History of Bruce Lee

The Wing Chun Years

The "Wing Chun Years" section includes profiles of some of the most famous and important Wing Chun men in the history of the art. Lee first began his tuteledge under Yip Man at age 13 but was heavily influenced by Wong Shung Leung who was the clan's top fighter. Notable practitioners from this era are William Chueng, Hawkins Cheung, Victor Kan and many others.
The Seattle Era

Bruce Lee's Seattle students may not receive the attention that the later LA students have received but their knowledge of Lee's Gung Fu is undeniable. In fact, many in the martial arts community perceive Jesse Glover as his most knowledgeable student. This era contains profiles on: Taky Kimura, Ed Hart, Jesse Glover, Jim DeMile, Pat Strong, Doug Palmer, Joe Cowles and Leroy Garcia. From the Seattle era, various off-shoots of Jun Fan Gung Fu have emerged such as: Non-Classical Gung Fu, Wu Wei Gung Fu, Wing Chun Do and Core JKD. All these arts have roots in Lee's teachings but seek to "honestly express oneself" as Lee would have wanted his students to do.
The Oakland Era

The Oakland school first started in 1963 while Lee still lived in Seattle under the close watch of James Lee. Their first location was on a street called Broadway but the school was soon moved to James Lee's garage. During the Oakland era, Bruce Lee had his confrontation with Wong Jak Man which made Lee re-examine his art and prompted him to improve his footwork and use of angles in attacking. Students from this era who are profiled are: James Lee, Allen Joe, George Lee, Bob Baker, Felix Macias, Sr., Howard Williams, Leo Fong, David Cox, Al Novak, Gary Canaaga, Gary Dill, Dr. Lloyd Freitas and the son of James Lee, Greglon Lee.
The Los Angeles Era

While some have claimed that Oakland was the birth place of Jeet Kune Do, most historians admit that the Los Angeles era was where Lee finally coined the term Jeet Kune Do and had a clear basis for his 'way of no way'. The LA school contained several "turn coat" students from Ed Parker's Kenpo system. Students profiled from this era include: Dan Inosanto, Ted Wong, Bob Bremer, Dan Lee, Larry Hartsell, Steve Golden, Jerry Poteet, Steve Johnson, Herb Jackson, Joe Lewis, Chuck Norris, Joe Hyams and many more. Lee is reported to only participate at the LA kwoon for around 7 months and then left most of the teaching to Dan Inosanto while Lee took a few students to his backyard for private training.
The Next Generation of JKD

Bruce Lee's three era's of teaching spawned many students who in turn, gave birth to their own legions of students. Many have become successful martial artist in their own right while some have gone on to become top stunt men and women in the film industry. As time permits, I will continually add second and third generation students of Lee's own students.
Family, Friends and Associates

Bruce Lee's family was an important part of his life as were his friends who were not martial artists. In this section I have included some of his closest friends, family members and close friends who have interesting and insightful memories of, "the little dragon."
Hollywood Students & Friends

Bruce Lee's life in Hollywood first began with the Green Hornet series but continued on with various other TV appearances along with his instruction of notable celbrities like James Coburn, Steve McQueen, Stirling Siliphant, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and many others. In this section, I will high-light their experiences with Lee and the stories they had to share.
Authors and Historians

Just as their have been several Bruce Lee imitators, there are also those who seek to spread the word about Lee's art, films and philosophical contributions. In this section, I will high-light those who have written about Bruce Lee and provide insight and documentation into their work and feelings on Bruce Lee and his art of Jeet Kune Do.

Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do, james demile, jeet kune do, jkd, doug palmer, jim demile, bruce lee
skip ellsworth, bob bremer, howard williams, taky kimura, jesse glover, leo fong, james lee jun fan gung fu, richard bustillo, jerry poteet, joe cowles, dan inosanto

Bruce Lee's family was an important part of his life as were his friends who were not martial artists. In this section I have included some of his closest friends, family members and close friends who have interesting and insightful memories of, "the little dragon."