CHRIS KENT ​JEET KUNE DO

One of the primary things I learned in my JKD training was that, when it comes to investigating or looking at other combative arts, one should look for the similarities rather than the differences, because those similarities are the common threads or common denominators that run between all arts. This is what Bruce Lee did as part of his martial research. It is well-known that Lee’s initial development of JKD was built primarily upon three things: Wing Chun Gung Fu, Western F

In a telephone conversation between Bruce Lee and his student Daniel Lee, Bruce commented, “Here it is; if you can move with your tools from any angle then you can adapt to whatever the object is in front of you. And the clumsier, the more limited the object; the easier it is for you to potshot it.” Your various striking actions must be accompanied by highly developed mobility capacities such as while advancing, while retreating, while moving laterally or curving. If you cann

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 enti

When it comes to teaching, it doesn’t matter what you’ve learned unless it makes an impact on others. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done unless it makes an impact on others. And in both cases the impact made should be positive. Since, as a teacher, you do work through others, no impact will be made without others learning what you have learned, and knowing what you know. So share what you know and share openly, honestly, and generously. Don’t attempt to hide what you know out

As an instructor who loves teaching, for me it’s one of the most distressing sights to see. As I look around at a group of students training, my eye is caught by someone who, for wont of a better term, is simply “phoning it in.” They are going through the motions, but it’s blatantly obvious that the “blasé factor” has sunk its claws into them. When we begin our martial art training, everything is new to us and we are like a kid in a candy store. We pay attention and absorb an

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

I enjoy it when I hear students discussing what it is they are doing while they are training. And as long as what they are saying isn’t leading them in a wrong direction or violating some fundamental principle, I let them do their thing and don’t intercede. In fact, I encourage students to discuss, explore and process what they are doing, because I believe it is an essential element in their growth and understanding. Primarily I am talking about when either one or both of th

If you’re like me, I’m sure you’ve read material about the importance of maintaining what is commonly referred to as the “beginner’s mind” in your martial art training. But I think it is equally important to maintain the same sort of beginner’s mind as an instructor or teacher. Expertise can take its toll on creativity. Our thoughts can become shackled by the familiar and we can become numb to new ideas. There is a Zen saying which states, “In the beginner’s mind there are ma

Bruce Lee’s intense thirst for knowledge and understanding was one of the prime factors that led to his incredible growth and evolution as a martial artist. Lee’s research sources included such things as books, magazines, super 8 films, and his personal friendship and association with other top-caliber martial artists such as Ed Parker, Jhoon Rhee, etc. Today, in addition to books, magazine, videos, dvds, and our friends and training partners in the martial arts, we have the

In the film, Enter the Dragon, Bruce Lee’s character, a Shaolin priest, tells his young student, “Don’t think… feel.” In the Longstreet television show, Lee’s character, an antiques dealer and martial artist, asks Longstreet, who has just executed a side kick, “How did it feel to you?” Bruce Lee was very much a proponent of “body-feel.” Throughout his martial art notes he commented on the subject several different times, including -- “Study body-feel to get speed, fluidity an