7/20/2023 0 Comments Tao of jeet kune do autographedThe core of Jeet Kune Do mentality is aimed at "intercepting" the opponent, the action or idea of "striking" the incoming attack itself. Jeet Kune Do was conceived as an "intelligent martial art", not only in terms of fighting methods, as it aims to make the human body learn as much as possible, as if it becomes fluid "like water", and everything in the art follows that principle. It was formed from Lee's experiences in unarmed fighting and self-defense, as well as philosophical influence from Eclecticism, Zen Buddhism and Taoism, to serve as a new field of martial arts thought. Jeet Kune Do is an " eclectic martial arts philosophy" conceived and practiced by martial artist Bruce Lee during his lifetime. Non-Classical Gung Fu, Wing Chun Do, Emerson Combat Systems, Wei Kuen Do, Arts (modern) Jun Fan Gung Fu: Wing Chun, Boxing, Fencing, Arnis, Judo, Jujutsu, Savate, Traditional Taekwondo, Tai Chi, Catch Wrestling Hybrid ( mixed martial arts kung fu philosophy) Also, the arrows represent the endless interaction between yin and yang. This slogan incarnates the self-recursive behaviour of many Sinitic languages, which also appears incorporated into the practice of the martial art. The Chinese characters indicate: " Using no way as way" and " Having no limitation as limitation". I am very grateful for everyone who helped me.The Taijitu represents the concepts of yin and yang. The Zen Master Shido Bunan once said, “If you think of everything as training, your suffering will disappear.” So this is the kind of attitude we try to approach life with at Maryland Jeet Kune Do, and opening a new location during the height of the lockdown was certainly a fine opportunity for training. Every part of your life becomes an avenue to practice Zen, every circumstance is training. There is a word in Zen Buddhism called shugyo, which means deeply training both one’s entire self, body and mind, through the most extreme circumstances that life can offer. The MDJKD family rallied around us, we had supporters do fundraisers, we continued to train over Zoom, and continued to support each other. Savage Mill itself was extremely understanding toward us during this unprecedented time and helped us tremendously. The constraints on the fitness and martial arts industry were very strict, and we had no idea when we were going to allowed to open. We signed the lease here at Savage Mill two weeks before Governor Hogan initiated the lockdown here in Maryland. There have been so many experiences, good and bad, that have helped shape me and teach me on this path. I’ve had some of best boxers, kickboxers, grapplers, and stick fighters in the world help me on my journey. I’ve lived and practiced in Zen meditation in Buddhist temples. Since then, I have had the opportunity to train with many great Jeet Kune Do men and women including some who were hands-on students of Bruce Lee himself before his passing. So naturally, I jumped at the chance to actually study Bruce Lee’s teachings hands-on. My parents had gotten me Bruce Lee’s book, the “Tao of Jeet Kune Do” one year for Christmas, and I fell in love with the idea of using the martial arts to become a more disciplined and enlightened person. I had grown up doing martial arts like Okinawan karate and Taekwondo, and loved the movies of Bruce Lee. My first instructor also taught a college level PE course in general self-defense and martial arts. I began studying Jeet Kune Do in 2000, while attending Anne Arundel Community College. In many ways, it could be seen as a forerunner to what we today call “mixed martial arts”. Jeet Kune Do thus came about as a way of training Jun Fan Gung Fu as well as other arts as a process of self-exploration aimed toward directness, freedom, and simplicity, rather than just a fixed methodology. Much of the philosophy behind Jeet Kune Do derives from the practice of Zen Buddhism, as well as the philosophies of Daoism and Krishnamurti. While doing this, he was also delving into philosophy both Western and Eastern, and much of the process of developing JKD reflects this. He blended Wing Chun with Western boxing and took ideas from Fencing and other arts, but as time went by, he felt even this was too limiting for both self-defense and for personal expression. Lee Jun Fan was his Chinese name, so this could literally be taken as “Bruce Lee’s Gung Fu”. Out of his experience with Chinese boxing, specifically a method called Wing Chun, Bruce Lee originally invented a system he called Jun Fan Gung Fu. As I mentioned before, we look at Jeet Kune Do as a way to practice martial arts, a path, rather than a martial art by itself. Jeet Kune Do is the result of many years of experimentation and exploration that Bruce Lee went through.
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