Bruce Lee was and still is the best.

Sports & Recreation Forum

I must say, now that there is a martial arts forum here in INReview, that Bruce Lee was and still is the best martial artist out there. He starred in many great movies and created his own style of fighting. It was a tragedy to see him pass on at such a young age, but it was great to see Brandon Lee carry on the torch. Although Brandon is no Bruce, he still was in some decent movies and was a very good martial artist. "The Crow" was Brandon's best movie by far. Again, it was a tragedy to see Brandon pass on so early in his life, especially just when he was getting into the big time in Hollywood. If only someone were to come around to be 1/2 as good as those two....then martial arts would get better.

God rest their souls.

well said, Legend. its always good to hear some kind words about Bruce Lee. i agree, he is the best that's ever been. and it was a shame he and his son died so early.

I would like to see more attention and respect paid to martial arts in the movies. I want to see some real fight scenes . Not just stars with stunt doubles and cables.

Bruce was one of a kind. I am not interested in someone with half the talent. There are plenty of 'not so goods' out there. What we need is a real intense prodigy. Something really new...

May be it will be a girl.

about the real fight scenes...u can see them at UFC fights...
there all kind fighters..and real fights..all real

I'd have to say that from what I've SEEN of martial arts, Bruce Lee was the best film martial artist. I can't say that he's the best EVER, but he was more than likely the best of his generation, and we, being members of successive generations, are fortunate that he was 'immortalized' in films. He was really good, and I've not seen anyone better than him, but I can't say that he's the best martial artist there ever was. I have a feeling though, that if he was put up against some of the reclusive monks, he just might get his butt kicked severely. Those monks train in ancient martial arts, they FORCE their bodies to perform unbelievable feats, they numb their pain sensors, they cause their backs to be more flexible than normal which adds a lot of extra power to their strikes and kicks... They are FAST, agile, and very powerful. Bruce Lee was fast, agile, and powerful also. The monks dedicate their LIVES to training though...

From what I understand, Chuck Norris was a bad mamma-jamma in his day too...

Jean Claude can only kick. He made his fortune on his flexibility in the groin area........

sierradaddy, chuck norris is definitely no slouch. jean claude makes me laugh. but i have to disagree about the outcome of bruce lee vs. the monks. Bruce studied so many styles he developed his "way of the intercepting fist" or Jeet Kune Do. simply put it is a style that is no style. this is the very reason i feel he could demolish any monk. don't get me wrong. the monks have a grace and style with unmatched beauty. and i certainly wouldn't want to tangle with them. but Jeet Kune Do is designed for real life. its not a bunch of flashy techniques that have no practical purpose in a real fight (that's why i love Kenpo). again, don't get me wrong, those 'flashy' techniques are full of tradition and history and meaning that have their place. and maybe its just a generational thing. i'm 28, my dad is 46 so maybe i'm a big bruce lee fan naturally but a huge fan because of my dad. anyway, you know it's nothing personal sierradaddy. nothin' but respect for you, you know that. one last note though. as far as the power of Bruce Lee i'd like to ask you if you've ever heard of the one-inch punch?

Is that the idea that you aim for one inch behind your target?

(You're free to disagree with me anytime you want. It's just really a rarity and it may have caught me off-guard this time... j/k)

Ok, I do remember that, vaguely. I think I need to do some searching for Bruce Lee interviews, etc... I wonder where I should look first??.....

So Larke, are you saying because Bruce Lee developed Jeet Kune Do, he's the best? Or are you saying that he's just the best regardless? If all he had was the traditional forms of kung fu, do you think he'd still be considered one of the greatest of all-time?

Also, do you think that because Bruce Lee's style was something different and unique in Kung Fu, it gave him a bit of an edge during his life? If he really had to fight a duel with someone in order to have the right to teach kung fu to non-asians, do you think that having his very own unique style gave him an edge in his time? Do you think that if he fought someone who also knew Jeet Kune Do as well as he did, he might lose???

One final question: Do you know if Jeet Kune Do is now taught to the reclusive mountain monks???

Bruce Lee is the best. Jean Claude Van Damme can go snort more cocaine, as he usually does, and join back up with the ballet. Chuck Norris is awesome too, but that is all thanks to Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee could take anyone out.

I've only HEARD that Chuck was really good in his day. Was he trained by Bruce? Is there any footage available for Chuck? Did Chuck ever streetfight?

Questions questions.......

sierradaddy: this site has a bio on chuck norris and a lot of other info about him and his accomplishments. we were talking about bruce lee so i really didn't do chuck norris justice when i called him 'no slouch'. that's really an understatement. i consider chuck norris a great fighter as well. if you're gonna ask who would win between him and bruce i'll refer you to 'return of the dragon' and you can see it onscreen. i've heard rumors they didn't pull any punches during their fight scene. don't know if this is true or not. if you're gonna ask 'how about in real life?' i'd say bruce is still the best. one of the things i like so much about chuck norris in addition to his athletic ability is that he has been and remains such a good wholesome role model for today's youths. chuck norris is a great man all around. if nothing else i suggest you skim over his bio in the link i pasted.

What about Jackie Chan....

Jackie is fun to watch. if i'm ever attacked by 5 guys in a library with lots of rolling ladders i'll definitely be glad i watched all those Jackie Chan flicks. obviously Jackie has an intimate knowledge of martial arts. he found a niche and has run with it. i don't have a lot of knowledge about the man but i know i love to watch him. and you've got to love and respect him for doing his own stunts! he does a good job in the hollywood 'buddy' movies he's been in, but if you've ever seen some of his older stuff you've really had a treat. i couldn't compare him to Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris because he's just a totally different animal. i will say that he's great at his craft.

Don't get me wrong, Jackie Chan is a good martial artist. But, he is no Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris. He is excellent at what he does, but it just seems to be something totally different than what Bruce and Chuck have done. I love how he does his own stunts and uses any object around him to his advantage.

Bruce Lee is truley the Greatest.

He is the greatest fighter and will always be the best of the best!

I give great Respect to him and his family.

On another thread about "the things u want to do in life" i have listed paying my respects to Bruce Lees grave as one of them. It is very important to me.

Bruce's Speed was incredible. When he attended shows, he had a hard time finding ppl to confront him. When he finally got black belts to volenteer, he told him he was gunna punch him 8 times in the chest. He let the black belt choose any stance he wanted. Bruce's punch were all succesfull due to his nontelekenitics. His front lunge kick was faster than a regular dodge foward due to his precise timing and practice.