Martial arts legend Bruce Lee created the modern Jeet Kune Do. It is a martial art incorporating elements of kung fu, fencing, and boxing. Jeet Kune Do translated as ‘Way of the Intercepting Fist’. It is a hybrid martial arts philosophy. In 1967, Bruce Lee developed the martial art reacting against what he saw as old-fashioned martial arts that had little to do with real world combat. This martial art doesn’t care about the consequences of the counterattack used in self-defence. Today we shall discuss Jeet Kune Do’s impacts and effectiveness.
Reason JKD banned in MMA:
As a matter of fact, Jeet Kune Do is not a sport or competition martial art. It was designed strictly for use in self-defence situations. Untoward situations could happen anywhere. There are no rules in street fighting. When life is in danger, you must do whatever it takes to survive and go home alive. In such a case, indiscriminate strikes to the eyes, throat and groyne seem appropriate. Also, kicks to the knees and shins that have the capacity to cripple or break the legs of the attackers. Bruce Lee gave profound thought to devise devastating attacking methods to annihilate the enemies. It looks like Bruce Lee’s invention KJD is as fatal as Krav Maga.
Bruce Lee said, “The leading straight punch is the backbone of all punching in Kune Do”. Bruce Lee dies in Hong Kong at age 32 from a brain edema, most probably taking painkillers for a long time. The legend is an incredible fighter in real life and an invincible hero in Hollywood movies.
JKD Effectiveness In MMA:
As MMA itself incorporates all popular martial arts techniques used worldwide, the use of JKD seems controversial in MMA fights. Since MMA fighting is the fastest growing sport, it requires more and more disciplines to make it more popular. Whereas Jeet Kune Do is an enraging dynamic and explosive martial art that flows through all ranges. It develops the body, mind, and spirit by fusing physical movements with philosophy as Bruce Lee intended and designed. It has no rules. Damaging others is its rule. JKD is still taught today though. It is one of the martial arts that many MMA fighters learn for the aspect of anticipating an opponent. Owing to the flexibility of the style, trainers train their students in JKD differently. The World JKD Federation seeks to promote the philosophy developed by Bruce Lee’s original art. Jeet Kune Do is a primarily wing chun kung fu inspired eclectic martial arts philosophy. The basic guiding principles of JKD are: Simplicity, Directness and Freedom. The techniques and philosophies of JKD can be applied to real combat as well as challenging real life situations. It is heavily influenced and adapted by the Taoist personal life philosophy and experiences of Bruce Lee.
MMA is already an extreme kind of martial art, JKD whose intention is not a sport. It is used in self-defence. So there are no rules to apply the techniques to the assailants. As the street attackers have no respect for the victims. They do whatever they want to, including murdering,robbing, and sexual assault, the use of JKD is perfect for them, not for MMA fights as it is not originated out of spirit of sports. Having said that, good things about JKD can be taken while bad things should be rejected.