What Was It Like To Train With Bruce
Lee?
I met Bruce Lee through my teacher and
mentor to this day, Guru Dan Inosanto, in 1964. I was training a group of
students at Ed Parker's school in Santa Monica, California. In fact we
were sparring. Bruce walks in with a friend and watches the sparring
session. After class, Bruce asked me to spar with him. In truth, I could
not touch him. I was as if he was right there in from of me waiting to be
hit, and before I knew it, I was the one being hit! After the sparring
session, I asked Bruce if I could train with him. On that day he accepted
me as a student. At that time Bruce was forming his own martial arts
concept, Jeet Kune Do.
What were some of the things you and
worked on during those early days?
We trained using Single Direct
Attack (SDA), Attack By Combination (ABC), Attack By
Drawing, etc. (ABD), etc. During this time Bruce was experimenting and
changing his system by constantly adding and deleting. The whole concept
of training in the different ranges was very important. The four ranges
were what Bruce worked on and emphasized. The idea was to be able to flow
from the Kicking Range , Boxing Range , Trapping Range
, Grappling Range , (vise versa). Being able to flow from one
to another easily.
My Personal Relationship With Bruce
Lee?
Bruce was an extremely charismatic
person. At times we would go to the book store together while Bruce would
research for old books containing self defense written in the years of
1700-1800. Many times after training we would go out to dinner and of
course our discussions consisted mostly of martial arts. Bruce would tell
jokes and we would laugh, but in almost all cases the topic would relate
back to martial arts.
Describe Bruce Lee as a Sifu.
...Bruce Lee believed in teaching
only a few students at any time. Such a method of instruction required the
teacher to maintain an alert observation of each student in order to
establish the necessary student-teacher relationship. As Bruce so often
observed. "A good instructor functions as a pointer of the truth, exposing
the student's vulnerability, forcing him to explore himself both
internally and externally, and finally integrating himself with his
being."...Bruce did not have a blueprint, but rather a series of
guidelines to lead one to proficiency. In using training equipment, there
was a systematic approach in which one could develop speed, distance,
power, timing, coordination, endurance and footwork.
What should a student focus on in
preparing for combat situations?
...I have always tried to focus on the
end result(s) of combat. You can start from the beginning in any
situation, but it is the ending the finished product (result) that is most
important. I was taught to use the knowledge that you have and do what is
best and what works for you at any given time in combat situations.
What influenced you to become a
grappler?
Well it's simple, it's because that is
what I am best at.
You've been teaching and training
over 30 years, how have you avoided burn out ?
There is simply no time for burn out. I
believe if a person cross trains along with a personal workout routine
this will eliminate burnout. My personal workouts consist of weight
training, shadow boxing, hitting the heavy bag. My personal training
program is working the upper body with an aerobic workout...I continue to
grow through my teaching and my students.
Do you continue to train/share with
other martial artists?
I train in Lameco Eskrima withPunong
Guru Edgar Sulite); since his passing I now train with Sifu David
Gould)who was one of Punong GuruÕs top instructors; Kali and Jun Fan
Jeet Kune Do Guro Dan Inosanto, with whom I have personally
continued my training with for the past 30 years; Shoot
Wrestling (Sensei Yorinaga Nakamura); (Sensei Erik Paulson)
and boxing.
Sifu, you have it, Erik Paulson has
it. There are some people that the moment they touch you, you find
yourself saying"this is the way the technique is supposed to feel." How
can the average martial artist reach that level?
Punong Guru Edgar Sulite always stated,
"Repetition is the mother of all skills."
