| Jeet Kune Do |
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History
Created by martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, the name Jeet Kune Do (a part Chinese/Japanese hybrid name which translates as ‘the way of the intercepting fist’) was conceived in 1967 and was given as a cohesive term to describe Lee’s philosophy on all martial arts – more as a process, and less like the product that it has become. Lee had dabbled with creating his own system in the past, by redefining the elements of wing chun to create his own Jun Fan Gung Fu principle. But the motivation to endorse a new approach to the martial arts followed a confrontation between Lee and his student, Wong Jack-man. Claiming that the fight took ‘too long,’ Lee is said to have reevaluated his martial arts background and discard what he saw as useless for the impromptu circumstance of street fighting.
In many respects, Lee is regarded as the founder of MMA (mixed martial arts), as his philosophy behind Jeet Kune Do was formed on the basis of an amalgamation of other styles and principals, namely those of wing chun, western boxing and fencing. In 1971, Lee said about JKD: “Let it be understood once and for all that I have NOT invented a new style, composite or modification. I have in no way set Jeet Kune Do within a distinct form governed by laws that distinguish it from 'this' style or 'that' method. On the contrary, I hope to free my comrades from bondage to styles, patterns and doctrines." Lee’s views are seen as controversial and often cause dispute amongst martial arts traditionalists even today.
In 1975, Bruce’s wife Linda Lee posthumously published The Tao of Jeet Kune Do which
Bruce Lee never referred to Jeet Kune Do as a ‘style’, and preferred to class it in terms of a ‘process’ or ‘system’. His philosophy behind its main principals were similar to the Confucian approach of ‘taking what is useful’ – like the sculptor, who does not add clay to a statue, but rather whittles down the clay that he/she already has in order to unveil ‘the truth’. Lee also championed personal health and fitness, and encouraged regular exercise including stretching and weight training, which would ultimately make you a better fighter.
JKD is a combative self-defense system designed for use in a street/survival environment. One of the key principals behind Lee’s philosophy was the need to revert to any means necessary to defend yourself – he discarded what he termed as the ‘classical mess’ of traditional styles in favour of a more open and personal approach to human expression. So, although JKD may feature elements of wing chun locking and attack, the footwork has all but been discarded in favour of the replacement stepping of western boxing. Likewise, Lee does not focus on the notion of Katas or forms, preferring the dynamic fluidity of combat as the only method of furthering a fighter’s practical knowledge.
As the name suggests, the basis of JKD philosophy lies in the notion of ‘intercepting’ an attack. In JKD, the best form of defense is a strong attack. Stop hits and stop kicks and simultaneous parrying and punching were elements taken from fencing but utilised in Lee’s new form of unarmed combat, whereas his notion of the ‘centreline’ was lifted from his background in wing chun. Lee emphasised ‘flexibility’ as a core response to JKD training, and compared the mind of the fighter to that of water – “if you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. If you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle… Water can flow, or it can crash,” he said in 1971. All these elements, he believed, helped to create a more intelligent fighter with a well-rounded and developed belief system in a variety of different combative forms. Share Our Martial Arts Features With Your Friends:     |
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