Thomas’ new book is a close study on the principles of martial science, martial sport and martial arts based on the accomplishments of Bruce Lee, Joe Lewis and Morihei Ueshiba, encompassing everything from feudal combat to modern warfare. Ben Johnson wonders whether he has bitten off slightly too much...
Thomas’s 1997 book Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit is one of the best biographies of the late martial arts star currently available on the market, not just because of the author’s enthusiasm for his subject, but due more to how the author (former bass player with Elvis Costello) refuses to openly imbue this sentiment onto the page, preferring to paint a portrait of Bruce Lee as a human being, rather than the ‘legend’ or ‘myth’ that other besotted novels seem far too eager to promote.
From the outset of Thomas’ new book, the affectionate subtleties of Fighting Spirit appear to have subsided in favour of a more persistent adulation: “is Bruce Lee the greatest martial artist of all time?” he asks, “the answer is, ‘yes’.” That’s game, set and match, then, and we’re still on page one. With Immortal Combat, Thomas intends to explore the nuances that make up the title of ‘the greatest martial artist of all time’, ranging from the fighter’s mindset to their achievements, from the angles of martial artistry, martial sport and martial science. There is even a section dedicated to the modern warrior, where contemporary warfare and almost superhuman principals of telekinesis, Kiai and ki techniques, and themes of outer body combat are explored. (Including the slightly bizarre story of Guy Sarvelli, who taught ‘remote influencing techniques’ to the Special Forces, after which he was told to kill a goat with his mind.) Thomas even name checks a few weighty philosophers (Descartes and Jung among them) when discussing the principals of a ‘collective unconscious,’ and the notion of seeing yourself in the eyes of your opponent, while subjects as vast as the Nazis and 9/11 are mentioned in respect to notions of torture, ‘psychic’ warfare and gross unpredictability.
That’s a rather packed agenda for even the most worldly of commentators, and certainly too much for the casual martial enthusiast to comprehend, as Thomas lets his impassioned research complicate matters until he almost reaches the point of losing the plot entirely. How Thomas makes considerable amends is by linking three recurring figures into the main body of the text: that of his main muse Bruce Lee, championship free fighter Joe Lewis and Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba.
Thankfully, Thomas is just as scathing about his own critique: if we are to assume that these figureheads are the ‘ultimate three,’ can we surely judge ‘the greatest’ on the dismissive evidence that Lee never fought in any open competitions; that Joe Lewis trained in martial sport (which Thomas controversially refers to as being “far more concerned with domination and winning, offering a much more limited and almost two-dimensional view of the world” utilised as a “vehicle for the ego”); or that much of Morihei’s supernatural achievements were never caught on film, and remain almost indefinitely restricted to memory and folklore?
Ultimately, as Thomas uncovers, it is not the martial artist that is the greatest, but the martial art itself. In continuing to develop in the world of sport, science and philosophy, it seems that the martial arts is forever adapting and developing to fit our modern world. To suggest that one singular individual can best befit this model is, ultimately, a futile discussion, given the many different attributes and misgivings that make up the human conscious. After excavating survival tactics and unarmed warfare since the dawn of time to the age of the nuclear weapon and even to the next stage of our ‘supernatural’ evolution, Thomas’ conclusions are inevitably inconclusive. Bruce Lee probably was the best after all, and although the journey to discover this is fun, it is also considerably pointless.
For the purists amongst us, who are perhaps sceptical of martial texts which mention global events like 9/11, chances are you will find this book both hard work and slightly puzzling. As one of the world’s leading commentators on Bruce Lee, it is debatable whether Thomas should have strayed so far from his source, although at least you can’t fault him for trying.
(0 vote)
