What is jeet Kune Do?

[akja]

Ok guys this topic is very much debatable on which is correct "Original or Concept". I just want to hear some down to earth definitions " Of Your Jeet Kune Do"!

[eXcessiveForce]

I think that JKD is the concept. That being said I don't think eveyones realization of the concept is of equal merit. Many people may through out valuable techniques because they cannot perform them properly because they have not taken sufficient time to study and perfect them.

People who only want to study what Bruce himself taught will be imposing limitations upon themselves. And in essence are forcing JKD into the box of a style. It then becomes a static system much like the traditional arts so many people here complain about.

Just my opinion.

[Ryu (JKD?)]

JKD is the ideal. It's not a hodge podge of martial arts sewn together, and it's also not Bruce's personal fighting style either. Jeet Kune Do is "attained" (in my opinion) when a martial artist has gone through the very real path of understanding, using, absorbing, learning, and "forgetting" the martial aspects that work for him. I DO think that JKD holds to universal concepts like five ways of attack, proficiency in all ranges, and of course "intercepting." Although there is freedom to express these universal principles of JKD in different ways.

JKD is a personalized realization of who you are. How you fight. What you're all about. It's the realization of your strengths and weaknesses, your psychology, your physique, and your spirituality. Without wanting to sound too "Brucey" about it.... you can actually say that JKD is not really something to become. You simply "are" JKD.

Now that being said, I do NOT think that the concept of "your truth is not my truth" means you can do whatever the hell you feel like, throw a bunch of untrained material together, and call it "Jeet Kune Do." I've seen a bit too much "relativism" used in JKD.
There are many objective truths in JKD (as there are in fighting itself, as well as science... what martial arts are.)

You've got to train realistically. You've got to spar full contact with resistence. You've got to be proficient in the 4 ranges. You've got to be training athletically, and have a "discerning" mind to do JKD. These are not "relative" truths. They are absolute truths you've got to honor even though the techniques you use can be relative to different situations.
"My truth is not your truth" doesn't mean people arrive at completely different truths all the time. It means there are different paths that lead to the same truths (proficiency in fighting). But in order to do this you've got to observe that there are "right" ways and "wrong" ways of training.
Other than that..... be an individual. Knock yourself out, flip em, throw em, do what you want with em, (As Paul would say haha)

My 2 cents again.
Uh..... sorry for the short rant.

Ryu

[robertlee]

Went thru this on another forum a while back. Lots of different answers. JKD started off with the modifeied gungfu that bruce developed. That is the foundation. Way and truth is the simpal. How you react is the way you will reasond. the tools that work for you will be your truth. Be it the original or concepts or an extended version. JKD becomes your freedom. How you do things with the tools you have or are working to obtain. Not all arts can fall in jkd and be called jkd. The foundation of the core tools must be explored first. To be in the jkd path. Then as you discover or your instructor has discoverd to extend or reduce some of the tools. The path is yours to walk alone. What bruce did became jkd. with that foundation you will have your jkd. Its all personal use of the tools and the freedom of expressing in the end. Wat the instructor teaches as a core set becomes the foundation of learning . Left some what intact the ground work to discovery to what jkd is to you becomes yours alone Original keeps the set intact to maintain the past and lead towards a solid foundation to the future. Concepts open a door to individual discover not nessasary set on the tools bruce used to find his jkd. Allowing you to develop your own aprouch to what jkd is your jkd. Different paths lead the same way sometimes in the end its what is yours. A jkd man will use what tools he must to complete the task. But be bound to no way in the taking. JKD has a root then many branches to in its growth. just my small veiw yours is right to you.

[MDVaughn]

I think all you guys have good points. One thing that i would like to point out though is the process of Jkd. Many people unless they have studied with a good Jkd instructor still think taking the best techniques from many different styles is Jkd. That is not Jkd!
That is and electic martial artist or mixed martial artist. Allow me to explain. The original Jun Fan Gung Fu was the structure where bruce would teach techniques. In essense that was a style. What bruce found then was that in style you never expressed yourself so in other words you were a puppet to your instructor. Thats when bruce decided to turn martial arts into a process. For example when i start teaching students i start them with a good kick boxing structure then, good trapping structure then, then good ground structure. Then i start what i call process levels. The student must start doing drills, semi-sparring, then all out balls to the walls full-contact sparring. At first the student usually gets frustrated and wants to give up and usaully gets his butt kicked all over then place. By process 2 they are starting to make things work for themselves. By process 3 they understand there weaknesses and there strong points. That my friends is a big thing in Jkd self-discovery. After process 3 is attained they can now start eliminating and hacking away at the unessentials because they understand the process. A student will undergo this process for a bout 3-5 years. Let me tell you by the time they are at that point they are good. Then they can decide what they like best in the different ranges because they have been in all and now know which they like to fight in best because they have the knowledge and experience in fighting in all of them. Thats how we do it in my organization and the results are good. Hope this makes sense. This is a really broad question that they have hundreds of books about.

Nice replys everyone,

Mike Vaughn

[platinum_angel]

the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of JKD is freestyle for me

[akja]

Use of the Jeet Kune Do name

Part 1:
Like I mentioned briefly before, my Sifu and Sigung don't use the JKD name for personal reasons regarding my Sigung and the other Oakland group. THE ONLY REASON I use the name JKD is because people, even a few that I teach, get confused when I talk about. "My Art" which is based on Jun Fan Technique. That is the simplest description of my stand up game. “Kempo Jujitsu”, the "fist way" and the "gentle way" are the core of my technique.

I've been in a few forums for a while now and I think that I am going to eliminate the JKD name from my "martial resume", out of respect to my Sifu and Sigung and my other Sifu and Sensei and the "JKD practitioners" of today and yesterday.

My Kempo Jujitsu is deeply rooted in the "Oakland Jun Fan Gung-Fu" through "lineage and technique" but not "conceptually". I understand and practice the concepts behind the techniques but it is my personal belief that there is too much of the "hacking away" and "dissolving" of the techniques.

In any martial art you should "hack away" in order to speed up and perfect your technique but when you have found what works well, I believe that you should be "perfecting" and honing in you techniques with less emphasis on the "dissolving" of the technique.
Continued with part 2.

[akja]

Use of the Jeet Kune Do name

Continued Part 2:
Today in the UFC arena, I see 20 year olds coming up "complete fighters. That’s great, I believe in training and teaching all ranges together and separately. If you only practice them together you will never be able to find your "niche" in the arts. It’s very true that some techniques are better than others and that is for the most part been "competition battle proven"!

But you can practically count the actual number of techniques that they use on your hands! I very much recognize those techniques and there is NO ROOM to "DISSOLVE". "Perfect" yes. Only the future will tell, but I see the evolution at hand. I see the new generation that is already here and 2 of my nephews are a part. But since the new generations roots have already been "hacked away" it needs to built upon to grow new branches!

The future of JKD is a direction that may not have any relation to its creator Bruce Lee. That’s fine. That may be what he intended. It will be what it will be. My training is in Jun Fan Gung-Fu through James Lee to Felix Macias Sr. to Felix Macias Jr. to me. My art is mine and it is different just like my Sifu always said.

No body knows the future. Only time will tell. I’m not going away, I just came to the realization that I shouldn’t call my art something that it isn’t so that somebody will know what I’m talking about!

[akja]

What is JKD as defined by Roy Harris

I ran accross this a while back. Its pretty good. Roy Harris is 2dd black belt in BJJ under Joe Moriera and a JKD Instructor and Vice President of Paul Vunaks Progressive Fighting Systems.

Its too long so you have to click the link:

http://www.royharris.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=41

[gungfuhero]

JKD is Bruce Lee's approach to martial arts. As it is HIS approach, his material (Jun Fan Gung Fu, OJKD, whatever) is the root. However, that seed is cultivated in different ways by different people. Some people use kali or savate or muay thai or bjj or whatever, but the root is still there. JKD has a beginning with Bruce Lee, but no end.

[JIMI]

Inosanto academy refers to it as a concept. So its a concept, Guro Dan knows better than anyone.

[gungfuhero]

I agree. My post is based on SiFu Inosanto's words in the forward of Ron Ballicki's book as well as last year's article in Black Belt magazine.

[akja]

Originally posted by JIMI
Inosanto academy refers to it as a concept. So its a concept, Guro Dan knows better than anyone.

I know that Dan is the Man and yes JKD is a concept and that would explain why some of us who use a differant name.

Because we have an art!

[sikal]

Originally posted by JIMI
Inosanto academy refers to it as a concept. So its a concept, Guro Dan knows better than anyone.

While I respect Dan a *great deal* and his opinion about JKD is, most certainly, very valid -- to say that he "knows better than anyone" is a bit of a stretch. There were others who trained with Bruce and their intrepretation of what Bruce taught them is just as valid as Dan's interpretation of what Bruce taught him.

Personally, I agree with Dan's interpretation but it doesn't in any way invalidate anyone else's opinions.

Mike

[robertlee]

Concept or not. Jkd was a growing art when bruce was alive. NO one was meant to take it over. Its refured as concept ojkd junfan// Depends on who is useing it in refrence at the time. Spread concept to far by some and its not jkd at all anymore. Some one like dan yes he can build off what he has learned over the years and understand the concept. i still think that after doing and learning the jun fan // jkd that bruce was working on then if you add or take away you apply the concepts of another art. But JKd will be just what you want it to be and whos right or wrong . As long as you are getting better in either aprouch it is what counts I guess.