Tampa offers many opportunities to participate in martial arts, which are enjoyed by individuals of all ages. They can help to build strength and resilience and teach children and adults new skills and approaches. One of the popular household names associated with martial arts is Bruce Lee. For avid cinema fans, it is almost impossible to have a conversation about martial arts or think about these sports without thinking about Bruce Lee himself.
Here are some interesting facts about Bruce Lee and martial arts that you might not have known before.
Bruce Lee started martial arts as a child
If you are a parent thinking about enrolling your child in a martial arts course, it might be worth knowing that Bruce Lee started when he was just 13 years old. He began practicing martial arts as a teenager and went on to become one of the most famous names in this industry. Bruce Lee is known for being an actor too, a role which he began at just three months old.
He struggled with his vision
Bruce Lee had problems with his vision, a fact that surprised many people, given how quick and skillful he was in the world of martial arts. He was one of the first people to try contact lenses and often wore large glasses to facilitate better vision. It just goes to show that determination can push people through many challenges in life!
Bruce Lee was a martial arts pioneer
Bruce Lee is hailed as a pioneer in martial arts and a trailblazer who led the way to many forms of mixed martial arts that we see today. Jeet Kune Do, a philosophy that was developed and used by Bruce Lee, has now become a very popular philosophy in modern martial arts. If you or your family are taking martial arts classes, it is likely that many of the moves and techniques you are taught have been inspired by Bruce Lee. You can even ask the teachers at your next class whether anything that is being taught has been directly inspired by the moves of Bruce Lee.
He always dreamed of opening a martial arts school
Even before he was a well-known actor, Bruce Lee dreamed of setting up a martial arts school. He went on to establish The Jun Fan Gung-Fu Institute in Seattle, which was in a parking garage before being relocated to a basement elsewhere. This institute is still open in Seattle, decades after Bruce Lee’s death in 1973.
Bruce Lee built a bridge between cultures
Through martial arts and movies, Bruce Lee was able to help build a bridge between different cultures, namely Western and Eastern cultures. Martial arts began centuries ago in ancient China, and this practice has only become popular relatively recently in the rest of the world. A large reason why martial arts became so popular was the work of Bruce Lee. Movies starring this famous actor, such as ‘Enter the Dragon’ and “Fist of Fury,” became popular with sports fans and many others around the world and helped to promote martial arts everywhere.
Want to Become the Next Bruce Lee?
It is not surprising that Bruce Lee and his legacy have been inspiring people of all ages for decades. Martial arts can help people to develop self-defense skills as well as patience, resilience, and self-control. If you and your family want to begin learning how to practice martial arts in Tampa, you can explore the options for fun and educational classes and programs at Elevate Martial Arts.
Picture Credit: Wikimedia Commons