is JeetKuneDo is right style for me ?

[Sensei Rick]

When someone tells me they study JKD, I get a little suspicious. Also when people tell me they study ninjitsu, I also get a red flag. These arts just don't have the validity of arts originated in okinawa and korea. Bruce lee didn't have enough time to full convey all his priciples to anyone let alone another generation of what he was doing. If anyone is teaching JKD, it seems to surely be what insanto interpeted his intentions to be.

In more traditional arts, i see universal agreement on technique and bunkai. I can do penan shodan in the usa and do it in japan and it will be recognised. There is universal agreement. I'm afraid only bruce lee could have taught JKD, and only Insanto has the time in grade to even be close to bruce lee's intent. Unless you instructor trained with him, then I'm afraid it's just a "fake" art.

And as for ninjitsu...... well, I can't even type that long.

My best advice to you is study an art that has real backing to it with an internationally recognised organization. Find an instuctor that can explain the principle of why the techniques should work. Then study that art as bruce did, and use what is usefull. adapt and change it to suit your style. test it in the ring, and learn from your mistakes. Then start over till you reach "enlightenment"

I think the motives of someone studying JKD are a little suspect too. You want to be Bruce lee??? Why, we already had one of those. I'll relate it to you like music since i'm a musician, and a black belt.

Don't be a cover band of nirvana, go out and be nirvana!!!!! Play originals. Learn notes and chords from other songs, then make up your own songs that are dcompletely original. That's what bruce did. Now go hit the gym danielsan!!!

[glockmeister]

Unless you instructor trained with him, then I'm afraid it's just a "fake" art.

Um, Yeah ok.

Funny, The JKD instructor at my school Began JKD Starting when he became a member/student of JKDU in 1999, traveled later to the JKDU headquarters in Honolulu Hawaii and successfully completed the strenuous testing requirements and wwas promoted to JKD instructor. Also, he has had the Privalege to study and train with other notable JKD instructors, Au Duing, Mike Krivka, Matt Thorton, and origional Bruce Lee students, Larry Hartsell and Richard Bustillo...I suppose they are all "fakes" too.

[Sensei Rick]

, Au Duing, Mike Krivka, Matt Thorton, and origional Bruce Lee students, Larry Hartsell and Richard Bustillo...I suppose they are all "fakes" too.

Nope, i['m saying that they didn't have enough time with bruce to become fully aware of his priniples. From what i know even insanto only studied with him for 6 years. in that time bruce had a family made movies and wrote books. That leaves very little time to teach principles he spent his life developing.

[glockmeister]

That does not make JKD a "fake art"

[Sensei Rick]

I didn't say the art was fake, it's just hard to find a legitimate instructor in that art.

[glockmeister]

I didn't say the art was fake, it's just hard to find a legitimate instructor in that art.

Sorry to disagree with you sir, but you did in fact call it a "fake" art. I suggest you scroll up and see that aprticular part of your post that I quoted, I took it right from your post.

I do agree with you that it is hard to find a good instructor. To the best of my knowledge, there are only 7 people in the united states cerified to teach it.

Yes I understand what you were trying to say in regards to peple not learning it directly from Lee, however that's like me saying, I didnt train directly under Imi Lichenfield, therefore, I am not a real Krav maga practitioner.

[Sensei Rick]

only Insanto has the time in grade to even be close to bruce lee's intent. Unless you instructor trained with him, then I'm afraid it's just a "fake" art.

There, that is my original quote, if you interpret this, as calling it a fake art then so be it. That though was not my original intent.

And now onto my other points. I am one who believes that the original form of JKD did die with Bruce. He was a good fighter, and in his day, very ahead of his time. There are much better now. He left us with a foundation and concepts that you can extrapolate from his writings and improve upon them and adapt them to fit your art. He himself said that his style is no style. JKD is a contadiction because it is the style with a style. (Bruce's words)

He wasn’t the best in the world, just famous. Yes he had some fights and was undefeated or whatever, but he was just a man, like you and me. He won the fights in the movies because HE WROTE THE SCRIPT that way! You can bet that if I had the talent to be on TV and write even a mediocre chop saki movie, I’d win too!

I have studied many arts and as I often say, I have a rainbow of belts in a variety of style. I also have two black belts. One in TKD and another in a Japanese hard style. I can tell you from very personal experience, that you can’t study a style very deep in just six years. Is it long enough to be a shodan? You bet. Is a shodan a master? Not even on his best day. Is a shodan qualified to take the life work of another persons complete system and teach it to the world with no further instruction? (Remember when your instructor dies, he can't hold classes any longer) I say no way. I would never trust someone with only six years of study to comprehend the intricacies of a martial art, even if he was Bruce lee himself.

Insanto’s primary art as I know it is Kali, a stick fighting art. I would imagine at his seminars you would learn a lot about stick fighting and many good concepts about distancing and locking and disarming, and many other things. I would eagerly attend a seminar of his if the opportunity presents itself. I would not approach it though thinking that I am learning Bruce lee’s style. I would be learning Insanto’s style. Him being one of Bruce lee’s students would have many of those elements. I’ll bet he wonders where does Bruce lee end and where do I begin. He is a fine martial artist in his own right and should be recognized for that. The shadow of his one time instructor looms very large, but… it still is mearlly a shadow.

[italian_guy]

What BL did is basically develop a skeleton of a MA and stated some inspiring principles. This is IMO what can be inferred by reading his books.

Then, after his death, his disciples continued his work and incorporated a lot of techniques taken from other arts. In today's JKD you can find techniques from Wing Chun, kickboxing, Muay Thai, BJJ, Kali, Silat etc. Not all of them were in the original core of the art but all the principles are still respected. So I have to disagree with Sensei Rick, JKD is a 'real' although modern and eclectic MA.