Jeet Kune Do: The System Without A System® is my own interpretation of the original Jeet Kune Do (scientific street fighting). My art is based ONLY on my own experiences, years of research, private lessons and seminar training, which led me to create my own ideas and full understanding of Jeet Kune Do as a fighting art. Jeet Kune Do: The System Without A System® is NOT as a style, system or a method of fighting based on someone else’s interpretation of JKD.
Since the death of Jeet Kune Do’s founder, many interpretations of the art have surfaced which has created massive confusion in regards to exactly what Jeet Kune Do is. Prospective practitioners are confused as to why there is so many different instructors teaching so many different interpretations of the same art. Why is this?
The founder of Jeet Kune Do developed the most aggressive fighting art to date because he uses all arts yet he was not bound by any of them. A JKD practitioner can adapt and fit into any situation at any given time. That’s what makes JKD unique and different. JKD is not a style, a system or a set way of practicing a technique. The art is not based merely on technique, but on theoretical principles, philosophies and actual applications that fit in real life street situations. The unfortunate passing of JKD’s founder left such a big legacy behind that many of his original students never got to learn the complete art, since he was changing his method continually over time. Many of the first generation students spread his art the way it was presented to them through the three schools where he taught (Seattle, Oakland and Los Angeles). Some followed his original teachings, which in its early stage required the study of Wing Chun Gung Fu, and later as he progressed he changed his art to Jeet Kune Do.
So why do many practitioners call it different names such as Jun Fan, Jeet Kune Do, Jeet Kune Do Concept or Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do? What is the difference? There is no real difference. The only difference I personally see is that most are not UNITED. In other words, some took a different approach to how they should apply JKD. Some decided to add different arts to it, improve on it or just stick to the original teachings of the Jun Fan Gung Fu years, which consist of a very strong base and foundation of Wing Chun Gung Fu as I have. I have absorbed all of the founder’s principles, methods and theories, and taken from anyone who has ever taught me JKD (which includes first and second generation students of the founder) and other martial arts the best way they knew how, and created my own expression of Jeet Kune Do, which is called Jeet Kune Do: The System Without a System®.
Does that make it a wrong or different way of applying JKD? Absolutely not. Am I teaching and practicing JKD? Definitely! Just like the founder said, “How can I express myself totally and completely?” He further commented, ”You think a fight is just one kick, one blow?”
So my personal feeling is that JKD practitioners don’t need to stick to one particular way of doing a technique or movement. In addition, my system is not based on any one person’s set way of doing JKD. What makes Jeet Kune Do: The System Without a System®, unique? The art is NOT unique. The label is just another name, which can be wiped out at any giving time and it is not bound by any particular way. Unfortunately, because of politics, the name of what I teach is simply different. Also, what gives me knowledge to express myself? What is JKD and what is not JKD? My skills were compiled by learning from over ten of the top original students of the founder of Jeet Kune Do, and hours of private classes along with over 30 years of martial arts experience. As a black belt in various styles of martial arts, I have experienced what works and what doesn’t work. My enthusiasm for Jeet Kune Do has driven me to write a book with over 460 pages on the art. In addition, I have produced a complete DVD series on JKD.
Just as the founder of Jeet Kune Do intended, I absorbed what is useful, rejected what is useless, and added what is essentially my own. I have a very informative website dedicated to Jeet Kune Do (WWW.JKDUS.COM) which is packed with everything I have learned and absorbed over the years from others who have a love for JKD.
So my advice to anyone wanting to learn JKD is that you don’t need to stick to one particular way of doing a technique or movement, nor should you base your training on any one person’s set ways of doing JKD. To look and move like the founder of Jeet Kune Do, you must follow the art step by step just like any other art, even though you have to go back and learn that rehearsed routine, learn what is behind it, take few punches and learn to fight on the ground. That way, you are not limited to just punching and kicking and you are not a fish out of water should a grappling situation ever arise. To walk the same path that he walked you must follow his principles, methods and theory that he left behind. Once you understand and absorb these principles, then you liberate yourself from any particular way of doing JKD.
As long as the essence of JKD is presented in an honorable and respectful manner, then it should not make a difference as to what people call it. Jeet Kune Do was not meant to have a label because its founder never believed in styles or systems. It is what it is: Jeet Kune Do. So we can refer only to whether you’ve learned it from different instructors or from the founder himself. This should not change the true meaning or what lies behind Jeet Kune Do, which is to simply express one’s self honestly. “If people say Jeet Kune Do is different from "this" or "that," then let the name of Jeet Kune Do be wiped out, for that is all it is, just a name. Please don't fuss over it” (Bruce Lee Tao of Jeet Kune Do).
Peace, Love, Jkd
Sifu George Hajnasr
”I do not believe in systems or methods of fighting” |
