The Evolution of JKD

which his fighting method developed.

After meeting and becoming close friends with a man named Taky Kimura, the first Bruce Lee martial arts kwoon was formed. This school operated in the basement of a grocery store owned by Mr. Kimura. Teaching Americans of all nationalities, he focused on a modified version of Wing Chun Gung Fu. His given Chinese name being Jun Fan, he called this method Jun Fun Gung Fu.

After a long stay in Seattle, he and Linda moved to Oakland California. They lived in the home of James Lee, also another Gung Fu practitioner. He and James Lee grew to be very close. They worked out together extensively and further modified what was becoming JKD as we know it today. It was here that the second school of Jun Fan Gung Fu was to be in operation. The main focus was,

again, reality, simplicity, and directness. In fact, the reality was to such a degree that they never wore gloves or any other safety equipment while training.(including during sparring sessions!).

After some time in Oakland, Bruce's career as an actor was on an up swing. He relocated to Los Angeles. It was here that the phrase Jeet Kune Do was coined. He had modified his fighting method so drastically that it was no longer rooted in Wing Chun. Therefore it deserved a name of its own. Jeet Kune Do, or The Way of the Intercepting Fist, had become unique in its application. It bore no resemblance to any other form of martial arts.

In China Town L.A. the third school was opened. This kwoon was, unlike the others in that it was a school of JKD and not Jun Fan Gung Fu. Appointed as the main instructor was Dan Inosanto. Mr. Inosanto was chosen because of his previous teaching experience and his knowledge of the martial arts, as a black belt under Ed Parker. The majority of students of this school were also black belts in American Kempo. Almost everyone had previous back round in the martial arts, with the exception of one, Ted Wong.

In the final stages of JKD, up until his tragic death, Bruce defined JKD as containing elements from three different influences. Western Boxing, of which he was an avid fan, Wing Chun, and Fencing. Much of his earlier training methods fell to the wayside as being seen to be unnecessary to the whole. Wooden Dummy training, Chi sao, and the forms of Wing Chun became things of the past. JKD stood alone as Bruce Lee's fighting method.

Bruce Lee received the majority of his early martial arts training in Hong Kong under a man named Yip Man. From Yip Man he learned a system of Gung Fu called Wing Chun. He studied this method for several years and became very proficient. Although he had exposure to other forms of Gung Fu, at this time he was primarily a Wing Chun practitioner.

Upon his arrival to the United States in 1959, he settled in Seattle Washington. He continued to practice Wing Chun and began teaching classes to fellow students of the university in which he attended. Through these classes he met many people who would later become very significant in his life. One of them, and probably the most important, was Linda Emery, who later became Linda Lee, his wife. Without her support throughout his life he may not have become the man we know.

His performance in public demonstrations and television appearances drew the attention of other martial artists in the surrounding area. He quickly made a name for himself due to his extensive knowledge of the martial arts at such a young age. At this time he was only 18 years old. Even at this early stage of his martial arts career he denounced the "classical mess" created by traditional martial arts systems. He maintained a clear and

conscious separation between reality and fantasy when it came to combat. Simplicity and directness became the frame work from