the fencing, kickboxing, Western boxing, and grappling influences that were later added. Original Jeet Kune Do was taught at the Oakland Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute and the Los Angeles Chinatown Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. Hence, the art, as taught during this time, is known as the “Oakland Era” and “Chinatown Era.”
The strongest push for perpetuating this interpretation of Jeet Kune Do came from the Bruce Lee Educational Foundation during the 1990s. This organization was composed of Lee’s widow and daughter; first-generation students of Lee from the Seattle, Oakland, and Los Angeles eras; and a few second-generation students. The efforts of these individuals exposed more people to Lee’s art, as it existed during his lifetime.
Proponents of this interpretation are often accused of remaining stuck in the past and refusing to change with the times. However, they view the original art as remaining effective because principles such as directness, economy of motion, and interception remain just as valid today as they were back then. They believe that, rather than adding to Lee’s art, as many seemingly have done, practitioners should concentrate on refining their techniques and improving their skills.
Jeet Kune Do Concepts
These practitioners view Jeet Kune Do not as a system or style, but rather as a philosophical approach towards developing a personal expression of fighting. Although they regard Lee‘s original art as a starting place, they believe that a student should evolve from there. Just as Lee researched many arts during his lifetime, Concepts proponents encourage martial artists to examine different styles to add those elements that work best for them.
Hence, Concepts practitioners will often study, in addition to Lee’s original art, Filipino martial arts, Muay Thai, shoot wrestling, Silat, and Brazilian jujitsu. They stress Lee’s philosophical approach to martial arts, rather than specific techniques and training methods, as the true spirit of Jeet Kune Do.
Some think that Concepts practitioners have watered down Lee’s art by adding other arts. They believe that some of Jeet Kune Do’s principles, such as simplicity, strong side forward, and directness, have been compromised as influences from other arts have crept in. Concepts students respond that Lee’s original art can be preserved but that Jeet Kune Do is a highly individualized process to explore one’s own freedom of expression.
Functional Jeet Kune Do
More recently, some are pushing the definition of Jeet Kune Do even further. Calling their approach “Functional Jeet Kune Do,” they seek to recapture the notion of training and fighting with “aliveness.” Dissatisfied with what they regard as “dead pattern” drills taught by many Jeet Kune Do instructors, they emphasize constant training against moving and resisting partners rather than passive recipients.
The proponents of this approach do not carry on most of Lee’s original art. Indeed, they regard trapping techniques to be virtually useless against modern-day fighters. Instead of the kicking, punching, trapping, and grappling methods that are part of many Jeet Kune Do curricula, Functional Jeet Kune Do practitioners train in Western boxing, Thai boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, and Brazilian jujitsu. They believe that these training methods help students to become competent fighters more quickly than traditional approaches to Jeet Kune Do. As a result, they probably have more in common with students of mixed martial arts than with other Jeet Kune Do students.
There are undoubtedly practitioners who hold other interpretations of Jeet Kune Do, but these are the more prominent approaches practiced today. Proponents of each interpretation sincerely believe that they are following the path that Lee laid down.
part 2
getting started
IT TAKES A SIGNIFICANT COMMITMENT of time, energy, and usually money to study a martial art such as Jeet Kune Do. Although you can potentially learn useful self-defense skills in a short period of time, in order to gain proficiency in the art as a whole, you must be willing to make an investment of your resources. Hence, rather than dive in blindly, it makes sense for someone who is thinking about Jeet Kune Do to understand what to expect in a teacher and in his or her training.
In the next few chapters, we will take a look at how a prospective student can go about selecting an appropriate school or teacher. The task is not as simple as looking up a training facility in the phone book. We will also examine what a typical Jeet Kune Do class is like and what to expect during the first few months of training. Finally, the important topic of safety in training will be considered. Having this background will make it easier for you to make an informed and intelligent decision about training in Jeet Kune Do.
STUDENTS WHO WANT TO STUDY Jeet Kune Do will learn best by training directly with a knowledgeable instructor. The challenge for many prospective students is to find such a person. While it is relatively easy to locate a school that teaches a traditional art, such as karate or taekwondo, there are not many Jeet Kune Do teachers around. The majority of those who teach some form of Jeet Kune Do reside in the United States and Europe, so individuals who live in other countries will have a difficult time finding an instructor.
To complicate matters, many of those who instruct in Jeet Kune Do do not publicize that fact. They maintain a low profile, quietly teaching small groups of students in garages and backyards. One usually hears about them only through word of mouth. So, while you can easily pinpoint a school that offers traditional martial arts training in the telephone book, you are not likely to come across a Jeet Kune Do instructor that way.
Someone looking for a local school that teaches a traditional art can easily identify a large organization or association that governs that style. These groups can refer individuals who are interested in learning their art to member schools in their area. However, there is no wide-ranging group that oversees the various Jeet Kune Do schools and instructors that a prospective student can contact.
Given these difficulties, you must possess a strong commitment to learning Jeet Kune Do in order to find the right school or instructor. So how can you find out who is teaching, and where? One place to start is the Internet. A number of Jeet Kune Do teachers and schools have Web sites that can be accessed easily through the various search engines. Another source is Web sites devoted to the subject of Jeet Kune Do or Bruce Lee. These sometimes have links to various Jeet Kune Do schools.
Some well-known Jeet Kune Do instructors have their own associations and students who are authorized to teach. They maintain lists and contact information for these students as part of their own Web sites. There are also other individuals who, as a service to prospective students, keep lists of Jeet Kune Do instructors as part of their Web sites.
Another way that a prospective student can use the Internet to find a Jeet Kune Do instructor is to post a message on a Jeet Kune Do discussion forum. Because these forums attract a large number of people from all over the world, there is a good chance