JKD Curriculum: Part 6 Philosophy

1. Stance
2. Footwork
3. Punches
4. Kicks

5. Trapping
6. Philosophy

Background

Jeet Kune Do (JKD) is Bruce Lee’s personal expression of Martial Arts. It is a Chinese Martial Arts mixed with boxing and fencing. It rejects formality and emphasizes fluidly reacting to the opponent in the moment. According to Lee a person should individualize their JKD and, “Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own.”

“What is Jeet Kune Do? Chinese martial art, definitely! It is a kind of Chinese martial art that does away with distinction of branches, an art that rejects formality, and an art that is liberated from tradition…It is ridiculous to pin down so-and-so’s type of Gang Fu as ‘Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do.’ I call it Jeet Kune Do just because I want to emphasize the notion of deciding at the right moment in order to stop the enemy at the gate. Really there is no rigid form in Jeet Kune Do. All that there is is this understanding: If the enemy is cool, stay cooler than him. If the enemy moves, move faster than him; be concerned with the ends, not the means; master your own manipulation of force, don’t be restricted by your form.” (Bruce Lee, 1972, Words, 126-128).

Curriculum

Here I have set down my interpretation of Lee’s JKD curriculum. This is only my interpretation and has been heavily influenced by the books Jeet Kune Do: A Comprehensive Guide to Bruce Lee’s Martial Way, John Little, Editor and Jeet Kune Do: The Arsenal of Self Expression, Teri Tom and the video Bruce Lee’s Fighting Method: Basic Training & Self-Defense Techniques. I have provided informative videos from the Dan Lok Youtube Channel featuring JKD instructor Octavio Quintero. This online curriculum allows you to become familiar with JKD but it is no subsitute for a qualified in person instructor.

General Considerations on Philosophy

Any discussion of Bruce Lee’s fighting philosophy would take years of study and need to be written down in lengthy books to do it justice. One such book to check out is the Tao of Jeet Kune Do written by Bruce Lee. However, I will outline some of Bruce Lee’s fighting philosophy.

• Offense: Attacks can be summarized by the five ways of attack.

1. Simple Direct Attack (SDA) – A simple attack to hit or kick your opponent using a straight line. This is difficult to accomplish because there is no misdirection and requires speed and timing.

2. Attack by Combination (ABC) – This involves attacking an opponent in a series of ways which can include multiple kids, punches, elbows, knees, etc. The hope is that the opponent will not be able to block all the attacks or get overwhelmed by the combination.

3. Progressive Indirect Attack (PIA) – This is using a fake attack (feint) to mislead the opponent and following up with your intended attack.

4. Hand Immobilizing Attack (HIA) – This is trapping your opponent’s hand or leg so you can follow up with an attack.

5. Attack By Drawing (ABD) – This involves presenting a fake weakness to your opponent to mislead them into attacking. Then you follow up with your own attack.

• Defense: Jeet Kune Do stands for The Way of the Intercepting fist. A person’s best defense is your own attack. This is sometimes called a “stop hit” or “stop kick.” Short of this you can deflect an attack with one hand and attack with the other. Examples of defenses include parrying (deflecting), blocking, evading, and redirecting.

• Stance: The stance puts your strong side forward. If you are right handed your right leg and right arm are closest to the opponent. This is called “Southpaw” in boxing. This puts your strongest side closest to the opponent for a quick attack.

• Footwork: Footwork involves the back foot being slightly raised, ready to propel the body forward for an attack. This is taken from fencing. In general a person should move quickly but be able to maintain balance.

• Punches: Punches should be thrown quickly but the body should not be tense. Punches should be non-telegraphed and take the opponent by surprise. The front hand often throws a straight punch with a vertical fist.

• Kicks: Kicks are often aimed at the lower body and can include side kicks, front kicks, and strikes to the groin. They often begin the attack and can be done to simply distract the opponent from another attack.

• Economy of Motion: All attacks and defenses should be done as simple as possible. They should be the most efficient and direct as possible.

• Range: It can be helpful to think about a fight using ranges. The long range involves kicking attacks, medium range includes kicking and punching attacks, and short/close range includes short kicking, punching, trapping, and grappling. It helps to notice which range you excel at and which range your need to practice.

• Broken Rhythm: Timing was very important to Lee. He wanted to be able to anticipate when an opponent might strike and notice patterns to the opponent’s attacks. Broken rhythm involves starting with a pattern of attack against an opponent and then changing the pattern to confuse the opponent. For example, you might do a jab and punch combination several times. On the fourth time you throw a jab and then an uppercut to see if you can make contact with the opponent.

• Flexibility: Lee is well known for his quote to “Be like water.” Water is fluid and moves around obstacles. In the same way his fighting philosophy emphasizes adapting to the opponent. Don’t box a boxer or wrestle a grappler. Consider the size of yourself and your opponent and make sure to choose the best type of attack that works in your particular situation.

Health Information

This is for general informational purposes only. You should always consult a medical professional before engaging in any exercise program. Bruce Lee would have encouraged you to explore these training methods to see what works for you. Do not be afraid to modify this plan and adjust based on your own personal experience. “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.” Bruce Lee

Resources:

Dan Lok featuring Octavio Quintero Youtube Channel.

Words of the Dragon: Interviews, 1958-1973, John Little, Editor, Tuttle Publishing, 1997, 2017. Volume 1 of the Bruce Lee Library, commissioned by the Bruce Lee Estate. Interview transcripts of Bruce Lee on a variety of topics including philosophy, martial arts, and his personal life. Put together by John Little, Bruce Lee historian.

Jeet Kune Do: A Comprehensive Guide to Bruce Lee’s Martial Way, John Little, Editor, Tuttle Publishing, 1997, 2020. Volume 3 of the Bruce Lee Library. Excellent and detailed description of Bruce Lee’s martial art before he passed. Put together by John Little, Bruce Lee historian.

Jeet Kune Do: The Arsenal of Self Expression, Teri Tom, Author, Tuttle Publishing, 2009, 2016. In-depth guide to Jeet Kune Do including kicks, punches, and technique.

Bruce Lee’s Fighting Method: Basic Training & Self-Defense Techniques, Ted Wong and Richard Bustillo. 1992. Instructional video by two students of Bruce Lee which covers the JKD stance, footwork, power punching, and self defense. 52 M (IMDB).

AI Narration provided by elevenlabs.io. Bruce Lee quotes read by AI.