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Jeet Kune Do translated, as "Way of the Intercepting Fist" was Bruce Lee's
personal expression of the martial arts. It is not bound by any one system nor is it meant to be a system. It is a philosophy
and an ongoing process of self-discovery. This is not to say that there is no structure to JKD. Most Martial Artists who practice
JKD have prior study of other martial arts systems. Bruce Lee himself studied Wing Chun for 5 years. After an infamous fight
Bruce had with another martial arts master that he beat; he thought that the fight took too long and that Wing Chun had it's
limitations. It is then that Bruce Lee formed a set system of progression called "Jun Fan Gung Fu". Jun Fan being Bruce Lee's
Chinese name. This system of progression would combine Wing Chun with Western Boxing,Western Fencing, Savate, and Jujitsu
to name a few. As Lee would say "Absorb what is Useful and Discard the Rest".
After conducting additional research and
adding in some essential principles, strategies, and concepts Lee transformed Jun Fan Gung Fu into an entity he named "Jeet
Kune Do". JKD follows concepts, philosophies, and principles. However everyone's "JKD" is different. As Bruce Lee's closest
friend and protégé Dan Inosanto would say, "It's like trying to fit everyone into a size 42 coat. It will fit some but not
others. People are made up of different sizes and attributes and what will work with some will not work for others." This
is why everyone will find his or her own JKD.
Where as other Martial Art systems build on techniques, JKD strips away
to simplicity. JKD can be compared to a sculptor chipping away at a rock to make a beautiful statue. JKD practioners train
in an environment that helps them develop spontaneous and deceptive combat skills with an emphasis on adaptability. JKD is
all about moving, shifting, kicking, punching, trapping, blocking, and parrying. It is a continuum of perpetual motion, yet
there is a flow of stillness that encapsulates awareness, perceptiveness, and intuition making them among the most skilled
practioners in the world.
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