In our new FREE guide, jeet kune do icon Dan Inosanto talks with Black Belt about the myths, realities, limits and ongoing expansion of Bruce Lee’s martial art.

In Dan Inosanto on Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do Techniques for Grappling and New Directions for JKD Training, learn how this living legend took the work that Bruce Lee started and evolved jeet kune do into new and exciting territory!

This FREE download includes FOUR jeet kune do grappling techniques, as well as in-depth coverage of the following topics:

• why Bruce Lee movies include only certain facets of his martial arts skill
• what grappling arts Bruce Lee studied during his lifetime
• how ground fighting was incorporated into Bruce Lee’s Chinatown school curriculum
• how Dan Inosanto’s study with teachers such as Yori Nakamura, Renato Magno and the Machado family affected the development of jeet kune do after Bruce Lee’s passing
• how to make jeet kune do strikes powerful during ground fighting
• how to redirect your opponent’s energy to flow into the next move
• how to control an opponent’s limb to create control of his body
• how skills from other fighting arts (even boxing!) can be translated to the ground

… and MUCH MORE!

If you ask almost anyone the main reason they take a martial art, they will usually say it’s for defending against a possible attacker. The other main reason is health, and while the drills in this book promote health through exercise, it is an added benefit.

That said, this piece deals with jeet kune do techniques for defense training using boxing gloves in a controlled environment. (The glove drills shown in this piece are also a precursor to the sparring drills shown in Chapter 7 of Chinatown Jeet Kune Do – Volume 2: Training Methods of Bruce Lee’s Martial Art.)

Download this FREE Guide to modern jeet kune do training:
Dan Inosanto on Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do Techniques for Grappling and
New Directions for JKD Training!

The drills need to feel safe and comfortable, and the trainer should be careful when feeding any technique that can make physical contact. He should start slowly and then build up to full speed once the student shows that he can handle it. The great thing about this kind of training is that it benefits both partners. While one partner practices defense, the other can practice offense.

Jeet Kune Do Training Tips

To really make your jeet kune do techniques efficient, you must work against an opponent who is really trying to hit you. Because this type of training can result in injury, you must start slow and easy. You also should be sure that you trust your training partner and that you work on helping each other. To do this, you will need to set your ego aside and realize that no matter how good you are, everyone gets hit at some point when they spar.

To make a student feel comfortable with full-contact jeet kune do training, start him out learning safety boxing drills. This type of training includes blocking, learning to roll with a punch and other passive moves. While passive moves should be avoided in self-defense situations, they are sometimes unavoidable.

Passive moves can actually come in handy in real life, such as in an “oh crap” moment when you are caught unaware and have little time to do anything else but block or roll a punch. Otherwise, the defining characteristic of passive moves is that they give an opponent time to launch a second attack; if you block and hit, your opponent has the space needed to attack. That’s why the basic element for development in jeet kune do training is learning to intercept an opponent’s attack with a stop-hit or stop-kick.

From there, drill with straight lead punches, followed by straight rear punches, and then add hooks and other boxing punches. Always begin these drills from the fighting measure to give the student enough time to react. Then move closer until the trainer doesn’t have to step forward. Defense is usually needed when your opponent has bridged the gap, and that’s why you eventually want to practice your defense drills with the trainer executing jeet kune do techniques from close range.

While the matching-hands drills are all shown right lead against right lead, some time should be spent on left leads against left leads. The same is true when working on unmatched or left-to-right leads.

In regards to kicking, once the student has learned basic kicks with some speed and accuracy, you can start drilling defense. Like with hand tools, the trainer will hit with a punch or kick, and the student will react with the proper defense. After the student learns the basic defense from a stationary position, the trainer will use footwork to move and attack. Remember that you are only limited by your own imagination!

Jeet Kune Do Training: The Catch

Sometimes you may be unable to intercept a straight punch on time and are unable to use distance or angling to move off the line of attack. If this happens, you will be glad you spent a lot of time drilling the catch. Note: The catch is also more effective than a parry in a “too late” situation because it doesn’t open up the centerline; it covers it.

To catch, the student puts the palm of a boxing glove in front of his chin facing outward. The trainer shoots a straight lead punch directly at the student’s chin.

The student catches the punch as if he were catching a fastball; he is not too stiff or too relaxed. He should not reach out for it with his glove but rather catch it with a slight pop forward. The trainer needs to make sure not to punch too fast or too hard. He can later pick up speed as the student improves. Once the student has worked against front-hand attacks like the straight lead, the trainer can start throwing straight rear punches.

Because the most common boxing attack is the lead jab, work on defending against it and the straight lead first. Then practice against the straight rear punch, which is harder to defend against in a boxing format because your weak hand is forward. In any format, the straight rear punch will also be more telegraphic.

The Tao of Jeet Kune Do teaches how Bruce Lee arrived at his personal truth, which he called jeet kune do. The path he used is a clear and concise method that every martial artist can easily apply to his own search. Here’s how:

Bruce Lee Training Philosophy Concept #1

SEEK THE TRUTH

You have to consciously want to know the truth and look for it. Seek the reality of combat for yourself. Don’t rely on what your instructor, past masters or other martial artists tell you is the truth. Do your own homework. You won’t learn by copying your neighbor’s homework.

Take every opportunity to study what really takes place in an assault or self-defense situation — not just physically but mentally, too. What impact did fear, anxiety and anger have on the situation?

Download this FREE Guide to modern jeet kune do training:
Dan Inosanto on Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do Techniques for Grappling and
New Directions for JKD Training!

Bruce Lee Training Philosophy Concept #2

BECOME AWARE OF THE TRUTH

Know what you’re looking for and don’t be in denial when you discover it. Martial artists who have devoted years to training in a traditional system and practiced according to what they’ve been taught is the truth sometimes have difficulty accepting that they might have spent years studying a lie. They not only might have studied a lie, but they also might have spent years training according to that lie.

The important thing is to not dwell on the lie. Be thankful that you’ve become aware of it, then adjust your training to what you now know is real.

Bruce Lee Training Philosophy Concept #3

PERCEIVE THE TRUTH

Perception is everything — in life and in the martial arts. Make your perceptions as total in nature as you can. Gather as many facts as possible on the subject or situation before forming a perception.

Bruce Lee Training Philosophy Concept #4

EXPERIENCE THE TRUTH

When you discover what you perceive to be a truth, put it to the test. In most cases, that means putting on the protective gear and going full contact in a realistic scenario.

This is an extremely important part of discovering the truth, one that many people fail to do. Bruce Lee was fond of saying that you cannot learn to swim without getting in the water. Likewise, you cannot learn to fight without fighting.

A word of caution about determining whether the truth you’re experimenting with has any value: If that truth involves using a new technique with which you’re unfamiliar, don’t be too hasty to discount it if it fails. We all know it takes time to master a new technique. The failure of the technique could stem from poor execution rather than poor design.

Learn how the boxing techniques of Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis influenced Bruce Lee’s development of jeet kune do techniques in this FREE Guide — Bruce Lee Training Research: How Boxing Influenced His Jeet Kune Do Techniques.

Bruce Lee Training Philosophy Concept #5

MASTER THE TRUTH

Once you’ve perceived a truth, experienced it and found it to be true, master that truth. This involves drills and repetitive execution. As you should have done while experiencing that truth, practice it from all angles against many different attackers in as many scenarios as possible. Add it to your training regimen.

Bruce Lee Training Philosophy Concept #6

FORGET THE TRUTH AND THE CARRIER OF THE TRUTH

What did Bruce Lee mean by this? If the truth you learned was punching skills, the carrier of that truth may have been boxing. Once you’ve developed your hand skills, there’s no longer a need to associate them with boxing. It was merely a vehicle to get you where you wanted to go. Boxing is a truth that belonged to whoever created it. One person’s truth may be another person’s limitation. By not being bound by this system, you avoid those limitations. You have absorbed what is useful and rejected what is useless.

Bruce Lee Training Philosophy Concept #7

REPOSE IN THE NOTHING

You cannot rest in the satisfaction of the truth that you’ve discovered because that truth will change with time. Long ago, empty-hand defense against a sword might have been a truth, but today it’s highly unlikely you’ll be attacked by someone wielding such a weapon. But a knife or baseball-bat attack is quite conceivable. The truth of a sword attack has changed — or perhaps “evolved” is a more appropriate term. The fact is, the truth you discover today may be that the truth you learned yesterday is no longer true.

• Tao of Jeet Kune Do: Expanded Edition
• Tao of Jeet Kune Do: Original Edition (available as e-book only)
• Bruce Lee Books
• Bruce Lee DVDs
• Jeet Kune Do Books and DVDs

For years, martial artists have associated Larry Hartsell with two ultra-effective fighting concepts: grappling and jeet kune do. Bruce Lee’s system will forever stand at the forefront of martial arts popularity, and now that proponents of Brazilian jiu-jitsu have focused the world’s attention on the effectiveness of ground fighting, grappling is in vogue. This naturally brings us to Larry Hartsell — an expert in both ways of fighting — as he twists Black Belt into a knot and chokes us into submission. At the mercy of his elbow lock and hook punch, we bring you the following interview.

Could you begin by discussing your martial arts background?

My first martial art, in 1958 or 1959, was judo. At the same time, I was a high-school wrestler in the light-heavyweight class. I had a football scholarship and went to Wingate Junior College and got involved in tang soo do when I met a Korean foreign-exchange student. After that, [the college] dropped the football program, and I became enthusiastic about the only martial arts books they had out in 1960: books by Masutatsu Oyama [of kyokushin karate], Ed Parker of kenpo karate and Hidetaka Nishiyama [of shotokan karate]. I got interested, so I moved to California, where I started shotokan at the University of California at Los Angeles with Nishiyama.

Later, I rode by Ed Parker’s kenpo karate school on Santa Monica Boulevard and looked in. Dan Inosanto was teaching the kenpo class. I said, “This is what I want.” I became a student of Dan and Ed. I met Bruce Lee in 1964 at Ed Parker’s just before I got drafted into the Army. I was home on leave later in 1964 before I went to Vietnam, and that’s when I really came to know Bruce. We became friends, and after I got out of the Army, I came back and studied with him. From 1967 to 1970, I studied with Bruce and Dan and taught at Ed Parker’s.

When you went to Ed Parker’s, did you have to drop things you learned from Bruce Lee?

Yes, I did because Bruce had adopted boxing then. He [mixed] it with wing chun kung fu. Also, there were grappling techniques he picked up from Gene LeBell and some stuff from Wally Jay’s small-circle jujitsu, which he added to jeet kune do.

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Before his death, he had added 33 grappling moves to the jeet kune do concept.

He got those from Gene LeBell and Wally Jay?

Wally Jay, Gene LeBell and Hayward Nishioka. And he had some chin-na and silat. He would mix the arts. He would enter to trapping and take down into a submission. If you read Tao of Jeet Kune Do, you’ll see those grappling [techniques].

How well do jeet kune do principles apply to grappling?

I think the attack-by-drawing principle, where you deliberately set an opening for the guy to come in so you can counter, [applies well]. You can leave an opening for a side kick, then capture the leg and go for a takedown. Also, you can use progressive indirect attack — faking the attack to go into a single-leg takedown and an Achilles-lock submission or some other technique.

Download this FREE Guide to modern jeet kune do concepts!
Dan Inosanto on Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do Techniques for Grappling and
New Directions for JKD Training

Yes, that’s one way. Any range can be closed quickly. In kicking range, you can capture the kick. In boxing range, you can arm-wrap and take him down. Any range can be closed, and you can be on the ground very quickly. I’ve had people at seminars say, “I would just stay outside and kick.” But suppose you’re on a slippery surface; how are you going to kick? Suppose you kick and slip, and the guy’s on top of you. You have to learn to deal with grappling range. Sometimes you cannot dictate your own environment; you’re into grappling range whether you want to be or not.

Is the best way to deal with the environmental factor to study a variety of arts?

I think so. You should be experienced in all ranges. How are you going to effectively counter a boxer who’s a good inside fighter unless you experience that range? I believe a blend is the best.

For beginners, what styles do you recommend for blending?

For weapons range, I recommend the Filipino martial arts because [they come from] a knife culture. For grappling range, shootwrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu. For punching range, I would find a good boxing or kickboxing gym. As far as overall conditioning, Thai boxing is king. It also has good standing grappling — hookups, which use knees and elbows.

For more information about Bruce Lee, visit the Bruce Lee Foundation website and the official Bruce Lee website.

(To be continued.)

Read Part 1 of Black Belt magazine’s interview with Larry Hartsell here.

Some people say that if your opponent wants to grapple, you will end up grappling. You can avoid grappling if both of you want to keep your distance; but if either person wants to come in, the other person has no choice.

Exactly. If there’s going to be a fight, somebody’s got to come in at you — whether it’s in kicking, punching or grappling range.

So kicking, punching and trapping ranges are used mainly to get into grappling range?

That’s one way.

Would you ever stay out of grappling range on purpose and not go in?

Yes. If a guy is physically stronger or moving quickly, I would probably stay back and let him come to me. My defense would be my offense.

But your ultimate goal in self-defense would still be to grapple?

To end a street fight, use whatever works — a left hook, an uppercut, maybe a right cross. If he comes in, maybe a figure-4 face lock or whatever’s there.

Once you’re in, would you ever pull back out and continue striking?

No. There’s a saying in wing chun that I like: “Once you have him, you keep him.”

How do you know when to close the distance to grapple?

If you know something about boxing, about kicking, it helps you time [your entry]. Dan Inosanto told me, “You never grapple with a grappler; you never kick with a kicker; you never box with a boxer. You do something he doesn’t know.” But sometimes you’re forced to go into one of the ranges whether you want to or not. So you should know something about each range.

Download this FREE Guide to modern jeet kune do concepts!
Dan Inosanto on Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do Techniques for Grappling and
New Directions for JKD Training

Yes. Use what you do best to counter what he has.

Is entering into trapping range and grappling range what you do best?

Yes, getting to the inside range.

How do you generally finish a fight after going to the ground?

I just go into a submission hold — kata gatame or yoko shiho gatame, then maybe into an arm lock or neck crank.

When you face an opponent in a self-defense situation, do you plan on getting into grappling range, or do you just work in whatever range he takes you to?

Your opponent’s move is your move. Go with the flow. You can initiate the first move or you can counter his move. It can be done two ways; I do both.

How well does grappling mix with arts that focus on punching and kicking?

Every martial art should have some form of grappling. I have worked as a doorman and bouncer in some of the worst bars in Charlotte, North Carolina, and most fights I saw ended up on the ground. One guy was either in the mount position beating the hell out of the other guy or grabbing [whatever he could]. Judging from what I’ve seen and been involved in, you have only one or two punches. If they don’t knock out the other guy — or at least hurt or stagger him — you end up in clinching range.

For grappling self-defense, how important is ground work vs. throwing? Do you need throwing techniques, or is throwing something you can avoid?

There are different types of throws for competition and self-defense. If you’re fighting on pavement, you don’t want to throw where you’re going to injure yourself. But there are many different ways to take a person to the ground: single-leg and double-leg takedowns, body tackles and go-behinds.

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Yes.

Do the same things that make grappling so effective in competitions like the Ultimate Fighting Championship make it effective on the street?

Definitely. You can throw a guy, tie him up or go into a standing lock. Locking, grappling and takedowns — it’s all a blend. But you have to realize that if you’re fighting two or three people on the street, you might not want to take it to the ground because the other guys might start kicking you in the head. You have to be effective in standing grappling to turn your opponent and get behind him, then use him as a shield.

Some people say grappling is best for self-defense because you can win a fight without hurting your attacker.

Exactly. You can go into a time hold, control hold or submission. That’s why I like it.

Is the best way to improve — as a striker and a grappler — to acquire as many skills as you can from different styles?

I think so. It reminds me of a saying: “There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but my path may not be your path.” We’re all built differently; we all have different instincts. That’s what Bruce Lee believed. You have to pick your own path. Some are short, and some are long. I always encourage students to attend any seminars they want. When it comes to knowledge, you owe allegiance only to yourself.

Successfully using the jeet kune do ranges mentioned in Part 1 of this article doesn’t necessarily mean you have to fight and defeat your opponent using a range with which you’re uncomfortable. Instead, it means you use a specific range to create hesitation, then switch to any range you like to finish the job, Ralph Bustamante said.

“Whether you hit him or he hits you, there’s hesitation,” Ralph Bustamante continued. “And that means there’s an opening for your follow-up. A lot of people think they can hit once and that’ll be enough. For example, many beginner boxers will hit their opponent and stand back because they’re proud of it. And on the street, you see people take a lot of pride in themselves when they hit someone.”

Of course, you shouldn’t allow yourself to get hit just to create a moment of hesitation, Ralph Bustamante said. But if it does happen, don’t go into shock. “One hit is generally not going to knock you out,” he said. “So take advantage of it. It opens the door so you can change the ranges and do whatever you’re trained to do.”

High Range

“The high range is basically from the shoulders up,” Ralph Bustamante said. “Street fighters have a tendency to hit the neck, chin and nose areas. Sometimes they try to rupture an eardrum if they know what they’re doing.”

When you’re confronted with a high-range attack, immediately switch to another range. “If you’re in a boxing mode, go to the midsection,” he said. “If you’re into kicking, go to the legs or shins, or use your knee to the midsection.”

If the guy attacks high, does it matter whether you go to his middle or low range? “In a street fight, go to whatever target you can get to first,” Ralph Bustamante recommended. As Bruce Lee said, use your closest weapon to strike his closest target.

Remember that it’s best to move to a jeet kune do range your attacker isn’t comfortable with. Because a lot of street fighters and boxers have experience dealing with blows to the gut, you might want to avoid that. “If he’s comfortable with it, you should not be there,” Ralph Bustamante said. “Instead, you can hit the shin, stomp on the foot or hit the groin.”

Middle Range

The middle range includes the sternum, ribs and stomach. “Getting hit in those areas hurts, and it can take you out of commission,” Ralph Bustamante said.

“If a person tries to punch you in the middle range, he has to lower his hands,” he continued. “Then you can go low or high. I feel more comfortable going high — countering with a strike to the nose or eyes. Remember that you don’t want to just slug the guy in the head and risk breaking your own hand.”

A lot of fighters, especially those who have been influenced by muay Thai, love to kick to the legs, but they will strike higher if the opportunity presents itself, Ralph Bustamante said. Because such a fighter is probably protecting his head while blasting your middle range, you may want to aim for his low range.

“You can try to take out his supporting leg, but it may be hard to hit because you have to clear his kicking leg to get to it,” he said. “Or you could block the kick with a knee destruction or sidestep and kick low.”

Low Range

The low range includes all targets below the waist. Obviously, they are most easily attacked with the legs.

“There are times when an attacker will kick low, and you can get him in the middle range with a cross to the sternum,” Ralph Bustamante said. “It’ll catch him off-guard.”

In a common street-attack scenario, your opponent will duck his head and try to tackle you like a football player, Ralph Bustamante said. “Most people don’t realize that all they have to do is bring up the knee and attack a different range — the face and chest are usually exposed. It can be a rude awakening.”

Backing up and shoving the attacker’s head down also works well, but people usually don’t think of it, Ralph Bustamante said. “That means it will take a little more training. The easiest thing is just to bring up the knee and use your survival instinct to protect yourself.”

Be forewarned that with a very low tackle, you’re probably going to go down, Ralph Bustamante said. “If the person comes in low enough, that means he’s already prepared himself. Therefore, you have to know how to fall properly and follow up. The takedown can be severe, and it can tweak your knees. And if he comes in below the knees, you can’t knee him because your knees move up. When you go down, be prepared to use bicycle-type kicks to his high range to get out.”

And as grapplers keep reminding the martial arts world, you need be comfortable on the ground, Ralph Bustamante said. “It should be a priority with all martial artists.”

Advanced Skills

When you get skilled at changing ranges as described above, should you consider changing more than once in the same fight? For example, if the attacker punches at your face, should you punch to his middle range, then kick to his low range and possibly move back to his middle range?

“Confusion is always your ally,” Ralph Bustamante said. “But if something is working well, it’s hard to say to go to something else. It’s up to you and how you feel at the time. The reaction you get from the assailant dictates what you do next. If you’re not getting the answer you want, you have to change things again.”

That’s where women have an advantage over men, Ralph Bustamante said. “They don’t try to compete because they know they can’t outmuscle a man. They start to look for those other things that are available. That’s the way men should look at it, also.”

Resources
To read Part 1 of this article, go here.

To download a FREE Guide titled “Bruce Lee Quotes: 10 Jeet Kune Do Masters Examine Bruce Lee’s Philosophy,” visit this link.

Jeet kune do authority Taky Kimura once described Kelly S. Worden as an “American icon of the progressive arts.” For more than 35 years, Kelly Worden has devoted his waking hours to blending and integrating a multitude of martial arts concepts to form a system of cross-training he calls Natural Spirit International.

In this exclusive interview with Black Belt magazine, the University Place, Washington-based master reveals how his teachers and mentors helped him forge a system he calls “renegade JKD,” his unique path to martial arts self-discovery.

Black Belt: You started in boxing and catch wrestling before moving to isshin-ryu karate, but from the beginning, your focus has been on fighting. When did you find out your path was different from that of other traditional practitioners?

Kelly Worden: Almost immediately. I was undisciplined. There were six children in our family. My father was a disabled veteran from World War II, and much of his time was spent in a veteran’s hospital. I found myself running the streets early on and getting into a lot of fights. I enjoyed fighting, but that attitude created other problems and issues, and I left home when I was 15. Traditional isshin-ryu karate tempered my spirit and offered structured learning and self-discipline. At best, I was an aggressive, mediocre karate practitioner, but I persevered by training in different arts. Fighting was always the core of [my] approach.

Learn how the boxing techniques of Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis influenced
Bruce Lee’s development of jeet kune do techniques in this FREE download!
Bruce Lee Training Research: How Boxing Influenced His Jeet Kune Do Techniques

What changed you from a fighter to a teacher?

Kelly Worden: I was frustrated with trying to fit into the mold of what a martial artist was supposed to be. In 1980, after receiving my instructor status in yao mun kung fu, I opened my own gym. It was geared primarily for weapons training and PKA/WKA full-contact fighting. Very little stimulated my creativity as far as structured style, and I preferred to focus on fighting. The jeet kune do approach was beginning to grow, and articles published at the time professed the most rational street-effective path for personal development. I had been exposed to a myriad of arts: isshin-ryu, yao mun kung fu, pa kua, tai chi, taekwondo, goju-ryu, kajukenbo, escrima, shito-ryu, boxing, kickboxing and catch wrestling. Blending different fighting arts seemed to be the natural path.

Did you ruffle any feathers along the way?

Kelly Worden: Coming from a fighting background, I found it hard to respect authority. The traditional instructor/student relationship seemed a little weird. I only wanted to absorb what was useful. We were fighters, but our fights were in the streets, not at tournaments. For 20 years, I maintained an open-gym fight policy. Our no-cup-no-mouthpiece-no-control policy was a little off-base, but it seemed right at the time.

When did arnis enter the picture?

Kelly Worden: In 1980 I met J. Cui Brocka, a U.S. Army Ranger stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, who was directly under Ernesto Presas. I respected Cui Brocka and became intrigued with his combat-arnis system. To train in it, he required me to join his shotokan karate program. I wanted to learn combat arnis, so I reluctantly complied. It was then that I began my transformation into a decent martial arts instructor. I reverted to a structured format for entry-level students but maintained the emphasis on fighting.

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When did you get involved with Remy Presas?

Kelly Worden: In 1981 Remy Presas presented a seminar in Tacoma, Washington. I learned some great variations to integrate into combat arnis. Later, I was reprimanded by Cui Brocka for deviating from the structured format of his system. He claimed I needed to be respectful of his art and not divert from the curriculum he had established. In 1983 I broke away from him and became a direct student of Remy Presas. His teaching methodology [enabled me] to grow individually as a fighter and a teacher, literally to absorb what was useful. He opened my eyes and heart so I could truly understand modern arnis as the “art within your art.”

Remy Presas was obviously confident in your skills. When did he appoint you a datu?

Kelly Worden: In 1988. I was the first non-Filipino to be promoted to the rank of datu in modern arnis, second in secession of his perceived “10 Datu Leaders of Modern Arnis.” He taught specific people individually. If you possessed a fighting spirit, he took pride in refining your skills to enhance your natural attributes. This approach allowed him to fine-tune your close-quarters sparring and keep your personal-defense skills deadly effective.

Through his example, I was able to distinguish the value of cultivating leaders, not followers. In the final days of his life, professor Presas, Roland Dantes and I formed a pact of brotherhood. Professor Presas asked Roland and I to swear our commitment and dedication to continue the propagation of modern arnis. He said we were no longer his students but his brothers.

Who else was instrumental in the development of your art?

Kelly Worden: I have been guided and inspired by many dynamic leaders of the martial arts. First, let me [state something] I have learned: If you choose to be a leader, do not become anyone’s boy. A little harsh but a bottom-line truth. Seek associates who can guide or counsel you, not control your direction or destiny. In that regard, one principle will always stand true: Don’t violate trust and always give credit where credit is due.

Without question, Bruce Lee impacted the martial arts world, and his death created a void with much confusion about the ideals and intent of JKD. My choice was to approach Jesse Glover, Bruce’s first student and friend. Jesse established early on that he himself was not a follower. His path was and still is one of independence. That was true even while Bruce was living. Jesse sought his own truth yet maintained the connection to Bruce’s original teachings.

Jesse took the role of a friend and mentor who shared his insight while allowing me to evolve naturally. His teaching concepts of nonclassical gung fu are extremely functional; without hesitation, I incorporated them into my Natural Spirit curriculum. It was not only the physical techniques that were of value; his personal guidance, compassion and ability to lead me to self-awareness were gifts few others shared.

How did you formulate “renegade JKD”?

Kelly Worden: In the early 1980s, I realized JKD was becoming a buyer’s market. I jokingly called my version “poor-boy JKD” because of the political and financial posturing for status within the art. I sought out only the simplicity of what JKD professed — what I and others found was a restricted and dictated path. Personal knowledge did not seem to be enough. It was more important to be certified by instructor A or B. Having read so much about Bruce Lee’s desire to shed the classical mess, I found it difficult to buy into a superficial path of collecting certificates in an effort to seek freedom of expression. Thus, I established renegade JKD as a path of adaptability to connect the systems and [avoid] accumulation and style glorification.

Download your FREE guide to modern jeet kune do training!
Dan Inosanto on Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do Techniques for Grappling and
New Directions for JKD Training

Many people have walked away because of the politics and confusion about what is truth in JKD. Bruce Lee has been cheated out of his legacy. People now refer to self-expression as cross-training. JKD has become an exclusive club of certified practitioners bound by structured guidelines of what is and what isn’t JKD.

Who else in jeet kune do circles have you worked with?

Kelly Worden: JKD exponent Leonard Trigg and I have been friends for over 24 years. His knowledge base is immeasurable. In 1993 he introduced me to the late JKD legend Ted Lucay. Disturbed about JKD politics, Ted had become somewhat reclusive, yet we immediately hit it off. From 1994, both Ted and Leonard became featured instructors at my annual Water and Steel training camps. Ted’s connection with [us] and the camp brought him back into a motivational phase of progression in his own art. He possessed a great depth of classical training and the ability to seamlessly extract concepts while cross-referencing different systems. His blade-to-boxing theory, as well as his stick-boxing curriculum, embraced the true simplicity of JKD. His approach opened [everyone’s] eyes to [the value of] refining attributes and seeking personal progression by comprehending the parallels in movement, not the dissimilarities.

Nearly everyone has heard of the four ranges of combat: kicking, punching, trapping and grappling. They are perhaps most often associated with training in jeet kune do, in which students seek to acquire different skills from different arts to prepare themselves to fight in any situation.

Yet there’s another set of ranges — only three this time — in JKD training. They are the high, middle and low ranges. If you train to strategically use them, you can transform yourself into a smarter fighter and your opponent into a blithering fool who gets taken out of commission more quickly, more easily and more efficiently.

Fight Smart

Physically, Bruce Lee was not a big man. At about 130 pounds, he had to make sure his techniques and strategies were the most efficient and realistic ones known. JKD-concepts instructor Ralph Bustamante is in the same boat.

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That’s where the three ranges come into play. The guiding strategy goes something like this: When your opponent attacks you in one range, that means he’s focusing all his attention on that range. Therefore, the logical choice for you is to counterattack him in a different range.

“When a person is doing something in one range, he’s forgetting about the others,” said Ralph Bustamante, who teaches JKD in Santa Clarita, California. “If you’re in trouble in a fight, you should address those ranges that he’s not thinking about.”

Definitions

In a confrontation, your opponent — even if he’s untrained — can easily attack you in any of the three ranges. Using the high range, he might throw a punch at your face. Using the middle range, he might throw a hook to your breadbasket or a knee to your sternum. Using the low range, he might launch a kick at your thigh or knee.

The key to using JKD’s three ranges lies in protecting the body part your opponent attacks by evading, intercepting or blocking, then counterattacking to a different range. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

“It takes a little training to be able to use the ranges,” said Ralph Bustamante, who has trained in the martial arts for more than 30 years. “First, somebody has to tell you they exist. People with no experience don’t know they can attack a different range. It’s like they have a rule book that says what they can and cannot do in a fight. But constantly being exposed to the fact that you do have an alternative and training so you understand what that alternative is all about gives you an edge.”

Why don’t more martial artists know about — and use — the ranges? “A lot of people have been exposed to them, but they seem to push them to the side,” Ralph Bustamante said. “I think it’s because they want to crash heads — they want to compete with each other at the same level. That’s not the most advantageous way to do it unless you’re doing tournament fighting. On the street, you have to be ready to mix and confuse your opponent, and you can do that by addressing the different ranges.”

Denial

The average martial artist hopes — and trains — to defeat his opponent with whichever skills he knows best, Ralph Bustamante said. That can work well if your opponent is good at one range (say he’s a boxer) while you’re good at another (a skilled muay Thai thigh kicker, for example).

But what if you and your opponent happen to be good punchers? You could end up slugging it out in a no-rules boxing match. Unfortunately, this is often the product of conventional training, in which students spar with practitioners of the same style: Boxers box with boxers, taekwondo practitioners kick other taekwondo practitioners, etc.

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When the three ranges are used successfully, shocked martial artists are often filled with disbelief. “A lot of times, there is denial,” Ralph Bustamante said. “They can’t quite understand it. They want to try again, and generally they lose again because they’re not even competing on the same level.”

With a typical tournament match or mixed-martial arts fight, it’s relatively easy to determine your opponent’s style before you tangle with him. But on the street, how can you know? “You don’t ever really know what the person is going to do,” Ralph Bustamante said. “If he’s a street fighter, he could pick something up from the ground, and that throws everything out the door as far as wanting to go over and do some boxing with him. However, most will rush you and take you to the ground.” Others will try to punch your head. The best thing to do, Ralph Bustamante said, is stay away from your opponent and try to get an idea of how he fights.

As soon as you determine his style — that he’s a headhunter, for example — that’s your cue to go for his middle or low range. “The first thing you should think is, ‘What is he doing?’ because whatever he’s doing, you don’t want to do,” he said.

When you study violent encounters, one fact tends to stand out time and again: The prepared fighter almost always wins. But being prepared requires more than just training.

Long before self-defense experts and military analysts adopted the phrase “situational awareness,” Bruce Lee taught us that we must always be aware of our surroundings. Or as Lee would say, “The best surprise against a surprise attack is not to be surprised.”

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Bruce Lee’s Side Kick Combo

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Note: You have to constantly practice the side kick on a heavy bag — preferably about 70 pounds — to develop good power. Notice that Lee delivers his kick while keeping his body away from the assailant.

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Most famous individuals have an inner circle of friends and trusted advisers who are standing by in the shadows and are willing to provide counsel, direction and opinions, and to share their influence.

One of the reasons martial artist and actor Bruce Lee became as well-known and successful as he did is because he developed an inner circle of friends who provided him with counsel and direction, and helped him accomplish his goals.

One of the most influential members of this group was James Yimm Lee, who had a great impact on Bruce Lee’s personal and professional life.

James Yimm Lee was already an established and respected instructor of kung fu and iron palm in the Oakland, California, area when he met Bruce Lee, who is not related to him. Bruce Lee was a young college student at the time, and James Yimm Lee was very impressed with Bruce Lee’s kung fu skills and teaching methods.

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In addition to his expert kung fu skills, James Yimm Lee was also an accomplished weightlifter and helped get Bruce Lee started in a weight-training program, which subsequently resulted in his sculptured physique. James Yimm Lee worked as a welder in the local shipyards, and he used this skill in designing and constructing many unique training devices he and Bruce Lee used in their workouts.

James Yimm Lee had a close relationship with a number of noted martial artists in the area, including jujitsu master Wally Jay, Shaolin kempo instructor Ralph Castro and American kenpo founder Ed Parker. James Yimm Lee introduced Bruce Lee to these individuals, and it was through Ed Parker’s Hollywood connections that Bruce Lee received a screen test, which eventually got him the role of “Kato” in The Green Hornet televlsion series.

From left to right: Bruce Lee, Ed Parker, James Yimm Lee and Ralph Castro.
Photo courtesy of Greglon Lee

Gary Dill was one of James Yimm Lee’s top students, and he currently teaches jeet kune do in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Gary Dill founded the Jeet Kune Do Association for the purpose of presenting and promoting the pre-1973 brand of jeet kune do, as it was developed by Bruce Lee and taught by James Yimm Lee.

James Yimm Lee conducted jeet kune do classes in the
garage of his home in Oakland, California.
Photo courtesy of Gary Dill

Gary Dill realized, however, that his chances of learning jeet kune do were remote. He was doing a tour of military duty in Vietnam, and Bruce Lee was a television star in California.

Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist	Bruce Lee’s Fighting Method: The Complete Edition	Chinese Gung Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self-Defense — Revised and Updated

As fate would have it, Gary Dill was transferred to Oakland after his stint in Vietnam, and he heard about the Oakland jeet kune do school the Lees were operating. Gary Dill was able to obtain James Yimm Lee’s mailing address, and he wrote the instructor a letter requesting a meeting for the purpose of training with him. A meeting time was arranged, and Gary Dill called on James Yimm Lee one Sunday afternoon. James Yimm Lee “interrogated” him for more than two hours, trying to get an idea of Gary Dill’s character and commitment to training.

After the “inquisition” was over, James Yimm Lee invited Gary Dill downstairs to his garage “studio.” This was the room where jeet kune do was born and developed. “I was in awe,” Gary Dill recalls.

On the wall adjacent to the garage door was an adjustable hanging bag, and custom, handmade training devices were positioned about the area — a hydraulic kicking machine, a one-armed training dummy, and much more. On the back wall was a traditional wing chun mook jong (wooden dummy). All the equipment appeared to be well-worn from extensive use. James Yimm Lee demonstrated how some of the equipment worked, and Gary Dill took that as a sign that James Yimm Lee was considering accepting him as a student.

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“I didn’t care if he put me on double life probation,” Gary Dill recalls. “I was accepted, and I was going to learn jeet kune do.”

On his first day of training in James Yimm Lee’s garage, Gary Dill joined four other students who were all karate instructors from a nearby city. They had been training with James Yimm Lee for a month or so.

James Yimm Lee showed the five students several techniques, then sat back and watched the students’ moves like an eagle. Nothing escaped his expert eyes; he was a thorough and detailed instructor. Gary Dill had practiced martial arts for years, but he had never experienced any combat training as effective as jeet kune do.

James Yimm Lee taught Gary Dill more efficient ways to execute kicks, how to develop speed and power in his hand strikes, how to trap an opponent’s hands, and a number of striking combinations.

“Training a month with James Lee was like training a year in a traditional school, the instruction was so intense, so accelerated,” Gary Dill says. “Everything was geared for actual combat — no forms, no sport, no rituals.”

But after one month of teaching Gary Dill, James Yimm Lee announced he was terminating all instruction because he was ill. The four karate instructors said goodbye to James Yimm Lee, who pulled Gary Dill aside and said he wanted to talk to him before he left.

James Yimm Lee waved to the four karate stylists as they were driving off, then said to Gary Dill, “Those sons of bitches! lf Bruce was here, he would kill ‘em,” explaining that he found out that the four were teaching jeet kune do in their karate school without permission and were telling their students that they were jeet kune do instructors.

James Yimm Lee proceeded to tell Gary Dill that he had been checking out all the students’ attitudes and sincerity over the past month and that Gary Dill was the only one of the five he wanted to keep as a student. Gary Dill continued to train with James Yimm Lee until he was discharged from the military some time later.

James Yimm Lee was a patient and cordial person, but he did not tolerate disloyalty or lack of dedication from his students. For example, before class one night, one of James Yimm Lee’s students was telling the others about how he had trained recently with some Chinese “master” at a city park. James Yimm Lee overheard the conversation but said nothing.

The student brought the subject of the “park master” up again during class, and James Yimm Lee asked him, “Have you ever seen this guy at the park do any techniques fast?” The student said, “No.” And James Yimm Lee calmly added, “Yeah, and you won’t either.”

Class continued on, and a few minutes later, the same student started bragging again about the so-called “master” in the park. A perturbed James Yimm Lee stopped the class and said, “I know that guy, and he is no master.”

When class was over, the bigmouth was at it again, bragging about the “master.” James Yimm Lee walked right up to his face and said, “You think that guy at the park is so good, you can train with him from now on because you will never train here again with me.”

Nobody wore any kind of formal uniforms to James Yimm Lee’s jeet kune do classes. In fact, James Yimm Lee usually wore a white dress shirt, pleated slacks and wingtip shoes while teaching.

Some students wore T-shirts, sweatpants and casual shoes. Others wore jeans, flannel shins and boots. There was no dress code. James Yimm Lee told the students that it is not what they wore but how well they performed their jeet kune do techniques that mattered.

James Yimm Lee died in December 1972 from lung cancer caused by welding fumes. While he was alive, he played an integral role in Bruce Lee’s life, as well as in the early development and teaching of Bruce’s jeet kune do. He became one of Bruce Lee’s closest friends, his mentor and his training partner.

And he was one of only three students Bruce Lee certified as instructors in his system. It is a legacy he would be proud of.

Taky Kimura (left) and Bruce Lee in a photo from the Tommy Gong book Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist.

The term Jun Fan jeet kune do was adopted in January 1996, during a landmark summit meeting in Seattle with Linda Lee Cadwell and Shannon Lee, along with many of Bruce’s first-generation students.

This meeting served as the precursor to the formation of the JFJKD Nucleus/Bruce Lee Educational Foundation. Actually, it was Shannon Lee’s suggestion to merge the two terms (Jun Fan gung fu and jeet kune do) to describe her father’s complete journey in martial arts, and everyone in attendance unanimously agreed.

Jun Fan jeet kune do serves as the definitive case study for Jun Fan gung fu and jeet kune do because it endeavors to give a clear and accurate picture of Bruce Lee’s legacy to martial arts — physically, scientifically and philosophically.

BRUCE LEE® and the Bruce Lee signature are registered trademarks of Bruce Lee Enterprises, LLC. The Bruce Lee name, image, likeness and all related indicia are intellectual property of Bruce Lee Enterprises, LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.brucelee.com.

Although Bruce Lee’s message prescribed having no boundaries when looking to improve one’s martial arts, it becomes increasingly important to document what he taught and practiced so future generations will have a chance to experience what the first-generation students did during their time with him. As a result, the art of Jun Fan jeet kune do showcases the common ground that first-generation students share so the historical reference and context of his evolution in the martial arts during his lifetime could be preserved.

When examining Lee’s personal notes and letters, and hearing the recollections from his students, one can discover the building blocks of jeet kune do. In this way, Lee’s body of work is basic source material, providing the beginning student some initial steps to study and explore, and a path to understanding JKD.

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Punctuated equilibrium appears to describe perfectly Bruce Lee’s methods because he was known to be inspired by something early on, only to drop it or even criticize it later. As he became enlightened through investigating various topics such as kinesiology (the science of movement), he came to fully understand how to use a certain fighting principle and then modified his methods accordingly. Furthermore, events such as an altercation in Oakland, wherein Lee was challenged by a Chinese martial artist, resulted in an abrupt change in Lee’s approach to the martial arts. Although he bested his opponent, Lee concluded the match lasted entirely too long due to his strict adherence to his previous training, and he immediately sought out more efficient combat methods.

Dan Inosanto (left) and Bruce Lee in a photo from the Tommy Gong book Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist.

In many ways, the exact timing of these inspirations is difficult to pin down, because much of what was happening to Lee was occurring simultaneously. For instance, he was already influenced by Western boxing and fencing in his early years in Hong Kong. The question is: When did certain elements come to full fruition in his development as a martial artist? Similar techniques were taught in all three schools, yet certain discoveries he found useful during his evolution were reflected in his private practice and training. Although it is convenient to chronicle Lee’s development by dividing it between his Seattle, Oakland and Los Angeles periods, much overlap exists between “eras” since he continued to have contact with students from all three. In fact, each era could be equally served by referencing the many students he had. Nevertheless, the three eras provide the reader points of reference for placing dates, events and Lee’s development into context so that each school provides a glimpse along the evolutionary path.

Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist	Black Belt Magazine: The Bruce Lee Collection	Chinese Gung Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self-Defense — Revised and Updated

One must realize that Lee studied physics, biomechanics, nutrition and training theory, and he used scientific methodology to validate what he was doing. He researched what he did not know, developed hypotheses, tested his theories using himself as the test subject and then concluded whether or not they worked. One could say that Lee used the science of combat when formulating his style of “no style.” It was not simply choosing what he liked or preferred, but rather what was proven to be the most effective. In this way, not only the “what” and “how” were learned, but also the “why.” Perhaps the need to understand “why” is the most important lesson he left us.

We can use JFJKD as an invaluable tool because it provides a point of reference when discussing Lee’s evolution and various interpretations of it presented through the years since his passing, whether we’re talking about wing chun, Jun Fan gung fu, jeet kune do, JKD concepts, original JKD, etc. During the mid-80s, there was dissension within the JKD family over the purity of the art versus the infusion of different martial arts based on one’s personal journey. Today the focus has shifted to how much wing chun was done in Seattle, Oakland or Los Angeles, but the same negative criticism still continues, despite its pointlessness.

The book Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist places the various elements of Lee’s earlier and later training in context on the JFJKD timeline. Although trapping techniques had less to do with JKD later on, it was a central theme in Lee’s martial art during the earlier and even middle period of his development, serving as a valuable foundation for Lee, and it deserves respect as a valid part of JKD history. Placing techniques such as the pak sao (block), the straight lead, and the side kick with its accompanying footwork along the JFJKD timeline should help the reader see things in better context.

Ted Wong and Bruce Lee in a photo from the Tommy Gong book Bruce Lee: Evolution of a Martial Artist.

Although Lee did not like to refer to jeet kune do as a style or system, his martial arts movements had a distinct character or flavor. Hence, the balancing act is not to forget his message of liberation and freedom, while being sure to recognize his many other contributions, large and small, so the complete picture of his life can be fully appreciated. In the spirit of being neither “for” nor “against” what JKD is, Jun Fan jeet kune do serves as the two halves of one whole, just like yin and yang, in joining together Lee’s legacies in martial arts, from the physical, technical and scientific to the philosophical principles eliminating the notion of self and ego, being like water, and adapting to “what is.”

Editor’s Note: “A lot happened in the jeet kune do world during the past 10 years,” as Bob Landers wrote in his introduction to the printed version of this interview, originally published in the May 2008 issue of Black Belt magazine. At the time, Landers wrote, it was “fitting for Ted Wong, the man many consider the foremost authority on Bruce Lee’s art, to go on the record.” During the course of his interview with Ted Wong — who, sadly, passed away on November 24, 2010 — Landers’ goal was to “ask the questions that [had been] on the minds of martial artists but that [hadn't] been addressed by a person of Wong’s clout.” Ted Wong, age 70 at the time, was still engaged in enhancing his physical ability and intellectual understanding of JKD. In fact, his lifetime of contributions got him inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame as the 2006 Man of the Year. At the time of this interview, Ted Wong still “tirelessly toured the world, educating students on the finer points of Lee’s legacy and honoring the memory of his teacher and friend.” And so it is, through revisiting classic interviews such as this, that Black Belt honors the memory of Lee’s student and friend, Ted Wong.

What was your life like before you met Bruce Lee?

I was very busy making a living and raising a family. I was interested in martial arts from an early age. I later became interested in boxing, which I watched on TV quite regularly. When I compared boxing to martial arts, I felt boxing was more realistic. I no longer had an interest in learning martial arts — until I met Bruce Lee.

In 1967 you trained at Bruce Lee’s Los Angeles school and with him privately. Shortly thereafter, you began training exclusively at his home. How did that come about?

When I started training at the Chinatown school, I had no prior experience in martial arts. Bruce Lee saw that I was short on skill and knowledge, but I think he recognized that I had heart, that I was dedicated and hardworking. He felt sorry for me because I was the guy that had little knowledge and skill compared to the rest of the group — some of them were black belts and boxing champions. Also, he found that I came from Hong Kong, and we spoke the same language. That’s another reason we became good friends.

You’ve stated that the two of you shared an interest in old-time boxing from the 1920s.

One time, Bruce was reading an encyclopedia of boxing, and he would ask me questions out of it — trivia questions, like the nicknames of champions. He was surprised that I knew the answers. Even though I had no experience in boxing, I had a lot of knowledge of boxing. I read a lot of magazines that had to do with it and knew the history of the champions. This was another reason he took me in. Later on, I found out that boxing was one of the subjects that Bruce was heavily interested in. JKD evolved along the lines of boxing and fencing.

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Was the material taught at the school different from what he taught you privately?

It was quite different from what he taught me privately, mainly because the school had a set curriculum, a lesson plan. The school’s material was a little more wing chun oriented. I discovered during the private sessions that what he taught me was what he was working on at that time. It was quite a departure from the more classical teaching offered at the school. The private teaching was more of the jeet kune do he was evolving into.

Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist	Black Belt Magazine: The Bruce Lee Collection	Chinese Gung Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self-Defense — Revised and Updated

Specifically, how was the art evolving?

In 1967, the early stages of JKD, there was still a heavy wing chun influence in his art. Then he refined and simplified what he was doing, especially the stance. If you look at the stance in 1967 and then in 1971, you can see how he had streamlined it and made it more efficient. In 1967 his art was still wing chun oriented, and the stance was more square and open to allow for traps such as pak sao, lop sao and so on. As he evolved, he realized trapping wasn’t that efficient and didn’t fit his evolving structure of fighting. When he changed his stance to be more speed oriented, he pretty much eliminated the trapping. If you understand his JKD philosophy of simplicity and directness, [you can understand that] trapping was complex and not very direct. It also included a lot of passive moves — for example, taking several moves to get the job done.

So with the stance change, did trapping and the four-corner parry no longer match the direction he was heading?

The later stance is more for mobility and evasiveness, doing away with the need to parry or block. The earlier stance was good for four-corner-type moves, but it took you away from the power line. The principle of JKD is to not waste motion. Blocking and hitting at the same time is preferred over blocking and then hitting, which takes away your leverage and your power source. The later stance is designed for longer range, allowing you to use interception as the preferred way; thus, it’s much faster.

Click here to read Part 2!

Editor’s Note:The interview from which this segment is adapted was originally printed in the May 2008 issue of Black Belt magazine. (You can read Part 1 here.) At the time, interviewer Bob Landers wrote, it was “fitting for Ted Wong, the man many consider the foremost authority on Bruce Lee’s art, to go on the record.” During the course of his interview with Ted Wong — who, sadly, passed away on November 24, 2010 — Landers’ goal was to “ask the questions that [had been] on the minds of martial artists but that [hadn't] been addressed by a person of Wong’s clout.” Ted Wong, age 70 at the time, was still evolving in his physical and intellectual understanding of JKD and still “tirelessly toured the world, educating students on the finer points of Lee’s legacy and honoring the memory of his teacher and friend.” And so it is, through revisiting classic interviews such as this, that Black Belt honors the memory of Lee’s student and friend — and its own Hall of Fame’s 2006 Man of the Year — Ted Wong.

You’re one of three people known to have received a JKD certificate from Bruce Lee. How did this come about?

It was a very special moment for me. One evening, I walked into Bruce’s house for a lesson. He pointed to the table and said, “This is for you; you should be very proud of it as I don’t give many of these out.” I realized it was a certificate in jeet kune do. I felt very proud and was at a loss for words.

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What were the private training sessions like?

Often, the private lessons were about working on what he wanted or what he was working on at that time. He might use me as a sounding board — for example, he might perform a certain kick and ask me about the speed, power and timing. Sometimes he would work with me on something I was lacking; I recall working on the side kick for two months. Sometimes we would work on fun things like movie choreography: timing, selling the shot, reaction and camera angles. We didn’t do a lot of physical training together, but he did set up a program for me to work on my strength. It had weightlifting, and sometimes he would show me specific exercises to work on for punching and kicking strength, and sometimes after the sessions he would take me running.

Do you recall any social events the two of you shared?

I have many fond memories of Bruce besides training. Many times after training, we would have a cold drink and discuss martial arts and philosophy. We went to movies and restaurants, and he liked to make trips to bookstores. He invited me, Herb Jackson and James Lee to visit him in Hong Kong in December 1972. James Lee was quite ill at that time and couldn’t make it, so Herb and I took the trip to Hong Kong and stayed at Bruce’s house for a couple of weeks. One of the funny things was that Bruce asked us to bring training equipment because he had nothing to train with. So Herb and I packed our suitcases full of training gear and didn’t pack any clothing or personal items. We figured we would get necessities when we got there.

TO BE CONTINUED …

Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist	Black Belt Magazine: The Bruce Lee Collection	Chinese Gung Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self-Defense — Revised and Updated

Editor’s Note: The interview from which this segment is adapted was originally printed in the May 2008 issue of Black Belt magazine. (You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.) At the time, interviewer Bob Landers wrote, it was “fitting for Ted Wong, the man many consider the foremost authority on Bruce Lee’s art, to go on the record.” During the course of his interview with Ted Wong — who, sadly, passed away on November 24, 2010 — Bob Landers’ goal was to “ask the questions that [had been] on the minds of martial artists but that [hadn't] been addressed by a person of Ted Wong’s clout.” Ted Wong, age 70 at the time, was still evolving in his physical and intellectual understanding of JKD and still “tirelessly toured the world, educating students on the finer points of Bruce Lee’s legacy and honoring the memory of his teacher and friend.” And so it is, through revisiting classic interviews such as this, that Black Belt honors the memory of Bruce Lee’s student and friend — and its own Hall of Fame’s 2006 Man of the Year — Ted Wong.

Bruce Lee studied wing chun for years. Why do you think he ultimately abandoned it?

Bruce learned wing chun as a youngster for about four years, so what he taught early on was basically wing chun. When he came to America, it really opened up his thinking, and he was able to look into many different martial arts, as well as boxing and fencing. He began looking into ways to modify wing chun, asking himself, “What is the best way to use two arms and two legs?”

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After a fight in Oakland, California, with a kung fu man from Hong Kong in 1965, Bruce realized there were a lot of limitations in wing chun. He felt he should have finished the fight in a matter of seconds instead of three minutes. This was a real turning point, and he started to examine more deeply his system as well as his physical conditioning. I think this event led to the birth of jeet kune do and an even further departure from wing chun. His wing chun base was acting like a ball and chain to his growth. He began to look for a better way — and that’s when boxing and fencing came in. When Bruce dropped wing chun and changed the stance, that’s when he excelled.

Some people insist that Lee could never really escape his wing chun roots and that the key to JKD lies in wing chun mechanics.

People who say that have no real understanding of Bruce’s art, or they’re saying that to promote their own art at the expense of Bruce Lee. The statement is ridiculous because Bruce had the physical and intellectual ability to change and adapt. The late Ed Parker, who was a close friend of Bruce’s, once said the first time he’d show Bruce something, Bruce could perform it as [well as Parker could], and the second time he could perform it better. Bruce once told me that to become a good fighter, the No. 1 thing is the ability to adapt.

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Most people don’t know that Lee lived with you for two weeks in your small apartment. How did you and his Great Dane get along?

The reason Bruce and his family stayed with me was the house he was going to move into wouldn’t be ready for two weeks and he had to be out of the house he was living in right away. Bruce told me he was going to have to move his family and dog to the school. I said, “Why not stay at my place?” Linda and Brandon had my bedroom, Bruce slept on my couch and I slept on a mattress on the floor. The big dog wanted to sleep with me. I would push him away, but he kept coming back. After a while, I gave up and said, “OK, you can sleep with me.” (laughs)

TO BE CONTINUED

Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist	Black Belt Magazine: The Bruce Lee Collection	Chinese Gung Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self-Defense — Revised and Updated

Editor’s Note: The interview from which this segment is adapted was originally printed in the May 2008 issue of Black Belt magazine. (You can read Part 1 here, Part 2 here and Part 3 here). At the time, interviewer Bob Landers wrote, it was “fitting for Ted Wong, the man many consider the foremost authority on Bruce Lee’s art, to go on the record.” During the course of his interview with Ted Wong — who, sadly, passed away on November 24, 2010 — Bob Landers’ goal was to “ask the questions that [had been] on the minds of martial artists but that [hadn't] been addressed by a person of Ted Wong’s clout.” Ted Wong, age 70 at the time, was still evolving in his physical and intellectual understanding of JKD and still “tirelessly toured the world, educating students on the finer points of Bruce Lee’s legacy and honoring the memory of his teacher and friend.” And so it is, through revisiting classic interviews such as this, that Black Belt honors the memory of Bruce Lee’s student and friend — and its own Hall of Fame’s 2006 Man of the Year — Ted Wong.

You were present at many of James Coburn and Steve McQueen’s lessons — any interesting stories there?

On occasion, I was with Bruce during their sessions. James Coburn was more philosophically oriented. Bruce could be very philosophical, and I think this was the main draw for James.

I saw more of Steve McQueen. One time Bruce took me to Steve’s house in Westwood, Los Angeles. His house was built like an 18th-century castle. We would work out in the big courtyard, which had sandstone rock with a rough surface. Steve tripped and cut open his big toe, and there was this big piece of flesh hanging there. It was a bloody mess, and Bruce said we’d better stop. Steve said, “No, let’s keep on training.” Steve was tough and very physically oriented.

Joe Lewis once said you were an old and close friend of his and the only student of Lee’s he ever met while Lee was alive.

Quite often Joe Lewis would come to train with Bruce [while] I was there. Joe was an excellent martial artist and the top tournament fighter at that time. Bruce was working with him on how to improve his technique for tournaments, so sometimes I would work with him. Usually when Joe would come for training, he was very serious, but sometimes he’d be in a joking mood and we’d have a little fun. Later on, Joe became the full-contact champion. Some 20 years after Bruce passed away, Joe and I connected again, taught some seminars together and became very good friends.

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After Lee passed away, you must have had a void in your life. How did you go about putting JKD together to the degree that you have?

For me, it wasn’t easy continuing his art after he passed away because I had lost a teacher and wasn’t sure which way to go. Fortunately, I had my good friend Herb Jackson, who was also a longtime student of Bruce Lee, so we worked together on what we’d learned — mostly physical techniques. I managed to stay with what I learned from Bruce and never looked into other arts.

I also began to research his writings. It took me about 15 years to really understand what jeet kune do was all about and even more time to develop my skill. I really put a lot of time into it. Bruce left behind a lot of information, which served as a road map, but you have to study it and work at it to make it all come together. Through teaching for the past 15 years, I learned a lot about JKD and myself.

In your studies, did you discover things that Lee never taught you?

Having spent as much time as I have — 30 to 40 years — studying jeet kune do, I discovered many things in the art itself which Bruce never taught me. These are things within the structure of jeet kune do. Innovation is about understanding the inner workings [of the art]. When you understand this, you can further simplify. Everything I learned wasn’t from an outside source; it was inside JKD. Any discoveries I made were already contained within the art as Bruce designed it. Bruce’s notes and writings provide a road map, so by sticking to his principles, it’s still jeet kune do.

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14 Life Lessons: Kenpo and JKD Expert Dan Inosanto
Remembers His Martial Journey

Have you ever heard the term “jeet kune do lite”?

I heard of it back in 2001. What this particular JKD teacher meant was that most people were teaching a watered-down version of JKD. He was saying that people were over-commercializing JKD, kind of like a fast-food version of it. He was implying that people were motivated by greed, etc.

Some people charge from $2,000 to $4,000 for a two- to five-day course, after which the participants are certified as instructors.

I think Bruce Lee would turn over in his grave knowing people charge that kind of money for so little training and then promote people to be instructors of his art. The practice is absurd and motivated by greed. It takes years of training and practice to understand the art of JKD and be able to teach. If an instructor certifies someone after just one seminar, it shows a lack of integrity and respect toward the art and the martial arts in general.

What was Lee’s greatest gift to you?

I received so much from him; by nature, he was a giver, not a receiver. He spent all his life giving of himself and of his knowledge. I didn’t realize until many years later the magnitude of what I received from him. It took me many years to understand his art and realize that his art doesn’t just apply to martial arts; it applies to how you conduct yourself in all aspects of life. What I learned from his teaching — efficiency and other things — led to self-confidence, self-reliance and self-sufficiency. These are the greatest gifts I received from him.

Lee has been gone a long time. Do you still miss him?

Oh, yes. I miss him, but at the same time, he’s still here [even though] he’s out of sight physically. When I teach, read his notes or practice, I feel like he’s there with me. Of course, I miss his physical self, but I feel his presence. Even now, he’s still here teaching me.

Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist	Black Belt Magazine: The Bruce Lee Collection	Tao of Jeet Kune Do: Expanded Edition

Ask any martial artist to name the best-selling martial arts book of all time, and chances are he or she will say Tao of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee.

What many martial arts enthusiasts and Bruce Lee fans don’t know is that this landmark book wasn’t a simple publishing project. In fact, its path to print was a veritable roller-coaster ride.

The following are some of the highlights as reported in Black Belt magazine.

•          November 1970 issue — Bruce Lee suspends work on a project he’s been fine-tuning for years. It was to have been titled Tao of Jeet Kune Do.

•          December 1970 issue — “Several years ago, we announced that Bruce Lee was working on a book called Tao of Jeet Kune Do,” a Black Belt writer says. “Unfortunately, Bruce got sidetracked from writing it, and even though it was almost completed, he has decided not to have it published.”

•          February 1971 issue — Martial artists launch a letter-writing campaign to convince Lee to change his mind and have the book published. The effect the letters have on Lee is not mentioned.

•          July 20, 1973 — Bruce Lee passes away in Hong Kong.

•          October 1975 issue — The staff of Black Belt, under the leadership of Gilbert Johnson, puts the finishing touches on the Tao. The first ad for the book is run.

•          November 1975 issue — A four-page story in Black Belt reveals how the book was compiled.

“When Linda Lee introduced Gil Johnson and said he was going to put Bruce’s book together for publication, we were all a little skeptical,” Dan Inosanto says. “We figured, since he had studied different styles, that he would interpret everything in terms of what he already knew and make JKD another style. But he didn’t. He worked out with us, and he was open-minded all the way. The way he put the book together was fantastic. People need some kind of organization to relate, to understand what they’re reading, and he gave them that, but he didn’t limit what Bruce was saying.”

•          December 1975 issue — The first Tao ad appears, offering the book for $6.95. History is about to be made.

•          January 1976 issue — An ad campaign for a deluxe edition of the book begins. “If you’re really a Bruce Lee fan, you will want this distinguished, hardbound edition of his Tao of Jeet Kune Do,” the text announces. The book sports a hard cover and is “bound in rich leatherette with a gold stamped signature.” It sells for $9.95.

•          January 2007 issue — It’s announced that a limited-edition, hard-cover version of the Tao will go on sale soon. It comes with a hard cloth slipcase and a numbered certificate signed by Linda Lee Cadwell and Shannon Lee.

•          November 1, 2011 — After extensive consultation with Shannon Lee, Tao of Jeet Kune Do: Expanded Edition is released as a paper book and an e-book. It includes digitally enhanced, hand-drawn illustrations by Bruce Lee, never-before-seen Chinese translations, framed training aids and exercises, a brief history of the book, and other improvements overseen by Shannon Lee. Go here to order.

(“Bruce Lee” is a registered trademark of Bruce Lee Enterprises LLC. The Bruce Lee name, image and likeness are intellectual property of Bruce Lee Enterprises LLC.)