Hello Everyone!
The art of Jeet Kune Do has been surrounded by controversy ever since the death of its founder, Bruce Lee. To lay some groundwork, as well as make it clear to you what Jeet Kune Do really is, I would like to share with you some of the history of this art, as well as some of the reasons for the current state of confusion that exists surrounding this art! In the process, I will also share my ideas (developed through many years of in-depth practical experience and training) as to what Jeet Kune Do is, and also what it is not!
Jun Fan Gung Fu was the art that Bruce Lee taught in the Seattle, Washington kwoon, where he was assisted by Taky Kimura. Jun Fan Gung Fu consists primarily of Wing Chun Gung Fu (probably about 85%-90%) with a few elements from other gung fu systems (10%-15%). Bruce Lee spent five years in Hong Kong learning the Wing Chun system from some of its best fighters! He chose Wing Chun because of its raw street effectiveness!
During the Oakland period, Bruce Lee had an encounter with another Chinese martial artist, Wong Jak Man, of the My Jong Law Horn Kuen system of gung fu. Although Bruce Lee won the fight, he was unusually tired and winded when it was over! He felt that it had taken him much too long to get the better of his challenger! This was due to a failure on his part to immediately adjust to the methods of his opponent! This caused him to take more of an interest in physical fitness, as well as closely re-examine his art of Jun Fan Gung Fu. He decided that he needed more versatility in his tools and his footwork needed to change to favor more mobility. During this time he composed a letter, saying that he was inventing a new system of fighting that would consist of Wing Chun gung fu, boxing and fencing. This new system was Jeet Kune Do, the "Way of The Intercepting Fist". Just this alone blows the "26 arts" idea propagated by the JKD concepts practitioners right out of the water! There NEVER WAS "26 arts"! It's just that simple!
During the L. A. Chinatown period, Jeet Kune Do continued to develop. YES, there was a definite curriculum, and YES, the students were required to learn certain things! The kwoon was still called the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, but in Dan Inosanto's own words, what was being taught was Jeet Kune Do! Back then, there was no such thing as Jeet Kune Do "concepts", nor did Bruce Lee himself ever use the term "concepts" to describe his method of fighting! All terminology used in Jeet Kune Do was Chinese in Bruce Lee's lifetime, and the instructor was referred to as Sifu!
There is much talk today about Bruce Lee researching other methods of combat. Contrary to a popular way of thinking these days, he was not looking for things to add to his method. He was looking at other arts so that he could develop counters against their best techniques using his Jeet Kune Do! He was well known for using certain students with particular attributes to bring out his own attributes and abilities. He did not care much for teaching, but instead preferred to train himself to higher skill levels! That is why he was so good!
Much of his writing was geared toward trying to free other martial artists from the bondage and set patterns of what they were "locked" into! The famous "Liberate Yourself From Classical Karate" article was re-written about a dozen or so times before he finally arrived at the version that appeared in the magazine. I have that original magazine! I walked into the newsstand the day it came out and bought it! So as you can see, I've had plenty of time to read, re-read and read it again! I know what it means, and I know exactly where Bruce Lee was coming from with what he was saying! It has become painfully obvious to me that most people still don't have the slightest clue! Also, he was trying to be somewhat "politically correct" in the way that he presented the article, so as not to offend martial artists from other systems!
One thing that most people fail to realize is that most of the things that have been published as Bruce Lee's writings are actually just notes that he took from various other publications. This has recently been proven, and brought into the light by a book that was written by my good friend James Bishop! Many people have been shocked to find out just how much of the material published as Bruce Lee's writings were not actually his at all, but notes taken from other sources! The stuff that has been published as his writings was never intended for publication! Too many people take things out of context based on the importance they place on certain writings! Most of these people felt like complete idiots when they found all of this out! Most of what was in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do would have never been published had Bruce Lee lived! IT WAS HIS NOTES! NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS! The words of this article should go a long way toward clearing up many misconceptions about Jeet Kune Do!
That's why I get so sick and tired of reading all of this philosophical stuff written by so many people to try and back up their horribly mis-conceived notions as to what Jeet Kune Do is! Jeet Kune Do is a highly scientific method of self defense, based on highly effective, solid scientific principles that will remain constant from now until the end of time! This is THE TRUTH whether anyone likes it or not! There is a JKD way to stand (the bai jong position), there is specific JKD footwork and there are specific JKD techniques (punching, striking, kicking, defending, trapping). There is Bruce Lee's Five Ways of Attack! And more importantly, there are specific principles that must be followed for something to even be considered Jeet Kune Do! There is a specific progression to the training! The bottom line is, IF YOU ARE NOT DOING THESE THINGS & FOLLOWING THESE PRINCIPLES, THEN YOU ARE NOT DOING JEET KUNE DO! It's just that simple!
It amazes me how there are so many "JKD wannabe's" out there that are willing to say or do anything to try to convince someone that they know what they are talking about and know how to teach Bruce Lee's art! The truth of the matter is that they don't have the slightest clue what JKD really is! Jeet Kune Do is not a "smorgasbord" of martial arts techniques randomly thrown together! It is not a "be whatever you want it to be" martial art! That is WRONG! And to follow that approach and tell someone you are teaching Jeet Kune Do is WRONG! HORRIBLY WRONG! If that is what you are doing, then CALL IT SOMETHING ELSE! IT IS NOT JEET KUNE DO! This is not what Bruce Lee was doing, and this is certainly not where he was headed with the development of his art! He was still chiseling away the inessential elements of combat, not constantly adding "this art" or "that art" to what he was doing!
I have the full curriculums from Seattle, Oakland and L.A. Chinatown at my disposal, as I have trained with and been certified by original Bruce Lee students from all three periods! I am fully aware of what was taught in all three kwoons, and that is what I teach! I know who learned what from Bruce Lee and who teaches what material! The bottom line is this: Whether Bruce Lee discarded something or not, once he had learned it, it was part of his neuromuscular makeup, therefore at his disposal whenever he needed it! Bruce Lee was well known for using his students like guinea pigs, while developing certain skills that he needed, he also brought out the best in them! Of course, no one minded this because they were learning from Bruce Lee!
Much of the watering down of Bruce Lee's curriculum is due to the fact that certain Second Generation practitioners did not learn certain parts of the curriculum due too their instructor's lacking knowledge! But, this doesn't make that knowledge any less important, nor does it mean that Bruce Lee felt that it was less important! Why not learn as much as possible about Bruce Lee's entire curriculum? How else can anyone truly feel that they understand Bruce Lee's methods in their entirety? If you don't understand them in their entirety, how can you honestly say that you need more? Nothing earth shattering of course, just something to think about!
The other problem is the separation of Bruce Lee's art into Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do and Jeet Kune Do concepts! Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do is the approach followed by those who wish to practice and preserve Bruce Lee's original teaching, training and fighting methods. It is also referred to sometimes as "pre '73 JKD" and "Original JKD". Jeet Kune Do concepts practitioners use Bruce Lee's ideas and principles (though most often not all of them) as a base, but practice other martial arts as well. The problem with this approach is that although they use the name, the art they practice often looks absolutely nothing like Jeet Kune Do! The uneducated public comes to enroll in these schools, thinking they are going to learn what Bruce Lee taught, only to be taught everything but! They then go forth and propagate this lie, not knowing what they are really doing! This, to me, is wrong!
In most JKD concept schools, Jun Fan Gung Fu is part of the curriculum, but I have had many JKD concept Instructors as well as students come to train with me, only to find that they have been shown VERY LITTLE of what Bruce Lee actually taught! In fact, I have yet to have anyone from JKD concepts come to me that knew much Jun Fan Gung Fu at all, or at least how to do it right! It is these people that I have problems with their claims! If you have never learned something, what qualifies you to say whether it does or doesn't work? I hope you see where I am coming from here! I'm not just blowing hot air or trying to start something, this is just the simple truth!
The other side of the JKD concepts coin is those who know absolutely nothing about JKD, yet want to say they do and use the name to impress others! How many of these people have actually trained with a First Generation student or Second Generation Instructor that knows their stuff? How many of them fully understand the basics of Bruce Lee's methods, and the principles behind those basics? Most of these people think if they learn a little bit of this and a little bit of that, then throw in some things they made up, that this is Jeet Kune Do! NOTHING could be further from the truth! They are deceiving anyone who comes to train with them! This is just telling a blatant lie and ripping people off! In other words, using Bruce Lee's name and the name of his art to give them false hope that they are learning Bruce Lee's methods! THIS IS WRONG! That's all there is to it! To claim differently would be to admit that you are unethical and a liar!
Jeet Kune Do, TRUE Jeet Kune Do, is about a process of elimination and refinement, not accumulation! Chiseling away the inessential elements, not adding to the sculpture! True Jeet Kune Do involves techniques that fit together like the pieces of a puzzle. No jagged edges and nothing that doesn't fit! Everything simply flows! Right from one thing to the next until a situation is resolved! As Bruce Lee would say, "Adapt like a shadow, respond like an echo!" No pauses to think, "what comes next" or "what do I do now?" True Jeet Kune Do is about self defense in the street, not competition in the ring! True Jeet Kune Do is not about having fifty different ways to punch, but having as many ways as possible to use the best punch. That is Jeet Kune Do!
There are those who try to say that those of us who preserve Bruce Lee's original teachings are "stagnating" and "not evolving" as we should! YES, original Jeet Kune Do can and should evolve! Isn't any improvement in your skill level evolution? YES, it is! Now, how do you know that something is as good as it can be? You don't! WHY? Because no matter how good you are at something, you can always improve! Bruce Lee always felt that he could improve, and he continued to do so, therefore he was evolving continuously! If Bruce Lee never felt like he was as good as he could be, what gives any of us the right to say we are as good as we are going to get? NOTHING, that's what! You can ALWAYS get better! AT EVERYTHING!
It still amazes me that so many people run their mouths without having the slightest clue what they are talking about! I have been actively involved in this art for thirty years and I have been on both sides of the fence, JKD concepts and original JKD, and I eventually chose original JKD! Why? Because it worked when Bruce Lee was alive and it will always work, that's why!
For me, all of the things that work for me come right out of Bruce Lee's original teachings. I see no need whatsoever to go out and learn any other art! If it is different for you, that's fine! That just tells me that you really don't understand Bruce Lee's original teachings! Most people never look deep enough to discover what is really there! I know what I am talking about, as I see it nearly every day!
However, I also believe in freedom of expression and to each his or her own! That is the American way! Just don't try to tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about! I can easily show you different, as I know EXACTLY what works for me!
Keep Blasting!
Sifu Lamar M. Davis II
Senior Instructor
Hardcore Jeet Kune Do
Sifu@HardcoreJKD.com
JKD@windstream.net
http://www.HardcoreJKD.com
http://www.DragonBlastMA.com
Phone (205) 296-7070 (Incoming Only)
"Hit Hard, Hit Fast, Hit First - ALWAYS!"
"The REAL future of Jeet Kune Do belongs to US, the few, the proud, the HARDCORE! Now, what are we going to do with it?" _ Sifu Lamar M. Davis II
