ramcalgary Posted February 16, 2002 Posted February 16, 2002 In history I would say Bruce Lee because he influenced the most people. He caused a ripple effect in the arts which is still felt today even in classes, films and philosophy. In the present I would say the Gracie Family because they are primarily responsible for ground fighting to be taken seriously and now almost every school stresses the need to know some ground techniques. Honor is the most important thing a man has once you lose it it is gone forever
Bon Posted February 16, 2002 Posted February 16, 2002 (edited) ::edit:: Edited September 29, 2002 by Bon It takes sacrifice to be the best.There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy.
AnonymousOne Posted February 16, 2002 Posted February 16, 2002 Bruce Lee only had a small effect. Man kinds need for self preservation existed long before Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee's skill was never actually tested apart from some loyal followers and movies. Bruce Lee has become a legend more because of his death than anything, there is nothing to measure his skill or lack of therein 7th Dan ChidokaiA true combat warrior has to be hard as nails in mind, body and soul. Warriors are action takers and not action fakers. If you are cruising, make time for losing
spinninggumby Posted February 16, 2002 Posted February 16, 2002 Regardless of the credibility or ultimate effectiveness of Bruce Lee's skill, it goes without argument that he made an extremely significant contribution to the martial arts world in that he turned 'kung fu' into a household name for the general public of the U.S. (that's where I live, so maybe if you live somewhere else it won't be as significant, LOL). But whether or not he is the most influential in the history of martial arts I do not really know. To the general public, I would have to say yes. If you say the name 'Jackie Chan' or 'Bruce Lee', their names almost become synonymous with 'martial arts' to the 'general public' because the public tends to associate certain issues with what the media puts out (i.e. movies, magazines, etc.). However, as to who was the most inspirational or influential to the martial arts communities is an entirely different story. I think that each and every practitioner has their own heroes/role models whom they may look up to, even though individuality and finding one's own unique path is also very important. For me personally, Bruce Lee did not provide much of an influence although I definitely give the guy credit. My instructors and master have provided me with much more inspiration. As far as ideology is concerned, I tend to agree with Donnie Yen (movie star) and his ideas on expression and martial arts as more than just mechanical movements (ironic since he was heavily inspired by Lee). 'Conviction is a luxury for those on the sidelines'William Parcher, 'A BEAUTIFUL MIND'
ronryu Posted February 16, 2002 Posted February 16, 2002 Good question however i would not say Bruce Lee or chuck Norris or any of the hollywood people . I would hve to say Funakoshi Gichin , and Motobu Choki . Without Funakoshi karate would not have been brought to the main stream with such open arms and there are not many traditional styls that do not have some sort of link to Motobu Choki . That is my humble opinion and befor those 2 great men (even though they didnt like each other very much . I woudl say Itosu . the creator of the Pinan kata (heian). Karate is not a sport , it is a way of life .Sandan Motobu ha Shi-to ryu karate Katsu ryu kempo Ryukyu kobudo
AnonymousOne Posted February 16, 2002 Posted February 16, 2002 I agree Funakoshi had a huge influence. He basically bought Karate to the whole world 7th Dan ChidokaiA true combat warrior has to be hard as nails in mind, body and soul. Warriors are action takers and not action fakers. If you are cruising, make time for losing
jakmak52 Posted February 16, 2002 Posted February 16, 2002 On 2002-02-15 23:36, AnonymousOne wrote: Bruce Lee only had a small effect. Man kinds need for self preservation existed long before Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee's skill was never actually tested apart from some loyal followers and movies. Bruce Lee has become a legend more because of his death than anything, there is nothing to measure his skill or lack of therein I totally disagree, he has had a tremendous impact on the Martial Arts, he was constantly challenged on his skill in the streets and off the movie set, I guess Bob Wall, Joe lewis, Steve McQueen, Chuck Norris,James Coburn, ad infinitum, made up their thoughts and feelings towards this ICON.. I seriously doubt your credibility in regards to anything "Martial Arts" Best regards,Jack Makinson
kicker Posted February 17, 2002 Posted February 17, 2002 Well I agree with you ramcalgary I am basically think thats right when you do your best it`s going to show. "If you watch the pros, You will learn something new"
AnonymousOne Posted February 17, 2002 Posted February 17, 2002 On 2002-02-16 14:09, jakmak52 wrote:On 2002-02-15 23:36, AnonymousOne wrote: Bruce Lee only had a small effect. Man kinds need for self preservation existed long before Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee's skill was never actually tested apart from some loyal followers and movies. Bruce Lee has become a legend more because of his death than anything, there is nothing to measure his skill or lack of therein I totally disagree, he has had a tremendous impact on the Martial Arts, he was constantly challenged on his skill in the streets and off the movie set, I guess Bob Wall, Joe lewis, Steve McQueen, Chuck Norris,James Coburn, ad infinitum, made up their thoughts and feelings towards this ICON.. I seriously doubt your credibility in regards to anything "Martial Arts" If you wanna worship Bruce Lee thats fine but you are basing your evidence on heresay and other peoples opinions. There was never any actual measuring devise to determine Bruce Lees skill or lack of skill. Was his technique ever measured for how many feet per second he could punch? Was it ever measured how many lbs of destructive force he could do? Was it ever measured how quick his eye/body reaction time was? A living person is easy to measure and a dead man is easy to make a martyr of. It would be so easy for me to say Azato, Itosu, or Aragaki were far superior but how could I prove it? They are all dead!! Base reality on evidence at hand. Bruce Lee was not a God and I have no doubt that there are many other's that have surpassed him, from ancient times and now. How can one measure this? It cant be done. But never the less, build your alter if it makes you feel good 7th Dan ChidokaiA true combat warrior has to be hard as nails in mind, body and soul. Warriors are action takers and not action fakers. If you are cruising, make time for losing
spinninggumby Posted February 17, 2002 Posted February 17, 2002 Like I said earlier, God or not, most powerful ultimate killing machine bad a$$ or not, Bruce Lee's impressive amount of influence and devotion/commitment to the martial arts and to his craft is undebatable. And honestly speaking, I truly believe that he was the martial artist with the biggest influence on the 'general public'. The only other guy who even could come close in my mind is Jackie Chan, who is an actor and Peking opera acrobat prodigy more than a hard-core martial arts freak. Otherwise, it is quite hard to say who influenced or had the most significance on the development of martial arts as a whole and 'the one person' that the gigantic martial arts community felt was the most inspirational and knowledgeable (or had the most to offer). The world and this area of study is so friggin huge. It's hard enough to find the ultimate and number one pioneer of a single art, much less all of them. There will always be biases when people answer this question because, like I said before, certain icons will have more influence than others depending on our personal outlook, style, training perspective, etc. etc. And I am answering this forum question ONLY IN REGARDS TO WHO WAS THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE TOWARDS THE PUBLIC, WHICH HAS A GREAT AMOUNT TO DO WITH THE MEDIA AND WHAT IT PUTS OUT. I am not a hardcore jkd stylist, I am not even a huge Bruce Lee fan, but I give the guy credit for his devotion. Perhaps he was just the lucky guy whose efforts were realized by the public and by showbiz, considering how many hard working martial artists there are out there. _________________ "Being able to move in and out of styles, movements, and rhythms with ease is the highest skill." - Donnie Yen Don't give me credit, I am only the result of my education. [ This Message was edited by: spinninggumby on 2002-02-16 20:11 ] 'Conviction is a luxury for those on the sidelines'William Parcher, 'A BEAUTIFUL MIND'
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