In 1959, an 18 year old Bruce Lee moved to San Francisco, California to live with his sister. A few months later Bruce Lee moved to Seattle to finish high school, and worked in a Chinese restaurant. After finishing high school Lee enrolled at the University of Washington in drama, while also studying philosophy, psychology, and other subjects. He met Linda, a fellow student at U. of W. and married in 1964.
During this period of 1959 to 1964 Bruce Lee also taught martial arts to various people. Bruce was essentially teaching his version of Kung Fu. You should be starting to understand who Bruce Lee was. Obviously, Bruce was a rebel, and did not conform to traditions. Bruce Lee made his own way in the world and shaped the martial arts to his vision. We are all enriched by this. Bruce Lee later created a martial arts style called, "Jeet Kun Do", which he called a style without a style.
Let's look at the state of martial arts in the United States in the 1950's and 1960's. Robert Trias brought his form of Okinawan karate to the U.S.A. in 1947, which he called Okinawan Shuri Ryu Karate. Robert Trias formed the first karate association, the United States Karate Association (USKA) in 1947. The American Karate Association (AKA) was formed in 1964. These styles were based more on the Okinawan/Japanese forms, but evolved into more of an Americanized style. Basically, you had servicemen who served in the World War II in the Pacific and brought what they learned in Okinawan and Japan, mixed it with boxing and judo, and gave it a new name. A good example is Ed Parker who grew up in Hawaii and learned boxing and judo. He later trained in Kenpo karate, and then created a style called "American Kenpo". The traditional Kenpo form used very linear movements. Ed Parker added some more circular moves in his "American Kenpo" which is more in line with Chinese Kung Fu and some of the Okinawan forms. It was in the 1960's when Tae Kwon Do was exported around the world and arrived in the U.S.A. This made for some interesting times, with so many different styles and an ongoing evolution of these styles. It is not surprising that one ongoing movie theme is to pit one martial style against another. Each school has to justify why its style is better than another.
It was in this creative and evolving stew of martial arts, that Bruce Lee arrived on the scene. Chinese Kung Fu forms were fairly unknown, and were greatly overshadowed by the various karate forms. Rather than conform to a rigid style system or forms, Bruce Lee focused on what technique worked. What is effective? What is efficient? How do you adapt to different fighters and fighting styles? It was this form, without form, that is the basis for Bruce Lee's style - Jeet Kune Do.
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