To Bruce Lee, his fighting was just an extension of his personal philosophy. He believed in the 'Art' as much as the 'Martial'.

Like water, sparring should be formless. Pour water into a cup, it becomes part of the cup. Pour it into a bottle, it becomes part of the bottle. Try to kick or punch it, it is resiliant; clutch it and it will yield without hesitation.

In fact, it will escape as pressure is being applied to it. How true it is that nothingness cannot be confined. The softest thing cannot be snapped.'

'When in actual combat, you're not fighting a corpse. Your opponent is a living, moving object. Deal with him realistically, not as though you're fighting a robot. Don't indulge in any unnecessary moves. You'll get clobbered if you do, and in a street fight you'll have your shirt zipped off you.

In other words, when someone grabs you, punch him. To me a lot of this fancy stuff is not functional'.

To many of his millions of fans, Bruce Lee's greatest gifts have nothing to do with his razor-sharp reflexes or superhuman strength! For, while the Little Dragon's title as the supreme modern martial artist remains unchallenged, another part of his fascinating personality has been recognised in the months since Bruce's tragic death.

The King Of Kung-Fu was also a Philosopher Giant, with a wit as fast as his deadly low-kick; and a wisdom as carefully thought-out as his prowling, growling, fighting style.

Bruce Lee was no punch-drunk idiot, he was never blinded by the neon lights which advertised his superstardom to half the world. Having studied psychology at Washington University, Bruce was trained in human nature as thoroughly as in Jeet Kune Do!

The thoughts of the Little Dragon are therefore well worth considering, for poet or politician, sage or superstar.

Bruce Lee's Hong Kong film career began when he was only six years old. While visiting his father, Lee Hoi Chuen, on the set of his latest film, the director spotted Bruce and immediately sensed something "special" about him. He was certain beyond a doubt that audiences would fall in love with Bruce and even went so far as to offer him a role in his father's film. This was the beginning leading to over twenty motion picture roles and stedily increasing popularity among Hong Kong audiences.

Bruce Lee (top row, 8th from left) at his graduation from LaSalle Junior High School in Hong Kong.

'Bruce Lee's Fighting Method' is an extremely practical book about street combat. Such books are rare, very rare, since unfortunately bad and impractical books on self defence are not.

The book was compiled by Lee in co-operation with his good friend Mr Uyehara of Ohara Publications. The techniques used in the street fighting sequences mirror the very basic concepts outlined in the 'Tao of Jeet Kune Do'.