The art of fighting without fighting.

[sensei8]

What did Bruce say about JKD...

"It's just a name!"

Nothing more and nothing less. Call what you do anything, but it's just a name, and in that, Bruce said...

"The art of expressing the human body"

Be true to yourself; first and foremost.

[brickshooter]

I believe that JKD was designed as an MMA. Lee may taught it as a style, but he never said that his was the best way for everyone. And he welcomed different ideas and styles, anticipating changes in JKD to meet individual needs.

I recalled that he was so frustrated with people's obsession with JKD as a "style" that he voluntarily close his school down for a while to force his students to go out on their own to open their minds to other martial arts.

JKD was supposed to be continuously evolving. Therefore I think that it's ok if the OP wants to look at his style as JKA... or MMA.

[sensei8]

I believe that JKD was designed as an MMA. Lee may taught it as a style, but he never said that his was the best way for everyone. And he welcomed different ideas and styles, anticipating changes in JKD to meet individual needs.

I recalled that he was so frustrated with people's obsession with JKD as a "style" that he voluntarily close his school down for a while to force his students to go out on their own to open their minds to other martial arts.

JKD was supposed to be continuously evolving. Therefore I think that it's ok if the OP wants to look at his style as JKA... or MMA.

Solid post!!

[BramptonJKD]

Hello all,

Just a quick note to the original poster of this thread. First I want to say that I applaud you for your list of ranks in the various arts that you have trained. Accomplishments you should absolutely be proud of.

I noticed in your second post that you listed 5 things that you follow

1) 5 ways of attack

2) aborb what is useful

3) learning all ranges

4) not being bound to any style or culture

5) economy of motion extc.

Here is what I would say to respond to that:

1) The 5 ways of attack are nice to know, and nice to train, but "in the moment" it's not something you will be thinking about.

2) absorb what is useful - I was never a big fan of this saying. It gives people the wrong impression that JKD is a "anything I want to do" Martial Art. It makes people think that the more arts I learn, the more I understand JKD. Not so. Bruce Lee advocated "daily decrease". Meaning, refine your technique, discard the useless ones. Don't do something for the sake of tradition.

3) learning all ranges - What ever classification of ranges you learn, it will really come down to instinctively knowing what you can and can't do in relation to your position to your opponent.

4) Yes, but don't be afraid to dive deeper into what interests you, and what comes naturally to you. If that means studying one style , or 100 styles, because it is coming to you easily.

5) YES! YES! and YES! Economy of Motion, Simplicity and Directness should be all things that you consider when trying to refine your technique. Unnecessary movements only allow your opponent the time to counter what you are doing.

I absolutely suggest seeking out a qualified JKD instructor, someone that you feel comfortable learning from, and find out for yourself. (Don't take my word for it!) Be honest with yourself when it comes to what you are learning. It needs to be effective and work for you.

[straightblast]

It is a common misconception that JKD is assorted techniques from various arts, it’s not. JKD is primary WC,boxing,fencing. The 26 some odd arts that Bruce was looking into were only to observe their strengths, weakness and how he could use his JKD to inter/intercept.

Can you teach yourself martial arts? For the most part, what I read from those close to him, Bruce was primarily self-taught.

[BramptonJKD]

When Bruce Lee lived in Hong Kong, he learned Wing Chun from Yip Man's school. His primary instructors were Wong Shun Leung and William Chung. Two grand masters in their own right. That was from the age of about 13 to 18. From some of the things I have read, they trained 6 or 7 days a week for long hours each session.

Before starting Wing Chun, he trained Tai Chi with his father. Just after he started Wing Chun he was also fighting in Western Boxing tournaments in highschool. So by the time he was leaving Hong Kong at the age of 18, he had an amazing base in a few different disciplines. So definitely NOT self taught.

[straightblast]

Yes, he had a base in WC and boxing but he self trained himself in JKD.

[kensei]

As a long time fan of Lee, and with all due respect for his MANY tallents...he was not everything that was printed about him! He was after all a entertainment Icon and the trueth of his training was somewhat different than we see in print.

If you ask those that KNEW him when he trained you get a very different story than if you ask those that he told about his training or those that have vested interest in his being a martial arts GOD!

First off his Wing Chun. His instructors have said that he only met Yip man once or twice, but he said in interviews he trained daily with the master. Truth is that he only trained and learned the first form Siu Nim Tao, which while it is the longest and most important he apparently did it like a dance routean!

He was incredible as an athlete and dispite having some physical illness, suspected asthma and horrible vision.

Lee was also a movie star that was BORN to be a movie star. His father was a Chinese Opera actor as was his mother and as showmen they had children they wanted to be showmen as well. Some learned music and Lee, well he learned how to act and sell his ideas to directors at an early age, he did not become an actor AFTER he came to the states, he was ALWAYS an actor.

Unlike the movies when he went to college he did not go and get a philosophy degree, he majored in Drama to further his ability to be an actor...an ACTOR.

He studied a little Boxing and some other arts, but many who trained him said that everything he did was set up as drills like setting up a fight sceen in a movie. He was fast as hell, but lacked real knowledge of anything other than how it would look to the camera! However, his speed and athletic ability tended to make up for it. He had a horrible memory and when it was suggested he could get a black belt in TKD he said he did not remember forms well and would never go that path.

Lees name in Cantonese was Lee Jun-Fan...this does not mean the dragon as some have suggested it means "return again" Lee. Li Xiaolong was a movie name he used a few times that meant "little dragon Lee" and it was customary to use fake names in the movies.

His style is a mish mash of other peoples ideas that he adopted, techniques that work great in the movies from different angles and a whole lot of Other peoples hard work. Dan Inosanto should be greatly credited for taking the Mess that Lee left behind and making a system out of it. Taky Kumura also took a bunch of ideas and techniques that Lee drilled and created a branch of the style as well as other instructors who worked out with Lee and became a training partner for the actor come instructor. The style is not a style its a mash up of Ideas that Lee read or was taught by others that he tweeked to be more useable in Movies and also more direct for self defense.

Lets also kill the Idol worship by showgint that Lee died of a drug overdose/reaction to a cocktail of Aspirine, Muscle Relaxant and Cannabis. He was smoking drugs to get rid of his muscle pains and also took the drug Equagesic to counter a head ache he had coming on, this turned out to be a horrible mix.

Lee was a great Actor, his style that others put together from his teachings and the teachings of others is a great and direct philosophy that can be applied to any style. So you can train in TKD and take his teachings (those he took from others) and apply them to the art you are already doing.....many people have. You do not have to adopt a different physical approach than the one you already have.

Is JKD an MMA style, kind of...but it was more a mish mash of philosophy with a smattering of ideas on how to move from other styles. NO books on the subject were written by Lee, he never made a series or a book, those on the market were penned by others, so what you are learning are interpretations of what Lee himself read and made notes on.

It is a worth while venture, he read and made notes on some of the greatest ideas that their are out their, but alot of it was for scripts and the like. Read what he wrote(made notes on) and apply it to what you are doing now.

[sensei8]

Kensei,

I already hate myself for asking this...but...

Do you think that Bruce was a MAist?

[lowereastside]

A little more background - Bruce Lee also studied Kung Fu in the US - under a Sifu named Fook Yueng - circa 1959-1962/3. Fook Yueng was a former Opera Performer who studied Red Boat Wing Chun and Southern Praying Mantis among other things. The training under Fook Yueng was one on one - if memory serves me correctly.