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Training like Bruce Lee would be a dream come true for most martial artists — and now, that dream can become a reality. Lee’s iconic Los Angeles gym has reopened close to 50 years after his shocking death. Classes there focus on the art of Jeet Kune Do, the fighting style popularized by Lee.
The master teacher at the gym is Eric Carr, who learned JKD from Lee's former student Jerry Poteet. Poteet was one of Lee’s original students, and Carr said he felt compelled to preserve the Hollywood and martial arts legend’s legacy.
"It’s something Jerry used to say to me: 'You’ve got to complete the circle,'" Carr told NBC News. “The teaching, philosophy, and mindset of Bruce Lee have influenced people and martial arts around the world for decades.”
Carr said he worked closely with Lee’s family in the reopening process, and will offer one-on-one classes, seminars, and children’s classes in Jeet Kune Do, which translates to “way of intercepting fist.”
Already, interested students are flocking to the legendary gym to learn Lee’s style. “They want to be close to the man who has had such an influence in their lives,” Carr told NBC, “and become a part of that history and live the experience.”
For years, Lee taught students JKD at the 628 College St. space until it was shuttered in 1969. It remained mostly vacant, but for a brief time was a dentist’s office. Now, Fists of Fury are once again flying there.
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