Grappling Versus Non-Grappling, Bruce Lee Style

Bruce Lee's Thoughts on Style Limitations

While I was perusing some Bruce Lee books, I found some comments from Bruce on certain style limitations.

Compare what Bruce Lee did with grappling and locks on film and descriptions in his writings, to what he says about the limitations of Judo, Wrestling, and Thai Boxing. You get at least one person's view of making sense of grappling in the martial arts.

Bruce Lee felt that all three, Judo, Wrestling, and Thai Boxing were sports.

Bruce Lee said they lacked "foul tactics"

Hmm, that was my only beef with those formalized UFC and NHB tournaments.

They were missing a lot of dirty tactics, if you were going to use them as a model for 'real' fighting. (Boy, did I receive flack for that comment when I first wrote it on the Net.)

Bruce Lee also felt that Wrestling and Judo lacked the ability to deal with attackers at a long range. The tactics just aren't contained in the system.

Bruce thought that the whole time you are doing wrestling or judo moves, you should be doing more. He believed, the long range tactics lacked "kicking, hair-pulling, butting, finger jab, kneeing, elbowing, stomping on shin or instep, grabbing groin, pinching skin, pulling ears, biting, etc." (Page 39, Jeet Kune Do, Volume 3, edited by John Little.)

He felt that Thai Boxing lacked a grappling element.

More Martial Limitations, According to Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee's other criticisms of pure Thai Boxing were that it "lacks economy structure and scientific leads" and that Thai Boxers were unfamiliar with martial arts' more delicate movements, like advance attacks (jabs) to eyes or groin. (Someday, we should explore what he meant by these limitations, in more detail.)

So, it's pretty easy to see why Bruce Lee might have wanted to combine styles. He wanted to "plug the holes" in classical systems.

Think about a grappler being able to deal with the long range before he comes in close. It's not as common as you might think.

Also, imagine a destruction machine, like a Thai boxer, being able to tie up someone with grappling controls, while still incorporating demolishing techniques.

Now, combine all of the above thoughts with the way Bruce Lee grappled in 'Game of Death' from 'A Warrior's Journey.' Then you start to see when Bruce used grappling. He combined it all -- he didn't grapple at a distance.

Every encounter need not end in a grapple.

When he did grapple, he combined. In his own handwriting (p. 78, Jeet Kune Do, Vol. 3), he writes:

"Two hits, side arm throw, and elbow."

Hits and kicks, kicks and hits -- BAM, take-down! With more kicks and hits following.

Can you say "whirlwind"?

     By Keith Pascal

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