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.

Martial Arts

The Martial Arts, seen as everything from a 'fighting style' to a 'fitness program', is more than most people's mind could comprehend. Now, now, before you get your panties in a twist, I'm not saying that you aren't smart enough, or capable, I'm saying your mind has been drilled on until you believe what your mentors have taught you, and you are probably stuck seeing it the way you do, at least until you break the barrier you, or they, created.

In reality, a lot of people see Chuck Norris, Jet Li, and Jackie Chan and the labels 'fighter', 'martial artist', and 'insane' come to mind. While at least one of those is true for each of them (Jet Li and Chuck Norris being Martial Artists and Jackie Chan being both Insane and a Martial Artist), none of them are all 3. Why? Because they limited themselves. One of the greatest Martial Artists ever once said to use "No limitation as limitation". Do you know who said that? The wonderful Bruce Lee.

Why is he wonderful? He was fast, mentally and physically. He was small, but had the strength unmatched by a lot of 200lb men. When he said to use no limitation as limitation, he was speaking on many different levels. Having a Masters in Philosophy, he had a ton of theories and beliefs, and in my opinion, 99% of them were true and great. He also stated to 'Be like water'. Many people are actually stupid enough to think that the previous statement was literal, while most knew what he meant, if not through their own intelligence, but because he was on TV when he said it and explained what he meant.

Think of the many, many forms water can take. It can take the form of a cup, as he stated. It can take the form of a house, a car, a boat, a computer, all coming together inside a container. Then, water can form things that cause mass hysteria. It can form Tsunamis; it can come crashing down as hard as a bomb. It can wipe out entire cities, even states, and in reality, even countries, if under the perfect circumstances. Using this theory, you could become flexible, fast, deadly, all in one. Water can freeze, turning into one hard block, too, and you could, but what does Ice do? It breaks. Think about it. Let's say, for arguments sake, you weight 300 lbs and are nothing but a 6'5" beast, while a 5'8" man, at 130lbs, who is quick, agile, and strong, starts something with you. You have always been the stand and fight type, so you do just that... you stand and fight. The little guy's just too fast, though, and he swarms around you, literally, going all around your body staying just outside of reach when you can get to him. Who wins this fight? The little guy. A quick low blow would probably take you down, and IF it didn't, because he is as fast as he is, he could just take your throat out faster than you could imagine.

So which wins, Ice or Water?

Also, as a leaving note, I just realized how much Chuck Norris is overrated.  I always knew he was, but still. He not only admitted once that if he and Bruce Lee got into a real fight, he would lose, but he also created his own Martial Art named Chun Kuk Do. What an egotistical bastard. At least Bruce Lee made something that didn't reference his name. (I'll speak about Lee's JKD some other day.)