All the unarmed combat training
is a game of the display of skill & talent.
Bruce Lee did not emphasize the “flashy” stuff because he stated that it
was not realistic. But all Martial Art
training is not realistic in a live & spontaneous situation that is
completely dynamic & unpredictable.
Martial Art training is for Artistic self-expression. If Bruce Lee was able to perform amazing
acrobats like Tony Jaa, I’m sure he would have jumped at the opportunity to
display his talent on screen, but fact was, he was not capable of performing
acrobats, that is why in “Enter the Dragon” a stunt double had to be hired to
perform the forward flip at the beginning of the movie. Bruce Lee was not an acrobatic person, so to
protect his ego, he stated that the “flashy” stuff is not worth developing, he
talked down on acrobats because he was unable to perform it himself.
Because he had a nice physique,
he loved to show off his muscles, but in all actuality, real combat efficiency
has nothing to do with how impressive your muscles appear to be. But he wanted to show off his physique in
order to demonstrate to others how hard he has trained. He decided to show off to the world his
muscular physique to replace his inability to perform acrobats. His negative statements about flashy
techniques was an ego defense. All
talented Martial Artists show off in one way or another. One Martial Artist will show off his nice
physique like a bodybuilder (Bruce Lee), another Martial Artist will show off
his “flashy” techniques (Tony Jaa), another Martial Artist will show off his
amazing strength, another Martial Artist will show off his amazing speed (Bruce
Lee), another Martial Artist will show off his amazing flexibility (Van Damme),
another Martial Artist will show off his stunt performances (Jackie Chan), a fighter
will show off his ability to hurt other people (sport fighters). Everybody is in the business to show
something off in order to gain attention & profit.
Bruce Lee might have spoken down
about flashy techniques over simple, practical, & efficient
techniques. But I would surely rather
promote flashy techniques over violent sport fighters who use simple,
practical, & efficient techniques to hurt others for personal gain. Simple, practical, & efficient techniques
are only beautiful when they are displayed in artistic, creative, &
peaceful ways. They become very ugly
when displayed in violent ways. The most
simple, practical, & efficient way to kill another is to point a gun and
shoot. The beauty in Martial Art is
complicating the simple in order to develop it into an Art that takes decades
to perfect. Millions can point a gun and
shoot, but very few will be able to be as acrobatically capable like Tony
Jaa. Anybody can learn to point &
shoot in a matter of seconds, but to learn how to perform a split will take
many years of training.
Bruce Lee has been a big
inspiration to me & I am not criticizing his statements out of disrespect
but I rather use his statements to spark our own inner awakening towards
truth. The expression of Bruce Lee is
only half complete, it is up to us to complete the rest, we need to discover
the other side, we need to see the other perspective. Bruce Lee had a huge ego in his expression
& anytime there is an ego, the ego will create many beautiful lies. Beautiful lies will then mistakenly be perceived
as the truth, we need to see past these beautiful lies & discover the truth
within ourselves. Yes Bruce Lee is a big
inspiration to many, but he is no longer here to explain his teachings, so we
cannot limit ourselves to his dead quotations, we need to see that all the
answers are within, even if some of these answers may seem to contradict the
past statements of Bruce.
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ReplyDeletewhy not use intellect? eg Sun Tzu
ReplyDeleteThe intellect is beyond the physical as humans have proved over the so-called "lower animals", but the spirit is above all. Sun Tzu may have an advantage on military strategy but he has nothing on Lao Tzu & Buddha. If we can combine the balanced development of the Body, Mind, & Spirit (Bruce Lee, Sun-tzu, & Buddha) that will result in the ultimate potential of mankind.
DeleteI agree with what you are saying about balance.
DeleteMy question was in relation to deleting the negative comments on here is all!!
Interesting...I've never heard something like this stated, but I agree with it. Nice perspective. Sometimes it takes a different perspective that sounds "crazy" to snap us out of the scenery we've been staring at our whole life.
ReplyDeleteI don't necessarily agree that all talented martial artists need to show off. Maybe some like to stay mysterious or private. The need to show off would be very narcissistic. Which is not "The Way"
ReplyDeleteI would agree in modern times that a gun is a simple solution if you want to kill, but there are many options available for a well rounded martial artist. Eg psychological diminishment, striking eyes, knees, the neck or even running away.
We don't have to be violent people to be practicing for efficiency, practicing martial arts simply for the art is kind of romancing the idea really, and not looking at realistic street self defense in my opinion.
As far as your analogy on Bruce and flashy techniques, I would have thought his ideas are from Wing Chun which is not a flashy style. I agree he didn't appear very acrobatic but he was lightning fast. But yes he had a big ego no doubt. I think he used it for the right reasons though, as few have said he prostituted the art in order to spread Chinese/Asian culture.
I wonder if your opinions here are justifying your need to use unrealistic almost useless techniques (eg silly kicks) and that you are projecting that your ego is big and you need to show off to attract attention or gratification?
I agree that the ultimate search for truth within is the key. Knowing one's own strengths and weaknesses and working on them is the best path to take in life.