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In the movie Enter the Dragon there is a classic scene (well, the whole movie is a classic...) where Bruce Lee interrupts a bully aboard a ship and introduces him to the idea of 'The art of fighting without fighting.' Lee entices the bully onto a smaller rowing boat to make their way to an island to witness a demonstration on the beach. The bully climbs onto the rowing boat first at which point Lee let's the rope slide away from the ship and the bully is left alone and stranded on a rowing boat that is quickly filling with water. You can view the entire clip below.
Like so much of Bruce Lee's philosophy, this is in fact a retelling of a classic (and true) samurai tale from Japan.
One day the famed swordsman Tsukahara Bokuden was on a small ferry. On the same boat was another warrior who began boasting about his prowess with the sword. Bokuden, unimpressed, dozed off and the boastful fighter became angry. He roughly awoke Bokuden and demanded to know what style he followed. Bokuden told him that he used "The 'Victory without using one's hands' school". The swordsman demanded a demonstration and Bokuden agreed, suggesting that to avoid any injury perhaps the ferry should make a detour to a small nearby island where Bokuden could demonstrate his skill.
Upon reaching the island, the braggart jumped ashore and turned to face Bokuden. Bokuden made to follow him but suddenly grabbed an oar and pushed the ferry away from the island, leaving his would-be opponent stranded. As the ferry sailed away Bokuden called back 'This is defeating the enemy without using your hands.'
