Jeet Kune Do
From Karate, Kungfu, Wrestling, Mixed Fighting Information Source
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Jeet Kune Do is a non-classical martial art developed by the legendary Bruce Lee in 1967. This martial art is an offspsring of Wing Chun (a traditional Chinese martial art), which is the art first studied by Lee. Jeet Kune Do incorporates techniques from Western boxing, Kung Fu, Muay Thai and many other martial arts to create a system of self-defense completely different from its predeccesor. However, one of the major characteristics of JKD is that it does not restrain its style of fighting in definite forms; rather, it focuses on more fluid movements and stances. This martial art emphasizes that a fighter should do everything neccessary to defend him or herself regardless of where the techniques used come from. Thus, its ultimate goal is to break down the limiting factors in the training of the traditional styles.
History
Bruce Lee believed that traditional martial arts training was too rigid to be completely effective in real-world combat. To create a style he considered more realistic for streetfighting, he began experimenting with what he had studied until then (mostly Wing Chun,Western boxing, and Wu style Tai Chi Chuan) as well as his own innovations. At first he called this new style Jun Fan Gung Fu (Lee Jun Fan being his name in Cantonese.) Later, he decided it had become sufficiently unique and different from all other styles of Kung Fu to qualify as a new, separate martial art which he called Jeet Kune Do, which literally means "The Way of The Intercepting Fist."
Techniques
The most distinctive feature of Jeet Kune Do is that students are trained to fight usually with the strong side in front. In other words, a right-handed student is taught to fight mainly with his right side in front. The idea is for the JKD student to use his strong lead to overpower and dominate the weak-side lead of a typical opponent, thus giving the JKD fighter an advantage. Otherwise, most JKD techniques, besides Lee's own innovations, are borrowed from various styles of Kung Fu, plus Western boxing, Muay Thai, fencing, Savate, Jujutsu, Western wrestling, and martial arts from The Philippines. Like Wing Chun, JKD favors the "vertical punch". The "one-inch punch" is also taught. The principles of JKD include economy of motion, simplicity, linear attacks, striking and blocking at the same time, and the idea of the "centerline," a concept inherited from Wing Chun.
Training
An ecclectic style, Bruce Lee included the wooden dummy and chi sao training of Wing Chun in JKD, as well as heavy bag training and most other training regimens found in the various styles that Lee favored.
