by Joshua Peacock

Created on: August 03, 2009

He was more than just an actor who made funny sounds when he punched during a fight scene. Bruce Lee was a legend; an icon for martial arts and cinema alike. He spent his life dedicated to the martial arts, philosophy, and portraying that philosophy through his movies. But most of all he had a talent: a rare ability for what he did. Even with his small size, he was more than a force to be reckoned with.

Not only did he kick start the action/martial arts genre, he also introduced the West to a type of action they had never seen before. Before his movies, people were used to the old fashioned western boxing and wrestling type action, where men just traded blows, seeing who would last longer. After Lee started making movies for both China and America, the West got a taste of the elegant and complex fighting style of the East. This was the start of a huge popularity for both Bruce and the Eastern martial arts.

However, Bruce himself said that he was a martial artist first and an actor second. His training always came first, and you can tell by his perfect physique and incredible skill in his movies. Bruce Lee became an inspiration for both non martial artists and studiers alike. Everyone wanted to achieve his speed, ability and power. He showed the west that many of the abilities spoken about in the east were real, and attainable. And only standing about five feet seven inches tall and just 130 pounds, he showed that size didn't matter.

His method of fighting, originally, was Chinese Wushu, or better known as kung fu. He was the former disciple of the famous master Ip Man in the style of Wing Chun. In a United States dominated by Karate and Judo, Bruce Lee introduced a new flavour of martial arts. One that was loose, explosive and mysterious. Kung fu was something that had never been seen before, and Bruce was one of the first to start teaching it to Westerners.

Bruce wasn't just satisfied with kung fu, however. He expanded his knowledge, learning parts of many different martial arts styles. With his genius he developed a training philosophy that would forever revolutionize the way martial artists should think. This philosophy was called Jeet Kune Do. which translated to "Way of the Intercepting Fist". And his method, which was his own interpretation of the philosophy, was and remains nothing short of genius. Instead of chasing hands and conforming to rules, Jeet Kune Do teaches to go directly from the hit; nothing else matters. Answer

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