Jeet Kune Do is the name of the martial art developed by Bruce Lee. Jeet Kune Do literally means “the way of the intercepting fist.” Contrary to what many people think, it is not a sport, but a highly advanced and extremely effective form of self-defense training. Because Jeet Kune Do takes into account what suits each individual best, students can always achieve the best results.
Once the basic techniques and technical aspects have been covered, Jeet Kune Do allows students to combine and further develop the elements that work best for them.
Lee believed that Wing Chun had several major limitations and that confrontations lasted unnecessarily long. He began adapting the style, improving the techniques and adding elements from other martial arts. Lee made the movements more fluid and more focused on the fight itself. He added techniques from boxing and fencing. Bruce Lee believed that, once you were attacked, you should complement the attacker’s action. This way, for example, a small, fast defender is not at a disadvantage. The extraordinary aspect of Jeet Kune Do lies in its simplicity.
It is the simple and direct expression of personal feelings, using a minimum of movement and energy. Every movement simply “is.” It exists without artificiality and complexity, elements that people often unnecessarily add to it. Jeet Kune Do is not special. The closer you come to the truth of Jeet Kune Do, the more the honesty of personal expression comes to the fore.
Going against the traditional Chinese view that Chinese martial arts such as Kung Fu, with all their secrets, should remain exclusive to the Chinese, Bruce Lee brought the teachings back to his homeland, the United States.
