TRAINING METHODS
TRAINING
The following is excerpted from the book "Bruce Lee: The
Art of Expressing the Human Body," edited by John Little, published by the
Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Company, Boston, © 1999 Linda Lee Cadwell. You can
order your copy of this book from "The Bruce Lee Shop" link found elsewhere on
this page.)
WHEN PREPARATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY
By Linda Lee Cadwell
Allow me to describe to you a particular day in Bruce Lee's life - a day when he
failed to achieve the level of expectation he had set for himself; a day that
became a turning point in his life. The stage for the unfolding drama was the
Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute on Broadway in Oakland, California, a training gym
established by Bruce and James Y. Lee. Because I was about eight months pregnant
with Brandon, I recall quite clearly that the events of this day took place
either in late December 1964 or early in January 1965.
Present to witness the historic milestone were Jimmy Lee and myself and several
martial artists from San Francisco, whose names I never knew, although they
appeared to be elder masters. The featured players were Bruce and a Chinese
martial artist (younger than the elders), who undoubtedly had been picked to
represent the interests of the San Francisco group. Discussion of the issue that
led up to this meeting could be an essay in itself, when viewed from the
perspective of Chinese encounters with the West going back at least to the Boxer
Rebellion. Suffice it to say that, in this instance, the traditionally trained
Gung Fu masters did not look favorably on Bruce's teaching martial art to
Westerners, or actually to anyone who was not Chinese. So strongly did they
harbor this historically bound belief, that a formal challenge was issued to
Bruce, insisting that he participate in a confrontation, the result of which
would decide whether he could continue to teach the "foreign devils." Bruce's
philosophy echoed that of Confucius: "In teaching there should be no class
distinctions." Therefore, without hesitation or doubt, Bruce accepted the
challenge and the date was set.
The fight that ensued is more important for the effect it had on the course of
Bruce's life than for the result of the actual confrontation. However, here is a
brief description of the physical action: Within moments of the initial clash,
the Chinese Gung Fu man had proceeded to run in a circle around the room, out a
door that led to a small back room, then in through another door to the main
room. He completed this circle several times, with Bruce in hot pursuit.
Finally, Bruce brought the man to the floor, pinning him helplessly, and shouted
(in Chinese), "Do you give up?" After repeating this question two or three
times, the man conceded, and the San Francisco party departed quickly.
The entire fight lasted about three minutes, leaving James and me ecstatic that
the decisive conquest was so quickly concluded. Not Bruce. Like it was
yesterday, I remember Bruce sitting on the back steps of the gym, head in hands,
despairing over his inability to finish off the opponent with efficient
technique, and the failure of his stamina when he attempted to capture the
running man. For what probably was the first time in his life, Bruce was winded
and weakened. Instead of triumphing in his win, he was disappointed that his
physical condition and Gung Fu training had not lived up to his expectations.
This momentous event, then, was the impetus for the evolution of Jeet Kune Do
and the birth of his new training regime.
Let me emphasize that, to my or just about anybody else's observation, in early
1965 Bruce appeared to be in superb physical condition. Growing up in Hong Kong,
Bruce was not an especially genetically gifted youngster. In fact, his mother
recounted to me that Bruce was a skinny little kid whose schedule of attending
school in the day and (often) working on films late into the night did not
foster a healthy lifestyle. However, from the age of thirteen, when he began to
study Wing Chun under Master Yip Man, Bruce trained continuously and arduously
on a daily basis, so that when I met him in 1963 he appeared to be in great
shape. After the Oakland confrontation, this was not good enough for Bruce -- he
knew he had to do more and better to be prepared to realize his dreams when the
opportunity arose.
For Bruce, it was not simply a matter of running extra miles, doing more reps,
or increasing poundage in his weight training. He approached the resolution of
the "problem" in a scientific manner: (1) Set new goals for fitness and health,
(2) research the best ways to accomplish the desired changes, and (3) implement
the new methods using a scientific approach, recording progress and modifying
the approach when necessary. There was nothing haphazard about Bruce's training
regime, neither was he particularly "lucky" in having started out with natural
physical gifts. The greatest talents that Bruce brought to realizing his dreams
were intelligence and curiosity (hand in hand, a powerful combination),
dedication and perseverance (stick-to-itiveness even in the face of intervening
obstacles), and focus (enjoying the journey as much as the destination).
Sometimes I am asked, "How did he have the time to do so much training?" The
answer is simple-that was how he decided to spend his time. The choices he made
in each of his 24-hour days included devoting several hours to training his body
and mind in order to be the best that he could be. This is also where the wealth
of his imagination came into play. In addition to regularly scheduled training
times, it was "normal" for Bruce to be involved in several things at the same
time: reading a book, curling a dumbbell, and stretching a leg, for example; or
playing some kind of physical game with the children; or doing isometric-type
exercises while driving his car. As a child he was nicknamed, "Never Sits
Still"; he was the same as an adult.
The process that Bruce undertook to achieve his goal of superior fitness forms
the contents [of the book,] The Art of Expressing the Human Body, the title of
which was so aptly coined by Bruce in describing his way of martial art. Bruce's
martial art, Jeet Kune Do, which is an all-encompassing approach to living life
at the pinnacle of developed potential, naturally includes training the physical
body to achieve its peak performance. A fitting description of Bruce's devotion
to his art is to say that he attained the apex of functional beauty.
When reading this volume, it is more important that the reader recognize the
process Bruce employed rather than dwell on the specific exercises and daily
schedules. Rather than merely copy exactly what Bruce Lee did in his exercise
sessions, one should take note of the numerous sources-both technical and
through personal observation-Bruce employed in his research and seek to follow
this scientific pattern of problem resolution. With the explosion of the
fitness- health-wellness industries in the past several decades, there certainly
is a great amount of information available to the inspired student. Bruce would
have immersed himself in the new research and would encourage you to do
likewise.
Always improving, never arriving at the peak, but always undergoing the process,
Bruce enjoyed the never-ending journey toward physical perfection. In other
words, the means were as important as the goal, which was to be prepared when
the opportunity arose to share his "art of expressing the human body." The
record that survives of Bruce's preparation for opportunity consists, of course,
of his classic films as well as the training notes he left, many of which are
contained in this volume.
For myself, Bruce has served as a lifelong inspiration to be physically active
and health- conscious. Throughout our lives together he was my teacher as well
as husband, friend, and father of my children. I continue to rely on his example
for daily motivation. Now, in the form of this book, an opportunity arises for
the reader to share in Bruce's art and inspiration.
Paraphrasing Aristotle, the exclusive sign of a thorough knowledge is the power
of teaching. It will become evident to the reader that Bruce had a thorough
knowledge of fitness and training. Rather than clinging to the bits of factual
information in this volume, it is more important to understand the method. We
can all show our gratitude to Bruce for the example he left us by allowing the
gift of Bruce's teaching to empower us to know "the way" to reach our maxi- mum
potential so that preparation will arise to meet opportunity.