Jeet Kune Do (截拳道; (Pinyin: Jiéquándào, Cantonese: Jitkyùndou,
Jyutping: Zit6 Kyun4 Dou6, also "Jeet Kun Do", "Jeet Kuen Do" or simply "JKD") is an eclectic/hybrid system and philosophy of life founded by martial
artist Bruce Lee [2] in 1967 with direct, non classical, and
straightforward movements. Due to the way his style works, Jeet Kune Do
practitioners believe in minimal movement with maximum effect and extreme
speed. The system works on the use of different 'tools' for different
situations. These situations are broken down into ranges (Kicking, Punching,
Trapping and Grappling), with techniques flowing smoothly between them. It is
referred to as a "style without style" or "the art of fighting
without fighting" as said by Lee himself. Unlike more traditional martial
arts, Jeet Kune Do is not fixed or patterned, and is a philosophy with guiding
thoughts. It was named for the concept of interception, or attacking your
opponent while he is about to attack. However, the name Jeet Kune Do was often
said by Lee to be just a name. He himself often referred to it as "The art
of expressing the human body" in his writings and in interviews. Through
his studies Lee came to believe that styles had become too rigid, and
unrealistic. He called martial art competitions of the day "Dry land
swimming". He believed that combat was spontaneous, and that a martial
artist cannot predict it, only react to it, and that a good martial artist
should "Be like water" and move fluidly without hesitation.
Lee's philosophy
I have not invented a
"new style," composite, modified or otherwise that is set within
distinct form as apart from "this" method or "that" method.
On the contrary, I hope to free my followers from clinging to styles, patterns,
or molds. Remember that Jeet Kune Do is merely a name used, a mirror in which
to see "ourselves". . . Jeet Kune Do is not an organized institution
that one can be a member of. Either you understand or you don't, and that is
that. There is no mystery about my style. My movements are simple, direct and
non-classical. The extraordinary part of it lies in its simplicity. Every
movement in Jeet Kune-Do is being so of itself. There is nothing artificial
about it. I always believe that the easy way is the right way. Jeet Kune-Do is
simply the direct expression of one's feelings with the minimum of movements
and energy. The closer to the true way of Kung Fu, the less wastage of
expression there is. Finally, a Jeet Kune Do man who says Jeet Kune Do is
exclusively Jeet Kune Do is simply not with it. He is still hung up on his
self-closing resistance, in this case anchored down to reactionary pattern, and
naturally is still bound by another modified pattern and can move within its
limits. He has not digested the simple fact that truth exists outside all
molds; pattern and awareness is never exclusive. Again let me remind you Jeet
Kune Do is just a name used, a boat to get one across, and once across it is to
be discarded and not to be carried on one's back.
Principles
The following are principles that Lee incorporated into his Jeet
Kune Do. He felt these were universal combat
truths that were self-evident, and would lead to combat success if followed.
Familiarity with each of the "Four
ranges of combat", in particular, is thought to be instrumental in
becoming a "total" martial artist.
JKD teaches that the best defense is a strong offense, hence the
principle of an "intercepting fist". For a person to attack another
hand-to-hand, the attacker must approach the target. This provides an
opportunity for the attacked person to "intercept" the attacking
movement. The principle of interception may be applied to more than
intercepting physical attacks.
The "Five
ways of attack", categories which help JKD practitioners organize
their fighting repertoire, comprise the offensive teachings of JKD. The
concepts of "Stop hits
& stop kicks", and"Simultaneous parrying &
punching", borrowed from épée fencing's and Wing Chun's concepts of
single fluid motions which attack while defending, comprise the defensive
teachings of JKD. These concepts were modified for unarmed combat and
implemented into the JKD framework by Lee, to complement the principle of
interception.
