Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do: Five words that only a few years ago meant so much to so many people. Yet now, the late action stars art seems to be dying a slow and painful death. Life long fans of his movies are drifting towards new stars such as Jet Lee. JKD practitioners who once revered the art as the ultimate in self-defense are defecting like so many others to the mixed martial arts craze. Why has the art of the supreme master fallen to the shadows of martial arts mediocrity? One word: POLITICS. No other martial art has endured the political tsunami that Lee’s art has since “the way of no way” slowly reared its head in the late 70’s to the general public and rose to prominence in the early 80’s. Before the term “JKD Concepts” was coined, Lee’s art was simply known as Jeet Kune Do. After Lee’s alleged top man (Dan Inosanto) decided that his own promise not to teach Jeet Kune Do to the masses did not apply to his own students, the JKD feeding frenzy began. Twenty-six arts, Filipino influence, Silat instructors, certifications all signed on the same day…things weren’t adding up. With the addition of second and third generation practitioners looking to make a name for their selves, Bruce Lee’s art of Jeet Kune Do had become a minefield, with explosions waiting around every corner. In this book, The Death Of Jeet Kune Do: In Memory of a Once Fluid Martial Art, I will trace the history of Bruce Lee back to his roots in Wing Chun and analyze his relationships and training at Yip Man’s kwoon. Lee’s training partners and teachers read like an issue of Inside Kung Fu with such notables as: William Cheung, Hawkins Cheung, Wong Sheung Leung, Victor Kan and the legendary Yip Man. From there we will follow Lee to his three main stomping grounds in America: Seattle, Oakland and Los Angeles. In between these stays in the USA are also significant trips that Lee took back to Hong Kong where he came face to face with his instructors and fellow Wing Chun classmates from the past. These meetings did not always end with a smile and a handshake. Each school that Lee taught at will be examined as well as the students who were present at the time. Lee’s relationships with Karate’s’ big three: Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis and Mike Stone will also be reviewed. A brief look into Lee’s rise to stardom and his impact on the martial arts industry will then be followed with a look at the controversies and broken relationships that have resulted over the past 35 years in this art known as Jeet Kune Do. Every story has antagonists, protagonist and several “bit players”. This book will cover all the personalities that make up Jeet Kune Do including its instructors, practitioners, biographers, historians, casualties, etc. No stone will be left unturned…for better or for worse.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 22:38:10 +0000
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