Jeet Kune Do: Is it Really Useful and Effective?
When looking for a martial art to learn, you will most likely hear about Jeet Kune Do. Jeet Kune Do is a martial art made by Bruce Lee. Since Bruce Lee is a famous martial artist, when he made Jeet Kune Do, a lot of people are interested. But, is Jeet Kune Do really useful? Is it effective? As you probably know, a lot of Chinese Martial Arts are mostly just flashy moves. But let’s find more about JKD.
Jeet Kune Do is really useful and effective if used as a form of self-defense. Its moves are energy efficient which means that their moves are effective but don’t require much energy. Furthermore, it is built with actual fights in mind instead of competition which means that it’s effective as a form of self-defense.
It will be rare to see flashy moves in Jeet Kune Do. They only want the best moves in actual matches. In this article, I am going to discuss Jeet Kune Do’s effectiveness and usefulness especially where will it be useful, and where it will not. Furthermore, since I already introduced Chinese Martial Arts (CMA), you might be interested in the differences between JKD and Kung Fu. Here is my article if you’re interested: Is Jeet Kune DO Kung Fu?
Is Jeet Kune Do actually useful?
Jeet Kune Do is actually useful as a form of self-defense. This is because it is specially built for street fighting. Furthermore, Jeet Kune Do is also useful in conserving energy since it doesn’t really have flashy moves. However, it can’t be very useful in competition such as UFC since some moves in JKD are not allowed in UFC or MMA
Well, Jeet Kune Do is actually useful depending on the user.
What is the goal? Is it to join UFC? Is it just for self-defense?
It is to train your body?
I hope you get what I mean.
In my opinion, if your goal is for exercise and self-defense, then Jeet Kune Do is good for you.
However, take note that some of its moves are not allowed in competitions so it might not be good to study this as your first martial art.
However, there are veteran UFC fighters who learned JKD as a supplement to their current fighting style such as McGregor.
That’s why its usefulness will depend on where you will use it.
Jeet Kune Do can actually be very useful like any other martial arts.
Why is Jeet Kune Do actually Useful?
Jeet Kune Do is a philosophy. Jun Fan Gung Fu, a mixed martial technique that Bruce Lee used and still teaches today.
It is extremely beneficial if properly learned, as it is a combination of martial arts rather than a single style.
No art is better than another, yet one may be more suited at one time and inappropriate at another.
That’s why Jeet Kune Do is a combination of multiple martial arts.
It also eliminates the formalities of the arts in favor of economy, simplicity, and speed. The type of training you receive is entirely dependent on your instructor.
Jeet Kune Do can be quite useful, but you must train and practice on a regular basis, usually with sparring partners because, in an actual fight, you are fighting a human, not air or punching bags.
Is Jeet Kune Do really effective?
Jeet Kune Do is really effective as a form of self-defense and exercise. Some of their moves are explosive so it can be a good workout. Furthermore, their moves are from adopting the best moves from multiple martial arts making it ideal in self-defense.
Jeet Kune Do is definitely effective in many areas.
Jeet Kune Do was created by Bruce Lee for street fighting, but many of the techniques have proven to be quite successful in mixed martial arts.
The first is a method that took a long time to gain popularity.
However, once it did, it proved to be extremely effective.
Long-range fighters like Conor McGregor, who want to keep the distance and dart in and out, use Bruce Lee’s quick advance sidekick to the knee, which follows Lee’s principle of longest weapon to the nearest target.
the oblique kick was another favorite of Bruce Lee’s when it came to leg kicks.
The oblique kick, which has just recently gained popularity and is utilized by fighters such as Jon Jones, stops combatants as they enter the ring and wears down their legs.
This kick was a staple of Savate, an important old French kickboxing style Lee discovered.
They used to compete with steel tips boots and hence preferred to strike with their toes, but Bruce advocates striking with your heel in his book, the Tao of JKD.
As you can see, a lot of moves of JKD is ideal for self-defense scenario. However, due to its focus on street fighting, it is not ideal for competitive scenes.
For example, strikes are usually not allowed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so you can’t use a lot of JKD moves in a BJJ match.
“Research your own experience. Absorb what is useful. Reject what is useless. Add what is essentially your own. “
Bruce Lee
Now, let’s have a brief introduction to Jeet Kune Do.
What is Jeet Kune Do?
Jeet Kune Do is a prominent martial art that places a greater emphasis on philosophy and real fighting skills over rigid movements and patterns.
Though the methods of Jeet Kune Do differ from one instructor to the next, they always have the same goal: to prepare the pupil for realistic fighting scenarios by avoiding telegraphed moves and keeping the opponent off balance.
Bruce Lee, the legendary martial artist, founded Jeet Kune Do in 1967.
He established Jeet Kune Do to stress adaptability and fluid combat routines that could be employed in a variety of settings, in response to what he perceived as stale traditional martial arts that had nothing to do with the real-world conflict.
He aspired to establish a martial art that was “like water,” i.e., fluid and adaptable. He stressed the significance of striking without telegraphing one’s move in order to create an element of surprise that confuses the opponent.
Be like water:
Every situation, whether in combat or in everyday life, is unique, according to Lee. To win, it is considered that it is necessary to be flexible and adaptable to any situation rather than inflexible.
Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water, as Lee put it.
When you fill a cup with water, the cup becomes the cup. When you fill a bottle with water, it becomes the bottle. When you put it in a teapot, it transforms into a teapot. Water can now either flow or crash.
His thought was that one must be able to operate in any situation they find themselves in and react appropriately.
When to speed up or slow down, when to expand and when to contract, when to keep flowing and when to crash are all important skills to have.
It is the recognition that both life and combat can be shapeless and ever-changing that allows one to instantly adjust to those changes and present the best option.
Lee did not believe in styles, believing that each person and situation is unique and that no one fits into a box; one must remain adaptable in order to gain new knowledge and achieve triumph in both life and fighting.
It is considered that one should never stay static in one’s mind or practice, but rather should always evolve and improve oneself.
Conclusion
You can only make it as good as you want it to be. You can’t be invincible with a style or a system. It’s all up to you, the practitioner, and your mindset.
In the end, it’s up to you to figure out how to make JKD work for you. Is the information you’re gaining useful? Effective? Are you a flexible person? Quick? Open-minded? When you start to honestly evaluate yourself, you’ll be able to see if Jeet Kune Do is good for you.
