(Originally posted in Facebook December 2011) Have you ever been with someone who, when they see a particular martial art technique, action, etc. immediately makes a comment like, “Oh, that’s no good” or “That won’t work,” but if you ask them to explain to you the reasons behind their comment, they’re unable to tell you, or all they can offer is some vague, nebulous answer. Whereas another individual can articulate exactly why they believe a technique or action to be ineffective and why they don’t think it will work. They can give you legitimate, clear reasons. The reason is that the second individual has cultivated what we refer to in Jeet Kune Do as the “educated” eye and “discerning” mind
Originally posted on Facebook June 2011 To truly comprehend Jeet Kune Do, as a practitioner it is vital that you develop the proper mindset toward training. I call this mindset, for wont of a better term, the “JKD attitude.” At various times on my blog I will include what I consider to be essential ingredients in developing a full and clear understanding of Jeet Kune Do. One of the fundamental tenets of JKD that was instilled in me from the moment I first began my training in the art was, “If you understand motion, you don’t need “style”. Jeet Kune Do is about moving beyond “styles” and instead simply looking at martial art in terms of motion. What this means is that as you develop your com
(Originally posted on Facebook September, 2011) The image which you hold in your mind about a movement greatly influences the structure of the movement. The sensations that you focus on during the performance of a movement is of crucial importance in determining the actual form of the movement. If you change the area of focus through what is known as the “ideo-motor set-up”, you will change the structure of the movement and modify the technique. Ideo-motor set-up, as defined by Aladar Kogler, PhD., “is a psychological factor that relates to movement and perfecting it. It is one of the main elements in determining the form and structure of a movement.” In his book, Yoga For Every Athlete, Kog
(Posted on Facebook 2012) Take one of Bruce Lee’s personal day-timer diaries and lay it next to any JKD school class curriculum. It doesn’t matter whether it is the curriculum from the Seattle school, the Oakland school, the Los Angeles school, or any JKD school for that matter, you will see quite a difference. The class curriculum lays out a basic structure of the training program for the particular school. Lee’s notes on the other hand, record a continual personal refinement of the various combative tools and skills (such as throwing 18,000 punches in a single month) and the development of his body to support and enhance the use of those tools and skills. One is an example of “class” curri
What is the difference between a logo and a symbol? When does a logo become a symbol? According to Simon Sinek, author of the book, “Start With Why,” logos primarily serve as icons to identify a company or organization and its products or services. Symbols, on the other hand, stand for something in which people can believe – something people can support. It is when a logo identifies much more than a company product or service – when it identifies a belief and embodies an entire value set, that the logo then becomes a symbol. For a logo to become a symbol people must be inspired to use that logo to say something about who they are. In his book, Sinek uses the example of Harley Davidson, stati
There have been numerous comments floating around on the internet in the past several years concerning Jeet Kune Do and its relationship to Wing Chun Gung Fu. Perhaps you’ve seen them, perhaps you haven’t. I’d like to discuss two such comments that I strongly feel need to be addressed. The first is that some Wing Chun practitioners have implied (some directly, others indirectly) that JKD is a synonym for, or mere variation of, Wing Chun Gung Fu. The second is that Bruce Lee never learned the complete Wing Chun system, and that if he did, he would never have developed JKD. The first is merely incorrect, the second is ludicrous. I ran into a very nice man recently at a martial event who happ
