Bruce Lee is best known for his own martial art style called Jeet Kune Do. Jeet Kune Do, often abbreviated as JKD, is a martial art and philosophy that Bruce Lee developed and practiced. It translates to “The Way of the Intercepting Fist” and emphasizes practicality, efficiency, and directness in combat.
Bruce Lee created Jeet Kune Do as a result of his own personal experiences and his exploration of various martial arts styles. He believed in the concept of “using no way as way” and “having no limitation as limitation,” which meant being open-minded and adaptable to different techniques and ideas. With this in mind, it may surprise you (or not), that Bruce Lee actually knew BJJ back in the 1970s. Whilst this may look primitive compared with today’s standards, the reality is that Bruce did know submission grappling and we have the proof to show this.
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Bruce Lee using BJJ in the movies
Chinese Connection
Here, Bruce Lee engages in a fight with Russian martial artist Petrov, portrayed by Robert Baker. During their encounter, Lee found himself caught in an arm bar. Rather than countering conventionally, Lee opted to bite Petrov’s leg to escape the hold, a humorous depiction that wouldn’t be effective in a real fight situation.
Return of the Dragon
A memorable fight scene in ‘Return of the Dragon’ featured Bruce Lee executing a standing guillotine choke on a fatigued and defeated Chuck Norris, where tapping out was not an option on the streets.
Enter the Dragon
In the iconic movie ‘Enter the Dragon,’ Bruce Lee showcased his skills by demonstrating various Aikido throws before applying a crucifix arm bar on his sparring partner.
Game Of Death
In Bruce Lee’s final film, ‘The Game of Death,’ he faced off against NBA legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Despite Kareem’s height advantage, Lee countered his strikes and eventually took the fight to the ground. Lee attempted an arm triangle choke, but Kareem’s ability to roll him over prevented its success.
Return of the Dragon
In one scene from ‘Return of the Dragon,’ Lee swiftly used a double leg takedown, taking Wall to the ground and finishing the fight with a powerful groin strike.
Proof that Bruce Lee trained BJJ in real life
Aside from certain movie scenes, there is also ample evidence that Bruce Lee integrated BJJ into his Jeet Kune Do system. In Bruce Lee’s book “The Tao of Jeet Kune Do,” which was published in 1975, he extensively covers various techniques found in modern grappling. The book showcases a range of techniques, including single and double leg takedowns, hip throws, arm locks, and traditional joint locks. Lee provides detailed illustrations and explanations for practitioners looking to expand their grappling arsenal.
In fact, Bruce Lee also trained leg lock submissions which shows just how ahead of his time he truly was. As seen below, we can see Bruce Lee’s training methods including straight ankle locks, ashi garami positions and similar leg entanglements.
Conclusion
Bruce Lee himself acknowledged that Jeet Kune Do primarily emphasizes striking techniques. However, considering the evolution of jiu-jitsu in MMA and its real-world applications, it is reasonable to believe that Bruce Lee, if he had witnessed these developments, would have become highly proficient in jiu-jitsu.
Although Bruce Lee is widely recognized for his dynamic and acrobatic kung-fu movements, a closer examination of his fighting style as presented in “Tao of Jeet Kune Do” suggests that he possessed the potential to excel as a jiu-jitsu practitioner and MMA grappler had he emerged in the modern era. Remember, his fighting methods took place during the 1960s and 1970s, so you have to look at him from a historical lense, rather than one based on modern-day.
