If you have ever been a Bruce Lee fan, you probably know that he was not only in incredible martial artist and actor, but also very much a philosopher. Indeed, he studied philosophy in college and applied those teachings as well as his life experiences to his art. Among his many tidbits of wisdom, such as “be like water,” he coined a phrase that became the mantra of many martial artists: “Absorb what is useful and discard what is useless.” And though he studied several classical styles of kung fu, he eventually put those words into practice and borrowed techniques and wisdom from all sorts of fighting styles, such as boxing, sivate, judo, even aikido. He was physically adept and learned techniques quickly, eventually forming his own system known as Jeet Kune Do, or “Way of Intercepting Fist.”
You can see how Bruce Lee's philosophy and his training methods played out in his movies, especially in his last film, Enter The Dragon. And while he may have had respect for other styles and certainly other martial artists, he had little regard for “cradle-to-grave” martial systems that never ventured outside of their particular training structure. He would speak of other martial arts masters being stuck in their “forms” and old training methods. And while there is a lot of truth in this philosophy, there is also an unfortunate biproduct of ignorance among those who may not have had the opportunities or life experiences that Bruce Lee had
When I was a kid watching Lee’s movies, it was evident to me at the time that karate was kind of useless. I mean, he would tear through those karate masters like they were pieces of paper. His technique looked crisp and devastating; theirs appeared to be sloppy, unfocused, driven by anger and ego. And every karate practitioner seemed to be a bully, cruel overlord or gangster in some way. So, when I started looking for a martial arts school in my late teens, I gravitated toward a kung fu school. Funny thing is, the folks at the studio where I eventually started training had an equally poor opinion of karate and just about all other arts that were not Chinese. There was this kind of superiority type deal, mainly because kung fu was considered the father of all martial arts. And after a few years of training at that studio, I was well on my way to becoming the next Bruce Lee.
After joining the military and ending up in Colorado, I was unable to find a kung fu school, especially one that taught the same style, so I reluctantly joined a martial arts academy. One of the arts offered was taekwondo, and while I was not a fan of the karate-like movements, the art offered high kicks, spins, and aerial acrobatics similar to what I had practiced before. The main instructor was an active-duty Army captain who began his career as an enlisted puke and worked his way up through the ranks. He studied taekwondo during the four years he was stationed in Korea, the birthplace of the art. But his taekwondo was nothing like the sporty, high-speed stuff you see today. No, this was pretty brutal; devastating kicks, knock you on your ass punches and a few throws. Sparring was nothing like I had experienced in my little kung fu school back home. After training in that class for a couple of months, I decided to give some of the other arts a try, namely jujutsu and karate. And very quickly, my worldview changed.
Interestingly enough, had I not joined the military and stayed in that little kung fu school, I never would have ventured outside of that particular art form. As a matter of fact, most of the kung fu guys I’ve known over the years scoff at the idea of training in something else because it’s considered a “complete” system by many. But there is another very important point here: I learned not to “discard” something just because I didn’t understand it or I could not physically perform it (right away) to a masterful level. And after many years of dedicating myself to a particular system, learning the basic movements, not just the “how,” but more importantly, the “why,” I learned a very important life lesson; I know nothing at all. This is not a scant attempt at open humility. I really don’t know a whole lot, so who am I to discard something if I don’t understand it fully?
I can honestly tell you that it took me over 20 years of studying several martial arts forms to realize how little I know. In fact, I think that old-timers like me can tell you straight up that you spend the first 20 years or so patting yourself on the back for how much knowledge you have and the next 20 years realizing that you don’t know jack. Well, many of us do, anyway. Those are the folks you want to learn from, by the way. The ones who are still surprised, enthusiastic, and deeply motivated to keep training and keep finding new things out about that silly, little corkscrew punch. Stay clear of the guys who walk around the mat full of knowledge, expertise and expectations. They are usually full of something else. Learn to be a lifelong student and don’t discard something just because it doesn’t make sense to you; instead, figure out why it made sense to someone else first before you throw it away.
This isn’t just a martial arts thing; it’s a life thing. As a man of faith, I question the logic behind logical, level-headed blokes who refuse to believe in anything spiritual. How is spirituality useless? I mean, living a life where there is nothing to believe in seems, kind of a useless. Like the martial arts, there is far more than what you see on the surface. Take a little time to learn the “why,” and don’t discard it just because it doesn’t fit into your box. After all, we… know…nothing.
Dave Magliano
Tatsu Dojo
Jissenkan Budo
Dojo Cho
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