Bruce Lee...Greatest fighter?

[SatyagrahaKF]

Ok, I'm not trying to start WWIII here. In your opinion, would you consider Bruce Lee to be the best fighter/martial artist, of all time? Peace.

[stonecrusher69]

NO...there where many who where better then him.He even said he was not the best..

[Goju_boi]

I wouldn't go as far as saying he was the best, but I would say he was probably the most popular of his time.

[Willannem]

I'd say he was a great fighter who made great things happen for martial arts.

[Patrick]

Is there such a thing as greatest fighter? So many people have fought... seems like a crazy thing. Then again, I can't even pick a favorite movie because there are so many!

[Goju_boi]

exactly.It also depends from style to style.Because if Bruce Lee was to ever fight a person like Muhamed Ali in his rules, I don't think Lee would be doing so great.

[White Warlock]

I'd say he was a great fighter who made great things happen for martial arts.

I wouldn't. Great things were already happening in the martial arts. He just ended up getting credit for a lot of it.

[Willannem]

I'd say he was a great fighter who made great things happen for martial arts.

I wouldn't. Great things were already happening in the martial arts. He just ended up getting credit for a lot of it.

I'm sure there were great things already happening when he burst onto the scene but there are countless individuals who were introduced to the martial arts though his movies. Several of them are now masters, preserving and teaching martial arts thoughout the world. I'd call that a great thing.

[stonecrusher69]

No question bruce lee made a big impact on the MA.Bruce Lee is a house hold name.If he was'nt a movie star I doubt anyone would know him.Bruce Lee was like the first cross trainer when it was not cool to be doing that.Now it's reversed.

[White Warlock]

I'd say he was a great fighter who made great things happen for martial arts.

I wouldn't. Great things were already happening in the martial arts. He just ended up getting credit for a lot of it.

I'm sure there were great things already happening when he burst onto the scene but there are countless individuals who were introduced to the martial arts though his movies. Several of them are now masters, preserving and teaching martial arts thoughout the world. I'd call that a great thing.

I'm sorry, but if his accomplishments are going to be centered on his 'screen' efforts and the ensuing 'media' exploitation of the arts, i just don't think that's such a good thing. A lot of people entered into the martial arts because they saw him on screen?

The growth and change of the arts is due to individuals within the arts that look beyond idols, and instead into themselves and into their arts. Granted, there are many people who found idols from different mediums, but i can't readily give Bruce Lee credit for the 'horrible' influx of wannabe martial artists that occurred in the 70's Bruce Lee era (as some people like to call it). In that time, a lot of fakers jumped into the scene, claiming to have belts and opening up schools with a modicum of legitimate background. Worse, however, were the many persons entering the martial arts for the 'wrong' reasons.

The movies didn't help the martial arts... it hurt it. Mass consumption is for the masses, and that's what movies and other network-products target. As to Bruce's movies as a whole, they were mostly geared towards revenge and other 'unhealthy' MA ventures, but common-theme movie ventures.

I also don't give credit to the times. It was at that time recognized there was an interest in Asian martial arts. It was the media moguls that capitalized on Bruce Lee and other martial artists of the time, because they noted the consumer interests... and went into it for the money.

Had it not been Bruce Lee, it would have been someone else...