The Problem with JKD

Oh Jeet Kune Do - I think everyone is aware of Bruce Lee's kung fu system..or however you want to describe it.

I do have a few problems with JKD. 

JKD is not a boxing style, it's more a fighting philosophy. So to say that it's Bruce Lee's style of kung fu is not correct, but of course, many probably think otherwise.

Because Bruce Lee looked to many other arts and incorporated their techniques, exercises, tactics, etc, it's given the green light for us regular folk to spend 3 months in karate, 5 months in kickboxing, 4 months in ninjitsu, etc etc and call it "Yam's Martial Art".

My major problem:

JKD, it's teachings, ideas and principles - it's entire perspective and philosophy is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING NEW to Chinese kung fu. It's always been there, but has been documented in English by the popular Bruce Lee, so it seems as if he's discovered it. 

Columbus never "discovered" America - in order to have "discovered" it, that means no other people were there first....

Same with JKD - the principles weren't discovered by Bruce Lee - they were there and taught but just not neccessarily taught as explicitly and most likely lost as real kung fu fighters and masters have passed on without teaching the ideas and principles to their students.

"Be like water."

"And when there's an opportunity, it hits all by itself."

"The highest technique is to have no technique."

Sounds amazing doesn't it? but this is true of a real fighting systems, be it karate, thai boxing, wing chun.  I just blame the teachers for not being able to show the student the path to this. 

JKD is nothing new but a good smack to the existing arts and the horrible teachers out there.

Until then.