On the Origin of Jeet Kune Do
In case you have missed the recent news(1997), Bruce Lee's jeet kune do-of which he is the founder-has been elected and accepted into the "Black Belt Hall of Fame" in America. This marks the first time a recently developed form of martial arts is nationally accepted. No, jeet kune do is not thousands or even hundreds of years old. It was started around 1965 by a dedicated and intensified man called Bruce Lee. And his martial art is something that no serious martial artist can ignore.
Martial Art-A definition
Martial Art includes all of the combative arts like karate, judo, Chinese Gung fu or Chinese Boxing, aikido, Korean karate- I could go on and on and on. But it's a combative form of fighting. I mean, some of them became sport, but some of them are still not. I mean, some of them use, for instance, kicking to the groin, jabbing fingers into the eyes, and things like that.
An animal jumps at every sound...a leaf responds to every push of air...but an enlightened man in combatmoves only when he chooses-only when necessary-actually, the movement before it is necessary. He is not tensed but ready, he is never set but flexible.
The Successful Martial Artist
The successful martial artist will be one who is able to:
1. Possess fluid speed-tenseness tightens and slows reaction time.
2. Possess confidence-plus-at all times.
3. Sock it-everything there, as soon as the opening is there.
4 Puzzle the opponent-never do the same thing twice. Whenever the opponent gets set to hit, move. Each combatant has his own gears(speed, etc.).
A man with a weapon is the one at a disadvantage
The man who pulls a knife on you is at a disadvantage. He will clearly lose the fight. The reason is very simple. Psychologically, he only has one weapon. His thinking is there fore limited to the use ofthat single weapon. You, on the other hand, are thinking about all your weapons:your hands, elbows, knees, feet, head. You're thinking 360 degrees around him. Maybe you're considering some form of escape, like running. Hes only got a lousy knife. Now he might throw it at you. Let him. You still have a chance to avoid it, block it, or he may miss you. You've got all the advantages when you think about it.
Against a man with a club
He holds something with two hands. I mean, whats he going to do; swing, thrust, jab?He's got a problem. Whats he going to do with his feet?He'll be off-balance if he holds the staff and tries to kick you. That's his disadvantage.
On Guns Versus Martial Arts
Nowadays, I mean you don't go around the street, kicking people or punching people. Because if you do, they will pull a gun out of their jacket and bang! That's it. I mean, I don't care how good [in martial arts] you are.
On My Fighting Ability
All the time people come up and say "Bruce-are you really that good?" I say, "Well, if I tell you I'm good, probably you will say Im boasting. But if I tell you I'm no good, you'll know I'm lying."
I have no fear of an opponent in front of me. I'm very self-sufficient, and they do not bother me. And, should I fight, should I do anything, I have made up my mind that, baby, you had better kill me before I get to you.
To tell the truth, I could beat anybody in the world.
Someone once asked me, what I am going to do when I'm fifty or sixty. I replied "Man, there ain't gonna be no fifty or sixty-year-old that can push me around."
The Story of the Centipede
The fluidity a martial artist seeks can be described by the story of the centipede. The many-footed creature was asked how it managed to walk on all its feet. When it stopped to think about how it managed its daily function, it tripped and fell. And so, life should be a natural process, in which the development of the mind is not allowed to throw the natural flow of life out of balance.
On what it all amounts up to
Unless there is another group of beings on this earth that are structurally different from us, there can be no different style of fighting. Why is that? Because we have two hands and two legs. The important thing is, how we use them to their maximum[potential? This leads us to study ourselves] in terms of [the potential] paths [our weapons can travel. And once we've analyzed that we discover that] they can be used in straight lines, curved line, up, round lines. The [round line, for example] might be slow, depending on the circumstances, sometimes that might not be slow. And in terms of legs, you can kick up straight-same thing, right? [You're studying yourself] physically, then, [which leads] you to ask yourself: how can I {learn to make my weapons become maximally efficient in a] very well coordinated manner? Well that means you have to [train like] an athlete-using jogging and all those basic ingredients. And after all that, you [must] ask yourself, how can I honestly express myself at this moment? And being yourself, when you punch you really want to punch-not trying to punch [out of fear of being struck] or to avoid getting hit, but to really be in with it and express yourself. Now this to me is the most important thing. That is, how in the process of learning how to use my body can I come to understand myself? The "space" created between "what is" and "what should be." Total awareness of the now and not the discipled stillness.
More and more I believe in [the fact that] you have two hands and two legs, and the thing is how to make good use of yourself-and that's about it.
Daily affirmations
Willpower
Recognizing that the power of will is the supreme court over all other departments of my mind. I will excercise it daily when I need the urge to action for any purpose; and I will form habits designed to bring the power of my will into action at least once daily.
Emotion
Realizing that my emotions are both positive and negative, I will form daily habits which will encourage the development of the positive emotions and aid me in converting the negative emotions into some form of useful action.
Reason
Recognizing that both my positive and negative emotions may be dangerous if they are not controlled and guided to desireable ends, I will submit all my desires, aims, and purposes to my faculty of reason, and I will be guided by it in giving expression to these.
Imagination
Recognizing the need for sound plans and ideas for the attainment of my desires, I will develop my imagination by calling upon it daily for help in the formation of my plans.
Memory
Recognizing the value of an alert mind and an alert memory, I will encourage mine to become alert by taking care to impress it clearly with all thoughts I wish to recall and by associating those thoughts with related subjects which I may call to mind frequently.
Subconscious mind
Recognizing the influence of my subconscious mind over my power of will, I shall take care to submit to it a clear and definite picture of my major purpose in life and all minor purposes leading to my major purpose, and I shall keep this picture constantly before my subconscious mind by repeating it daily!
Conscience
Recognizing that my emotions often err in their overenthusiasm, and my faculty of reason often is without the warmth of feeling that is necessary to enable me to combine justice with mercy in my judgments, I will encourage my conscience to guide me as to what is right and what is wrong, but I will never set aside the verdicts it renders, no matter what may be the cost of carrying them out.
Things live by moving, and gain strength as they go.
You will never get any more out of this life than you expect.
Keep your mind on the things you want and off those you don't.
Be a calm beholder of what's happening around you.
There is a difference-a. the world; b. our vision of or reaction to it.
Be aware of our conditioning; drop and dissolve our inner blockage.
Inwardly, psychologically, be a nobody.
We start be dissolving our attitude, not by trying to alter outer conditions.
V
No one can hurt you unless you allow him to.
See that there is no one to fight, only an illusion to see through.
Defeat is a state of mind
Defeat is also a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality. To me, defeat in anything is merely temporary, and its punishment is but an urge for me to greater effort to achieve my goal. Defeat simply tells me that something is wrong in my doing; it is a path leading to success and truth.
It's not the obstacle-but your reaction to it
Believe me that in every big thing or achievement there are always obstacles, big or small, and the reaction one shows to such obstacles is what counts, not the obstacle itself. There is no such thing as defeat until you admit so yourself-but not till then!
When you drop a pebble into a pool of water, the pebble starts a series of ripples that expand until they encompass the whole pool. This is exactly what will happen when I give my ideas a definate plan of action.
Probably, people will say I'm too conscious of success. Well, I am not. You see, my will to do springs from the knowledge that I can do. I'm only being natural, for there is no fear or doubt inside my mind.
Success comes to those who become success-conscious.
If you don't aim at an object, how the heck on earth do you think you can get it?
You learn a lot during teaching; however, seeing is not enough, you must do; knowing is not enough, you must apply.
All riches begin as a state of mind. And you have complete control over your mind.
To get one must give-there is never something for nothing.
Form the habit of affirming one's definiteness of purpose in meditation at least once a daily.
What you are is because of your habits of thought.
Your thought habits are subject to your control.
A dominating purpose-a definite plan.
Repitition of thought-emotionalized with burning desire.
Daily habitual practice-backed by faith.
Backed by persistence-guided by going the extra mile.
Ideas are the beginning of all achievement.
To change with change is the changeless state.
Life is a constant process of relating.
A good teacher protects his pupils of his own influence.
True refinement seeks simplicity.
It is the will that makes wenn-success takes perseverence.
Empty heads have long tongues.
Yesterdays dreams are often tomorrow's realities.
If you want to do your duty properly, you should do just a little more than that.
Pessimism blunts the tools you need to succeed.
Optimism is a faith that leeds to success.
A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.
One great cause of failure is a lack of concentration.
Showing off is the fool's idea of glory.
If you don't want to slip up tomorrow, speak the truth today.
Self-education makes great men.
If you think a thing impossible, you'll make it impossible.
If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of.
All information provided on this page comes from The Warrior Within By: John Little Forwarded by: Linda Lee Cadwell �1996 John Little AND from Tao of Jeet Kune Do By: Bruce Lee �1975 Linda Lee. The info found above the head rule is from the first of the two sources, below the head rul