One Last Point

It has been said that Dan Inosanto has certified thousands of JKD instructors. It has also been said that Dan is responsible for the awarding of more JKD instructor certificates than any other person, dead or alive. Not only are these accusations ridiculous, but it only illustrates how uneducated some individuals are about Dan. Jeet Kune Do, under Dan Inosanto, has several levels of instructorship. Only an individual with a Full Instructor or Senior Full Instructor certificate in JKD is authorized to give out rank. These individuals are the true heirs to the JKD art. Dan also certifies individuals in any one of the styles he is authorized to teach. Many people will take part in an Inosanto seminar on Jun Fan Gung Fu/Jeet Kune Do Concepts and receive an hours-trained certificate. Some have actually used this as an instructor's credential! I have no doubt that there are thousands of people who have an hours-trained certificate under Dan, and there are probably a few hundred with an instructor rank in JKD. But what really matters is who has been awarded a Full or Senior Full Instructorship in JKD. These individuals are the only legitimate line of instructors who are given authority by Dan to teach and certify others. As Dan himself explains in the following interview, not everyone will achieve this status.

SG - Sifu, could you explain, for the people who are not familiar with your system, how you do the ranking in your organization?

DI - I like them to study for at least 3 years before I'll accept them for what I call Apprentice Instructors, and usually they spend a total of about 5 years as an Apprentice, then about 5 years as an Associate Instructor, if they make it all the way through. I don't give Full Instructor to everybody. I think in the last 20 years I might have given 12 or 14 outside the state of California. Just 6 years ago, I only had about 4. They're very rare. I have a lot of Associate Instructors. I have that both for the Jun Fan program, and I have it for the Kali program. And the Majapahit program, I go 3 years for instructorship, and then Level 1, 2, 3, 4,5,6, & 7. I have 7 levels of instructorship in Majapahit.

So as you can see, Dan certainly has maintained quality control in terms of whom he grants authority in JKD. Then again, for those who moan about pieces of paper, let us not forget what JKD is. As hard as it is to describe what JKD is, I've found the following "definition" to be one of the best. It was written by Francis Fong, a well known JKD and Wing Chun instructor. I provide it here only to clarify what JKD means to practitioners under Dan Inosanto. While Bruce Lee never put it down on paper, I believe he would agree with the following:

Jeet Kune Do is not a style onto itself. Rather, it is the system of philosophy and concepts developed by Si-Gung Bruce Lee and continued by Sifu Dan Inosanto. JKD training provides a means of self-discovery for training of martial arts. The main concept is to "absorb what is useful, to reject what is useless and to add what is specifically your own." In using this philosophy, the student learns to identify what would work best for him/her in encountering today's modern threats. The idea is to be functional in four ranges (Kicking, Punching, Trapping and Grappling), against armed or unarmed, versus multiple opponents and in any environment. No one art can provide all the answers or solutions to effective self-defense. A process of cross training, researching and developing ourselves with different disciplines of the most effective martial arts in the world is used to overcome the limitations of any single art. Cross training enables us to fill in the gaps and weaknesses that we might have. This is the object of JKD; to be bound by no style and in combat to use no style as style, to use no way as way, to use no system as system, to have no limitation as your limit in achieving your goal. The principles of JKD can be applied to any interest or vocation in life.

Jeet Kune Do, broken down in each range: (The arts taught in each range will vary from one instructor to another, except for the Jun Fan. The arts listed below are the ones taught by Dan to his instructors and are done so because their combat effectiveness has been proven time and again.)

Kicking & Punching Range: Jun Fan Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Savate, Western Boxing, Filipino Boxing (Panantukan)
Trapping Range: Wing Chun, Jun Fan Trapping, Kali-Silat.
Grappling Range: Brazilian Juijitsu, Shootwrestling, Jun Fan Grappling
Weaponry: Filipino Kali (Stick Fighting, Double Sticks, Knife Fighting, Staff, etc.)

JKD allows an individual to train in multiple ranges from kicking to punching to trapping to grappling and learn how to transition from one range to the next. There is no set curriculum for JKD, but rather the individual develops it.

Jun Fan or Lee Jun Fan is the Chinese name of Bruce Lee. The Jun Fan Martial Arts are the training methods originally developed by Si-Gung Bruce Lee in the 1960's during his exploration of the principles and theories of JKD. It is a core foundation that can help you to discover the concepts of Jeet Kune Do. The Jun Fan Martial Arts are a blend of modified Wing Chun Gung Fu, Western Boxing, Fencing, several Northern & Southern Chinese Gung Fu styles and various grappling disciplines. The Jun Fan Martial Arts can be broken down into two main areas: Jun Fan Kickboxing and Jun Fan Trapping (within the trapping/in-fighting program will be elements of Grappling and Ground-fighting). Most styles favor one or two ranges, Jun Fan incorporates all four ranges (Kicking, Punching, Trapping and Grappling). As a set curriculum, Jun Fan may be limited to specific techniques and training, while Jeet Kune Do has no such limitation. While Jun Fan is one tool that can be used to train the principles and concepts of JKD, it is not the only one.

If you understand the above, then you will no doubt see that certification through Dan is not necessary to achieve growth in the martial arts. Anyone can make themselves more well-rounded simply by putting in the time to cross train in and research different systems. After all, isn't that exactly what Bruce Lee did to create his Jeet Kune Do?

The Final Analysis

My objective in creating these posts on Jeet Kune Do is in the hopes of settling a controversy that shouldn't exist. For over a decade now, I have been studying every piece of information I could concerning Bruce Lee and his martial arts. I have spent many hours of training in the art of Jun Fan Gung Fu/Jeet Kune Do Concepts under two instructors. One is certified directly by Dan Inosanto, and the other can trace his lineage back to Dan. Being a member of the JKD Concepts camp, I feel a sense of pride in knowing my training has been under instructors in the only legitimate line of JKD practitioners. In my final analysis, I believe Dan Inosanto has remained true to the legacy of his late mentor, Bruce Lee. Were Lee to come back to life today, he would, without a doubt, be proud of what his protege has accomplished. For those who still believe the "original" Jeet Kune Do argument, let me give you food for thought by quoting the founder directly:

1) "Jeet Kune Do is merely a name used, a boat to get one across the river, and once across, it is to be discarded and not to be carried on one's back."

2) "A JKD member who says JKD is exclusively JKD is simply not in with it. He is still hung up in his self-closing resistance; in this case, anchored down to a reactionary pattern and naturally is still bound by another modified pattern and can move only within its limits. He has not digested the simple fact that the truth exists outside of all molds and patterns, and awareness is never exclusive."

3) "It is like a finger pointing a way to the moon. Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all the heavenly glory."

4) "If people say Jeet Kune Do is different from 'this' or from 'that', then let the name of Jeet Kune Do be wiped out, for that is what it is, just a name. Please don't fuss over it."

5) "Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system."

6) "Everybody has to think for himself. A right way for a big man may not be a right way for a small man. A right way for someone who is slow may not be a right way for someone who is quick. Each person must understand his weaknesses and his strengths."

7) "The problem lies in asking somebody else to solve your own problem instead of asking yourself. I can give you ten thousand of my ways, but they are my ways, not yours. An individual's questions are answerable only by the individual himself..."

8) "Remember, I am no teacher; I can merely be a signpost for a traveler who is lost. It is up to you to decide on the direction. All I can offer is an experience, but never a conclusion, so even what I have said needs to be thoroughly examined by you. I might be able to help you to discover and examine your problem by awakening your awareness of their cause and effect, but I cannot teach you, for I am not a teacher, and I have no style."

9) "The foundation of Jeet Kune Do is very much like Wing Chun in that it advocates elbows in position, the center line and straight punching. Now there are three stages in the cultivation of Jeet Kune Do, each of them interrelated. The first stage is 'sticking to the nucleus'; the second stage, 'liberation from the nucleus'; the third stage, 'returning to the original freedom'.

Clasically speaking, sticking to the nucleus is merely based on the interior/exterior straight line and rejects the curved line on the idea that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. True, the straight line is very efficient (depending on the circumstances, that is), but rejection of the curve will lead to separation from the whole and the totality will not be achieved when men stubbornly cling to one partial view of things. After all, a good martial artist should be able to strike and kick from all angles and, with either hands or legs, take advantage of the moment.

Therefore, straight punching in Wing Chun becomes a means to an end, but not the end itself, and it should be reinforced and supported by other compact angle punches and kicks as well, thus, as a whole, making one's style more flexible without confinement or limitation. Like western boxing, Jeet Kune Do is most fluid and the fluidity of movements lies in their interchangeability.

By combining the first and second stages we have the natural returning to original freedom, and that is, the absence of a standardized style, the notion of attaching to a method, or the idea of rejecting the straight or the curve. Any action that is based on a set, conditioned course is the action of choice and such action is not liberating and will create confilct and resistance. After all, you can straight-punch a swinger and curve a straight puncher; sometimes the straight is useful, sometimes the curve, depending on the circumstances.

In the eyes of combat, there is no set course, but the totality of action, and in this totality there is nothing to choose and nothing better or worse. One can say that pivot of Jeet Kune Do passes through the center where the curve and straight converge and, in the ultimate Jeet Kune Do is a circle without a circumference. 'In the landscape of spring, there is neither better nor worse.
The flowering branches grow naturally; some long, some short'."

10) "Let it be understood once and for all that I have NOT invented a new style, composite, or modification."

Inosanto Interview Part 3

BLACKBELT: No one in the jeet kune do community has been subjected to more questions and scrutiny than you have when it comes to matters of Bruce Lee and his teachings. Have the many years of jeet kune do turmoil and controversy taken a toll on you?

DAN INOSANTO: I am 60 years old. Over half of my life has been devoted to Bruce Lee's arts and teachings. I am secure in knowing that I have done what Bruce Lee asked me to do. I am secure in knowing that I am the only individual Bruce entrusted to teach, promote and carry on for him. I'm not perfect and, in hindsight, I should have put a stop to a lot of it. Dan Inosanto (flipping through one of Bruce Lee's journals, left) claims he is "too nice" and that he should have long ago taken a hard-line approach to individuals who improperly represent themselves as authorities in Bruce Lee's fighting arts. I have always given people the benefit of the doubt and perhaps more credit than they deserve in representing the truth about themselves and their training background and credentials. People often say "Dan's too nice." Bruce said I was too nice sometimes, but he also told me humility is another form of pride. I choose not to use it as a forum to expose the inconsistencies and faults of those individuals. Life is far too short to waste time and energy on such negativity. Martial arts has become so political and commercialized in recent years. People spend more time putting down other martial arts than they do training, teaching and using their art to bring something to the community. I wish martial arts publications would devote more time to promoting how martial arts can be used for good in the world, and to unite cultures, races and communities.

BB: Is it true that, besides yourself, Taky Kimura is the only other living instructor who is authorized to teach Bruce Lee's arts?

INOSANTO: Taky, the late James Lee and myself are the only three individuals ever to be given the authority directly from Bruce to teach and carry on his arts. Taky was Bruce Lee's most senior student in Seattle. Bruce trusted and respected him. Bruce would often remind me that, no matter how much I learned, Taky was still my senior and should always be paid the respect that goes with that seniority. Bruce could be quite traditional at times, especially when it came to titles of respect.

BB: How many arts did Bruce Lee teach you?

INOSANTO: Bruce actually taught three arts which he developed himself: his tao (way) of Chinese kung fu, his method of Jun Fan kung fu, and his jeet kune do.

BB: Was all of your training with Bruce Lee conducted on a one-on-one basis?

INOSANTO: Yes.

BB: When Bruce Lee later opened his Jun Fan (Bruce Lee) Institute in Los Angeles' Chinatown, you did most of the teaching, did you not?

INOSANTO: Bruce would step in [occasionally] to correct and explain certain things, but I taught between 90 and 95 percent of all the classes at the Jun Fan Institute. But I asked Bruce to please stop in and work with the students periodically. I knew the experience of being able to work with Bruce was so extraordinary that I wanted the others to have the opportunity to encounter his presence.

BB: What did the teaching curriculum encompass?

INOSANTO: There was a constant evolution going on. Bruce was constantly researching every martial art he could find information on. His library was quite extensive for that time period-or any time period. I'm not saying that Bruce studied all [martial arts], but he definitely researched the existing knowledge that was available at the time. For example, he might not have embraced completely what he knew in wing chun, but there was definitely an element of wing chun in his system. He didn't embrace everything in the southern mantis [system], but there are elements of southern mantis in jeet kune do. He also researched muay Thai; he liked the way the Thais used their elbows and knees, and he liked the contact. Bruce also took elements from French savate. He liked the coup de pied (oblique) kick, as well as the lateral chasse kick.

BB: How did Lee feel about kali and silat, the arts you tend to focus on in your teachings today?

INOSANTO: In regard to kali, he, again, researched it, and he would ask me to show him what I had learned. He would place techniques into four categories: not good, good, good for stage shows, and good for movies. He was constantly exploring the cinematic effects of various movements. He also researched silat. In Bruce's handwritten notes, he states that "a pencak [silat] person is a well-conditioned athlete." Silat was also known for its ground fighting, and he made a note to "investigate into [silat] ground fighting." Bruce researched all the arts of that time, [but] he kept a tight rein on the amount of knowledge he wanted to give out at the Chinatown school. He severely limited the amount of material he allowed me to teach. Bruce dictated that I teach only about one-tenth of the actual material he had developed at that time. I always hoped that he would allow me to open up and teach a little more material, but that is the way Bruce wanted it.

BB: Did you join Lee in his research of various martial arts?

INOSANTO: Yes, I feel fortunate that I was able to join him in his research and development during this time. Bruce was always a researcher and a philosopher. His notes and papers reflect years of searching for knowledge and all that could be used toward his "personal liberation." He wrote a series of papers, including "Jun Fan Kung Fu, Toward Personal Liberation," and "Jeet Kune Do, Toward Personal Liberation." I still refer to them. They have been invaluable to me in continuing on for Bruce in the way he wanted his arts, philosophies, principles and concepts to be taught and remembered.

BB: How does one go about "authenticating" a Jun Fan or jeet kune do instructor's lineage?

INOSANTO: The lineage's of Jun Fan kung fu and jeet kune do are the easiest of all martial art lines to trace. Bruce made only three instructors during his lifetime: James Lee, who had made no instructors at the time of his death; Taky Kimura, who was certified to teach Jun Fan kung fu by Bruce, but to date has made no instructors; and myself. We are the only instructors to have been given complete and absolute authority to teach, promote, grade and carry on Bruce's three arts.

BB: Have you promoted any students to instructor level?

INOSANTO: I have made instructors in Jun Fan kung fu. The only legitimate lineage back to Bruce Lee, in terms of instructors, is through my line. I must explain a little about my line of instructors. After Bruce's death, I gave the title [of instructor to several students], but did not certify these individuals. I felt it was important at the time-especially with the feeling of loss that was felt by all during the passing of Bruce Lee-to form a support system and to hopefully continue in the perpetuating of Bruce's methods. Many of these individuals all but disappeared for the next 20 years in regard to Bruce's arts, and continued on with their lives, pursuing other areas. Several years later, I started my existing instructor's program. During the last 10 years, I have raised the standards and made the requirements much more stringent on those entering and progressing through my program.

BB: What is "original" jeet kune do, and how does it differ from jeet kune do "concepts"? Many of our readers seem confused by these two terms.

INOSANTO: Actually, there is no difference between original jeet kune do and jeet kune do concepts because, to practice the concepts of jeet kune do, one has to know the original jeet kune do material, which is called Jun Fan kung fu. I use the term jeet kune do concepts to emphasize that jeet kune do is a concept. Jeet kune do was Bruce's personal research and development in what worked for him in combat. Can you teach jeet kune do? I have always said "Yes." Can you standardize jeet kune do? I say "No." Because in Bruce's own words, "Jeet kune do is finding the cause of your own ignorance. Jeet kune do favors the formless. Jeet kune do utilizes all ways and is bound by none." Since each individual is different, he must find the cause of his own ignorance and must utilize all the ways that personally fit him. So original jeet kune do is really Jun Fan kung fu, the material that was handed down by Bruce when he was alive. Jun Fan kung fu can be taught and is standardized so that students can learn it easily. Jun Fan kung fu provides the basic training methods, techniques, strategies, principles and concepts for combat and self-defense. Jun Fan kung fu basics prepare you for your own personal way of combat.

BB: Is it true that you taught martial arts to Bruce Lee's son, Brandon Lee?

INOSANTO: As a young boy, Brandon came in for training just once. But as an adult, he came in earnest to study and train. He really became serious, and he was truly talented.

BB: What systems did you teach him?

INOSANTO: I trained him with the idea that perhaps someday he could take over [his father's systems]. When he began to train, I told him "Brandon, you can train strictly in Jun Fan kung fu; you don't have to take the kali, silat, muay Thai, savate or shootwrestling [I teach many of my other students]. You can train in whatever you want here." I thought he would train strictly in his father's arts, but he said he wanted to train in everything. Brandon was very open to anything he could use, and one day I said to him "it is so hard following your father. Some people say I'm doing this right, and others say I'm doing it wrong, and this is all so hard for me." Brandon's response was "Tell me about it! I know what you are going through."

BB: Brandon Lee asked you to be in several of his movies, yet you declined.

INOSANTO: I didn't want to do it because people would say I was riding on the shoulders of Brandon Lee, the son of Bruce Lee. Brandon thought this was ridiculous, but I know how people in the martial arts community talk.

BB: Were you like a father figure to Brandon?

INOSANTO: Brandon would always come by my house and talk to me about problems he was having. But he really developed a close relationship with my wife, Paula, and talked with her about more personal issues.

BB: How would you rate Brandon's ability as a martial artist?

INOSANTO: He excelled at everything he trained in. He became certified in Thai boxing, as well as his father's arts.

BB: Does it bother you to see how heavily Bruce Lee has been marketed since his death more than 20 years ago?

INOSANTO: Bruce Lee has become a commodity, a product. People are selling, marketing and capitalizing on every phase of his life. This really saddens me. Bruce was not only my teacher, but my close friend. Even today when I am asked about him, I can still get emotional. Bruce was far more than a piece of martial arts merchandise. He was a human being, complete with faults like all of us. Yet Bruce left the martial arts world with a strong and powerful gift.

Inosanto Interview Part 2

BLACK BELT: How did you meet Bruce Lee, and when did you begin training with him?

INOSANTO: I met Bruce at Ed Parker's International Championships in July 1, 1964. I started training with him immediately afterward. He was in the Southern California area, doing different demonstrations, and he needed a partner for the demos. He said he would use me as the fall guy and would train me in his system, so that's what I did. Then he moved to Oakland, California, and I made periodic trips there to update my training.

BLACK BELT: You began training again with Lee when he returned to Los Angeles in November 1965, and the two of you opened a martial arts school in Chinatown in February 1967. Did Lee teach most of the classes?

INOSANTO: When the school first opened, I did the bulk of the teaching. Sifu Bruce taught 10 percent of the classes, and I assisted him when he taught. He usually taught on Saturday and Sunday. After the first year, he would come down once in a while and check out the progress at the school.

BLACK BELT: How many students were enrolled when the school first opened?

INOSANTO: I would estimate 22 or 24 people, including people like [Black Belt Hall of Fame members] Daniel Lee and Richard Bustillo.

BLACK BELT: Who established the school's cerriculum?

INOSANTO: I had some input, but the majority of the time, [Lee] controlled the curriculum at the Chinatown school.

BLACK BELT: Did the curriculum change often?

INOSANTO: Sometimes every three months, sometimes every six months, sometimes every month. It fluctuated. There was a period where [Lee] was changing it almost every month, particularly the warm-ups. We had 10 exercises that we had to do, then he made it 12. Then we doubled it by giving [students] a hard set and a soft set. Then he changed it to skipping rope before practice. We did a lot of physical conditioning for one hour, then the last two hours it was all technical [training].

BLACK BELT: Were there certain topics you learned from Lee, but couldn't impart to the other students?

INOSANTO: There were 13 things I could teach on the classical list, and that was it. He used to say that under no circumstances could I teach double pak sao (slap block). Pak sao bil jee (slap block/ finger jab) and pak sao lop sao (slap block/grabbing hand) were big, big secrets. He was the head man, so I kept it exactly the way he wanted me to teach it.

BLACK BELT: Did he tell you why he didn't want you to show these techniques to others?

INOSANTO: I never really asked him because he was the sifu. He just said "This is what I want," and I followed it.

BLACK BELT: Are you aware of anyone besides yourself, Taky Kimura and James Lee who were certified directly by Bruce Lee to teach jeet kune do?

INOSANTO: To my knowledge, there were only the three of us, because that is something I asked Bruce.

BLACK BELT: Besides you, did Lee award anyone a third rank in jeet kune do?

INOSANTO: No one other than myself, as far as I know, has been given a third rank instructor level in jeet kune do by Bruce Lee. He used this ranking system from 1965 to 1968 in all three of his arts: jun fan gung fu, the tao of chinese gung fu and jeet kune do. It went from blank circle as first rank, through various color yin and yang symbols, to rank eight, which is the highest level. Eighth level is for the founder of the system. He began another ranking system in March 1968 and then disbanded it in 1969. In 1988, Taky Kimura and I decided to reinstate this ranking system. The blank circle represents a beginning student. The empty yin/yang symbol is for rank one, an intermediate student. Rank two is an advanced student eligible for apprentice instructor level. Rank three is for associate instructor level. Rank four is a full instructor, and rank five is a senior full instructor. Taky is rank seven, and he ranked me six. He reserved rank eight for Bruce Lee forever.

BLACK BELT: Is rank eight essentially unachievable?

INOSANTO: Yes, it's unachievable because only the founder is at the top.

BLACK BELT: Your relationship with Lee went beyond student and teacher. You two were also close friends and did many things together outside of the school, did you not?

INOSANTO: We did a lot of things together. We went to bookstores, we did a lot of research together, a lot of training. And we did a lot of sparring. I think I am correct in saying he didn't spar with anybody as much as he sparred with me. He did a lot of experimentation on me.

BLACK BELT: Is it true that Lee kept records of how many hours his private students trained with him?

INOSANTO: Yes, he was very meticulous about keeping records on whom he taught.

BLACK BELT: Did you ever sit in on his private lessons with movie stars or notable martial artists?

INOSANTO: Yes, many times. I sat in on Steve McQueen's lessons. I sat in on one of James Coburn's lessons. I saw him train Chuck Norris. And I saw him train Mike Stone; he was very, very talented, according to Bruce.

BLACK BELT: Did Lee object to the fact you continued to train with others in the Filipino Arts after you began training in Jeet Kune Do with him?

INOSANTO: He said it was good that I embrace my own cultural art of the Philippines, but [warned me not to] be bound by everything Filipino just because I was Filipino. He said I should see things beyond my own culture, and accept what is good and bad in different cultures and different [fighting] systems. He was the one who told me to take fencing for six months, which I did.

BLACK BELT: Did you ever show Lee some of the kali you had learned?

INOSANTO:Yes, I asked him what he thought of it. He told me what he thought was good for theatrics or for show, and what he thought was good for fighting, and what he thought was good for nothing. He was very frank. If he thought something would never work in a hundred years, he would say so.

BLACK BELT: What did he like about kali?

INOSANTO: He liked a lot of the largo mano (long-hand style).

BLACK BELT: Did you introduce him to the nunchaku?

INOSANTO: Yes, and he became very proficient with it.

BLACK BELT: What other training equipment did you show to Lee?

INOSANTO: Because of my track & field background, I introduced him to running shoes. Before that, he used to wear these desert boots. Using running shoes was quite new at the time. The only people who wore those kind of gym shoes or sneakers during that period were track&field people. Another thing I introduced to him was the foam kicking shield, because we used it in football. I also introduced him to these forearm pads for use when you block, but at first he didn't like them because he didn't like the way they felt. But after about a week and a half, he had [created] all these drills with them.

BLACK BELT: Were you also responsible for Lee using baseball shin guards in his training?

INOSANTO: I introduced them to him, actually I put them on myself because he was always kicking my shin.

BLACK BELT: How did Lee go about investigating various martial arts? There is so much information about each system that it would seem to be an overwhelming task.

INOSANTO: He always said you should capture the essence of each art. It's impossible to study every art, but you want to capture the essence of each. It's like when you thumb through a book; that's what he was doing thumbing through the styles, seeing if there was anything he could fit into his personal system. Either a training method, or progression, or training equipment, or maybe some mode of technique that he could modify.

BLACK BELT: When did Lee change the name of his system from Jun Fan Gung Fu to jeet kune do, and what is the difference between the two?

INOSANTO: The Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute was established [by Lee] in Seattle, so [the term] Jun Fan Kung fu [is used to indicate] the base system he had before he called it jeet kune do. Somewhere around the latter part of 1966 we began using the term jeet kune do, the "way of the intercepting fist" or the "way of the stopping fist."

BLACK BELT: When did Lee tell you to close the Los Angeles Chinatown school, and why?

INOSANTO: He told me to close it in December of 1969. In January of 1970, we moved the training into my backyard. I asked him if I could teach a few people, and he said it was OK, but to keep it to just a few people. He wanted to keep it small and keep the quality high. His system was never made for mass distribution.

BLACK BELT: Do you feel Lee was progressing in his training right up to the time of his death?

INOSANTO: There's no doubt about it. When I visited him in Hong Kong in 1972, I went there basically to train, even though he brought me down there to be in [the movie] Game of Death. Being in Game of Death was nice, but my main thing was to update [my training]. It was kind of nice; we had these mini-workouts in between cars, in between restaurants, walking up stairs. Some of the best things I ever learned from him was when we were eating Chinese food, because he would explain the system so I could understand it mentally.

BLACK BELT: Do you think today's martial artists have a higher level of knowledge and skill than those of several decades ago, and if so, why?

INOSANTO: Yes, because people are more open, more giving. The level of understanding is higher. Back in the '50s and '60s, if you just knew what a front kick was, it would throw people off because they were not exposed to kicking. They didn't know what to do. If you started kicking, people would say "That's sissy fighting" or "That's dirty fighting." Today's martial artists have seen a lot of Bruce Lee movies, a lot of kung fu movies, so they are more educated. Any kid can throw a kick now. The level of awareness is much higher every year, and it should be that way.

BLACK BELT: Do you think that, if Lee were alive today, he would still be researching martial arts from around the world in an effort to perfect his fighting system, or do you think he would be satisfied that he had developed a finely honed finished product and didn't need to investigate anymore?

INOSANTO: In my opinion, he would have always continued his research. He said you shouldn't add to a system for the sake of adding, but you should add for the sake of making it more efficient. He said it isn't the accumulation of knowledge that works, but what you can do.

BLACK BELT: When Bruce Lee died in 1973, did you feel that the burden of preserving his feet kune do had been thrust upon your shoulders?

INOSANTO: I would say yes, I felt the pressure. I tried to keep the art very low-key, but a lot of people were opening up jeet kune do schools; everyone was doing it. These people weren't even close [to being legitimate JKD instructors]. They had seen pictures and tried to copy different things, and were calling it jeet kune do.

BLACK BELT: Do you teach the original Jun Fan/JKD?

INOSANTO: Yes. Let me explain this. We teach blend classes: in other words, a little bit of muay Thai, a little bit of savate, a little bit of Jun Fan kickboxing, a little bit of trapping, a little bit of Filipino weaponry where students can see what they want to take. It is like an introduction course. There's a straight muay Thai class, a straight savate class, a straight shootwrestling class and a straight kali class. And we have straight Jun Fan Gung Fu classes. The original material is taught in these classes.

BLACK BELT: So the Jun Fan/JKD curriculum is taught separately from the other styles at your school?

INOSANTO: Absolutely separate.

BLACK BELT: What do you usually teach at your martial arts seminars?

INOSANTO: I teach whatever the host requests. If he wants silat, I teach silat. If he wants muay Thai, I teach muay Thai. If he wants Jun Fan kung fu, I teach Jun Fan Gung Fu. I don't teach Jun Fan Gung Fu mixed with silat, but I might make a comparison. I might say "This is the way they do it in Jun Fan Gung Fu; and this is the way a muay Thai man might handle the same attack." So the host dictates what I teach, because I am there to help his knowledge and to help his students.

BLACK BELT: Do you think jeet kune do is designed for the average individual, or must you be a more skilled martial artist to train in this highly advanced system?

INOSANTO: You definitely have to put in the [training] time, but if you are gifted and talented, it takes less time [to become skilled]. But the way jeet kune do is structured, there is something in it that everybody can do. The majority of things taught in jeet kune do are relatively easy. Jeet kune do can be practiced by a person who doesn't have the best inherent skills, and it can be practiced by an individual who is very talented. The person who is gifted is obviously going to do it much better. In other words, everyone can sing the same song, but some are going to sound a little better.

Inosanto Interview Part 1

BLACK BELT: A lot has been said about the origin of jeet kune do. A student of yours, Paul Vunak, stated that it can be traced to 26 different elements. Is this true?

DAN INOSANTO: Well, it's true in the sense that there were 26 different components to Bruce Lee's research. Bruce, however, didn't borrow equally from all 26 styles. This illustration is comparable to doing a research paper and using 26 books for your report. You take ten percent from one book, 15 percent from another, and ignore another book completely. But you would still cite all 26 in your bibliography.

BB: What were Bruce's research methods in picking and choosing what to use in jeet kune do?

INOSANTO: He realized from the beginning that he could never learn from the head man. In those days you would have to study for two to three years with the head man before he would give you his knowledge. So Bruce traded information with people. Let's say, for example, that he knew someone studying choy li fut kung fu. Bruce would trade his knowledge of wing chun to acquire the choy li fut skills. He was also smart enough to study with the second or third in command, rather than the head man. In this way Bruce picked up the knowledge he needed.

BB: What were some of the 26 elements that provided the underpinnings of jeet kune do?

INOSANTO: Bruce learned a lot about praying mantis in all of its forms and southern mantis. He took what he liked, but someone going on the same journey as Bruce might choose different elements. Bruce taught that jeet kune do is like a menu: You go with what works for you. That's why your jeet kune do might be different than mine. Take Larry Hartsell and I; we're both jeet kune do practitioners. We both studied with Bruce. But I might only use 60 percent of the grappling techniques, whereas Larry might use 90 percent. Of the wing chun Bruce taught, I might take 40 percent and Larry might only take 15 percent. You see, even the instructors of jeet kune do are all very different in what they favor. A lot of people coming up don't understand this. They might say, "My jeet kune do is better than his jeet kune do." I hope they don't say such a thing - that's the wrong approach. That attitude indicates a lack of understanding of the fact that jeet kune do is not a particular method or system. Once you understand that every system or style can offer you something, then you can understand jeet kune do.

BB: Since jeet kune do differs from one person to the next, how would you describe the way you apply Lee's fighting system to your own instruction?

INOSANTO: What I do is apply the principles that Bruce gave us. The principles include defining a centerline; that an attack has to come either right or left of the body; defining the upper and lower half of the body; being able to move in three ranges: long range, middle range and close quarters; understanding grappling techniques, on the ground and from a standing position; understanding different delivery systems - why a boxer puts his hand in a certain place, why a karate stylist puts his hand somewhere else, why it is sometimes more advantageous to trap than to attack by a combination. These are the principles I teach. Principles are the only thing that can be handed down.

BB: How much have you drawn from philosophical aspects of Lee's book Tao of Jeet Kune Do in teaching your classes and seminars?

INOSANTO: I like to put in one philosophical thing, what I like to call a moral lesson, in every class. However, I like to make it so subtle that it doesn't come off as a commercial or a sermon. Sometimes when you just come out and say something philosophical, people tend to rebel. That's why I try to incorporate the philosophy so that the student isn't consciously aware of its presence. The idea is to apply the philosophy to the physical discipline. It's through the physical regimen that you get your mental, spiritual and emotional training. Since we all enter through the physical door, it is the physical training that must be the main vehicle for learning.

BB: Did you recently create a jeet kune do organization?

INOSANTO: Yes, the Jeet Kune Do Society was formed as a response to the fact that many people are trying to cash in on jeet kune do without really understanding it.

BB: What are the society's goals?

INOSANTO: To prevent people from abusing jeet kune do and misleading the public. The society is here to let people know if a certain instructor is actually teaching the JKD concept. So the society essentially acts as both a policing body and a way to promote the concepts of jeet kune do. I'm quite sure that the society is going to be controversial because it touches on the subject of controlling knowledge. Who's to say that a certain movement belongs to jeet kune do? That there is a certain jeet kune do kick, or punch? Making such distinctions is not the society's mission. We are simply establishing a JKD teaching criteria to protect the public. In addition, the society will add to and promote research on jeet kune do.

BB: Are other martial arts in danger of being misrepresented by people who are out to make a profit at the public's expense?

INOSANTO: Yes, this is a very real problem. Take the balisong knife, for example. It has been called a kung fu knife and a ninja knife in various advertisements. This documents and codifies the inaccuracy; five years down the line no one will believe that the balisong knife is from the Philippines.

BB: You're an expert at Filipino weaponry. Why is it said that knife fighting is more highly developed in kali than in other martial arts?

INOSANTO: Because of the martial environment pervading the Philippines, for the most part. Knife fighting was developed for the close-quarter combat employed in the Philippine jungles. The Filipinos have put a lot of time and effort into cultivating this art. In fact, people from the Philippines had a bad reputation in the United States during the 1930s and 40s because of their use of knife fighting. Like anything else, this skill can be taught as an art as self-defense or for streetfighting. I believe in teaching it as an art.

BB: It has been said that you're the person who taught Bruce Lee how to wield the nunchunks. Yet, you've stated that sticks are superior to nunchaku when fighting in close quarters. Why is that?

INOSANTO: The main thing is timing. The stick is more effective in close range because of its speed. I use nunchucks as part of the kali system as a flexible weapon; it is very effective at long range. And I'm not saying that it can't be used in close quarters. It's just not well suited to that type of fighting. Of course, you can hide the nunchucks. But since a stick can also be used as a cane, you don't even have to hide it. A cane, after all, is perfectly legal to carry.

BB: You've trained with Bruce Lee's son. Brandon. Are there are any comparisons you can make between father and son?

INOSANTO: Brandon reminds me of Bruce in that he is very head-strong and strong-willed. I trained him when he was a lot younger in a lot of one-on-one situations.

BB: Is he an adept martial artist?

INOSANTO: He has improved his skills a great deal, but his training has been very sporadic. That may be because he didn't want to capitalize on his father's fame. He wanted to do his own thing and make it on his own, which is admirable. But he never really investigated what his father was all about. I think in time he will realize the greatness of his father. I think eventually he will find out where Bruce was at and it will bring him a lot of pride.

BB: Do you ever get tired of answering questions about Bruce Lee?

INOSANTO: Not really. For me, Bruce stood as a person I could look up to, a standard for something I wanted to be myself. He was very talented. I don't think any of his students were as talented as he was. But in some ways I think we've improved on his concepts.

BB: How have you done that?

INOSANTO: By looking at what Bruce was doing and adding to the possibilities. If he said there was a given criteria for what makes a good system - it's aggressive, it has economy of motion, you can fight inside or outside, etc. - then you can look at styles like 1930s boxing or bando and realize that these idioms articulate Bruce's concepts Muay Thai is another excellent system which uses Bruce's principles and concepts. Bruce said you can combine many styles without improving your art, unless you have a common thread to unify them Bruce had a common thread; he knew when to use one system and when to use another. He under stood his tools and how and when to use them.

BB: It is true that you are trying to distance yourself from the label of being Bruce Lee's protege?

INOSANTO: Absolutely not. I'll always be proud of the fact that I trained under Bruce Lee. The only thing I distance myself from is the political intrigue surrounding jeet kune do. Without Bruce, I wouldn't have what I need to grow and expand with my art. I am so happy that I met him - whether it was karma or something else that allowed us the good fortune to be come friends - because he was special person. I do not see any martial artist of his caliber around today. I'm not talking only of physical skills, but also of his mental awareness and understanding.

Frustrated Incorporated

I think this title accurately describes members of the JKD Concepts group. How could they not feel frustrated when it seems they constantly have to justify what they do and why they do it. No one knows this better than Dan Inosanto. True to his nature, Dan has come forward to clear up the confusion that has clouded Bruce Lee's art of Jeet Kune Do. I think you'll agree, after reading the following letter written by Dan, that this man knows what he is talking about.

Inosanto's Insights by Dan Inosanto

Over the past 3-4 years much has been written on Bruce Lee's art of Jeet Kune Do. Most of these recent articles have been highly inaccurate. Some articles have even attempted to "rewrite" the history of Jeet Kune Do. I can no longer stand by and watch as the public is mislead by certain individuals who have no knowledge or authority to speak on the subject. Briefly, I will state my credentials and by what authority I, and I alone have the right and obligation to clear up the present state of confusion regarding the teachings of my late Sifu, and dear friend, Bruce Lee.

My training with Sifu Lee began in 1964, and continued until his untimely death in 1973. On Feb. 9. 1967 I was made an Instructor by Sifu Lee, at that time Sifu Lee told me that my Seniors, Taky Kimura (Seattle) and James Lee (deceased, Oakland) and I were the only three instructors he had made. Sifu Lee had three arts which he would certify in. "Jun Fan Gung Fu", "Bruce Lee's Tao of Chinese Gung Fu" and "Jeet Kune Do". I have certificates of instructorship in all three. As mandated by Sifu Lee at the time of his death, I became the principle heir and authority on his arts and teachings. As he requested, I shall always acknowledge with the utmost respect my seniors, Si Bak James Lee and Si bak Taky Kimura.

During Sifu Bruce Lee's lifetime, I was the Head Instructor of the "Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute" in Los Angeles, Chinatown. During this time, I was given the authority to hand out rank. If you look at the certificates awarded at the Institute in Chinatown, you will see that Sifu Lee signed his name and affixed my seal (personally given to me by Sifu Lee), on the left hand side. After more than 30 years of teaching Jun Fan and Jeet Kune Do, it seems ridiculous that I have to now prove my authenticity to the martial arts public. At the time of Sifu Lee's death, the privilege and responsibility of teaching, preserving, promoting and protecting these arts became my responsibility, and mine alone to ensure Sifu Lee's contribution would not be "basterdized" and lost. I take this responsibility very seriously and it is for this reason that I would like to address the question of "original Jeet Kune Do" "Jeet Kune Do Concepts", and the difference between the two. There is no difference.

Jeet Kune Do was born out of Sifu Lee's art of Jun Fan Gung Fu. To understand the principles, concepts and strategies of Jeet Kune Do, you must study first Jun Fan Gung Fu. In the beginning, as conceived by Sifu Lee, Jeet Kune Do was a style. Almost immediately, Sifu Lee told me he was sorry that he had ever named or considered JKD a style. He felt that a style was too limiting and confining. Sifu Told me that he as not creating a new style, nor making a composite of different styles, nor modifying other systems or styles to create a new one. As he stated to me, "Jeet Kune Do was to be used as a mirror, in which we could see ourselves". He hoped that JKD would be used as a vehicle to free his students from clinging to styles, systems and patterns. He often quoted to me, "Be not concerned with soft styles verus the hard styles, or kicking styles versus striking styles, or long range styles versus in-fighting styles, or ground grappling versus hitting and kicking". He felt that there was no such thing as "this was better than that" or visa versa. To quote him directly, "should there be one thing we must guard against, let it be partiality that robs us of our pristine wholeness and makes us lose unity in the midst of duality".

To answer the question raised so often by the self-appointed "JKD" authorities writing so many articles today, "Does Dan Inosanto teach Bruce Lee's art or has he mixed, diluted, changed and added other systems and styles to the 'original' art, to such an extent that you can no longer learn what Bruce Lee taught, by training with him?" The answer is the same today as it would have been 30 years ago. When I teach an individual the arts of Jun Fan Gung Fu and the principles, philosophies, concepts, strategies, techniques and methods of Jeet Kune Do, I teach them as they were developed, formulated and taught by Sifu Bruce Lee during the years of 1964 through 1973.

I have often wondered how certain individuals can write about my teaching when they have truly never trained in my classes conducted at my academy in Los Angeles, California. At the Inosanto Academy, classes are taught in individual systems and styles. Each art is taught separately, in part to preserve it's identity, and to ensure a certain level of proficiency for the student. One class offered at the academy does utilize the training methods, principles, concepts and fighting techniques of several systems and styles to familiarize the students in that class with all the avenues which are open to them. When someone attends a seminar I may be conducting and walks in on a section, I may be teaching any one of a number of different arts of which I am certified in. If they were to attend a seminar the following week, it would more than likely be completely different. I see nothing wrong in exposing my students to a variety of different arts, and letting them choose which path they want to follow. During my teaching, I draw many comparisons and analogies, and I will continue to do so if it continues to aid in the understanding of the material presented.

Ask any one of the individuals writing about the Original JKD, to show you the Basic 30 combinations traps, they won't be able to. Ask them to perform the JKD (sets developed by Sifu Lee) exercises on the wooden dummy, they won't be able to. Ask them to perform the Basic kickboxing drills of Sifu Lee and I doubt they would be able to show you. Ask them to perform the 1-2 counter series as taught by Sifu Bruce Lee and I doubt that they would be able to show you.

In some publications, the readers are lead to believe that JKD is unorganized and JKD is "Do anything that you want to do". One publication said Bruce Lee made no instructors. On March 22, 1981, Jun Fan Gung Fu (Jeet Kune Do) was inducted into the official Academy of Chinese Boxing, a division of Taiwan's Repulic of China, Ministry of Education. This Places Sijo-Si Gung Bruce Lee's art on the equivalent terms with Tai Chi Chuan, Shaolin and other such world historic styles.

If that letter doesn't clear up any doubts you may have about Dan Inosanto's authority over Jeet Kune Do, then perhaps this will. The following is a letter from Linda Lee, Bruce's widow, that hangs on the wall at the Inosanto Academy in Los Angeles. She wrote:

"This letter serves to verify that Dan Inosanto was the senior instructor and student of my late husband, Bruce Lee, and that he is the legitimate practitioner and teacher of Bruce’s art of self-defense called Jeet Kune Do. There is no other person who had as close and as long a relationship with Bruce in the study of his art. At the time of Bruce’s death, Dan Inosanto was the one man who had spent the longest and most recent period of time with my husband in the development and refinement of the art of Jeet Kune Do. With Bruce’s passing, Dan became the senior spokesman and authority not only on the physical expression of the art, but also on the underlying philosophy and it’s application to many of life’s pursuits. He has undertaken to continue Bruce’s teachings at the training academy he has set up in southern California."

By now, my point should be painfully obvious. Dan Inosanto is the one and only heir and authority on Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do. For anyone who believes Dan has misrepresented, prostituted or diluted Bruce's teachings, think again. The power of Dan's words are self-explanatory. For my next three posts, I shall include interviews Inosanto did with Black Belt Magazine where he talks about JKD and Bruce Lee.

"Original" Jeet Kune Do Vs. Jeet Kune Do Concepts

As I had mentioned in my earlier post, the current JKD scene is plagued by a popular debate over how JKD is being taught. This debate begin around 1995 and is due primarily to the fact that a lot of column writers, who had little or no training in JKD, were producing articles regarding Bruce Lee's art. Much of the public, including some original students of Bruce Lee, think Dan Inosanto has diluted the art of JKD by teaching others martial arts in his seminars and referring to it as Jeet Kune Do. On top of that, many believe Dan no longer teaches the original material Lee developed while he was still alive. People see Dan as someone who is trying to cash in on his association with Bruce Lee and several people have made the claim that Inosanto's true motive is to own a chain of JKD schools! Still others accuse Dan of selling instructorship certificates over the Internet and that he is the reason there are people teaching a mix of martial arts and calling it JKD. Thank God there are answers to all of this nonsense. But before we get to that, let me first explain what original Jeet Kune Do is and how is supposedly differs from Jeet Kune Do Concepts.

"Original" Jeet Kune Do is a movement within the last decade to preserve and practice only the techniques, training methods, strategies, and philosophy Bruce Lee himself taught to his students and personally favored. The majority of practitioners from this camp believe that JKD is what Lee taught from 1967-1973 and is a complete system based on the idea of intercepting an opponent's technique or any intent to hurt you. Practitioners of "original" Jeet Kune Do favor the idea of finding the freedom of expression Lee spoke of by drilling and practicing specific "JKD techniques, strategies, and training methods". Followers of this philosophy believe JKD is very much a style and that is should be taught the way Lee left it when he died. If a practitioner decides to add any other techniques, strategies or training methods to what JKD already has, then that individual should not call their art Jeet Kune Do. When Lee taught JKD, he had all of his students put their strong side forward since the lead hand and leg would be used about 80% of the time. Also, Bruce always stressed the importance of footwork and body mechanics behind every movement. There was a very specific on-guard stance that Lee developed based on how important is was to keep yourself covered at all times and to stay light and mobile when fighting. "Original" JKD practitioners see the simplicity of this approach and believe that hard work is the key to making JKD work for an individual. If someone were to 'carelessly' add something to the art, "Original" JKD practioners would be quick to say that the person simply did not try hard enough to make Lee's methods work.

Jeet Kune Do Concepts is a movement to preserve and practice Lee's original techniques, methods, strategies, and concepts. But it is also a means of continuing the research started by Bruce and to advance the practice of Lee's art by incorporating techniques, training methods, and strategies from other martial art systems. Followers of this camp believe that Lee would have wanted his students to continue to research different styles in order to find anything useful they could incorporate into their training. Dan Inosanto is the person who coined the phrase "JKD Concepts" and is the leader behind this school of thought. Within the practice of JKD Concepts, a student is taught the base system that Lee used at all three of his Jun Fan Gung Fu Institutes. That base system is called Jun Fan Gung Fu and it includes Bruce's evolution of ideas, techniques, training methods, and strategies that took place from 1964-1973. Within the original Jun Fan Gung Fu is also the concepts that guided Lee in creating his personal Jeet Kune Do. It was during this time that Dan Inosanto was training with Lee and it is well known that what Bruce was teaching during this time period was constantly changing. After a practitioner has reached a high level of proficiency and understanding of Jun Fan Gung Fu, they are then encouraged to seek out other systems and fill in any gaps they may have in their personal fighting 'style' using the concepts of JKD as guidelines. This could include the addition of training methods, techniques, strategies, philosophies, etc. However, a student is taught not to add anything just for the sake of adding, but to absorb new material only if it makes the individual better at fighting as well as in daily life. In this manner, each JKD Concepts practitioner is free to find their own JKD expression without being bound by having to use only the material Lee taught during his short lifetime. However, if someone finds that they can make Bruce's choice techniques and strategies work for them and that is all they need, then they are encouraged to stay with the original art. Once a practitioner is taught the JKD foundation, he/she is free to do as they please. The primary idea behind JKD Concepts is that no one art has all the answers for any possible self defense scenario and that every martial art has something to offer. Therefore, Jun Fan Gung Fu is one method, but not the only one. Jeet Kune Do is viewed not as a style, as Bruce Lee himself stated in his 1971 article, "Liberate Yourself From Classical Karate". Rather, Jeet Kune Do is held as a compilation of concepts that Lee devised as guidelines to use when investigating other martial art systems. The end objective is to find what works for you as an individual without having to limit yourself to another person's way of fighting. Every human being is different and will therefore have different attributes as well as advantages and disadvantages. So, in the practice of JKD Concepts, a student is encouraged to find what works for them, even if it means using little to none of the base system of Jun Fan Gung Fu.

The crux of this rift in JKD also stems from a difference of interpretation on a popular Bruce Lee saying. In the LA Chinatown school, Lee hung a poster which he had specially made and it read as follows: "The truth in this style is different for each individual. 1) Research your own experience in combat 2) Absorb what is useful 3) Reject what is useless 4) Add what is specifically your own". It is the last point on which the debate has grown out of control. "Original" JKD practitioners have used this phrase to mean add your own attitude, desire, intention, and mental and psychological approach to training. The Concepts group has used this phrase to mean the same as above but it also means add whatever works for you in combat; whether it is techniques, strategies, tactics, philosophies, principles, concepts or training methods from other martial arts. The most popular martial arts that are offered to JKD Concepts practitioners are those in which Dan is certified to teach. These inlcude Savate, Kali, Muay Thai, Penjack Silat, Kuntao, Kenpo Karate, Jun Fan Gung Fu, Wing Chun Gung Fu, Shootwrestling, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and a few others.

It is easy to see why people with no knowledge or training under Dan Inosanto would be confused about what JKD is and isn't. Not to mention the fact that Bruce's now famous article that I posted earlier doesn't really clarify a whole lot in terms of what JKD is meant to be. With such a large division over what JKD is and isn't, and with failed attempts at unify both camps, JKD remains in a state of disharmony. Be that as it may, at the time of Lee's passing, the burden of carrying on the art of Jeet Kune Do fell on Dan Inosanto, the only man Bruce certified as an instructor in the art. Being in such a position has caused many people to criticize Dan's job of carrying on for Bruce. The harsh stings and bruises Dan has verbally received from an uneducated public has not gone unfelt over the years. True to Dan's nature, he has not felt the need to justify what he does to anyone or point out other people's short-sightedness when it comes to Jeet Kune Do. Dan has done what he believe is right and what he alone has been authorized to do by his mentor, Bruce Lee.

As you will see in my next post, Dan has not only protected and preserved the arts of his late mentor and friend, but he has done more than any other student of Bruce Lee to educate the public regarding Lee's arts. And he has done so without prostituting or degrading the integrity of Bruce's creation or his ideals.

The History of Jeet Kune Do

As you can see from my previous post, it is indeed difficult to articulate what JKD is. Before I proceed further, I would like to discuss the history and evolution of Jeet Kune Do based on the facts I have come across.

Bruce Lee first arrived in the U.S. in 1959 in San Francisco. A few months later, Bruce moved to Seattle to begin his education at Edison Technical School. In 1960, Lee graduated from Edison Technical school and opened his first martial arts school that he called The Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. The art he taught there was a modified version of the Wing Chun Gung Fu he had learned while living in Hong Kong. He named his art after his Chinese name, Lee Jun Fan. From 1960 to 1964, Bruce operated his school with the help of his first assistant instructor, Taky Kimura.

In the summer of 1964, Lee left Seattle and moved to Oakland, California where he started his second Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. His assistant instructor there was a man by the name of James Yimm Lee (no relation). It was during this period, around 1965, that word of Bruce's teaching of non-Chinese students outraged the local community. A rival kung fu instructor by the name of Wong Jak Man was sent to Bruce's school to challenge Lee. If Lee lost the fight, he would have to stop teaching his gung fu. He won the match, but this event became a turning point for him. Lee realized that his modified Wing Chun Gung Fu (Jun Fan Gung Fu) was not effective enough to allow him to dispatch his opponent quickly. Bruce also realized that he was not as physically fit as he believed. This began his journey to find a more effective fighting method. Lee began to search out various martial arts that were available to him at the time to find strategies, techniques, and training methods that were more realistic and practical. Whatever he found useful, he absorbed into his evolving method of fighting. He also began to stress physical conditioning more and more.

In the Spring of 1966, Bruce moved to Los Angeles. By now, Lee's art of Jun Fan Gung Fu had undergone many alterations and modifications in order to make it a more efficient and realistic method of fighting. In February of 1967, he opened his third and last Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute in the Chinatown section of L.A. His assistant instructor there was a man named Dan Inosanto. A few months later, Bruce's art had evolved so far from his modified Wing Chun Gung Fu (Jun Fan Gung Fu) that he decided to change the name to Jeet Kune Do; which translates to "the way of the intercepting fist". Lee first taught JKD as a style that stressed intercepting an opponent before he could hurt you. Almost immediately, Bruce regretted having ever given his art a name, for it seemed to limit his 'style' of combat to a singular approach. Jeet Kune Do then became more of a philosophical approach to combat. Experiences, training methods, strategies, and concepts are what he offered his students in hopes of guiding them to finding their own personal 'way' of fighting. By December of 1969, Bruce was concerned that his students were looking upon his personal expression of JKD as THE only truth in combat and that there was no other. He ordered all three of his schools to close and Lee set off for Hong Kong to pursue his movie career.

After making four and a half movies, Bruce Lee passed away unexpectedly on July 20, 1973. He left behind a legacy that still inspires martial artists around the globe. Throughout the course of his evolution in the martial arts, Lee only certified three individuals as instructors. They were Taky Kimura, James Lee, and Dan Inosanto. All three of these individuals were certified to teach Jun Fan Gung Fu, but of the three, only Dan Inosanto was certified to teach Jeet Kune Do and authorized by Lee to give out rank. Upon Lee's request, Dan became the principle heir and authority on Bruce's art of JKD. James Lee passed away in 1972 from cancer. He made no instructors in his lifetime. Taky Kimura continued to teach Jun Fan Gung Fu, but only certified one instructor to date, his son Andy Kimura. Andy was certified by his father to teach Jun Fan Gung Fu. Today, the only legitimate line of JKD instructors stem from Dan Inosanto's lineage and no other.

For almost 40 years now, Dan has been teaching Jun Fan Gung Fu and Jeet Kune Do as well as preserving these arts as they were taught to him. The same stands for Taky Kimura and the Jun Fan Gung Fu that Lee personally taught him. Within the last decade, Dan has come under considerable scrutiny for the way some people, including original students of Bruce Lee, believe he has misrepresented the arts of Jun Fan Gung Fu and JKD. In the modern JKD scene, this debate has come to be known as "Original Jeet Kune Do vs. Jeet Kune Do Concepts" which I will address in my next post.

The Way of No Way

Going along with the theme of my first post, I'd like to introduce to you an article written by the most famous martial artist of all time--Bruce Lee. This man has had more influence on my way of thinking than any other person; alive or dead. As evidenced by the following article, Bruce Lee was very much a believer in the idea that you can't teach anyone anything. This belief originated after Lee created his self-named art of Jeet Kune Do early in 1967. At that time, Bruce referred to his art as "the only style of non-classical Chinese gung-fu in existence". Later in 1967, Bruce would regret the fact that he referred to his newly-formed art as a 'style'. Jeet Kune Do then evolved into an art and philosophy for self-discovery and liberation within the martial arts world. This post serves as the first of many I would like to create as a means of exploring exactly what JKD(Jeet Kune Do) is and the current debate over how it is being taught. This popular argument has become known as "original JKD vs. JKD concepts". It is my hope that this post, as well as the ones to follow, will help to educate individuals on Lee's "Way of No Way" and to end the controversy once and for all.

LIBERATE YOURSELF FROM CLASSICAL KARATE
by Bruce Lee

I am the first to admit that any attempt to crystallize Jeet Kune Do into a written article is no easy task. Perhaps to avoid making a 'thing' out of a 'process'. I have not until now personally written an article on JKD. Indeed, it is difficult to explain what Jeet Kune Do is, although it may be easier to explain what it is not.

Let me begin with a Zen story. The story might be familiar to some, but I repeat it for it's appropriateness. Look upon this story as a means of limbering up one's senses, one's attitude and one's mind to make them pliable and receptive. You need that to understand this article, otherwise you might as well forget reading any further.

A learned man once went to a Zen teacher to inquire about Zen. As the Zen teacher explained, the learned man would frequently interrupt him with remarks like, "Oh, yes, we have that too...." and so on.
Finally the Zen teacher stopped talking and began to serve tea to the learned man. He poured the cup full, and then kept pouring until the cup overflowed.
"Enough!" the learned man once more interrupted. "No more can go into the cup!"
"Indeed, I see," answered the Zen teacher. "If you do not first empty the cup, how can you taste my cup of tea?"

I hope my comrades in the martial arts will read the following paragraphs with open-mindedness leaving all the burdens of preconceived opinions and conclusions behind. This act, by the way, has in itself liberating power. After all, the usefulness of the cup is in it's emptiness. Make this article relate to yourself, because though it is on JKD, it is primarily concerned with the blossoming of a martial artist---not a "Chinese" martial artist, a "Japanese" martial artist, etc. A martial artist is a human being first. Just as nationalities have nothing to do with one's humanity, so they have nothing to do with martial arts. Leave your protective shell of isolation and relate 'directly' to what is being said. Return to your senses by ceasing all the intervening intellectual mumbo jumbo. Remember that life is a constant process of relating. Remember too, that I seek neither your approval nor to influence you towards my way of thinking. I will be more than satisfied if, as a result of this article, you begin to investigate everything for yourself and cease to uncritically accept prescribed formulas that dictate "this is this" and "that is that".

ON CHOICELESS OBSERVATION
Suppose several persons who are trained in different styles of combative arts witness an all out street fight. I am sure that we would hear different versions from each of these stylists. This is quite understandable for one cannot see a fight (or anything else) "as is" as long as he is blinded by his chosen point of view, i.e. style, and he will view the fight through the lens of his particular conditioning. Fighting, "as is," is simple and total. It is not limited to your perspective conditioning as a Chinese martial artist. True observation begins when one sheds set patterns and true freedom of expression occurs when one is beyond systems.

Before we examine Jeet Kune Do, let's consider exactly what a "classical" martial art style really is. To begin with, we must recognize the incontrovertible fact that regardless of their many colorful origins (by a wise, mysterious monk, by a special messenger in a dream, in a holy revelation, etc.) styles are created by men. A style should never be considered gospel truth, the laws and principles of which can never be violated. Man, the living, creating individual, is always more important than any established style.

It is conceivable that a long time ago a certain martial artist discovered some partial truth. During his lifetime, the man resisted the temptation to organize this partial truth, although this is a common tendency in a man's search for security and certainty in life. After his death, his students took "his" hypotheses, "his" postulates, "his" method and turned them into law. Impressive creeds were then invented, solemn reinforcing ceremonies prescribed, rigid philosophy and patterns formulated, and son on, until finally an institution was erected. So, what originated as one man's intuition of some sort of personal fluidity has been transformed into solidified, fixed knowledge, complete with organized classified responses presented in a logical order. In so doing, the well-meaning, loyal followers have not only made this knowledge a holy shrine, but also a tomb in which they have buried the founder's wisdom.

But distortion does not necessarily end here. In reaction to "the other truth," another martial artist, or possibly a dissatisfied disciple, organizes an opposite approach--such as the "soft" style versus the "hard" style, the "internal" school versus the "external" school, and all these separate nonsenses. Soon this opposite faction also becomes a large organization, with its own laws and patterns. A rivalry begins, with each style claiming to possess the "truth" to the exclusions of all others.

At best, styles are merely parts dissected from a unitary whole. All styles require adjustment, partiality, denials, condemnation and a lot of self- justification. The solutions they purport to provide are the very cause of the problem, because they limit and interfere with our natural growth and obstruct the way to genuine understanding. Divisive by nature, styles keep men 'apart' from each other rather than 'unite' them.

TRUTH CANNOT BE STRUCTURED OR DEFINED
One cannot express himself fully when imprisoned by a confining style. Combat "as is" is total, and it includes all the "is" as well as "is not," without favorite lines or angles. Lacking boundaries, combat is always fresh, alive and constantly changing. Your particular style, your personal inclinations and your physical makeup are all 'parts' of combat, but they do not constitute the 'whole' of combat. Should your responses become dependent upon any single part, you will react in terms of what "should be" rather than to the reality of the ever-changing "what is." Remember that while the whole is evidenced in all its parts, an isolated part, efficient or not, does not constitute the whole.

Prolonged repetitious drillings will certainly yield mechanical precision and security of that kind comes from any routine. However, it is exactly this kind of "selective" security or "crutch" which limits or blocks the total growth of a martial artist. In fact, quite a few practitioners develop such a liking for and dependence on their "crutch" that they can no longer walk without it. Thus, anyone special technique, however cleverly designed is actually a hinderance.

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.

What, then, is Jeet Kune Do? Literally, "jeet" means to intercept or to stop; "kune" is the fist; and "do" is the way, the ultimate reality---the way of the intercepting fist. Do remember, however, that "Jeet Kune Do" is merely a convenient name. I am not interested with the term itself; I am interested in its effect of liberation when JKD is used as a mirror for self-examination.

Unlike a "classical" martial art, there is no series of rules or classification of technique that constitutes a distinct "Jeet Kune Do" method of fighting. JKD is not a form of special conditioning with its own rigid philosophy. It looks at combat not from a single angle, but from all possible angles. While JKD utilizes all the ways and means to serve its end (after all, efficiency is anything that scores), it is bound by none and is therefore free. In other words, JKD possesses everything, but is in itself possessed by nothing.

Therefore, to try and define JKD in terms of a distinct style---be it gung-fu, karate, street fighting, Bruce Lee's martial art, etc.---is to completely miss its meaning. It's teaching simply cannot be confined with a system. Since JKD is at once "this" and "not this", it neither opposes nor adheres to any style. To understand this fully, one must transcend from the duality of "for" and "against" into one organic unity which is without distinctions. Understanding of JKD is direct intuition of this unity.

There are no prearranged sets or "kata" in the teaching of JKD, nor are they necessary. Consider the subtle difference between "having no form" and having "no form"; the first is ignorance, the second is transcendence. Through instinctive body feeling, each of us 'knows' our own most efficient and dynamic manner of achieving effective leverage, balance in motion, economical use of energy, etc. Patterns, techniques or forms touch only the fringe of genuine understanding. The core of understanding lies in the individual mind, and until that is touched, everything is uncertain and superficial. Truth cannot be perceived until we come to fully understand ourselves and our potentials. After all, 'knowledge in the martial arts ultimately means self-knowledge.'

At this point you may ask, "How do I gain this knowledge?" That you will have to find out all by yourself. You must accept the fact that there is in help but self-help. For the same reason I cannot tell you how to "gain" freedom, since freedom exists within you. I cannot tell you what 'not' to do, I cannot tell you what you 'should' do, since that would be confining you to a particular approach. Formulas can only inhibit freedom, externally dictated prescriptions only squelch creativity and assure mediocrity. Bear in mind that the freedom that accrues from self-knowledge cannot be acquired through strict adherence to a formula; we do not suddenly "become" free, we simply "are" free.

Learning is definitely not mere imitation, nor is it the ability to accumulate and regurgitate fixed knowledge. Learning is a constant process of discovery, a process without end. In JKD we begin not by accumulation but by discovering the cause of our ignorance, a discovery that involves a shedding process.

Unfortunately, most students in the martial arts are conformists. Instead of learning to depend on themselves for expression, they blindly follow their instructors, no longer feeling alone, and finding security in mass imitation. The product of this imitation is a dependent mind. Independent inquiry, which is essential to genuine understanding, is sacrificed. Look around the martial arts and witness the assortment of routine performers, trick artists, desensitized robots, glorifiers of the past and so on---- all followers or exponents of organized despair.

How often are we told by different "sensei" or "masters" that the martial arts are life itself? But how many of them truly understand what they are saying? Life is a constant movement---rhythmic as well as random; life is a constant change and not stagnation. Instead of choicelessly flowing with this process of change, many of these "masters", past and present, have built an illusion of fixed forms, rigidly subscribing to traditional concepts and techniques of the art, solidifying the ever-flowing, dissecting the totality.

The most pitiful sight is to see sincere students earnestly repeating those imitative drills, listening to their own screams and spiritual yells. In most cases, the means these "sensei" offer their students are so elaborate that the student must give tremendous attention to them, until gradually he loses sight of the end. The students end up performing their methodical routines as a mere conditioned response, rather than 'responding to' "what is." They no longer "listen" to circumstances; they "recite" their circumstances. These pour souls have unwittingly become trapped in the miasma of classical martial arts training.

A teacher, a really good sensei, is never a 'giver' of "truth"; he is a guide, a 'pointer' to the truth that the student must discover for himself. A good teacher, therefore, studies each student individually and encourages the student to explore himself, both internally and externally, until, ultimately, the student is integrated with his being. For example, a skillful teacher might spur his student's growth by confronting him with certain frustrations. A good teacher is a catalyst. Besides possessing a deep understanding, he must also have a responsive mind with great flexibility and sensitivity.

A FINGER POINTING TO THE MOON
There is no standard in total combat, and expression must be free. This liberating truth is a reality only in so far as it is 'experienced and lived' by the individual himself; it is a truth that transcends styles or disciplines. Remember, too, that Jeet Kune Do is merely a term, a label to be used as a boat to get one across; once across, it is to be discarded and not carried on one's back.

These few paragraphs are, at best, a "finger pointing to the moon." Please do not take the finger to be the moon or fix your gaze so intently on the finger as to miss all the beautiful sights of heaven. After all, the usefulness of the finger is in pointing away from itself to the light which illuminates the finger and all.