Dan Inosanto Quote on JKD term

[HybriDD1]

Paraphrasing Guro Inosanto

"There are individuals who say they have experience in Aikido as well as Tae Kwon Do and techniques from other arts and they have combined them appropriately, and they call it Jeet Kune Do. They are right; it is Jeet Kune Do, it's just not Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do"...

Any thoughts?

[Hardball]

Profound

I think it's a DEEP statement. I like it.

[Tant01]

I think he's EXACTLY right. I've seen many VERSIONS of so called Jeet Kune Do mostly from seminar darlings and folks who IMITATE his movie persona but you will recognize the real thing when you FEEL it.

Seeing is not believing!

[Aikia]

Paraphrasing Guro Inosanto

"There are individuals who say they have experience in Aikido as well as Tae Kwon Do and techniques from other arts and they have combined them appropriately, and they call it Jeet Kune Do. They are right; it is Jeet Kune Do, it's just not Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do"...

Any thoughts?

Philosophically the answer would be no. By identifying the art you acknowledge the boundaries imposed by adherence to the art. If you combine aikido and TKD and techniques from other arts can you get JKD? No but you can get a very personalised grouping of different arts.
Of course someone may inquire,"what if I combined kali, BJJ and wing chun"?
JKD is using no particular art as your personal expression. JKD is expressing your personal freedom.
Look at the concept of 'striking'. Striking implies no particular art.
In observing a striking match a person may deduce that the striker used a forward fist strike that resembled boxing; a defensive move that resembled OJKD and the footwork of a muay Thai fighter. Bruce Lee noted that individuals would be inclined to 'dissect' a fight into arts and ways that were familiar to them.
Still, the concept of striking implies no particular art or way.
JKD, as Bruce wrote about it after 1970 was not unlike striking, or grappling, or any combination. JKD is one's personal expression.
It's important to note also that JKD is the 'boat'. Once you cross over, so that your personal expression is not cluttered by a need to identify an art; not bound by any art or way, you no longer have a need to call yourself "JKD". You are JKD when you have discarded the boat.
When I say "I practice JKD", I am infering that I continually try to free myself from the temptation, from the limitations imposed by an art.
Only when I am "no art" am I fully expressing myself as "JKD".

[fenwick99]

re

JKD is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. (I think Bruce actually got that line from a western religious thinker!)

[NaSZ]

JKD is what works for any individual.
So its not a style...What my JKD is, is not your JKD.
Its like MMA, you have all kind different fighters who learn different styles and mixed them. But still one is a better groundfighter and another is a striker.
What Bruce's JKD is can never be somebody elses JKD. Like those who say I teach Bruce Lee's JKD or JunFan JKD...I think thats not Bruce's phylosophy in the first place. Cuz Bruce was still learning, adding stuff and deleting shit...so if Bruce was still alive or died later on it would never be the same as what it was at the end of his life.

[Aikia]

So basically Bruce was saying that at one time I (Bruce) had an art with JKD punches and JKD kicks etc and I(Bruce) called it JKD. Then I concluded that my truth was not to be understood in the form of a style. And, my (Bruce's) students seemed to assume that the physical skills constituted the JKD "style". So he closed the school and went on a journey of self exploration. At that point JKD became Bruce Lee's journey; his process in which he gained freedom from the attachment with fixed form ( this means a fixed way of performing a punch, kick or other movement. Like karate has it's way and kali has 'it's way). JKD is formless ( this means that a kick, punch etc may have several different and perfectly useful forms/ways to perform.) People often confuse the "formless" as 'anybodies way. Not so much. Here Bruce refers to formless as the best way. How do you know the 'best' way?
Self discovery through experience.
What kind of experience?
Here Bruce is very exact. Bruce says freestyle sparring provides that freedom of expression to discover what works.
The sparring has to be hard contact with intent to do harm to your opponent.
The Dog Brothers have this saying " higher consciousness through harder contact". Bingo!
When your skills work against various opponents, with much skill, fighting hard, then you are free to say you have experienced "JKD".
Sparring is "formless". Unless you restrict the rules. Try putting on protective equipment and going all out with intent to do harm. Anything goes.You'll experience a sensation that can not be learned from styles.
If your 'sensation' is fear and repulsion then try another art. If you get "turned on" by the experience then continue down your road to JKD.
After many battles, when the name 'JKD' has no further meaning to you...you are there.
Enlightenment is yours. Enjoy.