Jeet Kune Do (JKD)

I talked about Bruce Lee's philosophical side some, so I decided to go ahead and rant on the stupid JKD schools that are around now.

As you may or may not know, Bruce Lee was a great Martial Artist whose life was tragically taken from us when he died. His death has been debated, but the truth is that he died from taking Equagesic. He died in 1973 when his brain swelled over 13% from the normal size, believed to be from the drug. That being said, in his life, he held many achievements, far more than most have now. Now, onto the JKD controversy!

JKD, or Jeet Kune Do (Translates to "Way of the Intercepting Fist") is very controversial. I was somewhat wrong, but not really, when I said it wasn't based on his name. The OFFICIALLY licensed name was Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, (Jun Fan being Bruce Lee's Chinese given name) but it was always known and described as Jeet Kune Do.

You may be thinking, ok, so what, it's just the name, what the **** is it? Well, that's one thing that's controversial. Some say it's a style, while others, like me, see the fact that it wasn't A style, it was BRUCE LEE'S style. Bruce Lee created it as a style, and then basically changed his mind. He didn't want it to have a set list of moves, he didn't want it to have a set stance, and he didn't want copycats running around, but it still happened. When he died, it stopped us from obtaining what could have been the greatest Martial Art ever created. His 'Style' was not a style; it was more of a philosophy.

JKD was based around finding the appropriate stances, the right attacks, and the right speed for your body and mind. No two people could use the EXACT same style and expect to be equal. A 130lb person is less likely to be able to fight efficiently while grappling, while a larger man would easily take them down and out in no time. Teaching the same style to everybody, with everyone learning the exact same thing, is about the stupidest thing you could do if you really want to train fighters. It's a different story if you want to win a Karate/Tae-Kwon-Do/Jujitsu tournament, for example, but if your goal isn't just to win tournaments, and to obtain the skill of a true fighter, you need to train like a fighter and not just as a sparring partner.

Adaptation is another thing you need in your mentality. Knowing how to adapt from fighting someone who is 5'10" to someone who is 6'7" is crucial; not all your opponents will be near your height.

To fully understand the true JKD, you not only have to study and think about it, you would be better off learning multiple arts, such as Karate, Kickboxing, Judo, Aikijujitsu, Fencing, Kenjutsu, etc.. This will show you what you think you're most comfortable with and will increase your knowledge, speed, power, and mentality.

 

I understand this seems like it would take forever, but I now believe I may soon go into this very deeply.