Tom Bleecker discusses his impressions of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do

Having known Bruce personally during the mid-1960s to early 1970s, Tom was taught privately by Bruce when the two lived at the Barrington Plaza in Los Angeles and then later briefly at College Street and Bruce's Bel Air home.

[@acedrumminman]

Bruce was the essence of it all. "Punch when you need to punch, kick when you need to kick." I remember reading someone asking him "Bruce I'm having trouble with my side kick, what can I do to improve it?" Bruce's reply..."Throw side kicks!"

[@johnreidy2804]

LOL

[@shawbrothersmuseummexico3167]

wow ! once again my deepest respect to you Tom. so well said everything and so on point. thank you for sharing all these personal stories.

[@michaelangel25]

As I recall Lee’s “ground game” was not to grapple per se, but instead to bite his way out of a hold, squeeze / strike groin, gouge eye, etc. in episode of Longstreet he gets Longstreet in choke on ground and tells him he must bite if he wishes to survive. In _Fist of Fury_ Bob Baker gets him in armbar, so Lee bites his leg to get him to release his hold. With that said though, he did study lots of grappling during his jun fan gung fu phase, but it’s evident that he realised that it’s more effective to bite, squeeze your way out of a grappling situation than to grapple back - esp when opponent’s pals could be kicking your head in from different angles.

[@KFJamesLau-aka-TunaSing]

Thank you for this wonderful video

[@raymuse3882]

I really like this guys honest assessments and description

[@craigbosko2229]

@Nic777 There are book's out there,one of them put out by Jessy Glover RIP (Seattle) .The book now day's is hard to come by, you might check amazon.Another book put out by Linda Lee,The Man I Only New.Believe me,there are hundreds and hundreds of books out there written on Bruce Lee, you just have to look.It may take a while.You got to remember,back in the 60's, nobody had smart phones,cell phones with camera's in them or phone's with video recording devices built inside them to record a video/movie.All they had was 8mm and maybe 16mm black and white, MAYBE.Alot of still cameras but the main reason why Bruce Lee didn't fight in tournaments is because FULL CONTACT WAS NOT ALLOWED AND THERE WAS NO PROTECTIVE GEAR INVENTED JUST BAIR HAND'S AND FEET AND BRUCE LEE ONLY BELIEVED IN WEARING HEAD GEAR,MOUTH GUARD,CHEST PROTECTOR,CUP,SHIN GUARD AND FOOT GUARD AND BOXING GLOVES.BRUCE LEE WORE FINGERLESS BOXING GLOVES.--PLUS EACH PERSON WAS TO REPRESENT A STYLE, THAT'S ONE STYLE.BRUCE LEE'S JEET KUNE DO IS NOT A STYLE,JKD MAY REPRESENT A STYLE FOR ONE SECOND THEN ANOTHER STYLE, IT'S NOT A SET PATTERN LIKE STYLES ARE, IT'S LIKE WATER, IT'S ALWAYS CHANGING IT'S NEVER SET IN MOLD.

[@realjapan-s5m]

@thejugador its not a lie. bl was not a fighter he was an actor ,a comedian ,.a cha cha clown

[@markspeeps]

Tom it is funny you mention your own martial art and what works for you. The very same thing happened to me hitting a softball. I could always hit hard I grew up chopping wood as my Grand Parents used wood to heat their home. I was always looking for advice from the best hitters I could find. I eventually ran into Billy Blake who was the premiere designated hitter in the country. He was kind enough to share his thoughts on hitting. He said "After I demonstrate what I do in the end it will always be your swing." That stuck with me. Tom thank you for your for sharing your thoughts.

[@TomBleecker]

You're welcome. Cheers

[@G.M.1944]

Fascinating and insightful, thank you, Tom

[@pineapplepizza4016]

Bruce was a pioneer. He was doing his own version of mixed martial arts before anyone else.

[@kevinhammond2187]

And before he came along there was and still is Kajukenbo

[@vampirehunter2698]

@@kevinhammond2187. . . And before that Pankration in the year 2500 BC.

[@josephperkins4857]

and before JKD there was Bartitsu in the 1890's and in the 1960's there was Bruce Tegner and Jukado,so he wasn't doing much that others where not doing

[@KaptainCanuck]

Eclectic, the better word, I think, arts have been around for years before him. He just made it more mainstream when the Eastern styles were still obscure, "mystical" and such

[@jjs490]

This is great this video, from Tom Bleecker a man who trained and was taught by Bruce . He Knew Bruce pretty well and so he's definitely a reference point. In my studies of Bruce Lee in the past 2 years the one thing that really stood out, in watching him move was what a magnificent athlete Bruce was, and Tom Bleecker here emphasizes the same that Bruce was a genius in movement., kinesthetics. This is real deserved validation here by a peer and someone who should know about Bruce Lee.

[@KaptainCanuck]

You nailed it on the head when most have no clue. JKD is NOT a fighting style or art, etc It is, in its simplest form, a philosophy. That philosophy can be applied to any system or style a person wishes. It is akin to Buddhism, which is NOT a religion but a philosophy, and that philosophy can be applied to ANY religion in the world.

[@DxModel219]

Wow!! Thank you for sharing! This is so precious. Bruce's most important basics were Wing Chun, Fencing and Western Boxing. Wing Chun alone has alot of weaknesses, ie distant movements, footworks, distant boxing. Fencing and Boxing are the perfect things to fill those weaknesses. You put that with Athleticism, Kicks, Grappling and you have an incredible fighter.

[@TomBleecker]

I completely agree with your assessment. Apparently, Bruce saw the weaknesses in Wing Chun and set about to correct them. Thanks for your post.

[@kevinhammond2187]

There was also a very strong Kenpo influence

[@kevinhammond2187]

There was a very good reason that he spent a lot of time with Ralph Castro and Rick Alemany when he was in the bay area. And ed Parker when he was in la.

[@oscarholley891]

I'm glad you mentioned the fencing strategies and various timing s and rhythms

[@MichaelHanlon-ec5gq]

I don't think Wing Chun is totally weak if you train it properly and get taught proper it's a very good and complete style it's small so therefore you can do lots with it ,as being independent training..wing chun really is just nasty brutal street fighting if trained properly...and bruce lee never knocked Wing chun ..he actually knew the whole system and just kept things from his students don't believe me ask his protégé Dan insonato..Wing chun really is just bare knuckle boxing .it's the Chinese version of western boxing that's why traditionalists kung or Tai chi practices font care for Wing chun...it was developed to say that the other kung fu styles were outdated and invalid...all JKD is Bruce's Wing chun training adapteding...Wing chun is about progression and evolving.

[@josephperkins4857]

i like how he admidts if you been hit by a shotokan practitioner you know you have been hit

[@mark1957]

Thank Tom, and I agree about that reverence regarding the atmosphere of training.

[@bigoneleesmith6969]

I know the feeling about today's Martial Arts. I have been studying for 47 yrs now, and "todays" tournaments/martial arts are a far cry from "back in the day".

[@greggtownsley]

Appreciate the videos, Tom. My late friend, David German, and I used to talk about the origin of the EPAK arts. He was insistant, despite all of the falderol sometimes tossed about, "Your art started in Pasadena."

[@anthonydavythompsonstevens4297]

Love and Respect,! Very Insightful, Balanced, informative and Candid. Brilliant and Simply and Effedtively Expressed depth of thought ! ❤ *******

[@DLeeErv]

Thank you for these expressions of your insights

[@hughlamb1033]

Great video Tom. I've only just recently found out about your content. ( Today actually.) It's terrific to hear something new about Bruce Lee. A breath of fresh air if you like. It's great to listen to honesty about Bruce,and how good he was. Outside of the martial arts ,his work rate, fitness levels, and philosophy,are all outstanding.what Bruce done in such a, sadly short lifetime,is incredible. I mean, Bruce took the world by storm. Anyone would have to admire that. And I'm not just saying that as a fan. I'm being a realist. Anyway Tom,I will be endeavouring to catch with more of your podcasts. You have a new fan. All the best from Bonnie Scotland.

[@TomBleecker]

Thanks.

[@normanbreech-zz3rq]

Love your videos about Bruce he was a living legend: Be Like Water My Friend

[@reycfd7753]

Thanks for sharing. 1st time to hear from you, a living witness of Bruce Lee's skills.

[@inatrance92SK]

Thank you for sharing this.

[@TomBleecker]

I'm glad you found it worthwhile. Cheers

[@scottmarker-treasurevalley7244]

That's why BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is so good, 'anyone' can learn the whole system, small, large, weak, and strong.

[@itsgleneaton4883]

It’s funny how when we put on a nice martial arts outfit that we all of a sudden feel like a better fighter and a more disciplined individual. Just like when someone put on the white outfit in Saturday Night Fever they immediately felt like a better dancer.

[@TomBleecker]

It's human nature. When we were kids, we'd strap on two toy six-shooters and a cowboy hat and were suddenly Roy Rogers and Gene Autry ready to take on all the bad guys. And, of course, there was Superman's cape.

[@Quach7]

20:06 That is very correct. Japanese martial arts came from Chinese martial arts. They are interlinked with religion: Buddhism. The Shaolin Temple. Buddhism is also in Japanese culture. The word "dojo" 道場 itself comes from Buddhism religion, the meditation chamber, straight out of Kung Fu Tv series, Grasshopper.

[@zfw6280]

Thank you Tom!

[@itz_Elev8t]

Over the past year I’ve studied, practiced, and meditated Bruce’s art to a point where it’s became my life almost it has changed my life for the better in ways I couldn’t ever describe and over the vast amount of videos I’ve watched regarding people talking about their perception of jkd I quickly understood that his art was built just for him not everyone can do what he did I’ve studied boxing, Muay Thai, and various grappling arts like bjj etc long before I came about his art and when I really put aside what I’ve learned and took the dive to start where he did like you mentioned in your video I realized that it was one of the most natural things I’ve ever done and of course with everything you learn you need practice but it really put a different level of perception on what I knew, I knew I had speed and power or what I thought was speed and power and over the past year after endlessly practicing his art I’ve found that I could do a lot of what he did and it was nothing like I was doing before along with his workouts it almost feels like his spirit is embodied within me and I know it sounds crazy but I believe I’ve developed his mindset I’m constantly thinking about martial arts now and how to better myself within my practice and the practice itself I overall think different and it wasn’t only until a little while ago when I really started noticing it I see things before it happens and I’m able to just flow and completely be in the moment I was sparring with a buddy of mine and I was showing him a little of what I’ve been learning and even when teaching him in real time not just standing there and telling him I realized that I was a different level than what he already knew by the time he thought to engage in anything it was as if I was 5 steps ahead without thinking about it, I’ve realized that I have some gift that I fully haven’t figured out yet and it’s humbled me not to take what I have for granted I wish I could find more of what he taught so I can further my practice and I love watching videos like this so I can really get a feel on how he really was he truly was ahead of his time.

[@TomBleecker]

Thanks for sharing your experience and journey. I wish you success in your continued search and investigation.

[@palnagok1720]

...study the work of polymaths...saves time ...study anything in biomechanics... ...study neuroscience in regard to mind-body ...Richard Alan Miller , boy prodigy worked for the spooks on producing " super soldiers "...hint ...study Patanjali 's books about mind ...study everyone, that knows more than you do , then concentrate it down to the essence ...the qualities of being there are the steps to getting there. Cheers and enjoy the journey, Bon voyage

[@axelstone3131]

Who taught you JKD?

[@axelstone3131]

You need to look at Tommy Carruthers, sign up for his online lessons.

[@stlukes09bymycreator98]

Mr. Bleecker’ LEE JUN FON “BRUCE LEE” wasn’t a ROBOT’ of course anyone could be knocked out if you hit him just right , the problem was that you had to be able to do it, BRUCE LEE was human and one of the best human FIGHTERS OF ALL TIME IF NOT’ “THE BEST” because within him he possessed…… “THE ART OF FIGHTING WITHOUT FIGHTING “. 🇺🇸🙏❤️💐 RIP’ LEE JUN FON “BRUCE LEE”💐❤️🙏🇺🇸

[@jamesrafael6794]

You said it, sir. Interpretation and expression of the art for practical (street survival) application.

[@bertt1055]

Why doesn’t Chuck Norris, Bob Wall and Joe Lewis admit that they lost to Bruce during sparring and studied under him?

[@shihanUKS]

Oh no. You can't do that and at the same time tout champion status. Those you mentioned wanted in on the movies. Like ex football players, movies is good retirement. They found out different. Lewis with his good looks and fighting had no translatable talent. No charisma. The camera likes you or it doesn't. Chuck had cherokee blood so he had a look but made the mistake of thinking Steve McQueen would give the good word. He did. He said, "I don't do that. But check out Bruce. He knows people." Bob Wall caboosed Chuck. All three experienced Bruce but now they had to answer to him. You think they were happy with that? Absolutely not! The American way and sixties apple pie white supremacy wouldn't allow it. Bruce played the game and got them ( Stone, not Wall) in "The Wrecking Crew" as fighting extras on condition. On the set, Bruce was the boss and he enjoyed it. Black Belt magazine played it up . They all bit the nail and accepted that treatment as long as it meant birth in the film world. Now they to this day continued that slant that Bruce never fought in the ring and they were professional fighters. They will never admit what happened in the closed door workouts where ass whuppins were handed out and some received.

[@robertwalker841]

because they all knew about bruces use of anabolic steroids.

[@mohammadnazari4022]

Chuck Norris runs his mouth too much if Bruce was alive he wouldn’t dare to say these shit. I can’t believe he says I thought Bruce how to kick, chuck wouldn’t last 1 min fighting bruce.

[@alexchen5811]

@@shihanUKS 100%

[@John-xk2sd]

@@robertwalker841 lm sure big Joe was not unfamiliar with steroids

[@paulcolman6722]

Great talk by someone who knows what he's talkin about...!!! Unlike, sorry to say, the vast majority on social media now...!!!!

[@jamesbond4633]

Great and very objective dissertation on Bruce and JKD. Informative to hear your perspective on Martial Arts in general and that it is a personal journey. VEry good perspective.

[@mikerunyan1]

You taught me the finger jab in Ventura late 90’s Tom if you remember.

[@dorcel18]

Tom i love your story you keep it real! And im glad you doing okay! Keep it going we love the real stories!

[@TomBleecker]

Thanks for your kind words. I'll do my best to keep posting videos, although at times my "spare time" can be sparce, so patience is the key. Cheers

[@ericvanjames8395]

Bruce Lee certainly was a "genius." And he was a genius in more ways than one!

[@uncletony6210]

I would say his most underrated genius was his acting skill. Bruce was a phenomenal actor; however, this is often overlooked because he was such a great martial artist, and probably because he was Asian as well.

[@bechelerroseme6821]

And the haters so jealous peg BL is just an actor.

[@uncletony6210]

@@bechelerroseme6821 au contraire mon frere, I peg BL as a GREAT martial artist AND a GREAT actor.

[@bechelerroseme6821]

@@uncletony6210 i was not referring to you i was referring other people.

[@uncletony6210]

@@bechelerroseme6821 Oh yeah, the Bruce jealousy out there is unreal. Sad, really.

[@shihanUKS]

You speak of reverence.I remember Lee was a guest at a tournament in Chicago in July of 63 hosted by John " Count Dante" Keehan, a rouge student of Bob Trias. Ed, Jhoon, Trias, all the notables were there . Taky was with Lee seated at a table. I don't know if it was dinner or a meeting or what but Trias was seated next to Lee and ignored him the whole time. Ed and Jhoon were of course staunch benefactors of Lee but Trias was of the persuasion he was seated next to someone who looked more like a teen aged finger painter. His opinion of Kung fu being soft, too soft, colored his perception of this chinese gentleman and unfortunately shaped attitudes of his shuri-te black belt stable ( including Vic Moore) that Lee was soft, not a fighter from an art more show and blow than actual. These were harbingers of what Lee would put up with. I don't recall Lee doing or being invited to midwest USKA tournaments. That was Trias. It was said if Black Belt Magazine didn't cover the tournament, forget about west coast notables showing up. Where was the reverence? Some hollered racism. Maybe it was. Many thought Keehan was that way but he was the only instructor in Chicago who had the audacity to teach blacks and shared a non-starstruck opinion of Lee saying " that kid's got a freakish nervous system. He's gonna blow up. You watch." Thats what they called him. The kid. Trias didn't initially want blacks in the USKA but could not ignore their emerging talent as fighters. But I will tell you. Lee heard all that and still visited black dojos, ymca's, storefronts, etc. Especially in New York, Detroit, and Chicago. They all said the same thing. Lee could dance like a brother. Swagger. Lee had soul in his sharing. Low income people in rough areas who could not afford lessons but came to the Ymca's. Lee would get on the floor in those pants too tight to hold one business card and a strip shirt and do full work outs with them. He loved the sharing. He saw the look in their eyes, that need to survive in life look. He reached them, reverenced them with authenticity and spoke to the emptiness of being treated less than. Its like charisma. Either the camera likes you or it doesn't. Something you can't fake.

[@TomBleecker]

I have a couple of photos taken from that event, which I believe is the 1964 Long Beach Internationals. Trias is seated beside Bruce at a table with Taky and Ed Parker and his wife. Another photo shows a larger group from what appears to be the same event. If you contact me via my website, I'll be happy to send both photos to you.

[@francoismorin8721]

@@TomBleecker Mister Tom! I totally agree with you about the reverence in Japanese martial arts. I studied first in Shotokan, then in Kyokushin, then in Jeet Kune Do. What I feel is you need both, the reverence and the friendliness of informality, like humor! I had a sensei, Sylvio Bernardi, 5th dan in Shotokan and also versed in taijutsu. He would be so funny, making jokes while teaching. Some dojo's don't allow any talk. Of course, you need to be disciplined and listen when it is time, but humor is important. I feel some of today's MMA practitioners don't get that respect you get from reverence and that mystic-like power that fills your inner being. Most Karate-based MMA fighters are so respectful like GSP and Wonder Boy etc. Maybe Bruce Lee was so informal because he was training mostly with people that were supposed to have gained all those rituals that make a dojo a special place. For example, if I train with a friend in my basement I won't do a salute. But if I have a student that begins in the art, then I will teach him or her the proper way to salute and meditate. So maybe this is the reason why people never really knew what Bruce thought about that. In anyways, Bruce was an evolving man and if he had lived on, most probably many things would have changed. Many people say that months before his death he was more easy-going and enjoyed life and got less angered with things. But sadly, his physical life was cut short. But Lord did he have time to do so much in little time. I am 48 years old now, born in May 1973 and I am just getting to be as mature as Bruce was in his way of analyzing martial arts in a strict manner with a logical study of movements and free-minded spirit.

[@TomBleecker]

@@francoismorin8721 Excellent post. I'm uncertain as to how anyone could conclude that Bruce was easy going during the last couple of months of his life when it was during these last few months that he had violent outbursts, one of which the police had to be called to Golden Harvest. Moreover, he complained to his doctor that he couldn't sleep, as well as a substantial list of physical ailments. I think the best times of his life were his earlier years, especially when he was at the University of Washington. Thanks again for your thoughtful post.

[@francoismorin8721]

@@TomBleecker I know it sounds weird or contradictory. But Believe it or not. What I say is from close friends' testimonies, of him when he worked on the Game of Death set. Maybe that was earlier. But they say that he had so much fun on the set compared to when he was working on other projects. Maybe these "bastards" he was angered with deserved some of his wraths. People say if you were Bruce's friend he was gentle and you loved him, but if you were his enemy it was another thing. There are so many rumors surrounding Bruce. Now the most recent is that he was a heavy cocaine user because of those letters recently published.

[@TomBleecker]

@@francoismorin8721 I'm sure that Bruce had good days and bad days and that he was pleased that his work on ETD had ended. I also believe that Bruce got along far better with the working people on a movie set than he did key people like the producer and director. For example, he had running battles with Raymond Chow and Lo Wei but got along with the extras and other actors (well, not all of the actors).

[@counterstrike89]

What I think people don't realize is, wasn't Bruce Lee a fighter first, Martial artist second, I mean from everyone that knew him, and sparred him, they all say he was only concerned with what would actually work in a real fight, all the hours of studying and testing it out, wasn't it for that reason, what would enable him to win the fight?

[@TomBleecker]

Bruce was known to have his share of fights in his youth when he lived in Hong Kong. Primarily, those fights occurred before he began to study with Ip Man. When I think of a world champion who was a streetfighter before taking up the martial arts, Benny Urquidez is arguably the best example.

[@counterstrike89]

@@TomBleecker Yes, that's what I've heard, even Bruce's family members like brother and sister said he was always getting into fights in school for any reason, seemed like a problem kid at the time.

[@TomBleecker]

@@counterstrike89 I think that youthful fighting reputation has been embellished over the years.

[@counterstrike89]

@@TomBleecker I was wondering, did you happen to recall anything about Victor Moore and Bruce Lee in a demonstration. Moore just appeared on video a few weeks ago saying he can beat Bruce Lee, the guy seems to have taken the demonstration personal years later. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJS4hHV8mJ2NZpo

[@TomBleecker]

@@counterstrike89 I was present at that demonstration. Vic Moore is correct. If you stop the video where Bruce's backfist is fully extended, you'll see that it's a good foot away from Moore's face. An instant later, Bruce shuffles in so that he's nose-to-nose, which gave the illusion that he was that close when he launched his backfist. It was a sleight of hand. That said, Bruce was definitely fast, and most likely faster than Vic Moore. To Moore's credit, he was an excellent fighter at that time and was only one of two people who ever beat Mike Stone. With regard to a fighter being able to beat an opponent who is 100 lb. heavier, Benny Urquidez did that on several occasions when he fought in the "to the knockout" tournaments.

[@ericvanjames8395]

I really enjoy listening to you, Mr. Bleecker. Nice, interesting video. Thank you!

[@TomBleecker]

You're welcome. I'm glad you're enjoying the videos.

[@JOHNROBERTCRUZ]

Tom Bleecker - Thank you for helping provide a more balanced view of The Late Great Bruce Lee...Although many have a problem with some of your writings...Bottom line...You have helped people remember Bruce Lee as he wanted to be remembered...as a... " Human Being, " not as some messianic religious figure...and / or..." A Saint Bruce Type Figure. "...Thanks again... And may GOD rest BRUCE LEE, the great martial artist and human being in peace...

[@TomBleecker]

Amen, and thanks for your post.

[@JOHNROBERTCRUZ]

@@TomBleecker Your welcome... I always appreciate and admire your insights and work...

[@mickaelmaziere3344]

Thank you very much it was very interesting!

[@zaneivy]

..thank you. ...very interesting and informative.

[@TomBleecker]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@chrisnipper8573]

Great Video, I loved the stories about Bruce, and your opinion about how Bruce would do in Tournaments and in street fights. A lot of people speculate about how he would do against a grappler, on a video that I just happened to see that popped up when I was watching your video was one with Judo Gene Lebell, and he said he privately trained and taught Bruce Lee for an entire year Judo, Wrestling and some finishing moves.

[@TomBleecker]

Gene LeBell did teach Bruce. None better than LeBell, who trained Ronda Roushey and Gokor.

[@TaborSecurity-g6p]

@@TomBleecker As great as his was, he turned down a challenge from the Royce Gracie. He was much younger than Gene but was not frightened of him at all.

[@Jonathan1997hk-ln4yk]

Fascinating

[@bruhmoment3731]

Thank you for sharing this!

[@TomBleecker]

You're welcome!

[@michaelholmes4374]

Thank you for the direct talk

[@lenq5918]

Thank you for sharing your story. Always the criticism or questions about how good or bad Bruce Lee would do in mma and if faced with ground game. I have taken lessons from the late Professor Wally Jay. Mr. Jay often shared his fond memories of his friend Bruce Lee. When Bruce lived in Oakland, he and Jame Yimm Lee often met up with Mr. Jay at his dojo in Alemeda California. Professor Jay taught them Jujitsu and Judo. Mr. Jay's comments mirrors much of what other martial arts masters say in that Bruce will learn something new and perfect it and execute it as if he's been doing it for years. It is obvious that Bruce was way ahead of his time. So for all that say Bruce will easily get wiped out from someone with strong ground game I will argue that Bruce would have evolved further and learned and studied deeper into this. I believe he would have excelled greatly.

[@jkdfighter4964]

If Bruce Lee stayed in Oakland he would've evolved even more as a martial artist. His greatest years (including the birth of JKD) was all during the Oakland years.

[@ThomasMarxJKD]

Bruce stripped fighting down to essentials. Throw away all the nonsense. Eventually trapping was one of those things, as well...

[@WingZeroSymphonics]

Hmmm…🤔

[@paulpolpiboon9535]

Not really

[@ThomasMarxJKD]

@@paulpolpiboon9535 yes, really.

[@pamjohnson3713]

He never got rid of trapping! Not true

[@Caithnessmusicman]

Hi Tom Hope your well, Firstly I’m thoroughly enjoying your BL videos, extremely interesting, Bruce is interesting to me because of the perfection he achieved, American’s finest champions took private lessons with him I believe - that kind of tells a story in its own. He certainly made kung fu look good on screen or off. Sincerely Daniel McPhee

[@TomBleecker]

Glad that you're enjoying the videos. Cheers

[@kevinhammond2187]

Brilliant! Thank you!

[@TomBleecker]

You're welcome.

[@taeotoshie]

I realy like your first hand info on Bruce you have l lots of knowledge on The subject

[@nathanhan2089]

This was extremely informative...thanks for sharing Mr. Bleecker!

[@TomBleecker]

You're welcome.

[@cliffscott9547]

He was correct about forms/katas. I've done many that were required for each belt test, but don't mean squat in a real time street fight.

[@TomBleecker]

Forms and katas are simply another way to practice one's techniques and basics. They are akin to a boxer's shadow boxing. Some of the best fighters have been great at forms because they practiced them as part of their regular workouts.

[@Mr.56Goldtop]

Maybe you didn't have Bruce's athleticism or his speed and power, but Bruce did teach you well. He laid your foundation, he taught you to mold and create your OWN style, that woul be effective for yourself. just like he did.

[@TomBleecker]

As I mentioned in the video, the one who laid my foundation and encouraged me to create my own art was Ed Parker. Bruce was a great help in getting me to focus on areas of my art that I could improve, as well as encouraging me to keep expanding, searching, examining, etc. The combination of these two great masters was a true gift.

[@Mr.56Goldtop]

@@TomBleecker Yes, I know, I was just seeing if you were paying attention. 😁

[@TomBleecker]

@@Mr.56Goldtop Well, you'd have to get up pretty early in the morning to put one over on me. Maybe no later than 10:30. :-)

[@Mr.56Goldtop]

@@TomBleecker 😄. I'm watching your Travel to Hong Kong to Investigate Bruce Lee. So far it's really interesting!

[@stonehand49]

As a Kenpo black belt myself a wonderful video

[@TomBleecker]

Glad that you found it worth your time. Cheers

[@djoneforever]

Excellent analysis how you broke down the martial and the art. Everyone gotta understand the difference because in the street, there's no time for the art.

[@IlianNachev]

Great interview! You can tell when someone is verse with a certain topic and has plenty of experience. This guy has that and it makes for quality content!

[@TomBleecker]

Thank you for your kind words and your post. Cheers

[@KaptainCanuck]

Tournaments are toe-to-toe type matches under rules. Fighting is a situation that has absolutely no rules. Bruce attacked and defended more akin to boxing/kickboxing which may not work as it did back in his day. Who knnows where he would have been if he had lived. Note, Bruce never want to name his method but was, alledgedly, only did so by contant prompting from Inosanto. Too bad he never copyrighted or trademarked the name of Jeet Kune Do.

[@alohablue2907]

I like the wallet story...In a nut shell that says it all Bruce was right!

[@voiceoverandmocapguy]

Tom thank you for this! You must have tons of great stories with the man. About his ground game, did he ever mention any ground holds, takedowns, chokes, or locks? In this interview with Gene Lebell, kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZouUq5t4d55jpdU Lebell mentions Bruce got pretty good at grappling by the time LeBell was done training his ground game. There's a few photos of Bruce later on in life (Enter The Dragon BTS) where he's doing a BJJ style arm bar. Im curious if you ever saw Bruce train ground game in the time you had with him?

[@TomBleecker]

I never saw Bruce training for the ground. He was first and foremost a striker, and because of his small stature, my sense is he probably wanted to avoid the ground at all costs. Thanks for your post.

[@pineapplepizza4016]

@@TomBleecker That's a good policy to have. You're always going to be able to defend yourself better on two feet. And if there are multiple opponents involved, the ground is the last place you would want to be.

[@KaptainCanuck]

It is not BJJ. It is bloody jujitsu, which has been around for about 500 years, and is known as aikijutsu, which is not sport-oriented crap. BJJ is just adding an English word to a Japanese one to differentiate a country.

[@KaptainCanuck]

I read he did learn a bit of groundwork, but had little focus on it.

[@curtisuwuigbe6343]

Straight forward talk. Great guy.

[@jdaywork2693]

The meditation in Tai Chi forms or Wing Chun's Siu Nim Tao with no music can be nice. Or doing any forms slowly with feeling and I guess analysis of your movements? Any forms done quietly and slowly really?

[@rademarinkovic4582]

Thx for sharing 😊

[@cuzz63]

Ali was an actual Champion at fighting. People can emulate all they want until the punches start flying.

[@axelstone3131]

Don’t you have anything better to do that slander Bruce and his abilities all the time? Seriously man.

[@cuzz63]

@@axelstone3131 facts arent slander.... You claiming Ali wasnt an actual champion? Thats what I posted,

[@tilemarblegranite]

Amazing!

[@webherring]

Ip Man had very casual classes. Not formal

[@Aikunle78]

I think with the in-house students of Chinese Kung Fu Masters, it is more or less always informal and casual. That's the tradition. Can't say the same for those just turning up one, two or three days a week with a payment plan for the lessons they get.

[@antimatter9489]

Interesting perspective, thank you.

[@TomBleecker]

My pleasure!

[@axelstone3131]

Also, according to Jim Kelly, Bruce sparred many champion, including Chuck Norris and beat him. Behind closed doors. From my understanding Bruce was levels above most “competition” fighters. William Cheung also says Bruce told him he beat Norris and has a letter from him confirming this. Something like that anyway. Thoughts on this? And how was Chuck Norris relationship really like with Bruce? Bob wall and Joe Lewis have said a lot of derogatory and negative things about Bruce over the years, but Joe has said in a video interview how hard Bruce hit and how fast he was also. Chuck always seems to downplay his abilities by saying “I was the world champion” but we all know Chuck Norris didn’t fight full contact and Bruce was all about pure self defence street fighting

[@TomBleecker]

Unfortunately, because Bruce died without having any official fight record, no one will ever know for certain how well he would have done in competition or even in the street. Personally, as I've stated in these videos, I feel he would have done exceptionally well. When I cowrote the biography on Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, establishing his fighting ability was easy because he had an established history as a street fighter, fought in prison, was a champion in point fighting tournaments, went on to beat opponents twice his size int he "To the Knockout" competition, and then fought throughout the world as a kickboxer and retired undefeated with a 200-0 record. No one has ever questioned Benny's fighting ability because he's a proven fighter over many decades. It's unfortunate that Bruce doesn't have this sort of fight history.

[@axelstone3131]

@@TomBleecker I think it’s unfortunate that so much value is based on sport fighting these days, as there has been more than a few instances of ufc fighters getting beaten by nobodies outside in the street and one person had somebody break into his home and just didn’t know what to do and spent 20 minutes on the floor trying to choke the guy out because he didn’t have the skillset to knock him out. I don’t believe Bruce would have had this issue. Thoughts on benny and Bruce in a real situation? Probably difficult to answer as intention and willingness to win usually dictates that. Benny has a very impressive record. It would be great to see you on the kung fu genius’s podcast with Alex

[@TomBleecker]

@@axelstone3131 Well, here again, it's impossible for me to give a definitive answer to your question because Bruce doesn't have a fight history like Benny does, either in the street or the ring. Bruce unquestionably had weapons, power, and speed, but there's a great deal to be said about real time experience. What comes to mind is Mike Tyson's observation that everyone has a plan until they get hit in the mouth.

[@axelstone3131]

@@TomBleecker so are you saying Bruce never had any real fights? Or just talking about a fight record as something to validate him in that context? Cause as I’m sure you know Bruce did have many fights just not in a sports context.

[@TomBleecker]

@@axelstone3131 I don't count the rooftop fights he had as a kid. We all have childhood skirmishes. As far as any fights as an adult, the only one that people talk about is his no-holds-barred encounter with Wong Jack Man that ended in a draw with neither fighter having any injuries.

[@voiceoverandmocapguy]

Thank you for this inside look at the GOLDEN ERA of martial arts in America. Bruce seemed to be a mix of very human and very talented at the same. No saint and no monk, but it's still impressive to this day to see what he accomplished. I was curious about his power! You mention you tasted his sidekick. Did you ever get hit with a full force hop sidekick? Or was it more like a quick one from standing? I think in the Long Beach video he lands quite a few on Dan Inosanto, looks like a savage/Muay Thai sidekick teep to keep away, rather than a full power hop sidekick. Something interesting is that in 2020, in an interview with karate / MMA champ Stephen Thompson on ESPN candidly mentioned that the late Joe Lewis admitted Bruce hit him the hardest. I had always thought they had a bit of a rivalry, and I know Joe Lewis would mention Bruce could hit like a "heavy weight." But I didn't know that Bruce could hit in the same power range as the Heavyweights Joe Lewis faced. That seems like something more he would have admitted later on in life. I was also curious about any strength & conditioning that Bruce had any of his students do?

[@TomBleecker]

I experienced both Bruce standing and hop sidekicks, the latter akin to being kicked by a horse. Bruce's relationship with Joe Lewis was at times heated but mostly friendly. I'm not aware of any strength conditioning that he taught his students. Thanks for your post.

[@voiceoverandmocapguy]

@@TomBleecker Sorry I had only seen this right before hearing about that first hop sidekick he delivered to you in the garden. Must have been quite an experience! I always wonder if he aimed his sidekick mostly 90% horizontally and just a little bit 10% upward to give the receiver a bit of lift haha. But the raw power on his kick is easy to see. Even when some of the pad holders got more used to Bruce's kick power, looks like they figured to be prepared to scuttle backwards to better receive the kick. Quite legendary that you got to experience that. You're a martial artist in your own right and I thank you for sharing these stories, and sharing the real truths. Also glad to hear it was mostly friendly between Lewis and Lee. I think they both talent and dedicated. They must have admired each other to exchange ideas, and and as "kings" in their respective fields, Im sure there was a tiny bit of rivalry. Have you ever seen them spar before? Or was it mostly them exchanging exercises and drills? Fascinating golden era of Martial Arts.

[@TomBleecker]

@@voiceoverandmocapguy I never did see Bruce and Joe spar. It's not surprising that they could have an occasional conflict, given the two were so clearly ego-driven in a good way. Cheers

[@scottmarker-treasurevalley7244]

Totally respect Tom Bleecker and respect him for this series! But, Bruce Lee was stuff that works, nowadays that would be MMA.

[@John-xk2sd]

Hate so many of the comments, from mainly this young generation who say Bruce was only an actor not a fighter etc.

[@TomBleecker]

Technically, members of this young generation who make this statement are correct. Just because Bruce chose to not enter tournaments to "prove his fighting ability," however, doesn't necessarily mean he wouldn't have been a successful fighter.

[@joshuaalexander7637]

Thanks

[@neco1562]

thanks tom

[@speaklife-rickybyrum2603]

Amazing

[@Partoftheratpack]

Hi Tom, great channel. Did you ever train with Dan Lee or Taky Kimura back in the 60s? ✌🏼✌🏼✌🏼

[@TomBleecker]

Thanks. I began my training with Ed Parker in the summer of 1962. Over the next few years, I probably worked out with Dan Lee at the Pasadena school (I trained at the WLA school) in Ed Parker's brown/black belt class. I never worked out with Taky or even met him. Cheers

[@dmoneyd2010]

Almost 50 years ago and were still using his system, can you imagine if Bruce had lived where JKD would have developed today.

[@TomBleecker]

You raise an interesting point. As I recall, at some point prior to his death, Bruce instructed Dan Inosanto to close the school on College Street and told James Lee to do the same in Oakland because he felt that people would mimic what Bruce was doing in his own personal martial arts expression. As I mentioned in the video, what was being taught in those schools could basically be learned in a matter of six months. In addition, the material would be difficult to teach to children, and it was the children's classes that were paying the bills. I think Bruce was very perceptive and recognized this and, as a result, would not have pursued teaching his personal art to the public. In sharp contrast, Ed Parker's Kenpo has continued to flourish for the past 50 years because it can be taught to children, has an extensive curriculum (which Bruce referred to as the classical mess), and is highly adaptable to tournaments. What I find truly interesting is where Bruce's Hollywood career, mainly as a director, would have gone over the past five decades. Personally, I think he would have eventually formed his own company that would have been as powerful as Clint Eastwood's Mal Paso Productions.

[@bechelerroseme6821]

It would be constantly evolving but naysayers say is ineffective. What's ineffective if you can create your own style of JKD. It constantly evolves for each individual. Its open book, but these idiots like to discredit Bruce.

[@itsgleneaton4883]

Not what works in tournaments and not what works in class but what works in a fight and that is what Bruce was all about but we know that.

[@TomBleecker]

Most people know that there are dozens of martial arts styles and systems that are quite effective in the street. In my experience, there is no better example than Benny Urquidez who has had extensive experience in the street, in non-contact tournament competitions, in kickboxing, and in "to the knockout" no-holds-barred tournaments.

[@Drivehead103]

Never considered that Bruce Lee was so good at figuring out opponent's weakness. Very interesting

[@IlianNachev]

All the martial arts greats of that time mention this. Joe Lewis, Chuck Norris, Dan Inosanto, etc.

[@pamjohnson3713]

Bruce would go and watch people fight looking for weak points and studying how they move and react

[@scottishbanjo]

Ive enjoyed these videos on Bruce more than any Ive seen in a while , so thank you . One question that has really puzzled me and perhaps you can shed some light on this...Jim Kelly has talked about bruce but never wrote a book . I find it incredible that almost a casual knowledge of Bruce can literally make you a ton of money ... nothing wrong with that , people want to know about Bruce Lee s why not ? However , Jim Kelly never wrote about his experiences ? Do you think that was just chance ? Wondered what you think of that Mr Bleeker ? BTW just ordered your book today

[@TomBleecker]

First, I'm glad you're enjoying my videos and hope you find reading "Unsettled Matters" worthy of your time. I don't know why Jim Kelly didn't pen a book on Bruce. That said, writing is a profession, and unless Jim was a profession writer, he would most likely need to hire a cowriter, which takes away from the revenue. Speaking of revenue, there never has been any substantial money from writing Bruce Lee books because of his limited readership.

[@scottishbanjo]

@@TomBleecker thank you for your reply . It’s something that has puzzled me as he had a lot to say about Bruce Lee and the movie industry so a book would seem like a no brainer but as you say writings a profession and does take something to have a book finally to market so perhaps it just never happened .

[@perredaobry3753]

s with lee@@scottishbanjo actually Jim did say he was gonna write a book before he died,or at least his experience with lee but sadly he passed away

[@mtolivesecurityshipping5455]

@@TomBleecker You did well with USM's.

[@axelstone3131]

@@perredaobry3753 yeh Kelly was writing a book but passed away. Unfortunate timing. Very strange.

[@lesliemclean4381]

I always thought bruce Lee fighting in the ring today ,would be like going to a Mike Tyson fight.If you went to the bathroom or blinked an eye.The fight would be over before it started .And one would miss all that heavenly glory.As he would say.

[@TomBleecker]

Bruce certainly had all the weapons and the fighting spirit. I agree with you that he could have been a boxing champion. I also think he could have won Olympic gold as a gymnast and perhaps could have been successful as a professional tennis player.

[@mtolivesecurityshipping5455]

@@TomBleecker How about kickboxing in Europe? Would he be able to compete them? The Dutch are incredible fighters. They mix American boxing with Thai kickboxing.

[@IlianNachev]

@@TomBleecker, I can chime in on the speculation about Bruce’s possible success as a tennis player as I am one… All I am going say is that it has become increasingly hard for shorter players to find success in professional tennis, because the biggest weapon and the most important shot in tennis is the serve! Well, taller people have better/more effective serves in general, because they hit the ball from a better angle than short people… Another important thing about tennis is that there are no weight divisions! You just need to deal with whatever (whomever) comes your way. That becomes a bit hard for players whose body weight is way less than that of their opponent as more weight generates more power, just like it does in fighting. Of course, technique is very important as well and through mastering it one can generate sufficient amounts of power, but when both players have mastered the technique to a similar level, it really gets hard for the lighter player. However, tennis is a very complex sport (one needs to be very quick and explosive in short distance outbursts; one also needs to be able to last for sometimes over five hours; one needs to be strong mentally, in order to go through the rollercoaster of ups and downs a tennis match can present; one also has to be intelligent as tennis is like chess; etc.) and there are very few players who have mastered all of the ingredients so that leaves room for any type of player to defeat anyone else, but if you look at the players of today and compare them to those 30 years ago, you will discover that the average height of a professional tennis player has dramatically increased… That makes me really respect the few remaining shorter players who are at the top of the game! One notable example in today’s tennis is the Argentine, Diego Schwartzman.

[@TomBleecker]

@@IlianNachev Excellent post! You know a lot more about the game than most. In 1976, I directed a TV documentary called "Tennis for Love and Money." The focus of the documentary was Stan Smith, who had recently won the French Open. We followed Stan around during the tennis season and, unfortunately, he had one of the worst seasons in his career that ended with him falling into a deep depression. I mention Stan Smith because he was one of the taller players on the circuit. We covered other player in the documentary like Arthur Ashe. Thanks for your post.

[@IlianNachev]

@@TomBleecker, Thank you! I have spent 35 years in the sport. I started when I was eight. Stan Smith is one of the greats! I didn’t know about him falling into depression, but I hope he was able to beat it. A piece of interesting trivia that puts martial arts and tennis together, and not many people are aware of, is that Jim Kelly used to make a living as a tennis coach! 🙂

[@dennislauk]

Hello Mr. Bleecker! May I ask you a question? What do you think about the IFO Jeet Kune Do Instructor Tommy Carruthers?

[@TomBleecker]

While I've never met Mr. Carruthers, the videos I've seen of him suggest that he is highly skilled.

[@NorthernThaiGardenGuy]

I always wondered what might have happened had Bruce ever made his way down to Brazil back in the days that Gracies and Machados were first forming their BJJ. Who would have not only done better in an actual no holds barred match, but if they both would have rubbed off onto each other a bit. It seems like Bruce was trying to expand JKD with some form of ground game toward the ends of his life (the opening sequence with that arm bar he used in ETD for instance). I have heard that Gene LeBell did have some influence on Bruce to incorporate more of this, but I have not seen anything to confirm it.

[@TomBleecker]

Given Bruce's extensive reading of books on the various forms of fighting, one would have to conclude that he surely knew about the importance of a ground game. It is true that Gene LeBell worked with Bruce on grappling, although to what extent isn't well known.

[@johncarroll772]

@TomBleecker lm sure Bruce was studying Judo under Jesse Glovers instructor for many months.

[@youngnguyen2012]

go look up Hayward Nishioka and see what said of Bruce. And also look Nishioka accolades and compare it to Lebell.

[@paulvkaris4970]

So many words but not a single fight can one see of bruce lee. Great Actor but never a fighter

[@grandmasteranthonyrayslaug3014]

Did Bruce spar with Ed Parker

[@TomBleecker]

Not to my knowledge.

[@SalCaradonna]

The old classical karate style is very rigid - someone with good footwork has the advantage when facing them. A boxer would hurt them very badly in a street fight - arms punches lack explosive power. Bruce got away from Wing Chun; his friend Leo Fong discussed it with him many times.

[@RG-si1qz]

Getting hit and being able to stand on your feet and have the heart to continue fighting is the biggest part of fighting imo. That really begs the question, how was Bruce Lee’s chin? We’ll never know.

[@TomBleecker]

Excellent point. Besides his chin, was he able to take a solid body shot (the liver shot comes to mind)?

[@RG-si1qz]

@@TomBleecker Exactly! I have experienced a liver shot firsthand when I was a dumb teenager who thought I could mimic warriors like Muhammad Ali. I volunteered to a liver shot. Long story short, that was the end of my “boxing career” and I decided to stick to what I was more suited for, computer science and being a nerd 😁 Do you have any stories you can recall about the liver shot? I remember watching a really old interview of Joe Lewis talking about it and how some VERY tough guys crumbled and cried 😂

[@TomBleecker]

@@RG-si1qz Thankfully, I never got hit in the liver. The worst I witnessed was a student in the intermediate class that got kicked in the midsection. He went down and ended up at the UCLA ER where surgeons removed his ruptured spleen. There are some videos on KZbin that feature the best of the knockout liver shots in boxing. Cheers

[@hammoumohamed2981]

Can you talk about jeet kune do how Bruce lee achieve his philosophy and project and create his own method fighting for history with chronological order to get

[@TomBleecker]

One of my videos addresses my impressions of his JKD

[@Erennn-mq5cx]

Always found it interesting bruce when doing his warm up in enter the dragon throws the horizontal fist cross, but you see bts photos of him throwing it vertically. Wonder why he went with horizontal over vertical for that particular scene. Great video!

[@TomBleecker]

Great question and an interesting observation. No one to my knowledge has pointed that out. My sense is this was done to appease the Japanese. None of Bruce's films were ever released in Japan except ETD, where it did surprisingly great business, while, interestingly enough, ETD did poorly in Hong Kong. Why? Because Warners had westernized Bruce and made the villain of the film a Chinese.

[@smithshaven8584]

@@TomBleecker Bruce used this same reverse type punch in his warm up in Return of the Dragon(Way of the Dragon).

[@TomBleecker]

@@smithshaven8584 Thanks for your post.

[@daniellosh8341]

@@TomBleecker I have a different opinion on the westernization of ETD. I was in Hong Kong watching all his films from Big Boss onwards. The box of ETD was not as good as the last film Way of the Dragon not by a large margin though, only because we know the Chinese villain "Shek Kin", who had appeared in more than 150 films and all the people in Hong Kong knew him by heart. Whereas the fight scene with Chuck Norris at the Colosseum is exceptional and exquisite that many people watched the film for more than once. Hong Kong people love western culture, good movies such as Ben-hur, Gone with the Wind, God Father, etc. were very popular and shown for months.

[@TomBleecker]

@@daniellosh8341 Thanks for your post. You make several excellent points.

[@axelstone3131]

Tom, regarding the rumour of Bruce being “beaten” or having bruises on his body when he was taken to hospital. Knowing Bruce personally, his power, fighting ability, speed and skillset, this doesn’t seem plausible to me. If he was unable to fight due to being unwell sure but what do you think are the chances that happens? Nobody has ever explained the bruising to my knowledge

[@TomBleecker]

Even the best fighters can get beat up. And keep in mind that at the time of his death, Bruce weighed all of 125 pounds and wasn't in the best of health. Although I've heard accounts of there being bruising on Bruce's body, this wasn't confirmed at autopsy. It seems plausible that there could have been bruising from Raymond and Dr. Chu slapping Bruce when trying to awaken him. Also getting him into the ambulance and perhaps the attendants pounding on his chest in an attempt to start his heart.

[@axelstone3131]

@@TomBleecker I underhand that. It’s really crazy how little he weighed. He must have felt exhausted and drained all the time without the drugs keeping him going. It’s terrible that Linda and other people who were aware of this did nothing to stop it or help him

[@TomBleecker]

@@axelstone3131 It's an age-old story about drug abuse that it's impossible to help someone if they don't want help.

[@axelstone3131]

@@TomBleecker yeh I underhand they. Just seems like it’s another situation where the death of somebody was caused due to the inaction of other people when it could have been prevented. It has happened to many people.

[@TomBleecker]

@@axelstone3131 Ultimately, Bruce was responsible for his own drug use. He made the conscious decision to do drugs and also made the decision to not stop. I had the same substance abuse issue during that same time period but thankfully got help when I recognized that I couldn't help myself.

[@brianderiemacker5234]

I've heard You say in several video's I've watched up till now that You started Kenpo Karate because of a bully who gave you a hard time. But I haven't heard how you have dealt with that situation then. Did It come to blows???? And have you ever had to use your Kenpo in other threatening situations??? And the name Bleeker, do you have ancestors from Belgium or maybe Holland???

[@TomBleecker]

After I had been studying Kenpo for several months, word filtered back to the bully, and he decided to not pursue me. Years later, after I became a black belt, I saw him in a market. I walked up to him, far more muscular and with confidence, and said, "Do you remember me? I'm Tom Bleecker." He looked like he'd seen a ghost and prepared to get his ass kicked right there. He quietly muttered, "Yes, I remember you." I smiled and said, "I hope life is treating your well and that you're in good health and happy" and walked away. Yes, my family originates from Holland, although our surname is BleeCker, not Bleeker. Cheers

[@brianderiemacker5234]

@@TomBleecker Yes sorry about That I should have looked beter because I've often experienced the same with my family name over the years. I wish You a pleasant Saturday evening

[@TomBleecker]

@@brianderiemacker5234 I guarantee you aren't the first one to misspell my surname. And you definitely won't be the last! Cheers

[@EBKmichael]

@Tom Bleeker Whats up Tom, I’m loving your content! I wanted to know your opinion on Bruce’s war cries and screams. I’ve seen photos of his real confrontations and surprisingly he used the same face expressions and stances. What was his reason for the screams? And do you think he used them when training alone and in real fights? I’d really appreciate your thoughts on this. God bless you brother, let me know your thoughts.

[@TomBleecker]

In my opinion, the facial expressions he displayed in his films were the same ones I recalled prior to his work in US film and television. As for the screams and cries, I don't recall him doing that. My sense is if he created them solely for his films, they were very effective. Cheers

[@EBKmichael]

@@TomBleecker They definitely were effective. Cheers to you as well brotha! Thanks for your thoughts!🤝🙏🏿

[@axelstone3131]

There are no photos of his real confrontation. He didn’t have a wide stance, look at jkd. The footwork, stance is nothing like how he fought in the movies

[@EBKmichael]

@@axelstone3131 It’s a whole spread of his confrontation behind the scenes of ETD. It’s not hard to find.

[@mtolivesecurityshipping5455]

@@TomBleecker In the Green Hornet TV Show, and in his backyard training you can hear him let out some noises that are quite the same.

[@leeturner8023]

If Lee was so good, why didn’t he show the world his fighting prowess at somewhere like Longbeach? The martial arts community were continually pressuring him, but when he eventually turned up, he just put on an exhibition of party tricks + some light sparring (with students). Surely, if he was that good he’d have put on some protective armour and went at it with any champ eager to face him. Let’s face it, there were plenty. I’ve never been impressed by any martial artist because, in order to make it really work, you need extraordinary perception speed (akin to Matrix bullet time). The only actual fighter I’ve seen with great perception speed is a Muay thai fighter called Lerdsila. As I understand it, towards the end of Lee’s life he was carrying out experiments to improve his perception speed. This implies that he was lacking it in life, thus had some doubts about how he’d fare up against a competent champion.

[@TomBleecker]

Prior to the 1964 Long Beach Internationals where Bruce did his demonstration with Taky Kimura, he was relatively unknown to the mainstream martial arts community. It was that demonstration that put him on the map, so to speak. Over the next few years, it is true that he came down hard on much of the community. It is also true that he chose to not participate in any of the tournament fighting, including full contact kickboxing. This, however, is not proof that he wasn't capable or that he couldn't fight. Those who personally sparred with him have attested to his extraordinary skill level. As an aside, there were many great fighters from that era who also chose to not compete on the tournament circuit. In my view, the best pound for pound fighter of that era was Benny Urquidez.

[@leeturner8023]

@@TomBleecker Thanks for your reply, Tom. Yes, I’ve heard guys - who knew him - say his fighting ability was extraordinary. I just wish Lee made his name as fighter before becoming a movie star - even if there were rules and regulations. Jim Kelly said Lee could have made the adjustment if he wanted. It’s just a pity that someone who has such a legacy, has no filmed fights to silence doubters such as myself.

[@TomBleecker]

@@leeturner8023 A good fighter can fight under any rules and regulations. The best example is Benny Urquidez who started in tournament point fighting, then went to "to the knockout" fights, then kickboxing, in addition to having a long history of street fighting. As an indication of how Benny feared no one and no one's rule, after his career had been on the rise for a while, he was asked if he would fight Muay Thai, to which Benny replied, "Sure, I'll fight him!" Benny didn't know at that time that Muay Thai wasn't a person. He also fought all over the world and said he would fight anyone under their rules.

[@iluvcliffrichard]

Bruce lee was the best fighter of his time. Benny came after. Jim Kelly actually fought Benny to a draw.

[@TomBleecker]

@@iluvcliffrichard When and where did Jim Kelly fight Benny? I don't see Jim listed in Benny 200 professional fights.

[@dannydevito4899]

Did you ever hold the focus mitts for Bruce and did you see him working the heavy bàg

[@TomBleecker]

Yes to both.

[@dannydevito4899]

@@TomBleecker when he worked out on bag did he punch more like a boxer or wing Chun style punching

[@TomBleecker]

@@dannydevito4899 More like a boxer. Bruce was an avid admirerer of Muhammad Ali and mimicked much of Ali's punching and footwork.

[@dannydevito4899]

@@TomBleecker thanks for comments love your videos on KZbin best Ave saw on Bruce

[@dannydevito4899]

@@TomBleecker what do you think of rickson Gracie I used to learn from seminars in UK from Larry hartsell Dan inosanto from 1985 my training partner was Tommy carruthers he has great speed and power have you heard of him hes on youtube

[@DonaldGage]

If Bruce lived to grow old…. Imagine

[@perredaobry3753]

Its like mike Tyson ,no matter who does the peekaboo style they will never be as good at it like mike Tyson

[@TomBleecker]

Hmmm? Not sure about that. Floyd Patterson originated the peek-a-boo style, and it won him the heavyweight championship. Thanks for your post.

[@TaborSecurity-g6p]

@@TomBleeckerHis trainer Cus used it when he was a fighter. Then he passed on the gift.

[@ibelieveinservice7053]

Bruce trained jujitsu and judo wally Jay small circle and judo with Jesse Glover that should tell you his skill level on the ground. He beat the Pan American judo champion in a sparring match so he had skills in that area.

[@TomBleecker]

I realize Bruce worked with the people you named, but he was hardly on a par with the Gracies, Gokor, Gene LeBell, etc. I also think that unless he was training heavily in his ground game for a couple of years, he would have a problem against a skilled collegiate wrestler.

[@mtolivesecurityshipping5455]

Tom, Jim Kelly had often said that he knew many martial artist that sparred with Bruce. Yet he never lets you know who. Why do you think it was such a secret? He said Bruce was "untouchable." Any thoughts?

[@TomBleecker]

Unfortunately, many erroneous statements have been made about Bruce by far too many people. Personally, my understanding is that Bruce worked on sparring techniques with others rather than participating in conventional sparring matches. In my view, this 3-part interview with Bob Bremer contains some good firsthand information. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZDEkI2nbtiDl7s

[@mtolivesecurityshipping5455]

@@TomBleecker I agree. Bruce neve laced up with a top level welterweight boxer, or even a lightweight.

[@kevindean1327]

@@mtolivesecurityshipping5455 I don't think what Bruce was doing was suited to sparing a Roberto Duran. Boxing is very specialized. When I boxed I sparred kick boxers but Bruce was beyond even kick boxing. I think if Bruce were allowed to express himself properly in a fight with finger jabs, submission holds, kicks, etc he beats prime Duran. His trapping ability alone would confound most good fighters!!! James DeMille who was a 220lb boxer tried to take Bruce out and said Bruce tied him up in a knot. No one ever beat Bruce up to my knowledge.

[@mtolivesecurityshipping5455]

@@kevindean1327 James DeMille was a low level boxer, but I give him credit for competing. Bruce would lose against high level Greco roman wrestlers, Dutch kickboxers and jujitsu fighters. He was not conditioned to fight at such a high level.

[@robertwalker841]

bruce lee vs ed parker who would win in a streetfight ?

[@rickocconnell9056]

Big guys don't like admitting they can't beat smaller guys up. So even if ed Parker thought Bruce could beat him within a minute he might not admit it..

[@rickocconnell9056]

Even if Bruce lee did beat ed parker within a minute ed might not admit also. Ed might just say something along lines of bruce was pfp the best martial artist he'd seen, so that covers his back and that way isn't a confession to having lost to bruce, and is open to interpretation.

[@davetessmer6424]

Like Tyson said "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth"

[@kumar7586]

Sir, in your list of good JKD instructors, you mentioned William Chung who was Bruce Lee's senior. But William Chung is a Wing Chun Sifu, NOT a Jeet Kune Do instructor.

[@TomBleecker]

In my comments, I specifically did not state that any on the list of people I mentioned taught JKD, but rather they could help the student understand "what Bruce was doing and his journey," of which Wing Chun was a major part. Thanks for your post.

[@kumar7586]

@@TomBleecker Thank you for replying, Sir. Looking forward to your latest Vlog!👍

[@arbitrarylib]

Goes to show all the good KZbinrs are hidden

[@mikalroyhansen9586]

Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris Day hat a real sparring fight and Bruce Lee knock Chuck Norris out in 28 seconds and that's a true story. and Bruce Lee knock out Joe Lewis. the great fighter Joe Lewis hat tell the story Love from Mik Roy from Denmark

[@TomBleecker]

Where did you read that Bruce Lee knocked out Chuck Norris in 28 seconds in real sparring fight? And when did Bruce knock out Joe Lewis?

[@iluvcliffrichard]

Well John Benn did say Norris said nobody could beat bruce

[@TomBleecker]

@@iluvcliffrichard Those types of comments really amount to nothing more than conjecture and opinion.

[@iluvcliffrichard]

I think Norris came to that conclusion from discussions amongst his peers. I think skipper Mullins said he'd pick Bruce in any street situation and Louis Delgado was baffled by bruce so I'm sure they all shared stories amongst each other.

[@TomBleecker]

@@iluvcliffrichard Well, here again, that's all conjecture. What really matters is when the rubber hits pavement or, as Ed Parker often said, "When pure knuckles meet pure flesh."