Jeet Kune Do

Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do is the term used to describe Bruce Lee’s method of teaching, training and fighting as it existed during his lifetime! Bruce Lee’s Chinese name is Lee Jun Fan, therefore Jun Fan Gung Fu is the term used to describe Bruce Lee’s method of martial art when he first arrived in the United States. This is what is commonly referred to as the Seattle period, as he was living and teaching in Seattle, Washington at the time.
From there he later moved to Oakland, California, where he was content to continue teaching Jun Fan Gung Fu until an altercation with another Chinese martial artist forced him to re-examine his methods! He won the fight, but he was unusually winded after it was over, and he felt that it had taken him much too long to bring the opponent down! He felt that this was partially due to a lack of conditioning on his part, and also his insistence upon adhering to his extremely effective but still somewhat classical method, Jun Fan Gung Fu! He started looking into various methods of physical conditioning and also other practical combat methods.
He found that there were many theories and movements from fencing that could also apply to the empty hand. He also looked into boxing for footwork, hand techniques, body mechanics and evasive skills. In an early letter to one of his assistant instructors, he described a method he was developing involving Wing Chun Gung Fu, fencing and boxing, also stating that “this will be it”!
This “it” that he referred to became known as Jeet Kune Do, which is Chinese for “Way of The Intercepting Fist”. His new method of fighting was based on three essential elements: (1) simplicity, (2) directness and (3) non-classical attitude in training and fighting. Jeet Kune Do reached the height of it’s development during the L. A. Chinatown period, where Bruce Lee’s last kwoon was located!

In this article, I will discuss some of the most important principles of combat from Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do. First I would like to talk about economy of structure. All techniques used in Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do involve taking the most direct route to the target with no wasted motion or energy. There is no chambering or retraction of the arm before the delivery of a punch, and no chambering of the leg before the delivery of a kick. Some might ask where the power comes from. It comes from the whole body!
A prime example of this would be Bruce Lee’s famous “one inch punch” which he so often demonstrated to those who doubted the potential of a short range strike! He would start with his fist a mere inch away from a focus glove held against his demonstration partner’s chest. With a sudden jolt of power like a surge of electricity went through his body, he would punch into the glove and send his partner flying back several feet. Often the person would fall down and even roll a few times from the impact! This is a prime example of using the entire body to generate striking force, not just the arm!
With the application of proper body mechanics, it is not necessary to draw back the arm before delivery of a strike. This negates the necessity of chambering the fist before delivering a punch. Without the chamber, or any preparatory retraction of the hand, it is much harder for an opponent to see a strike coming! Bruce Lee once said that you should be able to strike from wherever the tool (he referred to the hands and feet as the “tools of the trade”) may happen to be without repositioning. This goes a long way toward assuring that you land the strike successfully!
The same principles apply to the delivery of a kick. In Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do, there is no chambering of the leg before the delivery of a kick. The idea is for the foot to go straight from where it is to the target without any preparatory repositioning. This makes it much harder to see coming and much harder to block, parry or intercept! Where does the power come from? Proper use of the waist, hips and correct footwork for the range of execution. Due to this directness, Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do kicks are extremely fast and deceptive!