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JEET KUNE DO BRANCHES - ORIGINAL/JUN FAN VS. CONCEPTS
SUMMARY: Jeet Kune Do (JKD) has fractured into different groups due to legal and personality conflicts. Find out which is best.
Some have used the JKD and Bruce Lee names for marketing and commercial purposes.
The two main divisions, or branches, are Original/Jun Fan JKD and JKD Concepts. Proponents of both branches include Lee's direct students.
Original/Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do Branch
The Original/Jun Fan JKD branch teaches only what Bruce Lee taught. It is up to the individual student to develop his martial art. Lee's JKD was what he found to be most effective for him. His techniques, codified as JKD, may not be the best for others owing to differences in abilities, Each individual is responsible for absorbing what is useful from other arts to "express" their own unique "style" of JKD.
The Bruce Lee Foundation, operated by the Bruce Lee Estate, seeks to preserve the art as taught by Lee. Hence the original, authentic teachings have formally been named Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, to distinguish it from the divergent teachings today.
Today, the main proponents of Original/Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do are Taky Kimura, Ted Wong, and Jerry Poteet.
Jeet Kune Do Concepts Branch
The JKD Concepts branch continues to develop JKD, under the philosophy that it should not be static, that is should continue to evolve. During his lifetime, Bruce Lee continually refined JKD by researching, experimenting, and adding what was useful, and taking out what was not. Even Lee encouraged his students to find what was effective for them, rather than follow blindly what any particular system taught.
The JKD Concepts branch incorporates elements from many other martial arts, such as the Filipino Martial Arts, Kali escrima, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grappling. Greater variability of JKD exists, as each instructor and/or school will have developed their unique form of JKD by absorbing what they believe is useful from other fighting systems.
The main proponents of Jeet Kune Do Concepts are Dan Inosanto, Richard Bustillo, and Larry Hartsell.
Conclusion
Is one Jeet Kune Do branch better than the other? It depends on your objective. Original/Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do allows you to learn the purest form, which you can then adapt by finding and developing from other fighting systems and martial arts.
Jeet Kune Do Concepts gives you a one-stop shop, but there is greater variability and amount in teachings. You still will need to experiment and determine what techniques work best for you.
Whatever branch you choose, remember that Bruce Lee encouraged his students to continue to develop their art. Whether you choose Original/Jun Fan JKD or JKD Concepts, you arrive at the same place - your unique expression of Jeet Kune Do.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Books Jeet Kune Do books. Includes recommended books.
- Videos Jeet Kune Do DVDs and videos serve as excellent supplemental learning tools. Learn at your own pace in the comfort of your home.
- Training Live Jeet Kune Do training from qualified instructors allows more personalized training, technique correction, and practice with partners.
- Information Additional websites that provide Jeet Kune Do information.
- More Articles Read more Jeet Kune Do articles from our library.