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...
by Laszlo J. Szigili