BRUCE LEE and JEET KUN Do?

Question

I just bought the full lenght, original edition of Bruce lee's "Jeet Kun Do". i'm so interested in the martial arts prospective of the book but more of the human philsophy and his analogies to nature. Philosophy is more of what i'm looking for out of this book. Is this more like an instructional book on self defense and the style of Jeet Kun Do or is it maily philosphy with parts that inlcude his ideas on martial arts. thanks

Answer 1

Jeet Kune Do



The Jeet Kune Do Emblem. The Chinese characters around the Taijitu symbol indicate: "Using no way as way" & "Having no limitation as limitation" The arrows represent the endless interaction between yang and yin.[27]Main article: Jeet Kune Do

Jeet Kune Do originated in 1965. A match with Wong Jack Man influenced Lee's philosophy on fighting. Lee believed that the fight had lasted too long and that he had failed to live up to his potential using Wing Chun techniques. He took the view that traditional martial arts techniques were too rigid and formalistic to be practical in scenarios of chaotic street fighting. Lee decided to develop a system with an emphasis on "practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency". He started to use different methods of training such as weight training for strength, running for endurance, stretching for flexibility, and many others which he constantly adapted.

Lee emphasized what he called "the style of no style". This consisted of getting rid of a formalized approach which Lee claimed was indicative of traditional styles. Because Lee felt the system he now called Jun Fan Gung Fu was too restrictive, it was developed into a philosophy and martial art he would come to call (after the name was suggested by Dan Inosanto) Jeet Kune Do or the Way of the Intercepting Fist. It is a term he would later regret because Jeet Kune Do implied specific parameters that styles connote whereas the idea of his martial art was to exist outside of parameters and limitations.[28]

Wish to see full article, see link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee

Answer 2

If you want to get a good philosophical understanding of Bruce Lee, read books from the middle east and notable person, Jiddu Krishnamurti.  The prior answerer is correct on the face level but if you read Tao of Jeet Kune you see the Bruce Lee saw that a perfect martial arts could not exist.  In fact, he says that if everyone had perfect timing, there would be no fighting.  Bruce Lee as a martial artists was heading into an area in the philosophical realm that I think is important and most people who read his stuff miss.  Bruce Lee began to see the limitation of form and complicated technique in fighting and began simplifying his way of fighting to simpler movements.  The realities of fighting involved that a person not be bogged down with form but was open enough in himself to see the limitations of form and work around based on the conditions of the moment.  If you look at the movie Return of the Dragon, he tried to demonstrate that.  Remember the Colosseum scene in which he is fighting Chuck Norris and is being beaten in the first half of the scene.  He notices that Chuck Norris is following his foot movements and begin to skip on his toes to hide his foot movement.  Some people may think he just pulled out his better technique but he didn't.  He saw the limitation of his form and how his opponent was reacting to his movement and responded in battle to change.  A martial artist must proceed the same way in combat in that yes, he may have all the tools to fight.  In fact, everyone to some extent has tools to fight at some level but you have to respond in the moment and not in the past through predetermeind way of fighting.  There isnt a way to prepare yourself to face anyone and this also means that you may fail in your attempt to win against a person if the situation should present itself. The martial artist has to be aware of himself and his opponent.  He has to use all his sense and be highly sensitive the moment and not to the past. Now the next question is, how is a person to be completely sensitive to the moment as it is arising?  Read Jiddu Krishnamurti and what eastern phylosophy has to say about it.