Ving Tsun Kung Fu - Wing Chun - Wing Tsun - Bruce Lee
People get involved in the martial arts for various reasons. Some join for self-defence, others do it to gain confidence, and many join to compete and excel in the athletic aspects of the arts. For all the reasons that people join the martial arts, an overwhelming number of them, directly or indirectly, have gotten involved in martial arts as a direct result of Bruce Lee's influence. Without Bruce Lee, the martial arts would never have reached this stage of popularity and success.
Bruce Lee, through his movies and television appearances, brought the martial arts to the forefront of popular culture. Of course he didn't do it alone, but he was definitely the most visible and influential. A whole generation was introduced to the martial arts through this publicity. Bruce Lee also introduced the world to a relatively obscure Chinese martial art known as Ving Tsun (Wing Chun) Kung Fu. Even though he eventually created his conceptual system, Jeet Kune Do, Ving Tsun remained at the core of his fighting style. As a result, Ving Tsun spread rapidly beyond the borders of Yip Man's Hong Kong school, and is now practiced in every corner of the globe.
Bruce Lee's influence is still being felt today. With the recent success of competitions like the Ultimate Fighting Challenge, martial artists around the world are finally beginning to understand Bruce Lee's philosophy of complete fighting. A fight is not static, nor is it bound by rules and traditions. A fight is fluid, alive, and, in its most basic form, ugly. Many martial artists delude themselves in their training. Bruce Lee wanted to change this. If you fight, chances are you will be hit. You might end up on the ground, or you may finish the fight standing. Either one is a possibility, and nothing is certain. This is reality. Bruce Lee believed in training for reality.
It is for these reasons that I have included a section on the immortal Bruce Lee. It is because of Bruce Lee that I entered the martial arts as a child. It is because of Bruce Lee that I sought out my Sifu, Sunny Tang, and began my journey in Ving Tsun. Even now that I don't think about fighting anymore, but am more interested in the works of Lao Tsu, Sun Tzu, and Miyamoto Musashi, I am still being influenced by Bruce Lee and his philosophies. Thus, I offer this section as my tribute to the "Little Dragon," Lee Jun Fan.
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