What
is Jeet Kune Do?  JEET
KUNE DO = The Way Of The Intercepting Fist
Jeet Kune Do is the form of martial art created by the
legendary Bruce Lee. During his years of training, Bruce
came to realise that no one martial art has all the answers
to all combat situations, as he said "Everything works,
but nothing works all the time", so JKD is really
about using the art that works for that moment in time
and then moving on (adapting to the situation).
Because of the way he was built, his emotional make up
and so on, Bruce originally researched and drew from 26
forms of combat which he found suited him on a personal
level and were very effective forms of combat. He chose
arts that could be used in the Kicking, Punching, Trapping
and Grappling ranges. he also developed his body and senses
to their ultimate potential, in order to be as effective
as possible in any given situation (Combat or otherwise).
Sometimes
Bruce would only use a principle from a combat form,
like coining the phrase "Stop Hit" from
western fencing. This was to become a cornerstone of
JKD philosophy, intercepting an opponent just as he is
about to strike you. He also adopted steps, terms and the
strong
side forward stance from fencing.
Bruce Lee was a student of Philosophy and studied the
human condition in order to better understand himself,
he was
also an amazing example of self motivation, which is
the driving force in any martial artists training. he
knew
that you must not only concentrate on the physical side
of combat, the emotional side is every bit as important.
he said that in combat, you must sometimes learn to step
through the door way of insanity...and come back again.
A JKD practitioner is all about cultivating attributes,
both physical and emotional.
Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do is the term used when describing
the art and techniques Bruce taught when he was alive
(Lee
Jun Fan being his Chinese name) Jeet Kune Do Concepts
is used to describe the way Bruce's art has evolved and
been
added to or changed since his death, by the instructors
Bruce left behind. His friend and highest ranked instructor
Danny Inosanto added elements from the art of Kali because
he found that they complimented the way Bruce viewed
his combat training and could only add to the effectiveness
of JKD. Many other JKD teachers have done this over the
years because they thought Bruce would want his art to
always be evolving.
John Carrigan |