Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee

Martial Arts were just a way to protect yourself before Bruce was known. To most people, it wasn't even heard of at that time. All of that was going to change though, for America, for the world. He took the meaning of peace and Zen to heart, and made it his way of life. Some claimed he was a phony, and some had no respect for him, but Bruce Lee was the greatest Martial Artist because of his philosophy, his physical being, and his teachings.

Bruce was a very big philosopher, and he tried his best to live by what he said. Some of his most famous quotes were very deep, and everyone was meant to improve your life in every way. "To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person." This is one of Bruce's most famous quotes, and to me it means to be able to know yourself, you must be kind and caring with others. To be able to be one with yourself, you must test yourself, and to understand how well you are with other people. One of my most favorite quotes from him is,"Im not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you're not in this world to live up to mine." This one means so much to me, because this is mostly how I feel every day. Some people don't like how other people are acting, but that's ok, because they weren't put on this earth to be what you wanted. He lived his life the best he could, and he was good to everyone, and that's how I want to live because that's the only way to live life to its fullest.

Bruce Lee went through a lot of extensive training for one purpose and one purpose only; to be the best that has ever lived. One of his great philosophies about physical being is that you must be in shape to perform your best. He also had a strength routine that he went through every day. After he woke up and had his breakfast, he would perform: dumbbell pushes, dumbbell punches, one handed dumbbell drill, isometrics, board isometrics, and bell works for punching. Through all his training, his performance gained and advanced extensively. Bruce had incredible physical feats and some of them were: he could do one handed pushups using only his thumb and index finger. Bruce could floor an opponent with a one-inch punch. Bruce could hold an elevated V-sit position for nearly 30 minutes at a time. Bruce Lee could perform a three kick combination in midair. He gave 100% at everything he did, to be the best, and to stay the best.

Bruce Lee's first trainer was a Chinese man named Yip Man. He mastered the Chinese martial Art called Wing Chun, and taught it to Bruce as his first Martial Art. One of Bruce's idols was Muhammad Ali, because of his fighting style. Muhammad said that he would "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee", and that encouraged Bruce's way of fighting. As Bruce got better and older, he started to teach the Martial Art that he created, called Jeet Kune Do. Some of his students were: Bob Bremer, Richard Bustillo, Jessie Glover, Steve Gold, and much more, including the famous Dan Inosanto who was one of Bruce's friends. He loved all his Students, and most of them succeeded in Martial Arts, even after Bruce was gone.

I think Bruce really was the best Martial Artist ever, and he might have been one of the most physically fit persons to live. He trained all day every day, and when he wasn't, he was probably performing or making another amazing movie. He stared in five films; The Big Boss Fist of Fury, Enter the Dragon, Return of the Dragon, and Game of Death. I really believe that Bruce was the best, even though he died very young. l To me and to lots of other people around the world, Bruce was the greatest Martial Artist, and his philosophy, physical being, and teachings made him a legend, possibly the biggest legend to ever live.