later regret because ''Jeet Kune Do'' implied specific parameters that styles connotate whereas the whole point of the system was to exist outside of parameters and limitations. Some confuse the Jeet Kune Do system with the personal version that Bruce Lee practised. It can be seen as both a process and a product, the latter deriving from the former. Lee claimed that, after arriving in San Francisco, his theories about martial arts and his teaching of "secret" Chinese martial arts to non- Asian students gave him enemies in the martial arts community. A contest was scheduled between him and Wong Jack Man , a practitioner of Northern Shaolin Kung Fu . Bruce Lee's description of the fight was that a rival martial arts master named Wong Jack Man challenged him to a duel over his decision to teach non-Chinese students. Bruce Lee accepted the challenge. Many who witnessed the fight believed Lee had won the duel, however Wong disputes this. Lee later took the view that the fight took "too long" because traditional martial arts techniques were too rigid and formalistic to be practical in scenarios of chaotic street fighting. Perhaps as a result of this fight, he decided to develop a system with an emphasis on ''"practicality, flexibilty, speed, and efficiency"''. Wong's version of the story suggested that he had only challenged Bruce Lee after Lee sent out a challenge to all martial artists in San Francisco . However, Lee did not agree with this account. The numbers of people who attended the fight ranged from 8 to 13Dorgan, Michael. ''Bruce Lee's Toughest Fight'' {Link without Title} . (1980 July). Official Karate. (The neutrality of this article is debatable).. Wong and another attendee, William Chen, remembered the fight as being more than 20 minutes, and that Wong was on the defensive and Lee was the aggressor. Bruce Lee's description said that he had chased Wong around the room until finally subduing him. Wong later published his own view on the outcome of the fight in the Chinese Pacific Weekly newspaper and an invitation to Lee for a public rematch. Lee, however, did not publically respond to Wong's invitation for unknown reasons. Beyond Jeet Kune Do The match with Wong influenced Lee's philosophy on fighting. Lee believed that the fight had lasted too long and that he had failed to live up to his potential. At this point he decided to start different methods of training such as Weight Training for strength, running for endurance, stretching for flexibility, and many others which he constantly adapted. During this time Lee developed his own combat techniques, also demonstrating the infamous One Inch Punch , of Wing Chun, during a Karate tournament at Long Beach. Bruce Lee certified three instructors: Dan Inosanto, Taky Kimura, and James Yimm Lee (no relation to Bruce Lee). James Yimm Lee, a close friend of Bruce Lee, died without certifiying additional students. Taky Kimura, to date, has certified one person in . All other instructors are certified under Inosanto, who acts as a leading instructor and historian of Jeet Kune Do Concepts . Inosanto also teaches and practices other styles such as Kali , Silat , Muay Thai , Brazilian Jujitsu , and others martial arts styles, some of which were already incorporated into the ''Jun Fan Gung Fu'' system. Prior to his death, Lee told his then only two living instructors Inosanto and Kimura (James Yimm Lee had died in 1972.) to dismantle his schools. Dan Inosanto was implementing Filipino Martial Arts into the curriculum. Dan Inosanto asked permission to teach in his back yard, to which Bruce replied "Keep the numbers small and the quality high." As a result of a lawsuit between the estate of Bruce Lee (a.k.a. Concord Moon) and the Inosanto Academy, the name "Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do" was legally trademarked, and the rights were given solely to the Lee estate. "The name is made up of two parts: 'Jun Fan' (Bruce’s given Chinese name) and 'Jeet Kune Do' (the Way of the Intercepting Fist). The development of Bruce Lee’s art from 1959 until the end of his life was one smooth and indivisible path. In the beginning, he referred to his teachings simply as 'Jun Fan Gung Fu.' Later he further refined his art as a unique gung fu all its own – Jeet Kune Do" (from the Bruce Lee Foundation Web site). Many martial arts instructors, in an effort to promote themselves or their martial arts schools, make dubious claims about learning from or teaching Bruce Lee. There are only a few living people who can trace their lineage directly to Bruce Lee, the most famous being Dan Inosanto, Jerry Poteet, Taky Kimura, Jesse Glover, Ted Wong, Steve Golden, and a few others. PHYSICAL TRAINING, FITNESS, AND NUTRITION Bruce Lee cared deeply about his Physical Fitness , and he became famous for his physical condition despite his small stature. Lee typically exhibited a muscular and very lean appearance in his films, particularly in his upper body. Bruce Lee felt that many Martial Artist s of his day lacked the necessary physical fitness to back up their Fighting skills. Bruce Lee used many different techniques and resources in aiding his physical fitness, including the use of electric current as an aid to Strength Training . However, this muscle stimulator was only one of many pieces of equipment and Exercise routines that Lee used to achieve his fighting ability. Footage of Lee performing a fighting scene was often slowed down because it would only show as a blur on screen. Lee developed a trick for showing off his speed: a person held a coin and closed his hand, and as he closed it, Lee would take it and could even swap the coin for another. The Weight Training program that Lee used during a stay in Hong Kong in 1965 indicated Bicep Curl s of eighty pounds and eight repetitionsLee, Linda. 1989. ''The Bruce Lee Story'' Ohara Publications, California. (''p.70'') for endurance. This translates to an estimated One Repetition Maximum of 110 poundsWathen, Dan. 1994. ''Load Assignment. In Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning.'' Human Kinetics, Illinois. (''p.436''), placing Lee in approximately the 100th Percentile for the 121 to 140 pound weight classHatfield, Fredrick C., Ph. D. 1993. ''Fitness: The Complete Guide.'' International Sport Sciences Association, California. (''p.119''). Bruce Lee was light because he was more interested in lean muscles and not bulky mass. His exercise routines consisted of a lot of things, for example weights and cardiovascular training. Bruce did not resort to traditional "body building" techniques to build mass; he was more interested in speed and power. He developed strategies to increase muscle strength and speed. Lee believed that the abdominal muscles were one of the most important muscle groups for a martial artist, since virtually ''every movement'' requires some degree of abdominal work. Perhaps more importantly, the "abs" are like a shell, protecting the ribs and vital organs. Bruce Lee's washboard abs did not come from mere abdominal training; he was also a proponent of cardiovascular conditioning and would regularly run, jump rope, and ride a stationary bicycle. A typical exercise for Lee would be to run a distance of two to six Mile s in fifteen to forty-five minutes. Nutrition Another element in Bruce Lee's quest for abdominal definition was Nutrition . According to Linda Lee, soon after he moved to the United States , Bruce started to take nutrition seriously and developed an interest in health foods and high-protein drinks. He ate lean meat sparingly and consumed large amounts of fruits and vegetables. In later years, he studied Vitamin supplements. 1964 LONG BEACH INTERNATIONAL KARATE CHAMPIONSHIPS At the invitation of (using the Thumb and the Index Finger ) with feet at approximately a shoulder-width apart. In the same Long Beach event he also performed the "one inch punch," the description of which is as follows: Lee stood upright, his right foot forward with knees bent slightly, in front of a standing, stationary partner. Lee's right arm was partly extended and his right fist approximately an inch away from the partner's chest. Without retracting his right arm, Lee then forcibly delivered the punch to his partner while largely maintaining his posture, sending the partner backwards and falling into a chair placed behind the partner to prevent injury. BRUCE LEE'S FEATS Here are some of Bruce Lee's real life feats of speed, strength and endurance. This information is taken from various Documentaries and Magazines .
Quotes from Bruce Lee's friends These are some quotes from Bruce Lee's friends about his feats of strength:
DEATH, "BY MISADVENTURE" Bruce Lee's death was officially attributed to Cerebral Edema . On July 20 , 1973 , Lee was in Hong Kong, due to have dinner with former James Bond star George Lazenby , with whom he intended to make a film. According to Lee's wife Linda, Bruce met producer Raymond Chow at 2 P.M. at home to discuss the making of the movie '' Game Of Death ''. They worked until 4 P.M. and then drove together to the home of Betty Ting Pei , a Taiwanese actress and Bruce Lee's alleged mistress, who was to have a leading role in the film. The three went over the script at her home, and then Chow left to attend a dinner meeting. A short time later, Lee complained of a headache, and Ting Pei gave him an was summoned, who spent ten minutes attempting to revive him before sending him by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital . However, Lee was dead by the time he reached the hospital. There was no visible external injury; however, his Brain had swollen considerably, from 1,400 to 1,575 grams (13%). Lee was thirty-two years old. On October 15 , 2005 , Chow stated in an interview that Lee was allergic to Equagesic, an analgesic formulation containing Meprobamate , Aspirin , and Ethoheptazine . When the Doctors announced Bruce Lee's death officially, it was coined as "Death by Misadventure." However, the exact details of Lee's death are controversial. Bruce Lee's iconic status and unusual death at a young age led many people to develop many theories about Lee's death, such as a murder involving an ancestral Curse , Triads , Gangsters , Ninjas , sudden death in Epilepsy , and so on — none of these has ever been proven. At the 2006 meeting of the American Academy Of Forensic Sciences , Dr. James Filkins, formerly of the Cook County medical examiner's office in Chicago , suggested that Lee had died from Sudden Unexpected Death In Epilepsy ( SUDEP ), a syndrome only recognized in 1995 {Link without Title} . MARTIAL ARTS LINEAGE FILMOGRAPHY Lee starred in a leading role in a total of five major films, two of which (''Enter the Dragon'', ''Game of Death'') premiered after his death. Note: The English titles for the first two films were swapped by the U.S. distributor. The title ''The Chinese Connection'' (a play on the then-recently-released ''The French Connection'') was originally intended for ''The Big Boss'' due to the drugs theme of the story. Yuen Lo (Later to become action super star Jackie Chan ), was a member of the Seven Little Fortunes he was a stunt double for the villain Mr Suzuki in Bruce's Fist Of Fury at the time it was a record as he fell 15 feet without the aid of safety equipment. Also, during filming of Enter The Dragon Jackie was hit in the face by Bruce's feared Nunchucks Yuen Wah , also a member of the Seven Little Fortunes , and later to become a well known actor in his own right (notably starring in 2005 's '' Kung Fu Hustle ''), was Lee's stunt double in Lee's last few films. David Carradine played the characters written for Lee in the 1978 version of '' The Silent Flute ''. LIST OF PEOPLE INFLUENTIAL TO BRUCE LEE'S MARTIAL ARTS
PHILOSOPHY Although Bruce Lee is best known as a Martial Artist and actor, Lee majored in Philosophy at the University Of Washington . Lee's books on Martial Arts and Fighting philosophy are well-known both for their philosophical assertions both inside and outside of martial arts circles. His philosophy often mirrored his Fighting beliefs, though he was quick to claim that his martial arts were solely a metaphor for such teachings. His influences include Taoism and Buddhism . The following are some of Bruce Lee's quotes on that reflect his fighting philosophy, primarily derived from Jiddu Krishnamurti 's teachings.
See for more quotes by Bruce Lee. BOOKS AUTHORED
BOOKS ABOUT BRUCE LEE AND/OR JKD
AWARDS AND HONORS
BRUCE LEE AND POPULAR CULTURE Main article: Bruce Lee And Popular Culture There exists numerous references to Bruce Lee in Popular Culture , which are covered in a Separate Article . BRUCE LEE DOCUMENTARIES CG RESURRECTION Using Computer Graphics Technology , a South Korean filmmaker Chul Shin is making a $50 million movie called Dragon Warrior that will be the first to feature a long-dead Bruce Lee in a leading role Film company ShinCine have the approval of Linda Lee Cadwell and Shannon Lee [http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,48449,00.html . FURTHER READING
SEE ALSO
FOOTNOTES EXTERNAL LINKS
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