The following is Part 2 of a series dealing with numerous misperceptions that exist today with regard to the art and philosophy of Jeet Kune Do. You will note some correlation between several of the various misperceptions, which is to be expected.
JKD was simply Bruce Lee’s “very personal expression in martial art” therefore only he could do it.
Some people put forth the idea that Jeet Kune Do was Bruce Lee’s “very personal expression of martial arts” and therefore no one else can really do it. This is false. The fact is that Bruce did believe other people could learn and do JKD. If he didn’t believe so, why did he teach it, both to his private students and also in group classes at his LA school and in his backyard? How can you teach something if only you yourself can do it? It doesn’t make sense. So let’s clear this up.
Jeet Kune Do is the name Bruce gave to his art and the way in which he expressed himself in combative form. And while he did indeed say it was the way in which he expressed himself, he never said that nobody else could do JKD because it was his “very personal expression as a martial artist.” Statements such as this have been made by other people.
JKD was the process, vehicle, tool, or whatever you want to call it, that Bruce Lee developed to actualize his potential and express himself as a liberated martial artist. If people truly understand JKD, they can, like Bruce, use it as a vehicle to actualize their own potential, become liberated martial artists, and likewise express themselves.
Jeet Kune Do is simply your personal expression of Jun Fan Gung Fu
This one is way off base, and I actually had to take to task some members of the Jun Fan Gung Fu side of the JKD family with regard to this misperception. In an email response to a person inquiring about Jun Fan Gung Fu and Jeet Kune Do and their relationship, differences, etc., the person who replied to their email wrote, “As you progress in Jun Fan Gung Fu your interpretation and how you express yourself in Jun Fan Gung Fu is YOUR Jeet Kune Do… That is why nobody can teach you JKD as it is your own self-expression in JFGF… JFGF and JKD are one in the same like a circle.”
This is incorrect. If such were the case, then why did Bruce teach all of his private students, as well as his class students, in Los Angeles, “Jeet Kune Do” and not “Jun Fan Gung Fu”? Why, once Jeet Kune Do came into existence, both in name and in physical expression, did Bruce never, in any magazine article, video interview, audio interview, or any of his written notes refer to what he was doing or teaching at the time as Jun Fan Gung Fu? He only ever spoke of Jeet Kune Do. There are noticeable physical differences between Jun Fan Gung Fu and Jeet Kune Do and to see them all one has to do is take the time to investigate. While Jun Fan Gung Fu and Jeet Kune Do are interrelated, they are not one in the same. They are two connected yet different stages of Bruce Lee’s martial evolution. The bottom line is that Jun Fan Gung Fu is your expression of Jun Fan Gung Fu and Jeet Kune Do is your expression of Jeet Kune Do.
Jeet Kune Do cannot be taught
In the same email I mentioned above the writer also goes on to say, “You cannot teach JKD and only JFGF.” Again, this is completely erroneous. Of course Jeet Kune Do can be taught, in the same way that learning to play a guitar or piano can be taught, or in the same way that learning how paint or sculpt can be taught. However, you don’t expect everyone to play the identical song or make identical sculptures. The same goes for JKD. Once an individual has developed the requisite tools and skills, how they make good use of those tools and skills is up to them.
Now, when I talk about this issue, I've had people come up to me and tell me, "Well in your book, Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do - The Textbook, you actually say.... "JKD can not be taught since individual expression cannot be taught." And it's true that we did write that. However, these people have failed to read the paragraphs preceding it that explains what leads up to that quote and puts it into proper context --
"A Jun Fan/JKD concepts school can be equated to a university. JUst as a student in a university may major in history and have a borad knowledge, he is also expected to have at least a basic knoweldege of other subject. In graduate school he is expected to focus on one era of history. And when he is working for his Ph.D. he has narrowed his education to one specific topic. At this point he doesn't have a teacher; he has an advisor. He is in effect his own teacher having a breadth of knowledge to drawn upon.
.... The analogy is that the student is given a broad education at the beginning level. At the same time he is encoraged to follow his natural tendencies and to think for himself. He is encoraged to express himself instead of his teacher. And at the postgraduate or JKD level he is truly expressing himself. Since no teacher can teach a student at this level, in a sense JKD can not be taught."
The bottom line is that JKD can be taught, and even Sifu Dan Inosanto has acknowledged that it can be taught. However, he also stated that he firmly believed that while it could be taught, it couldn’t be standardized. And that's a big difference.
I've made it crystal clear that this series of blogs is not about finger-pointing or playing the blame-game, both of which are a total waste of time and energy and do absolutely nothing to make things better. However, hopefully, over time and with open, honest communication amongst people in the JKD world, perhaps these misperceptions can be eradicated and the public will be able to get a clear and true understanding of Jeet Kune Do.
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