There are people in this world, who says that JKD is not a martial art at all, it is just a modification of wing chun or some good thought on a martial way and You shouldn't mention JKD at all.

This is opinion of my wing chun instructor and of all members of certain wing chun association and I heard the same thing from wing chun grand master W.Cheung.

How You would answer to such opinion? Have You ever heard of such a thing?

JKD is a name. It's an almost worn-out name. The most important thing is to train according to its major tenets and concepts, and not worry about politics.

At its core, JKD is about aliveness, simplicity and adaptability in training & fighting. If you're adhering to those concepts, you're training in the spirit of JKD. WHEN you do that, you never stop to think about "JKD" as a style, system, name, or anything else -- you just train, which is the whole idea.

Forget about names. Just train. Train smart, athletically, with progressive resistance, variable intensity and after all of that, TEST yourself by fighting (not street fighting) within your school(s), against your partners, in competition with other schools and above all, against people who are intelligent and have their egos under control. Outside of those things, nothing else matters. When you're approaching things this way, you are adhering to the JKD concept.


-John

I know what You are talking about. You know, I just want to find a way how to introduce my JKD experience to others in my wing chun classes. But my instructor when I just mention something about JKD says, JKD is nothing,JKD is not a way, Wing Chun is the best... What do You think, if one is studying wing chun and nothing else in his whole life, can he return to that primordial freedom o his?? Or this will lead him to one end -

I personally don't believe that ANY style is "the best". Either all styles are limited or, there are no such things as styles.

And I particularly don't have much of a positive opinion about wing chun. Of course thats true about majority of traditional martial arts -- even "JKD" for a large part (many have turned it into just another traditional martial art).

Just my opinions. Form your own and don't take anyone's word for anything. Pressure test everything.


-John

OK, I am calm again

Thank You

Some more stuff....

It can be said that JKD is really just a way of thinking about things. It's philosophy that governs your training. Some schools adhere to the Jun Fan (wing chun offshoot) and others don't. Some use more of a boxing, muay Thai approach (as I do). I don't do trapping. Instead I work Greco-Roman wrestling. In other words, it doesn't matter "what" you do, so long as you actually do it and try to apply it against a resisting partner/opponent. Its through that where you discover your "truth in combat", which is an individual process. No instructor, teacher or coach ANYWHERE can give you your own individual expression. That comes from what YOU learn and experience over time. Your experience is your OWN ultimate instructor.


-John

Well if your instructor feels that Wing Chun is the best and it honestly works for him then well, whos to argue with his interpretation and experience with the art.

But don't let someone else tell you what is best for you or what not. Only you can figure that out yourself, so if you don't hold Wing Chun in the same light as your instructor does then thats fine. Its your take on the art and yours alone, no one can govern that.

Though I would say his comment about JKD being not a way, would be wrong....it is a way, a way of thinking

I've been to karate classes, boxing classes, classical jkd classes and BJJ classes, and every instructor has told me the same thing. I've learned enough now to have my eyes opened to the fact that all martial arts work, it just picking the right techniques for the situation. If anything i feel a bit sorry for them as they'll probably never know how ignorant they are.

It is your instructors class. Wanting to add your own JKD experiences to the class seems a bit presumtious. If your teaching that is something different. Presumably if you are experienced enough to teach then you'll know what to teach and when.

Wing Chun is the foundation of much of what Bruce Lee taught. This influences many poeple's opinion on it.