A Possible Cause of the Death of Bruce Lee

The Tragic End of the Little Dragon

I remember when Bruce Lee Died. It was a shock that went through the soul. Here was an icon,the best martial artist in the world, in perfect physical condition…dead.

How? Why? What happened?

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Interestingly, one of the first theories I heard as to the cause of his death came from a friend who was studying Tai Chi Chuan. The one word summation was: balance. And, the one sentence explanation was Bruce Lee was lacking balance.

I tucked this opinion away, collected facts, but it was literally decades before I matured enough as a martial artist to understand, and to accept, this opinion over the facts.

Let me say, before I continue, that I like facts. It could be said that only fools deal in opinions, and in most cases, this would be correct.

The person offering this opinion, however, was basing his opinion not on the facts of Bruce’s death, but upon the facts of the martial arts. It wasn’t until I was firmly matrixed in my approach to the martial arts that I understood this.

One of the facts that I continuously came across was that Bruce had an allergic reaction to marijuana, which was in tea he had drunk.

This is interesting, I have never read a study on this, is there marijuana in Chinese tea?

Another fact I came across is that Bruce had, again, an allergic reaction, this time to aspirin. But I think that the aspirin was given to him after he complained of a headache. And, I know it’s possible, but I just don’t hear of a lot of people, or any people, dying of allergic reactions to aspirin. Doesn’t mean it’s not possible, but…hmmm.

And, the third of these ‘facts,’ Bruce had a reduced fat content in his body. Now this is dangerous. And this could result in death. And this has much more substantiation in fact than the previous two theories.

Mind you, in saying this I realize that it is still opinion, and the only real fact we have is that we will never know. But this one fact, considered in light of the theory of ‘balance,’ really resonates with me. What was Bruce Lee doing that would result in a loss of balance, and which could possibly result in death? For the answer to that let’s consider how the martial arts are accumulated.

In matrixing one isolates the specific arts, and simplifies them to workable levels, and does not mix martial arts. In matrixing one studies the smaller pieces of the individual martial arts until they (eventually) blend into a larger and comprehensive whole.

Bruce, on the other hand, was doing a hybrid of the martial arts; he was doing, for one specific example, Wing Chun and Boxing.

I know, there was a lot more, he had 26 different arts at one count.

But consider the differences between just those two martial arts. Wing Chun controls the centerline and works on straight punches. Boxing moves laterally and has roundish punches.

Yes, a simplification, but bear with, for there are different concepts of chi power here.

In boxing, there is no focus on chi power, everything has to do with muscles.
In Wing Chun, hoever, the focus is on chi power, and there is major emphasis on generating energy from the tan tien.

Could this mix of martial training, taken to the extremes that Bruce took them, result in an imbalance in the body? Could this have resulted in Bruce’s death?

Unfortunately, as with the other theories, there is no proof, and likely never will be, and we all never know. But it is something to consider.

The mix of the martial arts you study is definitely worth considering. Not because of the risk of death (Bruce was a singular and extreme case), but because mixing the various martial arts, and especially without simplifying them through the matrixing process, causes confusion, and results in a slower learned and less effective martial arts.

In closing, the point of this article has been to ask, not to state definitively, and that in an attempt to understand Bruce Lee. It is only through understanding, not through mindless worshipping, that we are going to reap the true benefits of this incredible person’s martial arts and existence.

Take the first step in learning how to Matrix with Matrix Karate. For information that might be more specific to the theories presented in this article examine The Master Instructor Course. Both courses are available at MonsterMartialArts.com

Bruce Lee Website Reveals the Truth About the Little Dragon!

Free Bruce Lee Website Promises to be Significant!

Bruce Lee is the most famous martial artist of all time. He impacted upon America like a Kung Fu fist, shaking all our standards of Martial Arts style fighting and cinema alike.

Bruce’s Martial Art, Jeet Kune Do, would bring elegance to streetfighting, and a sureness of character.

Bruce Lee (The Little Dragon)

His movies would replace the pale chop sockie kung fu flix in a heartbeat.

It is only fitting, then that the most prolific martial arts writer of all time, Al Case, would choose to put up a website dedicated to The Little Dragon. Still in composition, the website is called Free Bruce Lee! And you didn’t even know he was in prison! (He he, snuffle snort–sorry, couldn’t resist).

Anyway, the website already has a handful of articles on Bruce’s life and times, including handwritten letters, articles his martial arts and insane workouts, and even pieces on his actual fights.

That Bruce Lee got in fights is no secret. He grew up in a tough town, was a member of a street gang called the ‘Tigers of Junction Street,’ fought in the Hong Kong Boxing Championships, and, of course, had that famous battle with Wong Jack Man.

The fight with Kung Fu stylist Wong Jack Man is, of course, the most interesting of all Bruce Lee’s fights, as it may be the one that Bruce actually lost, or at least came out on the sad side of a draw. There is MUCH controversy regarding this fight, and of particular interest is the article entitled: ‘Bruce Lee Battle with Wong Jack Man!‘

As has been noted, this website is in the beginning stages, but it promises to be the most valuable Bruce Lee resource on the whole net. It is in depth, written by a writer who lived through those times, and offers the unique perspective of a martial artist who has studied the life of Bruce Lee since 1967 (when the author began martial arts, and when Bruce Lee hit the small screen as Kato in the Green Hornet television series).

Interested readers should click over to Free Bruce Lee.

Bruce Lee Workout Increases Strength and Power

Bruce Lee Work Out for More Power!

The Bruce Lee Workout I am describing comes from studies of about Bruce Lee, but is combined with research from other sources. There is data from bodybuilding exercises, weightlifting workouts, and so on.

Mind you, I call it the Bruce Lee Workout, but it comes from a variety of sources. many of which cropped up after his death, or were studies of his workout routines.

Bruce Lee used weight training, diet, and other factors to get this physique

There are three component parts to a Bruce Lee Workout.

The first deals with Bruce Lee Strength training. This is that weightlifting is the third best way of increasing strength. This is because when you weight lift you isolate the muscles. Yes, the muscles get bigger, but since the whole body is not being used, one will not get the tremendous speed of Bruce Lee.

The second principle associated with a Bruce Lee Workout deals with dynamic strength training, sometimes referred to as dynamic tension. This is when muscle works against muscle. This is a type of workout Bruce Lee liked, but didn’t always talk about. There are, however, Wing Chun exercises in which dynamic tension is present, or can easily be put in. The glory in these exercise routines is that the muscles, though they work against each other, do not isolate. They stay in a ‘group mode,’ and so one is able to use these exercises to achieve Bruce’s speed.

Bruce Lee believed in simple Body Weight exercises!

The third Bruce Lee workout principle holds that body calisthenics are the best method for increasing personal strength and power. While the Little Dragon did weights and dynamic tension, he also did Yoga and other body calisthenic exercises.

Tying all of the above together, of course, are things like the Bruce Lee diet, and other fitness concepts.
Thus, to make your own Bruce Lee Workout, one should do a lot of stretching, especially Yoga style. Then do light weight training. Light as one doesn’t want mass so much as definition and efficiency. Finally, the heavy stuff, body weight calisthenics.

Bruce did do weights, but his lack of mass puts them lower on his priorities

And, though many people may object, especially in light of certain Bruce Lee quotes regarding classical martial arts, this author prefers classical martial arts for his body weight calisthenics. It is just more fun to do than simply lifting heavy metal plates, or other similar types of weight training. And, finally, more yoga to cool down and make sure the muscles relax after the work out.

So consider these points when you analyze your own body, what you want to get out of your training, what you think is fun, and then create your own Bruce Lee Workout.

The Bruce Lee Workout was originally posted at MonsterMArtialArts.com.