three philosophical combat concepts — self-knowledge,
perception and strategy — in a way that will enable you
to elevate your practice, regardless of your art.Self-Knowledge
In The Art of War, Sun Tzu wrote, “Know yourself and
know your enemy, and you are sure to succeed.” He knew
that the martial arts were about much more than fighting.
They’re about self-discovery. They’re designed to guide
us on a journey that promises to reveal the cause of our
ignorance, a journey that can help us answer the age-old
question, Who am I?
To understand who you are, you need to continually
reflect on your experiences. You have to study your
victories and defeats, then develop an understanding of
the conditions, emotions, environments and opponentseet kune do, or “way of the intercepting fist,” is
Bruce Lee’s gift to the martial arts world. It’s
always been my opinion, however, that to fully
grasp its concepts, philosophies and fighting
methods, one already must possess advanced
skills. Recall that most of Lee’s original students were
experienced in karate, taekwondo, boxing and kenpo.
To intercept an opponent’s movements, thoughts and
emotions as taught in JKD is a high-level concept. It
requires great control of your body and an ability to read
that person’s movements with the intent to deceive. You
must be able to empty your mind and become formless.
There is precious little time to think. A skilled JKD prac-
titioner is a master strategist who always seeks out the
opponent’s weaknesses while avoiding his strengths.
I wrote this article to demystify one small portion of
the vast system we know as jeet kune do. I will share
50 BLACKBELTMAG.COM § AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019