“Jeet Kune Do is training toward the ultimate reality in combat. The ultimate reality is the return to one’s primary freedom, which is simple, direct, and non-classical.”
(Bruce Lee)
When listing what he referred to as the facts of Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee used three words; Simple, Direct, and Non-Classical.
During conversation I had recently with my friend and JKD instructor, Harinder Singh Harbawal, the subject of the foundations of JKD came up and Harinder used the word “efficient” rather than “non-classical,” and I immediately thought “Actually that’s a better word to use now than “non-classical.” And here’s why. Let’s start by taking a quick look at each of the above-listed elements.
The first element is ‘Simple.’ Simplicity is a fundamental part of the design philosophy and developmental process of the art. The dictionary defines ‘simple’ as “devoid of ornamentation; nothing extraneous or superfluous.” For Lee, ‘simplicity’ referred to expressing the utmost with the minimum when it came to to one’s techniques, actions, and movements. He would constantly seek to reduce and streamline whatever he was doing by asking himself questions such as, “If something takes three moves, can I simplify it to accomplish the same results with two moves, or even better, one move?”
Simplicity also relates to the idea that as opposed to continually increasing by learning and accumulating more and more techniques, a martial artist should decrease and streamline their combative arsenal and the techniques they already to the absolute essentials by eliminating those they felt were impractical or inessential.
In Jeet Kune Do, to reduce things to the minimum is the maximum. Attaining simplicity is about getting at the core of what you’re doing, understanding its essence, and then making every element consistent with that essence. It’s not simply knowing what to put in, but what to leave out. Simple can be harder than complex. Perhaps that’s why Leonardo Da Vinci wrote, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
The second element is ‘Direct.’ Directness relates to the idea that in Jeet Kune Do, there aren’t any fancy or ornate techniques that require move after move after move; everything is stripped to the essentials. Lee believed that a martial artist should do what comes naturally and not waste time. If a person grabs you, you hit them immediately without any unnecessary or extraneous action. ‘Directness’ also relates to immediate movement in firing an attack or counterattack straight to the opponent without having to reposition yourself or get set before doing so.
The third element is ‘Non-classical.’ At the time Lee began teaching in the United States, most traditional martial art systems and styles taught all sorts of classical “forms” and cooperative, two-person pre-arranged sets that were artificial and mechanical. Lee considered such training a waste of time that could be put to better use. When it came to fighting, he focused his training on ‘alive’ relationship with a non-cooperative opponent who was moving and unpredictable. Non-classical referred to the idea JKD was not based on styles or methods that developed over a long period of time, and that in JKD there existed no “set,” classical postures or exotic stances that a person had to learn to twist themselves into, no mechanical bodily movements. Everything is natural, mobile, and fluid.
So why change ‘Non-classical’ to ‘Efficient’? Personally, I feel the term ‘non-classical’ has much less relevance with regards to the martial arts world nowadays. While there
are still various classical martial art systems that continue to teach in traditional ways,
since the advent of full-contact, mixed martial arts fighting over the last several decades, and the plethora of hybrid martial art systems now proliferating the market, much of the classicalism that once stood at the forefront has now faded into the background.
Bruce Lee considered functionality to be more important than form. And he achieved functionality by taking everything he learned out onto the training floor and testing it under the pressure of full contact sparring; finding out what worked and what didn’t, what needed to be changed and what should be tossed out.
Efficiency is defined as “performing in the best possible manner, with the least waste of time and effort.” It’s about achieving the most productive results with minimum wastage of movement and energy. Efficiency in martial arts involves such things as economical use of motion, precision, accuracy, good form, coordination, proper body alignment, etc.
Efficiency is and always has been an essential and vital element of JKD. It was just as important when Bruce Lee was initially developing JKD almost six decades ago as it is today. In several drafts of his “Liberate Yourself from Classical Karate” article which appeared in Black Belt magazine he noted that, “In any physical movement there is always a most efficient and alive manner for each individual to accomplish the purpose of performance.” And in his personal martial art notes he wrote, “Efficiency is anything that scores.”
The term “non-classical” was good and suitable at the time Bruce initially listed it in the three facts of Jeet Kune Do. But personally, I think that perhaps it might be time to retire “non-classical” and replace it with “efficient.” It suits JKD more in today's world.
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