How Much Did Bruce Lee Charge for His Martial Arts Training Program?

Martial arts legend, Bruce Lee efficiently utilized his combat expertise by sharing his knowledge with young aspirants. He established a range of training schools in America. Additionally, owing to his fame and command over the discipline, his program had gathered a significant number of inspired students. 

Being aware of his demand in the domain, Lee didn’t shy away from charging a rather opulent amount from his pupils. As per an interview with one of his students, Barney Scollan, it was alluded that the Hong Kong star was gaining pronounced recognition and thus opened schools in several regions of California, per a Wing Chun Kung Fu report. But how much did he actually charge from his students? Let’s find out. 

Bruce Lee’s tuition fees for training his students

As Scollan revealed in the interview with Wing Chun Kung Fu, in 1964, Lee had recently instituted another of his training schools in Oakland, the first one being in Seattle, California. As a college-going student at the University of California, it was possible for him to enroll for Lee’s program in the city. “The cost was $20 a month for 3 lessons a week,” said Scollan. 

Additionally, he added that the space was clean and in a modern set-up. Highlighting the number of students there, he said, “The number of students seemed to vary quite a bit from 3 or 4, to as many as a dozen.” Similarly, another report by NY Martial Arts Academy, disclosed that the fees went up to $275 an hour.

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Apparently, he charged this amount for private lessons only. Despite that, people didn’t seem to have any trouble with the high costs until it was Lee as their master. Inflation records show that an amount of $275 in the 1960s is equivalent to $2500 in 2020. But why did Barney Scollan choose to be one of Lee’s pupils?

Bruce Lee was an inspiration

As per sources, Scollan first caught a glimpse of the icon in a tournament in Long Beach, California. Furthermore, the American Kenpo Karate tournament hosted by Ed Parker collected a huge crowd. Hence, Lee seized the opportunity to demonstrate his flair in front of the audience. 

The student recounted, “He also showed lightning-fast kicks and punches which had most of us shaking our heads in disbelief.  Two-fingered, one-armed pushups were also very impressive. The simplicity and directness of his principles and technique made a lot of sense to me.”

Bruce Lee never failed to benefit from the opportunities life threw at him. From efficiently promoting his prominence by claiming expensive fees from aspirants to manifesting his prowess as the world spectated, the legend’s got it all. Would you mind training from the icon himself for such a costly amount? Let us know in the comments.

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