Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick.
– Bruce Lee, martial arts exponent and movie superstar
Who is the greatest martial arts exponent the world has ever seen?
I posed this question to a few martial arts sifu and friends involved in the art of self-defence.
Here is what I got: Bruce Lee (jeet kune do), Yip Man (Wing Chun/wushu), Masahiko Kimura (judo/jiujitsu), Mas Oyama (karate), Royce Gracie (Brazilian jiujitsu), Gichin Funakoshi (karate), Chuck Noris (karate), Morihei Usehiba (aikido), Muhammad Ali (boxing) and Dan Inosanto (jeet kune do/pencak silat) to name a few.
Others listed Jackie Chan and Steven Seagal. But these two are more popular on the silver screen than in the fighting ring, so I would not put them among the greats.
To me the greatest ever was and will always be Bruce Lee Siu Lung. There is no one who can ever replace him or even get close to him — not in my lifetime, I think.
I just finished reading journalist cum author Matthew Polly’s power-packed biography ‘Bruce Lee: A Life’ which reveals a darker side to the martial artist-actor’s life, portraying him as a playboy.
Polly’s book lays bare Lee’s sordid sexual exploits with women, his infidelity to his wife Linda Cadwell and extra-marital affairs with actress Sharon Farrell.
But this revelation doesn’t change my perception of my hero. What he did off the ring and screen is none of my business.
Everyone — sports stars, actors and politicians — have their dark secrets. They are only human.
Lee was simply the greatest, fastest and the strongest. And he packed a lot of power in his kicks and jabs. Nobody has beaten him. Nobody!
He came up with his own fighting style called jeet kune do (JKD) or the ‘way of the intercepting fist’ which was influenced by Lee’s personal philosophy and experiences.
Next week, July 20, is Lee’s 47th death anniversary. He died in 1973 at age 32 when he was at his peak of his martial arts and movie career.
I was first ‘introduced’ to Lee in 1971 when my dad brought me to watch The Big Boss. I was in Form 1 then. The movie was shown to a packed audience daily for several weeks.
That was the beginning of my love affair with martial arts, more precisely kung fu. But at that time in my hometown, Sibu, kung fu was not popular yet. So, I enrolled myself for karate and tang soo do at Premjit Singh’s gym.
Premjit, a judo, karate and tang soo do exponent all rolled into one, was the Sibu Prisons superintendent then. He was a true-blue Lee fan and could wield the nungchaku with awesome speed.
Back to Lee. Since my teenage years, I have read all the books and magazines featuring the late kung fu star. Dad noticed my keen interest in Lee and he would ask his colleagues to buy reading materials and VHS tapes on Lee whenever they flew to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.
I will not be exaggerating if I said I have a collection of hundreds of books and magazines, and video clips on Lee.
Lee singlehandedly brought kung fu to Hollywood. Because of the ‘little kung fu Chinaman’ US movie producers and directors began to show Asian stars some respect. Asian stars started receiving lead roles.
He went on to produce three more films after The Big Boss. He starred in Raymond Chow’s Fist of Fury and went on to star in, direct and write The Way of the Dragon.
I think Lee’s epic fight in the Rome Coliseum in The Way of the Dragon with world karate champion Chuck Norris is still remembered by movie fans after 48 years. In this fight scene with Norris, the awesomely superfast Lee pulls out all the stops to subdue his opponent in the tough fight.
He won with his lethal chops, kicks and a brutal neck choke. Bonus points to Lee for pulling out the glorious chest hair of Norris to show his dominance.
Lee’s international success of the three films landed him a lead role in Enter the Dragon, a Hong Kong-American production. But sadly before the film’s premiere in 1973, he apparently died from cerebral edema in actress Betty Ting Pei’s bedroom, fuelling rumours of his extramarital affairs.
It’s amazing to note that Lee achieved such fame from just four movies of which Enter the Dragon was a global buster.
Lee brought respect and dignity to Asian stars. Before him, they were restricted to Fu Manchu, Charlie Chan or the occasional cook roles in Hollywood films.
Just as he was an accomplished martial artist and movie star, Lee was also a well-known cha cha dancer, having won the Hong Kong cha cha competition as a young man.
One of my favourite quotes from Lee is: “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water into a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water, my friend.”
Nearly 50 years after his death, Lee is still held in awe by many – old and young – worldwide.
