What is JKD?

[Dr Jack]

Socrates,
Just a couple of comments. First, I do not want to appear argumentative but I strongly disagree that boxing or Wing Chun get you into grappling range. Boxing keeps you at hand /punching range you have to transition into trapping range(WC is excellent for this) and then you can take a fighter down. These are 3 specific ranges, I realize in an encounter you can enter and move through these ranges quickly and if you are not familiar with how to defend in them it can be disasterous. If you are not familiar with taking a fighter that is resisting you down it can be dangerous.

I agree with Geoff, boxing and WC are very effective self defense systems. Let's not forget there are hundreds of classical empty hand styles that are to a greater or lesser extent effective self defense systems.But the way they are classically taught are filled with limitations. I am sure the other instructors you mentioned (I am not personally familiar with) may also have good systems. As you know boxing is a sport as is thai kickboxing , that means rules and specific targets. If we train that way we are likely to fight that way and possibly get hurt in the real world. Classical WC trapping although effective has been modified by Lee and what we train is JF trapping and JF kickboxing. This is streamlined and somewhat faster and smoother.


Have a happy new year and check out for yourself the myriad of arts available to you. Absorb what is useful, add what is uniquely your own and disregard the rest.


Jack

[JOHNNY]

JKD insight

Relax, and Free your mind ....
May your life be rich in your individual expression of the human body....

johnny, (SFU)

[JKDMAN]

I started my JKD journey in June 1997 and was truly blessed. My main instructor was (is no longer) a PFS Rep through Vu. His brother CO-owner of the Jiu Jitsu academy was a JFJKD man through Sifu Lamar Davis. I have the distinct pleasure of hooking up with Thomas Cruse, whom I talked to for 3 months and began training with in September of said year. These points have given a wonderful understanding of JKD as a whole and although I am "Concepts," I would like to address one major flaw I see. When I was a freshman in college (a martial artist of several years, but still fairly new to the JKD world) I found an article written by Linda Lee Cadwell on-line that praised and admonished both camps. Paraphrasing she said: Both camps get ABC, XYZ, right and def, tuv, wrong. I spent a weekend with Sifu Davis at a seminar in December of 97 and although we learned a lot it seemed very structured and formal. Reminded me of a Shotokan class with formal bows and proper lines, etc. This too me went against the free flowing "stylelessness" that Bruce wanted. Not to mention the whole weekened was a "concepts sucks, I was fully trained and certified in Kali. It has No empty handed uses," lecture, He said "any grappler can be stopped easily" and showed us a stop to a clinch using your knee. My only thought was Rickson Gracie. If he can knee Rickson who trains under some truly extreme methods to gain ungodly speed, I will throw away my BJJ and Kumiuchi. Now having said by beef with OJKD I will "slam" my side a little. We claim to be concepts, theories ideas and say that because OJKD teaches one of Bruce's lesson plans (Straight from Davis' Lips I have it written and tape recorded) that they are destroying what Sijo truly intended although I have not heard TC ever say that. I got that from my first Sifu. TC stays out of politics. "I am just a JKD MAN" he always says, "Not a politician. " I notice that although concepts claim to be concepts we feel we must attach the name every single time. This in and of itself defeats the name. Many of the "concepts" Camp have made it just that a camp of right and wrong. I just tell my students that I teach JKD plain and simple. I feel that we should train people to think for themselves not slam either side, nor give politics. We should take the Cruse approach and Cruise through JKD gaining insight from wherever and whomever we can, disregarding which "side" they are on. To quote Mrs. Cadwell "Both sides have the same goal: the propitiation of Bruce's ideals." In short to say one must start somewhere or can start somewhere is impossible. One just simply finds a man with an extraordinary knowledge of certain concepts, ideas, and the experience to back those ideas up, such as Davis, Vu, Cruse, Inosanto, or who have you and simply start JKD. Disregard the "Concepts" camp or the "OJKD" Camp and learn JKD. There can be no OJKD because JKD is supposed to change for each person and constantly update itself. The only one who did OJKD was the O-riginal. There can be no concepts camp because camp implies right and wrong. It is just a concept that each individual takes and modifies for himself. I named my location "Individual Fighting Systems" (Registered TM) because we as Thomas told me it: It is unique to the individual. I do not teach styles on camps and I pull from both sides for my material. I teach people how to do this for themselves. You will have to forgive my use of cliches. I find that point sticks better if I can make a clever or corny one-liner of it.

[Dr Jack]

JKDMAN,
I sgree with what you say. I am really sick of the JKD politics.

Jack

[gungfuhero]

If you really understand JKD, there is no politics. You simply be yourself. In an art whose founder said that there are no distinct, stereotyped techniques, how can anyone claim a monopoly?

[JKDMAN]

Gungfuhero,

I agree that in JKD there can be no politics. Unfortunately, however, the politics come through the very people Sifu/Goru Dan intrusted to pass it on and in some cases the people which some of Sifu Dan's people certified. Somewhere down the line the two sides became just that two sides. One or two people decided the way that worked best for them was the ultimate truth. As a result we must specify not who we train with but in which camp we pitch our tent. I pray for the day that we as one body say "I do JKD." No, Jun Fan and no bloody concepts attached to it. Kenpo (My second love) has the same problem. Since Grand Master Parker died, the once simply answer American Kenpo became my organization is better than yours. Instead of saying I study American Kenpo. I am forced to wear a patch and declare I do Sasaki's American Kenpo. I see nothing wrong with small orgs in a large body to make it easier to manage all the students and unite them in a common bond. To bring a series of small orgs together at a meeting and unite them as a family is a simple matter. The problem lies in that moment that the org becomes a simple way to manage students and unite a large mass by starting in small groups. The problem lies when an idea becomes a camp and an org becomes a method. When a plan becomes a truth and that truth divides the body, one question must be asked. Is a truth that divides what was meant to be whole truly a truth worth believing? If Bruce or Parker were here they would whip many people for dividing the body. Remember we have the same goal the betterment of individuals and ergo the communities through the propitiation of Bruce ideas and ideals. Let us set fire to the camps and pick up our firmly pitched tents. Stand strong in one voice and say I am a "JKD man."

[gungfuhero]

Anytime somebody feels strongly about something, politics will exist. I feel very strongly about JKD. JKD is my passion and part of my job. It does bother me when people mis-represent it because it is very important to me. JKD is very much like religion. You have fundamentalists who are going to take their instructors word for gospel, and you have more liberated people who ask questions and try to learn for themselves. One side gets so caught up in the dogma that it misses the bigger picture, while the other is too stuburn to learn from their predecessors and also misses the bigger picture. My approach is to train hard, keep an open mind, learn from others, experiment on my own and be myself. Anymore I don't want to "become" something or somebody, instead I just am. I am the sum of my experiences. I think Eric Paulson said it best when he said that a lot of instructors say to look like them and be like them, but he said that you have to develop your own game.

[JKDMAN]

I disagree. One can feel passion toward an activity without engaging in political BS. Webster's defines politics as it relates to what we are engaging in trying to enlighten everyone as follows : 3 a : political affairs or business; especially : competition between competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership (as in a government) b: political life especially as a principal activity or profession c: political activities characterized by artful and often dishonest practices

As one can plainly see, one can believe in something and not get political. This definition is why I do not understand and loathe the two sided JKD camp idea. Why must those who love JKD and believe in Bruce's ideals compete and turn to dishonest and corrupt behaviour? So many seminars that I have been too have been: Blame the other side/slam the guy you cannot stand. If indeed we truly love the same thing drop the titles, Beliefs, and BS. (People die for beliefs because they are concrete. Ideas can be changed because they are more malleable.) Much like Bruce said it is better too flow and give than to be solid ad rooted. I defer all who scratch their heads to Bruce's comments about the strong solid oak Vs the willow and the Famed water speech. Let us as those that claim to be representing Bruce do just that and change : 1) our attitudes; We are all on the same sides. 2) Our behaviour instead of slamming each "camp" for it's weak points let us instead point out the strong points and work with each side to eliminate those weakness. Ergo creating only one side. Look, it would work To sum up: avoid politics and exchange solid beliefs for the more fluid ideas, find what we like about both camps and work together on those things we do not. Let us not compete with one another but complement each other. (For those they may not be fully awake yet that does not mean "hey I like your hair, or the lack thereof. ")

[gungfuhero]

I'm not defending the political BS, but rather stating my oppinion that people are going to argue about things that they hold dear when others disagree. I'm not for this, in fact, I think that if you need to belong to a camp to validate yourself you are missing the point of being an individual. I think that we can all be better JKD men by standing on our own two feet and respecting others whose paths may be going in a different direction.

[JKDMAN]

Gungfuhero,
I fully agree with what you said. All I was saying is that it is not necessary to have politcs. If we would banish the ego then our disagreements would propitiate Bruce's ideals and further the progression of JKD as an effective self-preservation/self-perfection tool. We as a JKD family need to stop letting our disagreements be those things that seperate us and start using those disagreements to unite us and mak ourselves stronger.

[Socrates]

JKD Man & Gungfu Hero,

Just read your replies to my original post 'What is JKD'. Politics and BS? What do you mean by BS? Belief systems.

Please don't answer that question.

Your replies kind of illustrate my point, what is JKD?

It's been a while since I read the 'Tao of JKD' but does it not end with something along the lines of this:

'Forget about the name 'JKD', it is only a name and nothing else'.

Perhaps one of you JKD aficionados will be able to quote it exactly, word for word. Whilst I love what Bruce Lee did for the martial arts I think its really sad that there are still all these petty arguments over a name.

Again I feel compeled to quote Alan Watts:

'To remain caught up in ideas and words about Zen is, as the old masters say, to “Stink of Zen”'.

Remember as I said before, just replace Zen with JKD.

JKD, AGD, WER, JTC.

Who cares what its called. At the end of the day its nothing more than fighting/combat. Millions of guys had done what Bruce did long before he was even born. It's really nothing special, or new.

Socrates.

'Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock.'
A wise old sage from yesteryear.

[JKDMAN]

Socrates,
If you will be so kind as to reread my posts, you will see truly what I am saying. I will summarize my point. JKD is just an idea and ergo shouldn't be subject to the political bs that has befallen it. Nor can an idea (or at least should an idea) be divided into camps. We as JKD Men and Women should truly understand this and respect it. The idea of JKD is "simply to simplify," and we have made it complex. Let us do away with the camps and politics and just strive for JKD in its purity. To do this we must embrace its concepts and constantly upgrade our skills but also the drills and the quality of our lives through the pursuit of the ideas of JKD.

[pcarney]

Originally posted by JKDMAN
Socrates,
If you will be so kind as to reread my posts, you will see truly what I am saying. I will summarize my point. JKD is just an idea and ergo shouldn't be subject to the political bs that has befallen it. Nor can an idea (or at least should an idea) be divided into camps. We as JKD Men and Women should truly understand this and respect it. The idea of JKD is "simply to simplify," and we have made it complex. Let us do away with the camps and politics and just strive for JKD in its purity. To do this we must embrace its concepts and constantly upgrade our skills but also the drills and the quality of our lives through the pursuit of the ideas of JKD.

Amen. I love JKD (after having sampled other arts, I can say it fits my needs the best), but I am so SICK of the original vs. concept JKD crap and all the bullsh** going on. As far as people saying JKD isn't an art, it's a mess, etc. - screw 'em. I know what I'm studying is effective in a fight, and, perhaps even more importantly I like it.

[J.K.]

just to throw in another wrench in the wheel. JKD is supposed to be an open minded art that doesn't or should't discriminate against other arts. Its about self exploration - finding the techniques that are most practical for ones self. However, Ive trained under various JKD instructors and have been to many different schools and it seems that when ever i go to branch out (explore a different style/school) its frowned upon. This bothers me. My instructors gained various certifications and explored many styles/schools. I just can't understand why this would not be advocated. I have the greatest respect for my instructors and I am loyle to them. But If I wanted to go check out a new JuJitsu school or something it would be looked down upon. Ive actually had to sneak around to check out other schools for fear that it might insult my current sifu. Oh well - could be just a business issue. Bottom line - do whats right for you - don't get caught up in the politics of the art - seek out those with true knowleged and ignore the rest....

[gungfuhero]

If you want to know about JKD, read "Liberate Yourself from Classical Karate." He basically wrote that you need to train hard, explore, and express yourself rather than the style. In his own words he wrote that JKD is not a limited set of techniques, or even exclusively JKD.

In the JKD community, some people say that if you don't exclusively do JFJKD then you are missing the boat. Others say that if you don't practice arts X,Y and Z you are missing the boat. Ultimately, it is what you do as an individual that makes it JKD. If JKD has no way as way, than it is up to the practitioners to evolve and define it in their own way. My JKD is going to be different than your JKD because I have been influenced by other things. I would say the goal of a JKD man is to take the sum of his experiences and stream line them to be simple and direct.