The freedom of creativity in Jeet Kune Do

What makes the Jeet Kune Do philosophy so unique compared to other martial arts' philosophies is the emphasis on expression of freedom and creativity. Jeet Kune Do has no set form or pattern way of thinking. There are no belt systems or forms. Instead, Jeet Kune Do helps it's practitioners see only the beauty in movements rather than styles. The techniques and principles of combat are bent to the will of the practitioners, not the other way around.

When Bruce Lee was alive, he would study each individual movement and find flaws. He'd almost always wanted to know "why? Why do we do things a certain way?" He'd discard the traditional methods of using a particular type of attack or technique in favor of what worked for him. According to William Cheung, Bruce Lee criticized modified footwork and asked "look, why is it like that? Why do i have to do this?" (see link below.) That's when Bruce Lee realized the truth in combat existed in each individual, not a particular style or system. What works for one person may not work for another person. In this video, Dan Inosanto lists the differences between Jeet Kune Do and Wing Chun.

The freedom that is found in the JKD philosophy is the ability to fight in your own way. There's almost no rules in Jeet Kune Do. You do what works best for you. For example, conventional wisdom says "don't take the fight to the ground because of the possibility of weapons and multiple attackers.." Jeet Kune Do's answer is "can you make it work? How can you beat someone on the ground quickly addressing weapons and multiple attackers? What exceptions exist? What are the proper conditions for taking the fight to the ground?" Another saying people bring up in combat is to not kick high because you could lose your balance. Jeet Kune Do's answer is once again "can you make it work?" Perhaps you could steal your opponent's balance through trapping the hand as land a high kick to the head. When does kicking high work and when is it not applicable?

Jeet Kune Do isn't just about the freedom from principles or styles, it's also about making your ideas work. For example, i like to apply a bit of psychology and psychological warfare in combat because i find them useful in certain situations. I take inspiration from Sun Tzu, accounts of warfare from the Bible, and other sources. As long as what you use works in combat, the JKD philosophy is - use it. Can't find a useful technique for a particular situation? Invent your own.

That's the beauty of Jeet Kune Do and apart of being fluid. It's about not confining yourself to a predictable pattern or way of fighting. You are your own best master. If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below. 

http://www.cheungswingchun.com/g/10410/bruce-lee-william-cheung---the-early-years.html

Master the art of fighting without fighting

In the 16th century, a skilled samurai named Tsukahara Bokuden (who killed 212 people in battle) encountered a violent bully looking for a fight. When asked about his style, he said that he studied "the style of no style." the bully laughed and challenged him to a duel. Bokuden accepted but suggested they row to a nearby island where no innocent bystanders would get hurt. The bully agreed but as they approached the shore, Bokuden rowed the boat away and said "this is my no-sword school." 

The art of fighting without fighting is the art of peace. It is the highest level of self defense. The ability to peacefully resolve conflict is the mark of a true warrior. You can use your skills to win many fights at impossible odds with people of various backgrounds. You can have many impressive fighting skills. You may even be one of the greatest warriors to ever walk the earth but if you don't know how to make peace, it's all meaningless. It doesn't matter how many you've beaten or killed in combat because it's nothing new. You've simply repeated an endless cycle of violence that has existed for countless generations. Nothing meaningful is learned from bloodshed. 

The art of fighting without fighting is about breaking free from that vicious cycle. Rather than fighting the evil outside, you fight the evil within. Rather than repay evil with evil, you repay evil with good. Your enemy may laugh and arrogantly mock you, not realizing who you are or what you are capable of. You can destroy him or her in an instant but even if you do, you still would've failed to defeat your greatest enemy - pride. A very formidable warrior is sometimes a person who doesn't appear formidable. A warrior who is exceptionally skilled in combat does not need to seek approval from outside of him or herself. The highly skilled warrior finds peace from within. The art of fighting without fighting is about understanding the essence of why conflicts occur and resolving them peacefully be it through deception or words. This can only happen if you understand yourself and others in empathy. 

The art of fighting without fighting can take a lifetime to learn. Nevertheless, opens the door to a profound understanding of the root of conflict. In the words of Sun Tzu "the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting." How will you end conflicts without resorting to violence and create a better world? I leave you with those concluding thoughts.

 If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.

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Know your enemy in self defense

"To know your enemy, you must become your enemy" - Sun Tzu. I'm convinced in my mind that many instructors professing to teach self defense and many students learning self defense don't know their enemies. They teach techniques and hand-to-hand combat without any understanding of how their enemies work. They get a student to play the role of a violent criminal and throw a punch to demonstrate how to deal with that situation. The response might be with a counter-attack or a technique. You might even see and hear them laugh as they both beat each other up in the process.

The problem? That's not an accurate depiction of real world violence. The reason why you don't see me posting videos where i demonstrate self defense techniques and combat is because simulations are unreliable. You can make up anything in a simulation for the sake of making your techniques work. In real combat however, many students of self defense would probably get killed if they practiced unrealistic techniques. You can have a great imagination but it doesn't mean much if it's not based on reality and facts. It's not to say that you won't be able to beat the average person picking a fight with you but what works in one situation, will not work in a different situation. This is because there's various types of criminals with their own personalities, intellect, methods of attack, behavior, pain tolerance, the list goes on. In this video, this instructor teaches you how to disarm someone with a knife. I'd say half of it would work in a violent situation but the instructor doesn't take into account the possibility his attacker might hit him with the free hand.

The vast majority of self defense instructors i've seen train to deal with strangers on the street, not realizing that most crimes involve someone you know. For more info., check my post ("Trust no one in self defense" http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/01/trust-no-one-in-self-defense.html). Ok so you know how to deal with the average robber but what about the more strategic and methodical robber? What about a member in your family who intends on hurting you? It's very rare for a complete stranger to see you from a distance and think "that guy/girl looks rich and vulnerable, i'm going to hide behind these bushes so i can rob him/her!" That's why i post videos of real life scenarios and facts to not only teach you self defense, but also understanding criminal behavior. You've probably heard countless times "try and diffuse the situation" or "avoid conflict.." Well how exactly are you going to do that effectively if you don't know your enemy? Without understanding your enemy, you won't be able to defend yourself in every situation.

When your training for self defense, you must get into the mind of your enemy. If you were your enemy, what would you do? What would be your goals? Strategies? Tactics? Where would you eat? Sleep? Live? What would you be feeling? What do you hope to accomplish and how would you do it? Research your enemy and then imitate him/her during sparring or have someone else do it. If your enemy is aggressive, be aggressive. If your enemy is intimidating, be intimidating. If your enemy is violent and ruthless, be violent and ruthless. If your enemy likes to use weapons, use weapons. Know your enemy and you will win many battles. Self defense isn't just about combat, it's also about applying knowledge to avoid conflict.

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.

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