Hey Ch'i, thanks for taking the time to post all this great info. And thanks to Will and Zeraph for the great (and civil) discussion, I really enjoyed it.
I always understood full-contact (in the training, organized sense) to mean with protective gear. I like it alot. It is a much better "workout" and more importantly, gives you a sense of how draining or tiring fighting can be. The two times I did it (that's another story if anyone's interested - Full-contact jujitsu and krav maga when I was in Israel a couple of weeks ago) I was winded in about a minute of striking and kicking my buddy at full strength. It was instructive as the instructor could point out the flaws in your form (punches and kicks). GOing full strength allows you to feel it too, the incorectness. The first time I did it, I felt awkward and counterintuitive. It was like, why am I fighting my friend (at full strength)? We were tentative because we were afraid of hurting each other. But the protective gear and practice took care of that. Also, full-contact allows you to get a feel for being hit. I lost my balance alot and got knocked down a few times. But because of the full-contact and instructive nature, I was able to adapt and change my stance/form etc.
Oh yeah, Bruce Lee has always been one of my heroes, truly a remarkable man. Here's some new info about his legacy.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...-entertainment