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Sorry Sean. Yes, looking at it again, it was a bit unfair.
In any case I would disagree with Dan Inosanto, in that case, because Jun Fan Gung Fu, as I understand it (not that Im an expert on the subject), is "Bruce Lee style" gung fu. I thought he abandoned that sort of thing, later in his career? But why would Dan Inosanto say that, given that he seems to believe in teaching JKD concepts rather than teaching JKD as a system or style.
But since I have ur attention Id like to raise a question! Would Bruce have wanted us to worship him and treat everything that he taught as gospel truth? I think that he wanted it to be seen as hypothesis only, just one mans experiences and thoughts synthesized into principles and philosophy.. I dont think he wanted to create more mess.
I read your theory that 'absorb what is useful and reject what is useless' means that u look at the techniques from Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do exclusively and then choose the ones that work for u the best, and treat JKD like a block of clay and cut away the material that doesnt work for u. and that he had already given us a big enough block of clay, etc. Im not sure where I read it but that was the idea.
Dont u think that's in conflict with the JKD concept? Because we would make the assumption that Bruce Lee was the only one who had anything worth studying and that JKD or Jun Fan Gung Fu possess truth to the exclusion of all other systems! But Bruce Lee wanted us to think for ourselves and be scientific, that is, to pursue the truth. He wanted us to be able to dispense with technique as well as use it.
So only studying the techniques that Bruce Lee used is not being scientific and I think it's against JKD. I think we should throw away the block of clay and look at ourselves. Even if he was the greatest fighter that ever lived, it was his work ethic combined with his intelligence and scientific approach that did it for him. He did all the research that could be done, he studied every aspect of combat and made use of all the information he could gather from every part of the world. So should we.
We shouldn't think that Bruce Lee knew all the answers and that his method of fighting was perfect or infallable and we shouldnt say that Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do or Jun Fan Gung Fu is deep or complete, because it is just hypothesis, no matter how good the hypothesis. As a system, the techniques are still subject to scientific analysis.
So there it is, I think the distinction should be made between JKD, as a concept, philosophy and principles relating to martial arts, and Bruce Lee's JKD, that is the techniques he researched and developed and taught.
The former is universal whereas the latter needs to be treated no differently than any other system because that is all it can be to us! Of course it was developed with the JKD concepts in mind, but that doesnt mean that it is gospel truth.
I say this because the way many people think of it, JKD will be the same in 100 years as it is now and we wont get anywhere because we will lose our scientific thinking and JKD will become a part of the fancy mess, with everybody worshipping the great founding father and practicing it like a religion and it just irks me that so many people abuse it.
Because JKD was changing every day when Bruce was developing it, yet because he died, it will stay the same and basically die with him because that is what it will become, just another dissection and analysis of combat!
Anyway these are just some of the things that have been rolling around in my head since Ive started reading the posts on these forums, and these are some of the things that have come out.
In any case I would disagree with Dan Inosanto, in that case, because Jun Fan Gung Fu, as I understand it (not that Im an expert on the subject), is "Bruce Lee style" gung fu. I thought he abandoned that sort of thing, later in his career? But why would Dan Inosanto say that, given that he seems to believe in teaching JKD concepts rather than teaching JKD as a system or style.
But since I have ur attention Id like to raise a question! Would Bruce have wanted us to worship him and treat everything that he taught as gospel truth? I think that he wanted it to be seen as hypothesis only, just one mans experiences and thoughts synthesized into principles and philosophy.. I dont think he wanted to create more mess.
I read your theory that 'absorb what is useful and reject what is useless' means that u look at the techniques from Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do exclusively and then choose the ones that work for u the best, and treat JKD like a block of clay and cut away the material that doesnt work for u. and that he had already given us a big enough block of clay, etc. Im not sure where I read it but that was the idea.
Dont u think that's in conflict with the JKD concept? Because we would make the assumption that Bruce Lee was the only one who had anything worth studying and that JKD or Jun Fan Gung Fu possess truth to the exclusion of all other systems! But Bruce Lee wanted us to think for ourselves and be scientific, that is, to pursue the truth. He wanted us to be able to dispense with technique as well as use it.
So only studying the techniques that Bruce Lee used is not being scientific and I think it's against JKD. I think we should throw away the block of clay and look at ourselves. Even if he was the greatest fighter that ever lived, it was his work ethic combined with his intelligence and scientific approach that did it for him. He did all the research that could be done, he studied every aspect of combat and made use of all the information he could gather from every part of the world. So should we.
We shouldn't think that Bruce Lee knew all the answers and that his method of fighting was perfect or infallable and we shouldnt say that Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do or Jun Fan Gung Fu is deep or complete, because it is just hypothesis, no matter how good the hypothesis. As a system, the techniques are still subject to scientific analysis.
So there it is, I think the distinction should be made between JKD, as a concept, philosophy and principles relating to martial arts, and Bruce Lee's JKD, that is the techniques he researched and developed and taught.
The former is universal whereas the latter needs to be treated no differently than any other system because that is all it can be to us! Of course it was developed with the JKD concepts in mind, but that doesnt mean that it is gospel truth.
I say this because the way many people think of it, JKD will be the same in 100 years as it is now and we wont get anywhere because we will lose our scientific thinking and JKD will become a part of the fancy mess, with everybody worshipping the great founding father and practicing it like a religion and it just irks me that so many people abuse it.
Because JKD was changing every day when Bruce was developing it, yet because he died, it will stay the same and basically die with him because that is what it will become, just another dissection and analysis of combat!
Anyway these are just some of the things that have been rolling around in my head since Ive started reading the posts on these forums, and these are some of the things that have come out.
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