Jeet Kune Do – why did Bruce Lee create his own martial art?

We’re very proud of the JKD (Jeet Kune Do) classes and courses we run here at the Abingdon Dojo, so we thought we’d take a look at why Bruce Lee created the art, back in 1967.

The Mandarin translation is, ‘way of the intercepting fist’, which can be taken both literally in combat to avoid your opponent’s moves or intent, or figuratively in life to avoid the blows that challenge us every day.

In fact, the ethos of interception is key to JKD and through practise we learn resilience as well as the guiding philosophies of the art: simplicity, directness and freedom.

‘The techniques and philosophies of JKD can be applied to real combat as well as challenging life situations. Jeet Kune Do consists of physical techniques and applied philosophies and requires the individual to train him or herself to their most cultivated state of being-ness so that when faced with a combat situation or a challenging personal situation, the tools needed are available in the moment and can be executed without thought. Jeet Kune Do celebrates the cultivation and honest self-expression of the individual over any organized style.’ Bruce Lee

Given that the person using the JKD techniques can adapt them to their own self-expression, it’s not technically a martial art in itself, but a fluid combination of kung fu, fencing and boxing.

The symbol above was created by Bruce Lee himself and represents his own journey to self-expression. It shows four stages of cultivation:

1. Partiality: The running to extremes
2. Fluidity: The two halves of one whole
3. Emptiness: The formless form
4. Jeet Kune Do

Speed, timing, strength and endurance are the physical attributes that we work to develop in our JKD teaching, using a range of systems and styles. We borrow from styles such as close and grapple as seen in Judo, weaponry-based systems like the Filipino martial arts, clinching as used in Wing Chung and wrestling, or a striking based system as in Karate.

That’s when the individual style becomes a focus as our students begin to find the style that suits them. They find techniques to suit their body type, way of thinking, personality, and what allows them to be most efficient in terms of their response to given situations, be that in combat or in life.

JKD at Can Do Martial Arts

We run classes for kids and adults throughout the week and on Saturday mornings at our Abingdon dojo. They are hugely popular and provide an exciting and structured opportunity for developing a range of physical and emotional skills. Ask about our free taster session if you’re new to contact sport.

There’s also a 4-week programme you can join to give you a really good all-round understanding of the techniques. You can join either a Tuesday or Friday group, both starting at 8pm. The next dates are as follows:

9th November 2021

11th January 2022

For further information and to register your interest for either course, or a free taster session, please contact us on 01235 364370 or office@candomartialarts.co.uk  .

Or listen to our very own Ben Richardson, co-founder and chief instructor, talk about Bruce Lee’s special art on our Jeet Kune Do page.