The Difference Between Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan

I realize that in the literature of martial arts practitioners,been watered. A diluted wine is not a real wine, not a
there are endless references to Bruce Lee andgood wine, hardly the genuine article.
countless examples using Jackie Chan. This is not"Some martial arts don't look so good, but you know
another one of those. What I am doing here is merelythat they have a kick, a tang, a genuine taste. They
pointing out the most fundamental difference betweenare like olives. The taste may be strong and
the these martial arts movie stars and their styles.bitter-sweet. The flavor lasts. You cultivate a taste for
That difference lies in the real versus the Hollywood.them. No one ever developed a taste for diluted wine."
Both Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan are great on-screenIn years of training, I have found this to be true. Some
fighters and physically amazing to see on the bigmartial arts, such as the popular Tai Kwon Do, are
screen as they move, jump, punch, and fight. Jackienearly always taught as movements and pretty styles
Chan is a physical masterpiece of athletics for bothand have very little real fighting in them. Others, such
flexibility and control while Bruce Lee was a physicalas Pencak Silat, are brutal, ugly to watch, but can be
masterpiece of athletics for both strength and speed.extremely effective in the real world.
Both are unmatched on the movie screen.That is not to say that one martial art is inherently
Jackie Chan, however, admits that while he practicesbetter than another. Having studied over a dozen of
martial arts, he mainly does so for his on-screenthem, I can tell you that each has strengths and
performances. He is not a street fighter, competitionweaknesses. The teacher and the student are the
fighter, or traditional practitioner of the martial arts heimportant parts, not the art itself.
studies. He, for lack of a better term, is an extremelyI have met street fighters who were extremely
talented dancer.effective and had very little formal training. I have met
Bruce Lee, by the same token, also practiced martialdecades-long masters of Kung Fu who were useless
arts for on-screen use. He worked hard to turn hisin a street fight. And I have met mixed martial artists
early training in Wing Chun into a television and moviewho have eight or ten styles and are extremely
career. To do this, he had to make it flashier, moreeffective fighters on the street.
flamboyant, and less deadly.In fact, I have seen a fight between a black belt and a
Unlike Jackie Chan, however, Bruce Lee also studiedWestern boxer and seen the boxer, who has no idea
martial arts as a self-defense tool and put most of hishow to kick effectively, still easily defeated the karate
personal efforts into finding the most effective fightingexpert.
techniques for the real world. The result was JeetIt comes down to the fighter, his or her experience in
Kune Do, which, sadly, he died before being able toreal fighting (versus the ring or mat), and the type of
show to the world properly.training received to prepare them for that street
The lessons he compiled in his book, Tao of Jeet Kunefighting situation.
Do, were not lost, however. Self-defense martial artistsThere is room in the world for both the Jackie Chans
like myself have taken the ideas presented by Masterand the Bruce Lees of martial arts. The question is
Lee and used those ideas to broaden our perspectivewhat you, as the student, want to know how to do:
on fighting for defense.look impressive and be extremely competent in a
Street fighting is very different from the movies or thespecific scenario or situation, or be effective in most
dojo. In the introduction to his book, Bruce Lee wrote:every situation presented to you?
"Some martial arts are very popular, real crowdThere is nothing wrong with either approach, provided
pleasers, because they look good, have smoothyou understand the strengths and weaknesses of
techniques. But beware. They are like a wine that hasyour chosen path.