|
|
|
|
Jeet Kune Do (Chinese: 截拳道 Cantonese: Jitkyùndou Pinyin: Jiéquándào, lit. "Way of the Intercepting Fist"), also Jeet Kun Do or JKD, is a martial art philosophy developed by martial artist and actor Bruce Lee.[1] In 2004, the Bruce Lee Foundation adopted the name Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do to refer to the martial art that Lee founded. "Jun Fan" was Lee's Chinese given name, so the literal translation is "Bruce Lee's Way of the Intercepting Fist."
Bruce LeeAs an adolescent, Bruce Lee studied the martial arts style of Wing Chun and was a student of Yip Man in Hong Kong. Later, he learned other arts as well as the sports of western boxing and European fencing. The term Jeet Kune Do occurred in 1965 while Dan Inosanto and Bruce Lee were driving around in his car. The conversation involved European fencing and Lee commented that; "the most efficient means of countering in fencing was the stop-hit....When the opponent attacks, you intercept his move with a thrust or hit of your own...." Lee then said "We should call our method the 'stop-hitting fist style, or the 'intercepting fist style". Dan Inosanto then said; "What would that be in Chinese?" in which Lee replied "That would be Jeet Kune Do".[2] A television episode of Bruce Lee discussing his Jeet Kune Do appeared in the series Longstreet. The episode was aptly titled "The Way of the Intercepting Fist". The episode was written specifically for Lee by his friend and long-time supporter Stirling Silliphant. Bruce Lee's vision for Jeet Kune Do is reflected in some of his writings:
and:
FormlessJeet Kune Do (JKD) is the name Bruce Lee gave to his combat philosophy in 1967. Originally, when Lee began researching various fighting styles, he gave his martial art his own name of Jun Fan Gung Fu. However not wanting to create another style that would share the limitations that all styles have, he instead gave us the process that created it. JKD as it survives today—if one wants to view it "refined" as a product, not a process—is what was left at the time of Bruce Lee's death. It is the result of the life-long martial arts development process Lee went through. Bruce Lee stated that his ideals are not an "adding to" of more and more things on top of each other to form a system, but rather, a winnowing out. The metaphor Lee borrowed from Chan Buddhism was of constantly filling a cup with water, and then emptying it, used for describing Lee's philosophy of "casting off what is useless". He also used the sculptor's mentality of beginning with a lump of clay and hacking away at the "unessentials"; the end result was what he considered to be the bare combat essentials, or JKD. Bruce Lee, and thus JKD, was heavily influenced by western boxing and fencing. Although the backbone concepts (such as centerline, vertical punching, and forward pressure) come from Wing Chun, Lee stopped using the Wing Chun stances in favor of what he considered to be more fluid/flexible fencing and boxing stances. Lee stated that they allowed him to "flow" rather than being stuck in stances. For instance, instead of using footwork to position the body for maximum fighting position vis-a-vis the opponent, JKD uses flowing "entries" that do not require "bridges" from Wing Chun. Bruce Lee wanted to create a martial art that was unbounded and free. Later during the development of Jeet Kune Do, he would expand that notion and include the art for personal development, not just to become a better fighter. To illustrate Lee's views, in a 1971 Black Belt Magazine article, Lee said "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."[4] He took a lot of theories and principles and made them applicable to the martial arts. He mixed them together and showed people that they had no need of style—only to take what works and find their own path with it. While practicing European wrestling, Lee was once pinned by an opponent, who asked what Lee would do if he found himself in the situation in a real fight. Lee replied, "Well, I'd bite you, of course". One of the theories of JKD is that a fighter should do whatever is necessary to defend himself, regardless of where the techniques used come from. Lee's goal in Jeet Kune Do was to break down what he claimed were limiting factors in the training of the traditional styles, and seek a fighting thesis which he believed could only be found within the event of a fight. Jeet Kune Do is currently seen as the genesis of the modern state of hybrid martial arts. Jeet Kune Do not only advocates the combination of aspects of different styles, it also can change many of those aspects that it adopts to suit the abilities of the practitioner. Additionally, JKD advocates that any practitioner be allowed to interpret techniques for themselves, and change them for their own purposes. For example, Lee almost always chose to put his power hand in the "lead," with his weaker hand back. Within this stance he used elements of Boxing, Fencing and Wing Chun. Just like fencing, he labeled this position the "On Guard" position. Lee incorporated this position into his JKD as he felt it provided the best overall mobility. Lee felt that the dominant or strongest hand should be in the lead because it would perform a greater percentage of the work. Lee minimized the use of other stances except when circumstances warranted such actions. Although the On-Guard position is a good overall stance, it is by no means the only one. Lee acknowledged that there were times when other positions should be utilized. Lee felt the dynamic property of JKD was what enabled its practitioners to adapt to the constant changes and fluctuations of live combat. Lee believed that these decisions should be done within the context of "real combat" and/or "all out sparring". He believed that it was only in this environment that a person could actually deem a technique worthy of adoption. Bruce Lee did not stress the memorization of solo training forms or "Kata", as most traditional styles do in their beginning-level training. Lee often compared doing forms without an opponent to attempting to learn to swim on dry land. Lee believed that real combat was alive and dynamic. Circumstances in a fight change from millisecond to millisecond, and thus pre-arranged patterns and techniques are not adequate in dealing with such a changing situation. As an anecdote to this thinking, Lee once wrote an epitaph which read: 'In memory of a once fluid man, crammed and distorted by the classical mess.' The "classical mess" in this instance was what Lee thought of classical martial arts. Bruce Lee's comments and methods were seen as controversial by many in his time, and still are today. Many teachers from traditional schools disagreed with his opinions on these issues. The notion of cross-training in Jeet Kune Do is similar to the practice of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in modern times -- Bruce Lee has been considered by UFC president Dana White as the "father of mixed martial arts".[5] Many consider Jeet Kune Do to be the precursor of MMA because of its syncretic nature. This is particularly the case with respect to the JKD "Combat Ranges". A JKD student is expected to learn various combat systems within each combat range, and thus to be effective in all of them, just as in MMA. Combat principles[6]The following are principles that Lee incorporated into Jeet Kune Do. He felt these were universal combat truths that were self evident and would lead to combat success if followed. The "4 Combat Ranges" in particular are what he felt were instrumental in becoming a "total" martial artist. This is also the principle most related to mixed martial arts. JKD practitioners also subscribe to the notion that the best defense is a strong offense, hence the principle of intercepting. Lee believed that in order for an opponent to attack someone they had to move towards them. This provided an opportunity to "intercept" that attack or movement. The principle of interception covers more than just intercepting physical attacks. Lee believed that many non-verbals and telegraphs (subtle movements that an opponent is unaware of) could be perceived or "intercepted" and thus be used to one's advantage. The "5 Ways of Attack" are attacking categories that help Jeet Kune Do practitioners organize their fighting repertoire and comprise the offensive portion of JKD. The concepts of stop hits & stop kicks and simultaneous parrying & punching were borrowed from European Fencing and Wing Chun's theory of simultaneous defending and attacking, and comprise the defensive portion of JKD. These concepts were modified for unarmed combat and implemented into the JKD framework by Lee. These concepts also complement the other principle of interception. Economy of motionJKD students are told to waste no time or movement. When it comes to combat JKD practitioners believe the simplest things work best. Stop hits & stop kicksThis means intercepting an opponent's attack with an attack of your own instead of a simple block. JKD practitioners believe that this is the most difficult defensive skill to develop. This strategy is a feature of some traditional Chinese martial arts, as well as an essential component of European épée fencing (known in fencing terminology as the "counter-attack"). Simultaneous parrying & punchingWhen confronting an incoming attack, the attack is parried or deflected and a counter attack is delivered at the same time. Not as advanced as a stop hit but more effective than blocking and counter attacking in sequence. This is also practiced by some Chinese martial arts as well as the Israeli combat style Krav Maga. Three Ranges Of Combat
Jeet Kune Do students train in each of these ranges equally. According to Lee, this range of training serves to differentiate JKD from other martial arts. Lee stated that most but not all traditional martial systems specialize in training at one or two ranges. Bruce Lee's theories have been especially influential and substantiated in the field of Mixed Martial Arts, as the MMA Phases of Combat are essentially the same concept as the JKD combat ranges. Initially the ranges were categorized as short or close, medium, and long range.[7] There is some debate in the JKD community about these "ranges". Many times, people refer to JKD as having four ranges- Kicking, Punching, Trapping and Grappling. These, however, are not "ranges" per se, but techniques which can be applied at certain ranges. In his writings, Lee only mentioned three ranges, not four. Five Ways Of Attack[8]
Three Parts of JKDJKD practitioners believe that techniques should contain the following properties:
CenterlineThe centerline refers to an imaginary line running down the center of one's body. The theory is to exploit, control and dominate your opponent's centerline. All attacks, defenses and footwork are designed to preserve your own centerline and open your opponent's. Lee incorporated this theory into JKD from Wing Chun. This notion is closely related to maintaining control of the center squares in the strategic game chess. The three guidelines for centerline are:
Quotations
BranchesThe idea that there exist branches or different interpretations of Jeet Kune Do comes from a complete breakdown of the overall lineage and a dispute over who shall inherit the system and become the official de-facto authority on continuing it's teaching. The supposed "branches" are specific groups of individuals who strive to promote their authenticity as Jeet Kune Do instructors based on a claimed training lineage and what they view as the correct essence of the art. These branches are referred to as "Original Jeet Kune Do" and "Jun Fan Gung Fu/Jeet Kune Do Concepts". By analysis of statements by Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do is expressed as a collection of concepts that are meant to enhance a martial arts practitioner's combat effectiveness and provide a framework from which their martial arts skills can further evolve. By contrast, Jeet Kune Do is often marketed today as a "complete system" against his intentions, based on the following quote (reiterated from above): ˑ
To understand how the divisions originated, it's important to understand the history of the training lineage from the beginning. Lee directly certified only 3 instructors: Taky Kimura,[citation needed] James Yimm Lee[citation needed] (no relation to Bruce Lee), and Dan Inosanto. Inosanto holds the 3rd rank (Instructor) in Jeet Kune Do, Jun Fan Gung Fu, and Bruce Lee's Tao of Chinese Gung Fu (issued in 1967). Taky Kimura holds a 5th rank in Jun Fan Gung Fu (issued in 1969). James Yimm Lee held a 3rd rank in Jun Fan Gung Fu (issued in 1964/5). In 1970, Lee told his instructors to dismantle his schools, advising them to "keep a small group for training" and "keep the numbers low, but the quality high". Taky Kimura moved the classes to the basement of his grocery store, Dan Inosanto moved his classes to his backyard/garage and James Lee moved both the Hayward and Oakland classes into his garage. James Yimm Lee (d. 1972) died without certifying an instructor . Taky Kimura, to date, has certified only one person in Jun Fan Gung Fu: his son Andy Kimura. Dan Inosanto has certified instructors, calling the art "Jun Fan Gung Fu/Jeet Kune Do Concepts". Taky Kimura is recognized as the senior student of, and highest ranked instructor of Bruce Lee's "arts". As a result of a desire by the Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do Nucleus to preserve the art of Bruce Lee, the name "Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do" was legally trademarked. The name Jeet Kune Do is in the public domain, and by putting a slash between Jun Fan and Jeet Kune Do (Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do) the Nucleus's trademark is not infringed.[12] Bruce Lee's son, Brandon Lee, was asked to comment on his style by Bruce Lee biographer John Little in August 1992, responding:
JKD as a philosophyUnlike many Asian martial arts, Jeet Kune Do was founded as a martial arts philosophy, using martial arts as the medium itself. Although Lee is best known as a martial artist and actor, he studied philosophy at the University of Washington. He was well-read and had an extensive library. His own books on martial arts and fighting philosophy are known for their philosophical assertions both inside and outside of martial arts circles. His eclectic philosophy often mirrored his fighting beliefs, though he was quick to claim that his martial arts were solely a metaphor for such teachings. His influences include Lao Tzu, Taoism, Jiddu Krishnamurti, and Buddhism. The following principles are some of the fundamental pillars of the philosophy:
See alsoNotes
References
External links
CommentsNo comments have been added. |
Switch Language
Popular PagesEmail this PageSyndicate
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
