Real life China vs. Japan (or: Bruce Lee vs the Karate Kid)

[Battosai]

Just something a bud of mine sent to me:

Although i respect elements of what Bruce lee did, I tend to take all this `fight` info with a pinch of salt. Mainly because its in a lot of people’s interest to `bolster` his legend, and also attach their name to his. Also, the Hong Kong `roof top` WC fights, that i`ve seen on video, look pretty sloppy too (IMHO)
If you want to SEE a Bruce lee fight get the `long beach` footage (not officially available). In that you see Bruce spar against a Karate guy (don’t know the style), and he`s beaten(not a KO, but a decision). Although Bruce tends to get the first `FAST` punch in(not always) AS they close, after the first punch hits and they close, the fight becomes very equal. In fact, during the fight, Bruce gets side kicked right off camera a few times by the karate guy ..actually its the same side kick you later see Bruce glorify in his films (which makes me wonder if this is where it came from).
In Bruce`s defence he was wearing gloves and head protection (which would, i guess, limit his WC skills) ...the same protection you see him wearing in the official footage, that you`ve seen in martial documentaries, when he`s demo`s JKD

If you want to buy the unofficial long beach footage (no sound and the picture is quite bad because its ported straight from `cine` film, but still watchable) check the link below. i should also say this is not the version later remastered by the Bruce lee estate (seen in many martial documentaries) ..who also edited the footage, missing this fight, by the way

http://www.katoman.com/video%20folder/videos.htm

PS: the site says the footage is `good quality`, if its the same version he sold me on video 3 years ago (his own version), it ain`t ..but its still watchable

[Dennis Chen]

So Bruce Lee gets beaten. Who in real life hasn't lost before?

[Battosai]

So Bruce Lee gets beaten. Who in real life hasn't lost before?

About gazillion Bruce Lee fan sites and fans...

[Vicious]

Just something a bud of mine sent to me:

In fact, during the fight, Bruce gets side kicked right off camera a few times by the karate guy ..actually its the same side kick you later see Bruce glorify in his films (which makes me wonder if this is where it came from).

it's funny i remember watching one of those bruce lee docu and chuck norris of all people came on and said how bruce lee asked high kicks to his arsenal after working with chuck. i dont know if it's true or not but bruce lee really didn't have any of those fancy kicks to the head in his earlier films.

[CC]

I remember watching some Bruce Lee documentary and it showed him saying he came in 7th in some Hong Kong full contact fighting competition in his younger days.

[Mr. Mok]

Bruce gets side kicked right off camera a few times by the karate guy ..actually its the same side kick you later see Bruce glorify in his films (which makes me wonder if this is where it came from).

Your right.Bruce Lee's JKD style is formless.Once he learns from his mistake,he reimprovises and adds the move(even an opponent's or even a move from outside China) if he finds it useful.

and chuck norris of all people came on and said how bruce lee asked high kicks to his arsenal after working with chuck

Same here.All those Hong Kong movies and two ATV series are misleading with the actors who play Bruce Lee going around and saying "Chinese kung fu number 1!" when the case was that Bruce Lee never insisted that Chinese kung fu was superior.

His moves cannot clearly be pinned on-screen as foreign moves.And neither can the Nunchaku because wide knowledge of it's use and what country it came from is quite obscure during that 60s era.But if Bruce Lee had used a katana in one of his movie's fight scene if he thought it would be useful in that fight situation,he might have drawn criticism from Chinese audience because no one can doubt the origin of this weapon!

[Trien Chieu]

So Bruce Lee gets beaten. Who in real life hasn't lost before?

How can Bruce Lee lost in a fight? I thought he was invincible.