Hi Guys!
There are certain principles that should be observed in order for what you are doing to be Jeet Kune Do! These guiding principles are the keys to making Jeet Kune Do work as Bruce Lee intended for it to. In other words, they give it the necessary structure. Power side forward is one of these principles. There are several elements that make Jeet Kune Do what it is. Without the inclusion of these elements, it is not Jeet Kune Do. It is just kickboxing!
There IS a definite structure to this art! A way to stand (bai jong), footwork (push shuffle, sidestep, pendulum shuffle, lunge, etc.), hand techniques (chung chuie, bil jee, qua chuie, oou chuie, etc.), leg techniques (jik tek, juk tek, oou tek, hou tek, dum tek, etc.), lin sil die dar (simultaneous defense and attack), chi sao (sticking hands), phon sao (trapping hands), Bruce Lee's Five Ways of Attack (SDA/SAA, ABC, PIA, HIA, ABD) and so on! The old "well anything I want to call Jeet Kune Do is Jeet Kune do" is a load of crap! Too many hold on to all of the philosophical things they have read that were stated by Bruce Lee. One thing that most people fail to realize is that most of the things that have been published as Bruce Lee's writings are actually just notes that he took from various other publications. This has recently been proven, and brought into the light by a book that was written by my good friend James Bishop! Many people have been shocked to find out just how much of the material published as Bruce Lee's writings were not actually his at all, but notes taken from other sources! The stuff that has been published as his writings was never intended for publication! Too many people take things out of context based on the importance they place on certain writings! Most of these people felt like complete idiots when they found all of this out! Most of what was in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do would have never been published had Bruce Lee lived! IT WAS HIS NOTES!NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS!
That's why I get so sick and tired of reading all of this philosophical stuff posted on the forums by so many people to try and back up their horribly mis-conceived notions as to what Jeet Kune Do is! Jeet Kune Do is a highly scientific method of self defense, based on highly effective, solid scientific principles that will remain constant from now until the end of time! This is THE TRUTH whether anyone likes it or not!
You mentioned Dan Inosanto. Even Dan Inosanto keeps Jeet Kune Do separate from the other arts he teaches, and actually has a Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do class at his academy. He recognizes that it has a structure!
BRUCE LEE'S JEET KUNE DO
Power Side Forward
Bai Jong Position (Small Phasic Bent Knee Stance)
Centerline Preservation
Maximum Economy of Structure
Simplification Over Complication
Light, Quick, Explosive Footwork
Shifty, Alive, Evasive Body Movements
Dynamic Entering Techniques
Longest Weapon to Nearest Target
Emphasis On Interception
Straight and Curved Line Attacks
Aggressive Attack Empasized Over Defense
Lin Sil Die Dar (Simultaneous Defense & Attack)
Bruce Lee's Five Ways of Attack
There is a specific progression to the training! The bottom line is, IF YOU ARE NOT DOING THESE THINGS & FOLLOWING THESE PRINCIPLES, THEN YOU ARE NOT DOING JEET KUNE DO! It's just that simple!
It amazes me how there are so many "JKD wannabe's" out there that are willing to say or do anything to try to convince someone that they know what they are talking about and know how to teach Bruce Lee's art! The truth of the matter is that they don't have the slightest clue what JKD really is! Jeet Kune Do is not a "smorgasboard" of martial arts techniques randomly thrown together! It is not a "be whatever you want it to be" martial art! That is WRONG! And to follow that approach and tell someone you are teaching Jeet Kune Do is WRONG! HORRIBLY WRONG! If that is what you are doing, then CALL IT SOMETHING ELSE! IT IS NOT JEET KUNE DO! This is not what Bruce Lee was doing, and this is certainly not where he was headed with the development of his art! He was still chiselling away the inessential elements of combat, not constantly adding "this art" or "that art" to what he was doing!
I hope I have not offended anyone with this post, as that is not my intention! I just get tired of all of the misconceptions as to what TRUE Jeet Kune Do is! I have been training in this art for thirty years! Trust me, I know what I am doing!