WHAT I HAVE LEARNT FROM BRUCE LEE

 

Everybody knows that Bruce Lee was a great martial arts practitioner and movie actor. What is less well-known is that he was a well-read man who declared that his martial arts was merely a metaphor for him to express his philosophical beliefs.  He had studied drama and philosophy at the University of Washington.


The lessons that I have learnt from him are:


1. Be practical.  Bruce Lee believed that all martial arts styles are too rigid and formalistic; and therefore not useful in a real street-fighting situation.  He advocated "the style of no style", the ability to improvise as a fight unfolds so as to find ways to counter an opponent's moves as and when they are encountered.


2. Be flexible.  He said: "Be formless... shapeless, like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You pour water into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. You put water into a teapot; it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow, or creep or drip or crash! Be water, my friend..."  He meant to confide that we must be able to adapt ourselves to circumstances as they change.

3. Be efficient.  He shared: "It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential".  He was telling his students that the best martial arts moves are those that are most direct, economical and effective.  He was no fool for fancy and attention-grabbing manoeuvres just for impressing onlookers.  The fist should travel the shortest distance and a kick should deliver the most pain, eg, by kicking an opponent's shin. Protection and domination of the centre-line of your body is an important principle in fighting efficiency.

4. Be quick.  To Bruce Lee, speed is of utmost importance and it may be more important than power.

5. Be ready to learn and try anything, even things that are outside the normal parameters and limitations. He said: "Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it". Bruce Lee was a great innovator of new Kung Fu moves. His "intercepting fist" is one prime example.

6. Be able to attack and defend at the same time.  One of his effective fighting principles is the ability to parry an opponent's fist with one hand and simultaneously land yours on your opponent using the other hand.

7. Be tricky and unpredictable.  His fighting technique incorporated body feints, pretending to hit your opponent with a fist, pulling it and actually landing with the other fist.

8. Be cool and calm.  You can accomplish more with a clear mind.  He admonished: "Quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough".

9. Be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses, and use them to your advantage.  He concluded: "All types of knowledge, ultimately leads to self knowledge".

10. Be yourself.  His wise words were:  "I always learn something, and that is: to always be yourself. And to express yourself, to have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate him".

Thank you, Bruce Lee!