While Bruce Lee was perhaps the most well-known innovator of blending different fighting systems, he was by no means the first. Ancient Greek Pankration featured in the first Olympic Games was really the first mixed martial art because it combined various forms of boxing and wrestling. Fast forward to the late 19th century and Jigoro Kano favored blending his own Judo with boxing. Decades later in the 1950s there was the Hawaiian fighting art of Kajukenbo made up of Shaolin kung fu, judo, jujitsu, kenpo, and boxing.
I have always been in favor of mastering one fighting system first before moving on to other systems. However, our impatient, 'I want it now' society traditional arts are losing out to MMA gyms. To MMA's credit however, it is a simplified way of getting to the real 'meat and potatoes' of fighting. Far too many traditional martial arts have training methods that don't help fighters in a real fight.
He never talked about mixing styles to complete them, the philosophy of putting together incomplete things and call them complete wasn't his. He was just always ready to learn, he didn't even really believe in different ''styles'' he believed for the most part all people had the same style and specialized it differently, you are taking to much into your own interpretation without reading the words. Bruce wasn't even a sportsman so its impossible to call him the first modern mixed martial artist or the father of mma like we do. look up gene lebell, THAT is the father of mma in the modern era. He was willing to learn new skills but in creating jeet kune do he analyzed the FUNDEMENTAL PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING ARTS, not the techniques of different arts.
This isn't even close to accurate. The Tao is a fairly extensive book, what part or parts caused you to realize Lee said arts are incomplete? He didn't actually say that. Nor did he say part of the traditional mess was due to a style, having techniques for a certain response, but intentionally trained other techniques harder. Traditionally, the point of the style is to train each part diligently, equally, one could not express the art if they had only a portion of the fundamental elements.
Grace and beauty were not intent either, being efficient more important than grace. The grace is present for another reason.
Lee never had a friend that he told to learn those arts. Many of Lee's friends were "masters" of arts. He never told his students to study those arts, they came to him to learn JKD, which is not a mix of arts. More than likely, you read that on this forum.
edit - Lee did not mix bits and pieces, I would love to see a long time martial artist try to prove that with some examples, several, to show they aren't just stating an opinion or parroting a thought.
"We all know that Bruce Lee's Jet Kune do was the first form of mixed martial arts"
WRONG!
Kajukenbo was established around the time Bruce Lee was born. So how can JKD be the first mma?
Besides that, Okinawan Karate is also a synthesis of two arts. Chinese also have well established styles that are from combined styles and arts.
Now, what is being done since Bruce Lee days is not mixing martial arts. It is taking a few bits and pieces and giving it a name.
Mixing means you use the sum of one thing and mingle it with the sum of another. Otherwise, it is just mixing PARTS of them, which is what is being done today. A few techniques here and a few there... that is not mixed martial arts.
So BL did not blend martial arts together artistically. Just bits and pieces. That's just chaos.
Bartitsu. Do you peeps even 'study' martial arts or just idolize actors?
yes bruce was the father of mma(misnomer by the way)
he knew not to box a boxer (he will be outboxed)
and so on ....to lower his stance agaisnt a wrestler etc etc..
he implemented his own style which would beat others
so you are 100 percent correct
What Darth Scandalous said.
We all know that Bruce Lee's Jet Kune do was the first form of mixed martial arts. But I finally realized something. From reading the book 'The tao of Jet Kune Do' I've realized something that bruce realized and set him aside: all martial arts are incomplete. None is best because each is missing, or doesn't train equally hard in an area as another. Therefore, by combining several arts, you have a complete arsenal of weapons, both your body and other martial arts weapons. I think what made Bruce Lee the best, besides hard work, was blending all the arts together artistically. After all, every thing he did, no matter how violent, was graceful and beautiful. I don't remember where I read this, but I remember one of Lee's friends complained that no style was best, so Lee told him to learn boxxing, taekwondo, wushu kung fu, and judo or jujitsu. Maybe I'm rambling at this point, so I'll let you guys have a turn: What do you think?
