Can someone enlighten me?

[Thai Bri]

But you're joining in, right?

Personally I couldn't really care less. The JKD world is flawed in my view. Everything I've read from Bruce Lee himself tells me that JKD IS a concept. The art that can be taught is merely Jun Fan, Bruce's own style of Kung Fu.

But JKD is where people take their own journey. It is where they "absorb what is useful" etc. So I even don't agree that you can have JKD classes. What is right for one person is often not right for another. And doesn't Inosanto even grade people with his "Phases"? How does that fit in with the "Formless Form"?

I've nothing against him. He seems to be an honourable man and a dedicated martial artists. But he has also put all this weapon work into JKD that wasn't really there when Bruce was around. Is JKD what Dan is good at? If he leaves his legacy to a guy good with machine guns, would that then be graded?

So, in my view, BOTH camps are wrong. But it doesn't bother me. What they teach is usually much better than the robotic crap of many Karate, Kung Fu and TKD classes.

[Drew Howe]

I don't know why I bother. I really don't care that much myself... I make exactly $0.00 off teaching JKD. I just feel like speaking up when I read stuff that I know is not true. But, who gives a hoot to what I have to say, you know?

[tekshow]

^^^ thai bri has a point - it is a concept, which could be why when bruce was still alive he closed all 5 of his JKD schools to prove that it was a concept and not a style....



and drew, honestly, rush cares baby, rush cares


meh, and so do i to a point- anyone who fights for personal truths has to have some merit



peace,
joe

[Drew Howe]

^^^ thai bri has a point - it is a concept, which could be why when bruce was still alive he closed all 5 of his JKD schools to prove that it was a concept and not a style....

peace,
joe

Uhm Joe,

Which 5 schools did Bruce Lee ordered closed. 5 schools? You mean 3 schools. And the only school Bruce Lee ever ordered closed was the Chinatown school in December of 1969, and it wasn't to prove that JKD was a concept. James Lee was giving regular classes for several years after. Gary Dill trained with James Lee 71-72.

[Drew Howe]

I'm borrowing this from Tim Tackett's website regarding his Wednesday Night Group. He accurately lays out that JKD was and still is a martial art and not just a concept. Tim states, "After Bruce’s untimely passing, Dan opened up, with Richard Bustillo, the Filipino Kali Academy to promote Filipino martial arts as well as JKD. Since Dan made a promise to Bruce not to teach JKD publicly, he created a curriculum with four phases of Jun Fan Gung Fu which is what Bruce called his art before he named it Jeet Kune Do. His backyard Jeet Kune Do became a closed private class at the Kali Academy."
So, it ain't just a concept folks.

This and more on the subject can be found on Tim's site at http://www.jkdwednite.com/about.htm

Now you can disagree with me all you want, just know that you are also telling Tim he is full of it as well. I think we can all agree Tim knows JKD as good as anyone possibly could. I'm sure he has forgotten more about JKD and its development than I'll ever know. Enough said on that.

[brokenelbow]

I love these JKD discussions, they're so meaningful. Anybody ever think that maybe the concepts influenced the physical techniques and the physical techniques influenced the concepts? If you really care about what JKD is or isn't I'd be talking to the guys who were there. Pick their brains, learn what they learned, ask for any insight and hind sight they may have. After that make up your minds, feel content and keep it to yourselves.

[Drew Howe]

If you really care about what JKD is or isn't I'd be talking to the guys who were there. Pick their brains, learn what they learned, ask for any insight and hind sight they may have.

That's why I shared what Tim Tackett had to say on the subject. Afterall, he should know. He was there.

[Aikia]

Ern-dog,
This Michael Krivka website with the 1993 Paula Inosanto letter requires some explanation. Note that Mr. Krivka is the one with the gun pointing at the viewer and claims to be founder of such combat proven arts as "Kane-fu" and "Tai chi Freely". Paula's letter was submitted to Inside Kung Fu in 1993 and rejected as false and libelious claims. Basically Paula was mad that Inosanto family member John Soet (married Dan's sister Lil Inosanto) published an article called the return of Original JKD. In the article Dill, Davis, Poteet, Joseph and I were quoted saying something like the JKDC is not the same as the original JKD taught and practiced by Bruce Lee between 1967-1970. So she drafted a 6 page letter to the editor explaining why the article was wrong and considered a slap in the face to the Inosanto family. The fact that I, dill and others has a line in the article was incidental to the reason for her typing the letter. Creative individuals like Krivka edit out all but a few paragraphs of her letter to claim that the letter was written about one of us. it wasn't. the letter was intended to get John Soet fired. it didn't work.You can read my comments regarding court action at www.aikia.net ( click on JKD). I developed a reputation in JKD circles in the 1990's as a writer. My 1988 book on the JKD concepts group was endorsed by Dan Inosanto. I promoted a JKDC camp in 1990 using the associate JKD instructors from the Inosanto camp. This apparently made some of the older guys upset. I have now heard that I was blackballed from JKDC seminar promotion and rumors were spread that I "secretely" taped interviews with Dan. Not true. I promoted the popular Original JKD camps with Ted Wong from 1993-1998. In so doing I (unknowingly) futher flamed the fires of controversy and advanced the OJKD vs JKDC controversy. My interest in JKD was as a writer and promoter not as an instructor. I have never taught an art or style and called it JKD. Contrary to Paula's claim I did train with Dan ( Larry Hartsell, Ted Wong many associate JKDC instructors and of course Joe Lewis) and have the certificates to prove it, but like the decade old letter it's ancient history. Krivka keeps the controversy alive because it is his only claim to fame. Too bad people still refer to the letter whenever they want to promote her slanderous point of view).
I think JKD is a wonderful experience and have enjoyed working with many people that teach the Bruce Lee style. My primary arts are karate/kickboxing/TKD/MMA which I promote at the university and Karate College.

[frankenbeans]

Tim knows what he's talking about; believe me

That's why I shared what Tim Tackett had to say on the subject. Afterall, he should know. He was there.

Tim knows exactly what he's talking about. I know; I've been getting together and training every once in a while with one of his students; he knows A LOT about the particular JKD that he practices. A great deal was discussed at the camp this year. You might even want to check out some of the stuff on the JKD Wed Nite forum (where Tim even mentions how the scene in the movie "Dragon," where Bruce Lee fights the guy in the audience at a promotional event in the ring, didn't actually happen because Tim was there in real life). If you encounter one of the instructors, you will even find that some of these guys cover stuff that other JKD systems don't even delve into. They are GOOD, and they will tell you that Tim is equally as skilled. There is a some overlap between the instructors because I think Tim was actually trained by Inosanto and some other guys, and of course Bob Bremer was one of Bruce Lee's students. It is interesting to note how the different JKD groups have very different ways of training and approaches to the system, which further backs the claim that Bruce Lee taught different students different things. So, there really are several methods of approaching JKD and Jun Fan.

[Tant01]

Interesting reading gentlemen! Another thing to consider is what many of the first students of JKD (including Mr. Tackett) brought with them when they were learning Bruce's "style". Some had black belts in other styles already and simply adapted their own unique abilities to JKD.

[robertlee]

When Bruce was active in teaching and over seeing JKD. It was worked and trained as Bruce had needed. Inosanto helped set down an aproach to structure training in JKD. At the china town kwoon. Oakland had a training curriculam Bruce himself at first called JKD a new style. But later refrained the style. Different people would be given training based on needs. And bruce would work with some on bettering his training needs. Structure with in JKd gives way To patterened learning In a step program. The personal needs. Are given to the person. Thru alive training you develop the tools that work better for you. NO doupt most all M/A arts have an over amount of training tools. Unlike boxing where just a few tools are trained and developed per the person. Skill is only found in the person. And that person. must train to improve there needs. JKD is a path of self development. Yes there is indeed a structure to JKD but it ends there. NO one person has the answer. But the person training and doing. Can only find thee given path. A JKD instructor. Is just a guide To help you find your own way. Exploreing different Arts. Is concept. Applying the JKD concept of training in differnt arts. IS to take from that art what is useful to you. Staying within JKD is looking finding the tools that Bruce developed That can work for you. Not all tools will But several you can use. train those as key tools. And you improve. discard for your own use the tools that can not get to work. But give them back when instructing. JKD stays for the future. You get what you want Others the same. NO different then any art. You use only what works for you.