| Learn the facts about Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do. The | | | | understanding and experience increased, Bruce Lee |
| most common myths and misconceptions are clarified | | | | continued to shave away at the Wing Chung base of |
| via in-depth analysis of their specific origins and a | | | | his approach, evolving his martial art into something |
| reconstruction of the truth. | | | | entirely different keeping only very simplified vestiges |
| 1. Jeet Kune Do is a concept that does not have | | | | of the Wing Chun influence. |
| tangible techniques. | | | | An additional point of confusion here can be seen in |
| This is a very prevalent myth that is largely kept | | | | the corroborated reports of his private students, in |
| alive by "JKD Concepts" and the misinterpretation of | | | | that the material being taught to his "backyard" class |
| "Using no way as way." Bruce Lee's JKD does, in | | | | was quite different from the heavily Wing Chun |
| fact, utilize specific concepts and value sets in the art | | | | based training at his schools. Although we may never |
| of combat. The approach emphasizes liberation from | | | | know why he did this, I presume it is because he |
| the confines of "style", however one must keep in | | | | was using his private students as part of his Jeet |
| mind that it was Bruce Lee's martial art and | | | | Kune Do laboratory and therefore chose not to |
| therefore, the specific techniques he was practicing | | | | publicly teach his prototypical stuff that was still in |
| and developing provide the tangible foundation of his | | | | development. |
| fighting method. | | | | 3. Jeet Kune Do is a blend of Western Boxing, |
| The idea of creating a hodgepodge of techniques | | | | Fencing, Wing Chun and other martial arts. |
| from various martial arts and deciding that "this is | | | | This myth stems from the fact that Bruce Lee was |
| what works for me", then calling it JKD is absolutely | | | | researching and analyzing different martial arts in |
| preposterous. It is true that my Jeet Kune Do will | | | | order to broaden his own understanding. The Tao of |
| look different from your Jeet Kune Do, but this is | | | | Jeet Kune Do along with his other posthumously |
| not necessarily due to any difference in technique, | | | | published works make numerous references to |
| but rather to a difference in the way that those | | | | various fighting systems. Bruce Lee was very |
| techniques are utilized. For example, someone with a | | | | methodical in studying the techniques and strategies |
| longer reach may prefer to stay at a distance using | | | | of different fighting arts both within and without their |
| long range weapons and elusive footwork whereas a | | | | own context. He understood that fighting is universal |
| person with a stockier build may prefer to close the | | | | and that simply putting together a hodgepodge of |
| gap and blast away at short range. | | | | the best techniques from different systems would |
| Giving credit to the founder's efforts, there is a | | | | be exactly that. Bruce Lee's objective was not to |
| certain universality of human biomechanics and | | | | create a martial arts Frankenstein, but rather to |
| combative psychology that keep the JKD techniques | | | | know and express the simple and honest truth. |
| and strategies from requiring much further, if any, | | | | To say that JKD is an early mixed martial art is like |
| modification. | | | | saying that humans are a blend of various apes. Sure, |
| 2. Jeet Kune Do is a form of modified Wing Chun. | | | | humans may share a large amount of genetic material |
| Much like the first myth, this misunderstanding of JKD | | | | and a prehistoric ancestry with apes, but we evolved |
| is largely based on Bruce Lee's early Jun Fan Gung Fu | | | | separately much like JKD shares certain elements |
| days when his fighting methodology was primarily | | | | with other fighting arts, but evolved separately. |
| based on his Wing Chun background. As his | | | | |