MYTHS and FACTS about JEET KUNE DO

Here are a few myths and facts about Jeet Kune Do from original Bruce Lee student, Jerry Poteet.


Myth: JKD is a combination of over a dozen martial arts

Fact: Bruce Lee devised his martial art of Jeet Kune Do from MODIFIED boxing, MODIFIED fencing, and MODIFIED Wing Chun.


Myth: Jeet Kune Do is merely a mix of different martial arts styles, a "do your own thing" style where you add "specifically what is your own".

Fact: When I asked Bruce what he meant by this statement, he told me that "the Jeet Kune Do practitioner should add his own ATTITUDE" in training or a fight. He meant his mind-set, tenacity, intensity, spirit. Not long after this Bruce confessed to me, "Jerry, it's so hard to teach a man his own attitude". At the time, I really did not fully understand. I assumed my teacher just meant "guts", or courage. But it was much deeper than that. Bruce was constantly vigilant of his own attitude; that included continual study, reading and reflection. It was and still is the path to self-discovery. It is an honest evaluation of one's own abilities, awareness of your mental, psychological and spiritual beliefs, and how they influence your life and your training. Sound like a lot of hard work? The proof is in the pudding. This constant self evaluation led the Young Master to heights of physical and personal attainment that others only dream of.


Myth: Jeet Kune Do contains no "energy training", Chi Sao or trapping.

Fact: Bruce explained to me that the energy training was necessary for the evolution and growth , mentally and physically, for a martial artist to reach the" open end" that Jeet Kune Do has to offer. The energy training is a stepping stone to enlightenment in the art of Jeet Kune Do.

My personal feeling is that without energy training, Jeet Kune Do is just kickboxing. I also feel that this area of training was what Bruce "had up his sleeve", as an edge, if you will. In any case, Bruce left energy training in all his outlines for Class Plans, and we can clearly see him doing Chi Sao with people on the set of "Enter The Dragon", as well as the famous trapping sequence with Bob Wall. Finally, much of the philosophical framework of Jeet Kune Do derives from the Taoist philosophy that is the cornerstone of Wing Chun.


Source: http://www.jerrypoteet.com/mythsAndFacts.html


Orange County Wing Chun Website Launched

Orange County, CA - A new web site for Orange County locals has been launched as part of an awareness campaign to educate people about the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun.

The new site, Orange County Wing Chun, is the latest initiative to be developed under the umbrella of the Adam Williss Martial Arts & Wellness Institute. It targets individuals in Orange County looking to discover the unique benefits found through the practice of Wing Chun --- a 200 year old traditional Chinese martial arts system.

The website, orangecountywingchun.net, features educational material on Wing Chun including several revealing articles, a substantial array of video clips and information on local Orange County Wing Chun group classes and private personal training.  

Wing Chun is Bruce Lee's kung fu. As the world's most popular form of kung fu, Orange County Wing Chun draws attention to an art widely known for its devastatingly effective close-quarters combat.

Using an attacker's force and turning it back against them, Wing Chun gains strategic control of an attacker from the moment the first touch. It lose the gap quickly with an aggressive onslaught of attacks while jamming up an attacker and neutralizing their ability to fight. 

To take advantage of this new resource,  access the Orange County Wing Chun website at orangecountywingchun.net.

Bare Knuckle Boxing is Alive in Orange County

Bare knuckle boxing has a large influence in the development of my approach to martial arts. As I began learning Bruce Lee's martial arts about 14 years ago in Jacksonville Florida, I had no idea that I was learning bare knuckle boxing. I thought it was traditional wing chun and that most other wing chun schools did the same thing. It wasn't until years later that I found out have wrong I was. It was then that I realized that I had found something that was really unique. Since then, I've had the opportunity to come in contact with many different lines of wing chun including Yip Man lineage as well as non-Yip Man lineages. What I had been learning, I found later after personal discovery, was totally different from other types of Wing Chun. It not only had more of a Jeet Kune Do approach, my training was very much influenced by bare-knuckle boxing and fencing concepts.


Sifu Adam Williss has been given the opportunity to bring this unique martial arts approach to Orange County as taught to him by Sigung Bill Graves. Here are some shots of Sifu Jonathan Petree (another of Bill Graves senior students), showing a student our bare knuckle boxing (aka Long Bridge Boxing) approach influenced methods. All photos were taken in real time by a non-martial artist photographer. None of the sequences or pictures were staged.

1- This a student's very first introduction to sparring in Wing Chun Gung Fu. It is called Kiu Sao, and as you can see it has a single-sided orientation. Much later, after the student learns chi sao, he will be taught how to spar from chi sao, which is a closer range and involves both arms being in contact with both arms of the opponent. Notice- The lead foot of the student and sifu are touching, as well as their lead arms.

Orange County Martial Arts

2 - The student was able to achieve a pak sao (slap block), which intercepted and deflected sifu's straight punch. However, as you can see, the pak sao is not a mature version. It blocked, but followed the punch off to the side, instead of moving forward toward the puncher's center and core.

Orange County Martial Arts

3 - Sifu Petree has the student practice one of the initial attacks. Notice- the student's pull is a proper, quick jerk, in front of himself, not a long pull to the side. Secondly, he is not using his thumb in the pull. He is properly using the bottom 3 fingers that provide the most control. At the same time, sifu's arm when being pulled is relaxed and forward, not struggling.

Orange County Martial Arts

4 - The student and sifu Jonathan are practicing initial reactions to stimulus. Notice- both participants simultaneously are attacking and defending. This is a constant in our training. Simultaneous defense and attack takes many shapes, and gets continuously refined with maturity in the art. Sifu Petree has him practicing a very basic form of Sil Lin Di Dar.

Orange County Martial Arts

5 - The student is practicing a proper counter attack to sifu's initial stimulus. Notice- The student's punch is verticle and the bottom knuckles are landing on the opponent's chin. What's more, the punch still has potential since the elbow is bent and sunk at contact. This time Travis' pak sao is positioned well on the opponents elbow and is lined up with sifu's core. Just as important in this range, Travis' head is back and out of the way of the oncoming punch. Proper bare knuckle boxing!

Orange County Martial Arts

6 - Sifu Petree (right) uses a quick jerk to disrupt the student's balance. The jerk is coupled with a punch to the head. The student's pak sao is too late to be effective. Notice- Sifu Petree's quick jerk made the student shift his weight onto his front foot. This puts the student's front knee in jeopardy of being damaged by a kick, and makes his foot vulnerable to a sweep.

Orange County Martial Arts

7 - Sifu Petree providing some realism to the student. After a straight punch to the chin, sifu bridges the gap between him and his opponent, and lets his punching hand perform a neck grab, similar to the initial movements of subset #10 of the Mook Jong form. All of this while staying on the 4'x4' square.

Orange County Martial Arts

8 - Sifu Petree is performing sil lin di dar. In other words, sifu is trapping his opponent's arm with a pak sao, while at the same time delivering a straight punch to the head. This photo captured the sequence after the hit had already been made.

Orange County Martial Arts
Sifu Jonathan Petree is the founder of Altlantic Warriors Wing Chun Gung Fu in Jacksonville, Florida. Both Sifu Jonathan Petree and Sifu Adam Williss are 2 of the top 6 students of Sigung Bill Graves. For more information on Sifu Petree, visit www.atlanticwarriors.com.


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