I was a few months shy of my fourth birthday when Bruce Lee died at the age of 32 years old.
Although I was very young then, I was already a big Bruce Lee fan and as I grew up, I continued to learn more about the man.
It came as a big surprise to me when my son, who was at that time six or seven years old, suddenly became a Bruce Lee fan himself.
It happened that one of the channels on cable TV showed some of Bruce Lee’s movies and he enjoyed watching them. It probably also helped fill his interest that a soft drink company used Bruce Lee’s image to push its orange drink.
He even had a huge Bruce Lee poster on the wall of his room and probably one of the highlights of his being a fan is meeting one of the sparring partners of the legend, Richard Bustillo, during a martial arts event in Cebu.
I thought it was only a passing fancy, but through the years, Bruce Lee stuff have become part of my son’s stash along with Ferrari items and his prized CDs.
The other night, National Geographic Channel showed a feature on Bruce Lee, which allowed me and my son to once again get our fill about our favorite martial artist.
Bruce Lee may have been dead for almost 39 years, but the legend lives on. I’m sure many of the younger set of martial arts enthusiasts also have a keen interest on Lee and Jet Kun Do.
Unfortunately, I never had a chance to try JKD, but instead practice judo.
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If you are interested in martial arts, now is the best time to start.
Some say that they are too old to try martial arts, while some say they seem to be too weak to be a martial artist.
The movies probably have stereotyped martial artists as brawny men with muscles that show with a little flexing.
Engaging in martial arts may have been misconstrued by some as getting into fights and emerging as the lone survivor in brawls. This is also the same reason that parents are scared to get their kids into any form of martial art.
While many have realized that what movies picture, sadly including those of Bruce Lee, are not really true, there are still many who think only of brutality when martial arts comes to mind.
While there is no surefire way to protect yourself when trouble comes (yes, not even a gun), I still strongly believe that the practice of martial arts would give you an edge.
The discipline and the certain degree of fitness required of martial artists are definitely assets you’d want to have when faced with peril.
From what I learned through years of study, the best defense is not having the quickest offensive moves, but being able to spot danger and turning away from it.
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MILESTONES: Happy birthday greetings go to my Tao brother Mario Reburiano, Renee Rolette Tan of Parkmall, Antoinette Parce, and Dennie Vieve Dayoc, who are turning a year older today.
Advance greetings go to chef/golfer Peter Militante, triathlete Jose Mari Timothy ‘Tenggoy’ Colmenares, Ma. Cecilia Echeverria, and JThe Ayn Rosales, who are celebrating tomorrow.
More power to all of you! - THE FREEMAN