by Devon McNeely
Here are 12 interesting facts about Jeet Kune Do:
1. Jeet Kune Do (JKD) is the martial arts style created by Bruce Lee in 1967.
2. Jeet Kune Do means ‘The way of the intercepting fist’.
3. JKD includes aspects and philosophies from the different styles bruce lee trained in. These include the Chinese arts of Kung fu and wing chun as well as western styles such as boxing and fencing.
4. Bruce Lee described his style not as a new martial art but as a set of philosophies and principles rather than a set of techniques.
5. JKD differs from many traditional styles in its disregard for forms systems or any set curriculum.
6. Lee believed the effectiveness of a technique was its value saying “Use only that which works and take it from any place you can find it.”
7. Lee also believed that each person is different so no set style could be best for everyone and each person much train their own way. During training, everyone must “Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own.”
8. Many consider JKD to be a predecessor to modern MMA.
9. The main focuses of JKD are speed (both of the attack and reaction speed), the fluidity of movement, and minimal effort with maximum effect.
10. Training is divided into 4 different ranges of combat: Kicking, Punching, Trapping and Grappling.
11. Bruce Lee put forth has philosophies on Jeet Kune Do and martial arts in general in his book The Tao of Jeet Kune Do.
12. The logo for Jeet Kune Do has the symbols for Yin and Yang encircled by two arrows showing their dynamic movement and further encircled by the Chinese characters for the phrases “using no way as way” and “having no limitation as limitation”.