It's commonly stated that Bruce Lee was a practicioner of Kung fu. To be accurate, that not true.
He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that is often credited with paving the way for modern mixed martial arts (MMA). His initial training as a youth was in Wing Chun, is a concept-based traditional Southern Chinese Kung fu (wushu) style and a form of self-defense, that requires quick arm movements and strong legs to defeat opponents. Softness via relaxation and performance of techniques in a relaxed manner is fundamental to Wing Chun. This style didn't suit Lee. Although he was very good at it. In 1959, Lee began teaching martial arts, calling his style Jun Fan Gung Fu, Bruce Lee's Kung Fu. It was Lee's approach to Wing Chun. Not long after, he incorporated Tae Kwan Do kicks into his style. By 1966, Lee came to believe that traditional martial arts techniques were too rigid and formalized to be practical in scenarios of chaotic street fighting, his speciality. Lee began developing a system with emphasis on practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency. He started to use different methods of training such as weight training for strength, running for endurance, stretching for flexibility, and many others which he constantly adapted, including fencing and basic boxing techniques, and he was influenced by heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali's footwork, which he studied and incorporated into his own style. Lee emphasized what he called 'the style of no style', which is what he says at the beginning of Enter the Dragon. This style consisted of eliminating the formalized approach that Lee argued was indicative of the traditional styles of martial arts. Lee felt that even the system he now called Jun Fan Gung Fu was too restrictive, and it eventually evolved into a philosophy and martial art he would come to call Jeet Kune Do or the Way of the Intercepting Fist, a term he would later regret because Jeet Kune Do implied specific parameters that styles connote, whereas the idea of his martial art was to exist outside of parameters and limitations. At the beginning of the film Lee expounds on his beliefs. They might seem like philosophical mumbo jumbo but it isn't. Lee explains his fighting theory in some detail and for anyone interested in martial arts it's a chance to understand why the man was such a great martial artist.
He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that is often credited with paving the way for modern mixed martial arts (MMA). His initial training as a youth was in Wing Chun, is a concept-based traditional Southern Chinese Kung fu (wushu) style and a form of self-defense, that requires quick arm movements and strong legs to defeat opponents. Softness via relaxation and performance of techniques in a relaxed manner is fundamental to Wing Chun. This style didn't suit Lee. Although he was very good at it. In 1959, Lee began teaching martial arts, calling his style Jun Fan Gung Fu, Bruce Lee's Kung Fu. It was Lee's approach to Wing Chun. Not long after, he incorporated Tae Kwan Do kicks into his style. By 1966, Lee came to believe that traditional martial arts techniques were too rigid and formalized to be practical in scenarios of chaotic street fighting, his speciality. Lee began developing a system with emphasis on practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency. He started to use different methods of training such as weight training for strength, running for endurance, stretching for flexibility, and many others which he constantly adapted, including fencing and basic boxing techniques, and he was influenced by heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali's footwork, which he studied and incorporated into his own style. Lee emphasized what he called 'the style of no style', which is what he says at the beginning of Enter the Dragon. This style consisted of eliminating the formalized approach that Lee argued was indicative of the traditional styles of martial arts. Lee felt that even the system he now called Jun Fan Gung Fu was too restrictive, and it eventually evolved into a philosophy and martial art he would come to call Jeet Kune Do or the Way of the Intercepting Fist, a term he would later regret because Jeet Kune Do implied specific parameters that styles connote, whereas the idea of his martial art was to exist outside of parameters and limitations. At the beginning of the film Lee expounds on his beliefs. They might seem like philosophical mumbo jumbo but it isn't. Lee explains his fighting theory in some detail and for anyone interested in martial arts it's a chance to understand why the man was such a great martial artist.