Jan 28, 2023

The UCO BUDO SOCIETY once has a very popular demo team. We visited school, libraries and even ComiCons. Below is a clip from a visit to the Classen School in Oklahoma City with Nash, performing a Nunchaus battle with me in Red. Enjoy.

Does Zhang Ziyi die when she jumps off the cliff? Sorry, I don’t know what the ending of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon means, but Dr. Allen Rice who teaches Milton and the Epic has a theory: she doesn’t die because there must be a sequel coming in the near future. It has been years, and indeed a sequel or perhaps prequel is coming out.

Chinatown Kid

Growing up watching a billion martial arts films, I used to go to Chinatown in Los Angeles and hang out during the weekends, the most important time of the week.

I would usually buy Bruce Lee items from the local shops there. I went so often that the owners of the stores would give me discounts. I was obsessed with Bruce Lee.

The very next day after I watched Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury (Chinese Connection 1972), I made a pair of bamboo nunchaus. As I shredded them by hitting trees, I made other nunchaus and other weapons. I didn’t know what I was doing, but it was fun. I remember everyone did nunchaus, and we even took them to school.

Fist Full of Nunchaus

Instead of passing illegal smoking substances around, we would pass nunchaus around during breaks. People who never spoke with each other would join in and show their Bruce Lee moves.

Everyone had their own special move. I was always bumping into someone who had a secret nunchaus move.

None of us practiced martial arts, but all of us did Bruce Lee. Even the police started to carry nunchaus. This all was before laws were made against nunchaus.

Once when I was visiting some bookstores in Westwood by UCLA, I walked right by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, friend of Bruce Lee and star of Game of Death. I didn’t ask for his autograph.

Like a dummy, I just stood still and starred at him as he walked by. Kareem smiled and went on by me with his friend. My cousin once met Dan Inosanto, another friend of Bruce Lee and star of Game of Death, and got his autograph for me.

Bruce Lee Collection

Soon I took karate lessons, but my obsession would not end. I still have dreams where I jogged miles to some shop in Chinatown and find a special, unique, and holy Bruce Lee magazine from Hong Kong. Who cares if they were in Chinese, and I couldn’t read them?

Some were in Japanese too. It was Bruce Lee. I still have all of those hundreds of magazines. I am not sure why, but I guess I spent so much time and money on the collection that part of me lies in those magazines.

Fight Club

As I grew up, most of my friends were black belts and had studied various martial arts since they were kids. They came to my house and we worked out. All of us had taken martial arts because of Bruce Lee. I remember the feeling of floating as I practiced.

I recall the effortlessness as the speed of my moves would increase. The ground would give way (or was that a movie I saw?). I have studied Goju-Ryu, Sho-Ryn Ryu and Tae-Kwon Do.

I spent about 3 to 4 hours a day working out for my entire childhood. I could do splits and easily kick the light fixture above my head of any room I walked in, just like Bruce Lee.

My parents were not impressed when I shattered them. If I could jump up and touch it with my hand, I could kick it. I am not sure what value such an art of destruction had but Lee did it.

Ninja Club

Thus is how I spent my valuable time. In Los Angeles, I even learned gymnastics, just so I could flip like those ninja masters in the movies. Most of the Asians on the team had joined for the same reason. We all wanted to flip around like Bruce Lee. I would do a front roll, jump up do a split kick, hop and do a front flip and end with a double punch. I have also practiced some Judo, Jujitsu and Wu Shu. I always wanted to be a master of Kung Fu. I still practice martial arts today.

Fist Full of Blood

One day as a teenager, I became enlightened as big drops of blood flowed over my eyes and down my face and upon my foot. Only when I pulled the knife out of my head did the color red begin to pour more profusely upon the floor. It wasn’t pain I felt but stupidity. How would I explain this one to my parents? I remember being dazed and sitting in the emergency room getting stitches on my head. Why did I try to recreate a Tadashi Yamashita kama (sickle) movie ninja movement from the film Octagon? What was I thinking?

I thought I could twirl it like a nunchaus, but it didn’t quite work.

No Pain No Gain

It was not my first time visiting the emergency room. Cracked ribs, twisted ankles, and a broken nose had visited my body before. Later I learned that even Yamashita had injured himself with that sickle/nunchaus weapon. I then realized that what happens in movies is not real or even part of the martial arts.

Wires are used in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Much of the movie techniques are just razzle-dazzle or mumbo-jumbo. Indeed, Bruce Lee once said that he would never kick above the knee or stomach in a real fight, something he learned from Wing Chun.

All those head kicks were for the camera. Later I learned that Bruce Lee had a double who did all the acrobatic moves in Enter the Dragon.

Fantasy Remains Strong

Furthermore, Jackie Chan’s out-takes at the end of his films are there to show kids that stunts are dangerous. What bone hasn’t Jackie broken? Currently, I practice Kendo, Way of the Sword, in the Budo Society every Sunday at UCO for reasons other than wanting to be some martial art, Buddha Head, but the fantasy remains additive.

Enter the Dragon

My son’s middle name is Dragon (Long). When my five year old son would watch Power Rangers and Dragon Ball Z, he wanted to be the same crazy flying anime fighting character.

He had splits and loved Jackie Chan and Jet L.

But one day he saw Bruce Lee, and he looked at me and said Bruce would kill Jackie or Jet. I said, you bet! Bruce beat up Jackie and Sammo in Enter the Dragon.

Buddha Head Meets Dragon Lee

Now when the UCO Budo Demo Team goes to middle schools, libraries, or performs at Moon Festival events, I, Buddha Head, get to pull out my nunchaus and do my best Bruce.

Since this is for entertainment, being Lee is just fine with me! Ahhh!

Doc Nirvana

AKA Professor “White Tiger” Wayne Stein