Two martial arts legends, Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee, are famous for training together during part of the 1960s. Various interviews and biographies have shed light on the friendship that preceded Norris' role in Way of the Dragon. In the 1972 film about kung fu by the Hong Kong studio Golden Harvest, the actor played Colt, a karate master who took on Lee in an epic 10-minute duel.
Over the years, Norris has been among the celebrities that Lee has coached during his time in the US. After moving to California and before returning to Hong Kong, the actor ran his own kung fu school and gave private lessons to a number of Hollywood celebrities, including James Coburn, Steve McQueen, Roman Polanski and James Garner. Norris, who wasn't a star (or even an actor) when they first met, is known as one of the many who trained under the martial arts icon.
Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris learned martial arts from each other
It is important to note that while it is certainly true that Norris sparred with Lee on a regular basis, their relationship was not like the one he shared with any of the names mentioned above. After all, Norris was a skilled martial artist in his own right. Unlike Lee, who was taught Wing Chun kung fu, Norris practiced karate. By that time, Norris was already an experienced fighter, participating in numerous martial arts competitions. In fact, Norris met Lee immediately after winning the national karate tournament in 1967.
In fact, knowing different techniques and styles allowed them to reap mutual benefits from their training. As noted in Matthew Polley's Bruce Lee: I'll Never Give Up, Norris consistently described his workouts with Lee as "workouts." Given this, it is unfair to say that Norris was simply one of Lee's students. It seems that while Lee was teaching him kung fu, Norris brought in his own knowledge and experience. This makes sense, given that Lee had a reputation for being open-minded about the martial arts. Even after becoming a kung fu teacher, Lee was never against learning new things.
What did Bruce Lee learn from Chuck Norris?
Chuck Norris' comments contain specific details of exactly what Lee learned from sparring with a karate champion. on youtube. Norris states that before they started training together, Lee was of the opinion that high kicks were ineffective in real fights. At that time, he preferred to kick from the waist down. According to Norris, he convinced the actor that you need to be able to kick anywhere, especially if the opponent leaves the head area unprotected. Chuck Norris said that in less than six months of training together, Bruce Lee was able to significantly improve his high kicking technique.
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