The George Dillman Interview
Conducted by Paul Bax
George Dillman is a man that has probably done more for traditional martial arts than any other martial artist alive. Given this observation, it is ironic that his name would be mentioned in the same breath as the always pragmatic and eclectic Bruce Lee. However, Mr. Dillman had a very special friendship with Lee and has recalled some stories that will cause even the most educated Bruce Lee fan to raise their eyebrows. In the following interview, George Dillman, the master of pressure point strikes and Okinowan weapons, gives us a detailed account of his experiences with the late Bruce Lee.
Over the years, I have seen your picture numerous times with the late Bruce Lee. Exactly how did you two come to meet?
DILLMAN: Well, I met him in Washington D.C. in 1966. Actually, the first time I met him he came in to watch one of my karate classes and wanted to know if he could spar some of the people. He, of course was famous for going around to dojo’s and asking if he could train with them and spar with them. That’s how we met. My school used to be at the D.C. Armory, which was a large National Guard Armory. That’s where Jhoon Rhee held his tournaments. Mr. Rhee used to bring him in as a guest and Bruce would either come a few days early or stay a few days late and he popped in the dojo several times to work out. He knew of me through magazines and he asked me about my weapons. We discussed that, and I received a lot of coverage back then in the magazines for doing nunchaku’s and the kama and winning a lot of tournaments.
So, did you witness Bruce Lee actually sparring?
DILLMAN: Oh yeah, plenty of times. He was very fast and strong. He was fast with either foot. Of course this is pre-Bill Wallace days, but I think he had Wallace capabilities with either foot. He was very fast with either foot and naturally with both hands. He used the whole entire body as a weapon. He would kick you with a left and kick you with a right and follow it up with a punch all within a few seconds.
Now did these sparring matches ever escalate into an all out brawl?
DILLMAN: No, no, well he wholloped a few people, you know a few of my students he wholloped, he never did it to me but every once in a while he laid a hard one on a student and I asked him to cool it a little bit, but it never turned into an all out fight. He had a way of making out like he wanted to help you and then hit you. He would discuss with you whether you were open or tell you, you could be kicked, that type of thing and then he’d work with you and then he would proceed to kick you. He sort of made it like he was trying to help you but he was getting a lot of his own practice in.
The two of you attended numerous tournaments together. What type of activities did you two participate in outside such events?
DILLMAN: We were in a couple. I wouldn’t say numerous. Only the fact he was at my school, I took him to the airport, he came over to my house. I lived at Washington D.C. and at the time I had two children and he told me how they reminded him of his children and we have pictures of him holding my kids. I took him to the airport one time, he and Ed Parker. I took them to the airport because there was a large crowd of autograph seekers and since I worked at that armory, I was a lieutenant in the military police, I just said I’d take them out the back door because I had the keys. I believe that was in 1 967. Bruce was at my school three times and we trained together I was with him at two different tournaments. That really was the only physical contact we had. He called me several times and he wrote me. I have several letters from him in my file. And I have all kinds of other autographed pictures, memorabilia and that sort of thing. In fact, I might have the only business card that was ever autographed by him. He gave me two business cards and wrote his address on the back of the one and told me to make sure I stay in touch with him and then he gave me another one, that I asked him to sign.
So Bruce attended these tournaments when the Green Hornet was popular?
DILLMAN: Yes, uh huh.
How did the crowds react to him?
DILLMAN: Ah, there were 9000 people there at the first time he appeared and they were trying to knock him over because the Green Hornet was on television and very popular at that time. That’s why I had to get him out the back door. I really don’t think any of it really went to his head, he had vision of being more famous than that. He talked to me before he went to Hong Kong about the movies he eventually made and
I had read once where you stated that Bruce taught you trap hands which in turn, helped with your pressure point applications in regards to flowing from one meridian point to the next.