FLAMING WATERDROPS

Yesterday, I raised the question of whether Bruce Lee was right or wrong when he said, "I do not believe in styles." The basis of this question lies in the well-known fact that styles do exist and have continued to thrive ever since he made that statement in a 1971 interview. It seems that his claim has had little effect on the popularity of martial art styles, even though Bruce Lee remains the most famous, influential, and legendary martial artist of all time. Millions of Bruce Lee fans and followers continue to practice one or more traditional martial art styles. In fact, many beginners—initially inspired by Bruce Lee—end up learning and devoting themselves to traditional styles. As a result, a certain contradiction becomes apparent, and the question is entirely justifiable. Now, I’d like to share my friend Milagros’ great response to that question: “The Dragon is right; people should not rely on style. People try to keep an open mind—I believe this is what the Dragon wan...

There is plenty of evidence that interest in martial arts has been declining over the last decade. This is apparent, and I believe the reasons are the internet, globalization, and changing trends. People who are drawn to combative activities and want to explore and develop their own InFi style simply don’t stay in schools for long. They train for a while and then move on. The internet opens the eyes of the open-minded. You can watch anything you want online, and masters can no longer keep their secrets the way they could 30 years ago. As a result, teachers are no longer seen as authority figures; they’ve become more like customer service providers. Changing trends are another factor. The popularity of martial arts fluctuates. MMA, Krav Maga, and tricking are the current trends. In my opinion, it’s just fashion. The fact that these are popular doesn’t mean they’re better—they’re simply newer and heavily promoted through the media. When it comes to individual fighting styles, some tr...