“BE like water,” the late, great Jeet Kun Do pioneer and actor Bruce Lee once opined.
It means to empty your mind, be formless and shapeless like water that takes the shape of its container.
This philosophy promotes being able to flow, adapt and adjust to different situations and circumstances rather than being rigid or stubborn.
That philosophy can most certainly be applied to the kids that is featured in a video clip showcasing amazing flexibility, dexterity and yes, water-like fluidity while executing martial arts moves.
Uploaded on Watercooler’s Facebook page, it elicited plenty of gasps of amazements from global netizens who were simply floored by these little masters’ prowess.
The post has generated over 579K ‘likes, 14.2K comments and 34 million views at time of writing, highlighting the amazing skill that was on display.
The poster posited that at that age he was still playing in a sandbox.
Many simply applauded these children’s incredible mastery of martial arts.
One netizen surmised this was the right path for young ones instead of other mindless and less healthy pursuits. Good physical education equates to better mental health, she surmised.
That the video was obviously filmed in China and by referencing the current trade hostilities between China and US, one netizen asked a pertinent question – what chance did the latter have when Chinese kids were displaying this sort of discipline and determination.
Continuing on the theme, another commenter compared the state of the average American upon hitting their mid-30s compared to these obviously fit as a fiddled Chinese kids – barring any serious injury – will probably be in much better state at a similar age.
One commenter lamented that in his native Philippines, the younger generation merely aspired to be TikTokers.
However, not all were enamoured with this show of skill and dexterity. One netizen questioned the long-term effects of such training would have on these kids. Would they be susceptible to arthritis?
Abuse and beatings were the main worry for another netizen who claimed that these kids probably had to go through a torturous training regimen to reach such levels of skill.
One netizen lamented their lost childhood as such rigorous training would obviously take precedence over any children pursuits.
Whatever one may think of the rigorous training that these kids have had to endure, it surely must be preferable to being glued to digital gadgets 24/7.
As for China’s growing influence as a superpower, this is quite possibly the best show of strength.
If youth is indeed the future, this video perhaps highlights that the Chinese kids may be better prepared to handle future challenges than most. – April 29, 2025
