Why Dan Inosanto Is Wrong! 

While I knew this would be a controversial subject, I did my very best to respectfully disagree with Mr. Inosanto. After having read our critics, and as a service to our viewers so that we can all think clearly and logically about JKD, I believe the following response is in order. To be sure, the critics have engaged in three primary fallacies while failing to refute my central point. First, they presume that any critique of Mr. Inosanto is unwarranted and not allowed due to his status as a student of Bruce Lee. This is the fallacy of appeal to authority. To maintain that he (Inosanto) is beyond criticism is to literally jettison JKD altogether. Furthermore, other Lee students like Ted Wong, Jesse Glover, and Joe Lewis were doing things vastly different than Mr. Inosanto - he is, therefore, the outlier. This is also evident in all of Lee’s primary work such as Bruce Lee’s Fighting Methods and the Long Beach demos. Those first hand sources contradict Inosanto’s approach and supports ours. If these simple and obvious historical facts can’t be pointed out, and doing so is dishonorable, than JKD literally is Dan Inosanto. Do his supporters understand and support such nonsense? I hope not. Second, the contention that I misquote Mr. Inosanto is due in part to the will-nilly nature of his philosophical relativism. I merely summed up the major case he has made over the years, namely that Lee was such a gifted athlete that the common person cant’t do “Lee’s JKD.” My point was an encapsulation of Inosanto’s main contention. Since he’s a relativist, his JKD Concepts suffers from the same philosophical errors that plague all relativistic thinking. Relativists are the worst of philosophical poseurs, unwilling to draw logically consistent conclusions and then abide by them so they profess that there are no absolute truths altogether. This is the root of the JKD Concepts fallacy espoused by Inosanto and why he’s hard to pin down on any given point. As Socrates refuted the sophists who made the same relativistic argument in his day (that there were no absolutes) by showing them that this statement was itself an absolute, I merely wish to alert the JKD Concepts adherents of the same error. I know it’s a hard thing to hear and I don’t wish to be rude but relativism is always self-defeating and so is JKD Concepts. Mr. Inosanto is a very nice man and extremely knowledgable but his philosophical errors lead him, by necessity, to never “putting his flag down” so to speak. Hence, on every issue I’ve engaged JKD Concepts over the years, they claim that they’re being misrepresented. The key to understanding them is, therefore, is to see them martial sophists. Third, they show their contradiction by claiming that my interpretation is invalid (without bothering to understand it, much less refute it) while asserting on the other hand that JKD is “all things.” If it’s all things, though, then I can’t be wrong either. If it’s all things and each person’s interpretation is sacred, then their critique of this video is in violation of that truth. This shows the self-destructive nature of such thinking. Lastly, let me say again that we’ve put forward a simple, logical and non-contradictory explanation of Jeet Kune Do that takes into account both unity and diversity. These definitions haven’t been challenged by such critics. They’ve only countered with the aforementioned fallacies or, worse still, shown their lack of maturity, intellectual seriousness and honor by resorting to ad hominem attacks. I will note once again, proudly, that I have not anywhere lost my honor by calling names. I have, as any lover of the truth should, attacked what I believe are flawed ideas without attacking people. To name the person through whom these ideas flow are not an attack on that person, but merely a logical rebuttal of the ideas he espouses. In taking the time to answer, I’ve done so because I believe that JKD is a wonderfully logical and simple self-defense method that all can benefit from studying. Making mysteries of it and conflating it with other fighting methods, most of them vastly more complicated than JKD, obliterates it altogether. In this I hope that my work has helped the average student that’s been confused and even turned off by JKD Concepts over the years. In doing so I invite logical scrutiny. It’s my fervent hope and prayer that the JKD community engages in such a debate with honor and philosophical seriousness, not tolerating contradiction nor resorting to ad hominem. Only then can we move forward with Sijo Lee’s fighting method. My thanks and love to all who practice self-defense truthfully.

That’s not what Inosanto said. He took it out of context

Confucius says: Don't try to read between some one's words...DON'T find fault with another...There's ONLY one Bruce Lee, YOU be YOU...SIMPLE.

You might be better off interviewing Sifu Inosanto, rather than come to your own conclusions of what you think he thinks, using isolated video segments.

These are edited cuts to form segments which actually don't tie to what is being concluded in my view. If one is to watch this interview, even in an un-edited segment of a few minutes - he says each artist's path is their own, we couldn't do it the exact same way as Bruce as we're not Bruce! No one is actually Bruce Lee, just as I'm not the content poster. Dan is simply saying, we are each our own artist / human / tread our own path / use what tools we can and will - it can never be 100% the same as any other person's way, he's just referencing Bruce.

You have done a real disservice to Dan Inosanto and you have completely misunderstood his words. He did not say 'go and do a potpourri of other arts and call it JKD'. He's saying you can't do BL's personal brand of JKD and you can't. Go watch that DVD again.

Dan is completely correct in his interpretation. JKD uses no way as way. Therefore, you could practice Karate, Sambo, Fencing and if you could make it work harmoniously and effectively in your favour, that becomes YOUR JKD. That is the key point. Bruce also quoted "If anyone says JKD is this or that, is simply not with it." If you try and put JKD in a box, you've lost the point and the path. A lot of ppl say, JKD is basically Wing Chun, boxing and wrestling aka whatever arts Bruce studied. Wrong! You could study whatever arts you want, the point is to harmonize them to work for you and make it YOUR JKD. Bruce also said "JKD is just a name used. It's like a boat that takes you across a river. Once across, you don't carry the boat on your back".

Man, for a supposedly respectful critique this video title is sensational as hell. I picture Bruce pointing at Longstreet and going, "NO! Your thoughts are WRONG!" Y'know, Dan has put up with soooo much crap over the years about the multilayered path he's chosen to walk, but remains as steadfast, humble, and inquisitive as ever about all martial arts, JKD or not. Which, ultimately, is what his sifu advocated: Develop a discerning, scientific eye about whatever it is you’re studying, then adapt it to fit you. Once it's yours, who gives a shit what you call it or don't call it? Leo Fong has talked about using a left lead instead of a right when training with Bruce and, when asked why, told him, “‘Cause I'm a boxer; this is what feels natural to me...watch.” Bruce did, then went, "Okay, do that," lol. Hell, the late Larry Hartsell, one of the world's premiere grapplers, was actively encouraged by Bruce to explore that range of fighting. Could Bruce do everything Larry could? No. In fact, from what I’ve heard he practically refused to roll with the big man (who wouldn’t, lol). At the same time, could Larry do everything Bruce could? Hell no, Lee would rock his world doing stand-up. And by the way, who pushed Dan to explore his own country's arts thinking it was important from both a cultural and fighting perspective? I'll give you one guess. Did he then turn around and use everything Dan showed him? No, but he adapted it for his own purposes and education, and if he hadn’t we might never have seen the legendary battle with the guards. Anyway, my point is that if Mr. Inosanto is “wrong” for his accumulative find-what-works-for-you approach, so was Mr. Lee-who, by the way, cautioned about getting hung up on what’s right or wrong in JKD. After all, it’s just a name; please don’t fuss over it. Oops…too late.

¿Am I supposed to believe your definition of Jeet Kune Do and not the version of Inosanto, a direct student and one of the few certified by Bruce Lee, as well as one of his closest friends?

Keyboard War in full effect!

He wasn’t saying he could kill with his lead jab. If you watch the full video, he’s talking about specifically within Wing Chun. Bruce’s lead was so powerful that most couldn’t determine his actual skill level in Wing Chun. He goes on to mention Bruce never completed the system and Dan had gotten another Sifu to complete his wing Chun training

You got it wrong dude. What Danny said is what Bruce said- ABSORB WHAT IS USEFUL. In the realm of martial arts, there are a bunch of techniques that can be very useful. Jeet Kune Do itself is diversity, but the foundation is basic. From basic you need to know, for example, jujitsu, judo, karate, aikido, etc. From those martial arts, hack away what is not needed and absorb what is useful. That is what Danny is talking about, the same concept of what the late Bruce Lee said.

I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times - Bruce Lee

This video literally throws away everything that Bruce Lee himself wrote in The Tao of Jeet Kune Do.

Totaly misunderstood inosantos BRO. Your philosophy is totally OFF.

This clown knows more than Dan innosanto ??🤣🤣🤣

Is using out of context segment of an interview your way of using "logic and rationality"?

I Don't think Guru Dan Inosanto is necessarily wrong or mistaken, it's based upon one short interview about JKD History and Evolution. People can't mis interpret what was said and Dan Inosanto probably Hope's that People will realize and come to the same conclusion he did about the Original comments. In my opinion Guru Dan Inosanto statement were taken out of context or he just didn't explain everything in that one interview and didn't get asked enough about the subject of What Bruce Lee could do that's others simply can't do . I don't think anyone is wrong here !!! The Gentleman just brought up a valid point, a good one for us all to think about and learn and grow from . Its what Guru Dan Inosanto would want . Nothing wrong with different or varying opinions and explanations !!!

This popped up on my recommended videos home page. I like your emphasis on simplicity which is core to JKD as well as directness. Freedom can become misinterpreted as more techniques instead of simply using what little core method of intercepting you have in a free uncluttered way. Less is more. I do think adding more is good in order to understand all ranges and transitions between ranges then apply the same simplicity, directness and freedom to each structure. Bold video and I did enjoy it thank you for sharing. 🙏

to be fair, Danny is far from the only person to say that only Bruce could use a lot of his techniques.

I thought all he was saying is .. we can't do Bruce's personal version of JKD. Great video as always. 👍🏽

JKD: either you get it, or you don't. This guy doesn't.

Absorb what is useful and reject what is useless bruce stated box the wrestler and wrestle the boxer and you have to know how to do both. Sounds like bruce was talking mma in the 60s and 70s.

I agree. I’ve been involved in JKD since the eighties, and went to numerous seminars with Guru Dan and others. I think most of us love the study and practice of martial arts more than we love the fighting practically of what we do. In most cases this is fine unless you have a job that requires confronting violence or you are unlucky enough to be a victim. I loved learning moves from Harimau Silat, Muay Thai, Kali, etc...but at the end of the day when I needed my training, I wasn’t using a juru on my attacker. The paradox is that Bruce Lee was telling us to widdle our fighting techniques down to what works best for our defense, not add a bunch of techniques from different arts. But we all have our own journey to follow.

I agree with you as far as it pertains to actual combat survivability; and particularly for folks who don't have 10 hours a day to train multiple arts. Efficiency of time and repetition of technique are paramount. At a seminar a few years ago, Guro Dan once said that if he were training a fighter for a real stick fight, he would teach them the redondo, the X, and some simple footwork, and that's about it. He also said that when was in the Philippines some of the instructors would meet on the beach and do X repetitions for a whole hour. However, once a person has attained a mastery of the basics of their art, the introduction of other conceptual frameworks can be highly beneficial, if for no other reason than to add the spice of variety. Thanks for your insights. I very much enjoy your channel.

*Stranger:* Do you know the way? *Guide:* No way is the way *Stranger:* So, you'll guide me to get lost? *Guide:* Yes, but actually no *Stranger:* There's no way you're a guide *Guide:* Yes way I'm a guide *Stranger:* No way *Guide:* Yes way *Stranger:* I thought you said there's no way *Guide:* No, but actually yes *Stranger:* O_O???

How is this Johnny come lately who never met or trained with Bruce Lee going to say that Bruce Lee’s student is flawed? This is controversy for the sake of it. He’s trying to drive interest in his product by putting down someone else. If you want the truth, go to the source or someone connected to the source. Don’t go to someone like this guy.

Personally I didn't take it that way I don't think he meant it in that way I think he was just trying to say is that Bruce Lee was on a different level we can't do things the way he did it just like a professional bodybuilder for 15 years can work out and lift his way in a specific Manner and me just starting out cannot do that the way he does it is what I think he meant Bruce Lee was very fast I've never seen nobody else copy his speed or anything like that but as far as his style or JKD in general people need to use it and do it in a manner that it works for them for their I don't know body type or athleticism if you're not as fast as I say Muhammad Ali four examples and maybe have to be more grounded or something like that you know it all depends on the person's body like with me right now out of shape I would not be able to move around like Bruce Lee but if I'm grounded and I can reach you I can possibly do some damage

You can't call anything JKD if you're not using the necessary concepts to intercept. Training in more disciplines doesn't change a thing. It's the application that makes the "Art".

I've seen a couple of your videos before. I like your 'keep it simple' approach, and your idea of pacing training development according to the speed at which the student is progressing, ie rather than 'you need to be doing this for five years before you can do that'. However, this video is bad for you and your very long comment of justification, only makes the situation worse. You say Dan's wrong encouraging people to learn from 'contradictory' martial arts, but he does not advocate that at all. Remember Bruce Lee created JKD by selecting the 'best bits' from a range of martial arts. Nothing Dan says runs contrary to that, in fact what he says actually supplements the ethos which underpins JKD. Dan (like Bruce) says that people should learn Wing Chun but at some point they should learn others forms of fighting too and he gives the example of wrestling. What's wrong with that bud, surely that's a good recommendation which is 100% consistent with the teachings of Bruce Lee. It also sits well with your own analogy of not eating only Italian food and no other. Either you have misheard Dan's remarks or you have completely misinterpreted them. With respect, you really need to listen again to Dan's words with an open mind and fresh ears. Admit your error and I'll subscribe.

Well Sifu Jason probably showed this to Dan, and or Dan got wind of it. And who knows Dan probably got a kick out of it. And doesn’t care. ( we don’t know we’re not there ) And sure It opened a can of worms. One commenter mentioned “ maybe interview Sifu Dan “ Like in a family you’re not always going to agree with a sibling or a relative. That doesn’t make you less of a family with them. Like The Jun Fan/JKD family even the Non Classical Gung Fu or non classical Wing Chun. We may all have a difference of opinion. On what Bruce Taught and gave to those he taught and to the world. And there are differences. And it was Bruce Lee who inspired and brought us together. Let’s be thankful for that.

JKD not everything out there combined. If that was the case, MMA would be considered JKD. JKD is what is embodied in the name. “Way of the intercepting fist”. The parts of arts that are included to make JKD have interception built in, such as Wing Chun, Boxing, and Fencing. Lee was constantly evolving, but remember interception is the key to his art.

Well, as it said, "nothing is true everything is permitted" lol. Everybody has their own truth. I like your method, Tommy Carruthers method and also Dan Inosantos method. And my sifu Joaquin Almeria is a student of Dan Inosanto and Ted Wong as far, as I know. So I can make a conclusion that all methods are similar and there's no single truth. The main thing is to understand the idea

Well, who said anything about “accumulating” a bunch of arts and trying to use ‘em All in a combative situation? You research a bunch of arts to examine what will work for you and keep it simple. When you went to school, did you learn just one subject? Were you confused after you graduated college with all those subjects you learned? In most cases, people majored in one subject. Other subjects are supplemented so you are well versed in the economic/social world. Do you have to learn a bunch of arts? No. But the more arts that your are familiar with, the better equipped you will be in a combat situation. Remember some arts are excellent for mental/physical/spiritual coordination. GURO Dan did not say you cannot do JKD. He did say that he has not met anyone with the shell-shocking punch as Bruce Lee. “That” is not saying you cannot do the intercepting way.

Jeet Kune Do in the real sense are the techniques described in the book: stance, foot work, punching, kicking, economy of motion etc.... that is raw JKD. Simple and direct. From there you can study other martial arts, absorb what is useful and hack off those that are unessentials. Even in the basics, if you find something not usefu for youl, you can cut it off as well or modify. Personal choice and discovery is the essence. That what makes JKD different from others. It is your JKD, the understanding of yourself.

I'm fascinated by Jeet Kune Do and always wanted to try it, but both the Originals and Concepts camps seem like they've taken two different extremes. The Originals seem very rigid about what JKD is supposed to be and end up falling into the pitfalls that Bruce Lee was trying to avoid. The Concepts camp on the other hand seem to forget that there is still an actual method to JKD and it's not just a 'create your own martial art' martial art. I may be speaking too generally, but that seems to be what happens a lot.

That's not the what Dan said on his contents. He pretty much said learned from the best... if you need to Wrestle.. learn from Wrestle... want to improve your boxing.. learned from a boxer. But do you... whatever you do.. do you. Because Bruce Lee's Jet Kune Do is his interpretation of his own mix styles. Like a formula... you should learned the root on where he got that solution.

Reasonable, practical advice. Ali would not have been successful if he tried to copy Marciano. Marciano would not have been successful if he tried to copy Ali. Ali could not do the things Marciano did in the ring and Marciano could not do what Ali did. This does not mean that Ali or Marciano couldn’t fight, they simply adopted a style that matched their attributes and they both had one thing in common, a champions heart. Who could copy Bruce Lee, or Dan Inosanto for that matter? Not many, if any, but there are a whole lot of people out there who can actually fight. Simplify, make it your own, great advice as always. And no matter what style you choose, the main ingredient is heart. Without heart nothing will help you. Keep up the good work, you make people think.

I believe the whole principle behind jkd is to develop your strengths as an individual. Everyone has different strengths therefore there will be some differences in application - its not one way....but jkd is interception, simplicity , and direct. I also recall reading Bruce stating its daily decrease, not increase. Then he states in a certain situations you can bite your opponent - biting is not a "jkd" core move , so i think he left room for adapting different tools that aren't normally part of the core techniques. I believe Taoism stresses following the middle path - thereby avoiding extremes which can water down the core of jkd principles to the point its unrecognizable- even as an abstract concept. He did not mean "no way as way" meant anyway you want it cuz then i could pull out a gun and says its my own jkd lol.

100 percent agree. I've been to several Jeet Kune Do clubs. They were not teaching anything like the stuff taught in the Tao. I could honestly say MOST of them were fooling themselves that they could fight. I came from a background in boxing, judo and mma and after calling out a couple students on their takedown defence and wiping the arrogant smirks off there faces by repeatedly taking them down ended up with 3 new students for the mma club. If actual jkd was taught, like the one in Bruce's or Teri Tom's books, I think you would have a perfect compliment to mma or streetfighting skills.

Went the supermarket. There wasn't enough popcorn available.

Hey Jason, he meant for you to go out and find what works for you, whether it's Muay Thai, judo or whatever. Find what works for you and disgard the rest. You misunderstood what Dan said.

I trained with guro dan for a while and he is a endless amount of knowledge and he i learned will speak on all angles like your channel THANK YOU

to come to a agreement, i feel this lineage of jkd schools should stick together and fix their art

I agree! HOWEVER : I think its important to understand how other styles THINK and having the opportunity to find a good and humble practitioner to test your ability to maintain and/or recover your centreline. Or even just to experience their entry procedures, and get first hand experience on it. . Ive seen so many get caught, even if the Wing logic is somewhat better, they dont expect how quick a grappler can enter and take your feet away, or how quick a boxer can change angles and redirect your attention before you even get to enter. But I absolutely don't think you need to go black belt in 5 differently arts in order to be a complete fighter. My favourite Bruce quote: « I fear not a man that has practiced 10k kicks once. But I fear a person that has practiced 1 kick 10k times.» (something in those lines).. Bruce practiced his jab against all stylists, and that is how he got so good at using it.. At least this is my theory!

I agree and disagree. I don't think Master Inosanto was necessarily saying we have to combine other forms of martial arts to be our JKD. I think he was referring to the essence of JKD which is "using no way as a way" and breaking away from fixed fighting mechanics. I agree that with training, we could follow in Bruce's footsteps. However, if we merely copy his techniques, we may be missing the point. Certain fighting styles benefit certain people and while they vary in their effectiveness, it's not unreasonable for someone to incorporate what works from one style into their own style. I'm no expert to say the least; however, I am adamant on the fact that at least in Bruce's philosophy, he never intended JKD to be a fixed fighting art.

What Dan Inosanto said and meant is that "you have to work for you". Read more into Dan Inosantos' teachings.

The flawed premise is yours. He didn't say anything about abandoning the system. He didn't say anything about abandoning the lead jab just because you're not as powerful as Bruce. He was illustrating the concept of doing the same thing Bruce did, which is researching other methods to fit your attributes, and fill in the gaps. He wasn't so much talking about adding a bunch of fluff, but absorbing what's useful from other systems. Bruce wasn't a terribly good fencer, but the strategy he borrowed from it is quite useful.

People act like bc it's Dan inosanto he can't be wrong he's a teacher that's how he makes his money . Even Bob Bremer who was a student of Bruce Lee said that about Dan. So if people want to say Dan trained with Bruce so he knows more,well Bob bremer trained with Bruce and was known as a fighter . Jkd might evolve but it's still a martial art like paul vunak said if your not intercepting your not doing jkd. You can do other martial arts but jkd is mostly lead side forward and intercepting .

I feel you are misinterpreting what Dan Inosanto is saying, and your analogies don't really lend support to the narrative you're attempting to highlight. Using your pizza analogy. Inosanto is NOT saying to just throw all kinds of ingredients together. What he is saying is to TRY and to EXPERIMENT. Then, if it does not work for you, throw it out and discontinue it. So don't be afraid to put chocolate on pizza. If you like it, then keep doing it. If you discover that you do not like it, then don't do it. Continue to experiment with other ingredients until you find something you like. Great chefs do this EVERYDAY, and this is how they come up with new and exciting dishes. They experiment with different combinations of ingredients that normal people would NEVER THINK of combining. They break the rules of their traditional training - i.e., classic French culinary training, classic Japanese sushi training, etc, and they borrow from other cultures. Dan is NOT saying that a classically trained French chef needs to learn an ENTIRELY new system of cooking in order to improve his own style of cooking. So a French chef DOES NOT need to learn the formal, complete system of Japanese cooking in order to use some useful techniques from the Japanese. Maybe he will simply find useful the way that a Japanese chef slices his fish, and maybe that style of fish cutting will work very well in one of his French dishes. He does not need to utilize anything else from Japanese cooking except this one style of fish cutting. Here's the most ironic thing I find about your video. You're saying that Dan Inosanto, who was considered one of Bruce Lee's BEST FRIENDS, and a man who has spent countless of hours with Bruce Lee is wrong in his interpretation of what Bruce was saying. And you're a guy who never even knew Bruce Lee. I find that very ironic.

I think you accomplished your goal in making this video.

I think you misinterpreted what he is talking about

I don't think Inosanto is saying that just accumulating styles is ok. I think implicit in Inosanto's statement is that the styles you accumulate require integration with each other and tailoring to your specific body. And that's what JKD is -- a framework for integration and tailoring -- and not a commitment to the lead hand interceptor as the ultimate tool. I think you've got a great page, but I'm with Inosanto on this.

You're not contradicting Dan Inosanto, you're contradicting Bruce Lee himself. Because "NO LIMITATIONS" is one of Bruce Lee's philosophies.

u didnt understand what dan was saying. u are focusing on the technical aspects of the arts rather than the philosophy of what hes saying. no one can do what bruce lee can do because bruce lee cannot do the things other ppl do so he did it his OWN way. much like how u do your art is YOUR way. it means he understood what he needed to learn in order to be able to deliver the jab the way he wanted to. he TRAINED it that way because he wanted to. a good defense artist understands the necessities vs "perfect form" and will be keeping things locked to the way they want to be moving

I respect anyone’s reassessment of any statement/doctrine/etc. But even early on in this there’s very odd cherry picked statements (you’ve miss quoted) and as far as I understand about the fundamental essence of jeet June do that essence is the journey is a personal expression. So by referencing him saying how strong one of Bruce’s tools was is in no way an example of a fault of Inosanto. He describes in your examples Lee’s stronger tools and as a follower (even at my basic level) of the principles of jeet June do what works for one may not work for others. If you slowed down your talk and have a thorough examination of your critique I might understand better but personally (and with all respect as a martial arts practitioner) I’m more confused than enlightened by your statements. I hope to see more from you and perhaps delve deeper and more comprehensively into these matters. Thank you. Respect

I will say that I agree and disagree with your statements. I have the most respect for Guro Dan and his accomplishments in the martial arts(Lets start with that). But I also disagree with his statements. Having trained in many of his seminars.... I have seen little JKD and lots of FMA. The whole statement made by Guru Dan, "Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is essentially your own" is from Dan... not Bruce. And Guro Dan uses this to add many arts to JKD. It's the complete opposite. It's simplification like you have stated. This is sometimes boring to people. Just like a boxer who practices his jab, cross etc.. 1000's of times... Is it exciting.? So adding arts for excitement or any other reason complicates it. So totally agree with you. The disagreement is with what I know many people has said. "You can't be Bruce." I don't think Guro Dan is saying you shouldn't do JKD. He is saying despite you having 4 limbs a head etc... you are simply not the same. Do you have the drive and determination that Bruce had in his training.? Few do. Do you have his muscular make up? Do you have his same physical attributes? Nope. Should you cut one leg shorter to be like Bruce.? So I will agree with Dan. We can not replicate Bruce. Or should we ever try. Don't be a poor copy of your instructor. Move past trying to replicate. I believe Guro Dan and other first generation students have said many times that you will not be Bruce... but be the best Dam version of your JKD you can be. And that can be all the same tools that Bruce used without adding different arts. As far as adding another woman to a marriage... hahaha. Funny analogy. Love it. Yeah.. that spells disaster. What if you added dance(not the cha cha cha specifically), or some other item that adds an attribute to the marriage. Ie. Instead of adding silat you instead train reaction skills, awareness, speed, problem solving etc. Maybe you even use other sports to develop these attributes... Hence making your ability better to perform JKD. I have much respect for Guro Dan. But the people who believe that combining their own combination of Arts makes up JKD has long missed the points. As we both know JKD is really just a combination of a couple arts.

"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you'll get.... what you need". Some ppl are blessed with speed, some with power, some with neither. But if they work on it, they're better than they were. They get faster and more powerful than their previous self. Same with skills. Add what is useful. If BJJ is useful, add it. If you don't think BJJ is useful, then don't add it, because you may never get into a fight, then BJJ may not be useful to you. But I think it's nice to have a skill just in case you need it because you never know when you need it. Dan Inosanto is a man still alive in his late 80s, you should accept his advice, especially his dietary advice. Eat all sorts of nutritious food. Not just one. It's not adding complexity. Human beings can learn. You can brush your teeth, you don't have trouble learning to drive, do you? People can do all sorts of things. And it doesn't take them great effort or years to learn. You can get proficient in BJJ or various martial arts with 6 months training. Once you absorb it, it's yours. Just like acquired skill of brushing your teeth or making a sandwich.

clickbait. he didn't say all that.

Dan is a great ,great bloke who was there when JKD was being born....Indeed he played an interactive role in its delivery ...Dan went on to become one of the most widely read and practiced Martial artists on the planet & a great ambassador for Martial arts generally. One only has to see his lecture at the Smithsonian to appreciate that....No ad hominem here at all.....All one can do is consider Dan's position and compare it along side the Original JKD position in order to assess the relative merits of them...To summarize ... Dan position was THIS ...JKD in the way BRUCE did it would be impossible to teach to people because Bruce as a physical specimen was so unique that nobody could have his power and many other attributes and that anyone trying to develop them would fail....From this position Dan abandoned the idea of Original JKD and developed the 'CONCEPTS' idea of JKD where one 'absorbs what is useful & discards what is useless' to the person as an INDIVIDUAL with unique strengths and weaknesses...This quote was DAN'S NOT Bruce's....In order to do this Dan believed people should try to learn as many different martial arts as possible and integrate them into an overall mosaic to be able to deal with any situation and also to find out what an individuals strengths and weaknesses actually ARE..........Now ORIGINAL JKD would argue that what was AXIOMATIC to the EFFICIENCY of JKD was its ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES....Applying SIMPLICITY to the art to make it more practically EFFICIENT....Bruce's JKD derived these economic principles FROM Wing Chun originally but applied them MUCH MORE RADICALLY than Wing Chun, even to the point of discarding Wing Chun as its central core in favour of fencing with the hands and feet & boxing....Now this has merit because the more simple & direct combat is , the less can go wrong in it. James Lee used the metaphor of a SIMPLE skeleton Key opening up COMPLEX locks....In this way original JKD is NOT used to to beat multiple arts at their own game but to decisively PRE EMPT them....Original JKD practitioners like IFO and Tommy would argue that adding on techniques would not make JKD more efficient but LESS efficient . A bit like taking a FERRARI with a wind cheating shape and sticking daft lumpy wing mirrors on it to destroy its aerodynamic efficiency....They might also argue that when Concepts JKD 'integrates' its multitudes of Arts that the integration itself is NOT as precisional as the Fencing, Boxing body mechanics which Bruce developed...Developing these body mechanics can take not just years but DECADES when people train very hard....And that Dan was wrong to say they CANNOT be achieved even though not quite to the level of Bruce...In Concepts JKD , like in MMA (sport) they talk about 'flowing between the Arts' but this can only really occur in say an MMA SPORT where a referee is controlling distance & pressure to ensure the upholding of the rule governed environment...In a STREETFIGHT with no rules or restrictions on targets with weapons and multiple opponents ,,Chaos , broken rhythm frenzy attacks you wouldnt have TIME to 'flow between the Arts' like in a sports arena....Also in Concepts JKD with a finite amount of time to train you could be spreading out so thinly across such I wide range of Arts that you smear out disappear like thinly spread strawberry Jam over 650 slices of martial BREAD....Original JKD would emphasise QUALITY over QUANTITY ...Using all your training time to do efficient things REALLY WELL to Pre-empt the Badge collectors of different Arts which are not as integrated as well.....

I think you just don't understand what he said. Your arguments are floored

Sifu Jason is saying there is a core foundation to Jeet Kun Do or the Way of Intercepting Fist, namely interception, pre-emptive direct attacks to neutralize imminent violence. A medical doctor's job is to cure or end disease; a martial artist's job is to stop or end violence.

People saying these cuts are out of context; Inosantos been saying stuff like this in many many old VHS instructionals since the 80s. It's all about slipping from one martial arts style to four or five others within the span of a striking combination and he received much resistance from the Wong school because they opined that that was not what made Bruce great in sparring because that shit just doesn't work in sparring. By they way, I hung out too with Ted Wong for about 2 days in one of his seminars in Europe ages ago, so, hello there!

Short clips from previous interviews can easily be taken out of context. This is what happened here.

Dude! Variety is the spice of Martial arts! You should know when in a battle, we don’t plan what is essential in battle, we just Re-Act in one eighth of a second. It can be any strike from your training! Bruce said Unless we have 3 arms and 4 legs it is than that we would have another Martial art , reality is Martial arts gives us the opportunity to taste a variation of all martial arts!

SIMPLICITY is the key...dont make a fuss out of it.....as Bruce used to say " Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is essentially your own"

Tricky subject. Bruce dedicated his life to martial arts. Most people train a few hours a week. Bruce's power came from very specifically Chinese style body mechanics. The one inch punch is just an application of fajin. He was good at it. So are most high-level CMA practitioners. Bruce took those mechanics and infused everything he learned with them. The trouble I have with the take what's effective and discard the rest mentality is that people too often ignore the simple fact that it requires time and dedication to really understand what is best or effective because their bodies aren't conditioned to use power effectively. If you're in a hurry, you're going to get a completely different version of what's effective from someone willing to put in the serious time and dedication to really go deep on their comprehension. I'd also add that JKD is a philosophy. You can practice by going deeply into a single art and making it your own. The traditional arts have a lot to offer for someone willing to learn them deeply without also getting mired in the tradition. Their real problem is adaptability. Too many people never train with people outside of their own arts. That's easily remedied these days, but most people will never bother to do so.

Before you can cut things away, you have to have something to cut away. That something is your exploration of what works for you from different arts. You can still honor Bruce Lee if you use the Jun fan JKD original frame work. But the idea is to not box yourself in. If bjj and Muay Thai were incompatible with the concept of jkd, Inosanto would find it impossible to incorporate it into the jkd system. And he does it just fine.

Let’s take a breath and think analytically… I respect Sifu Korol for his Brilliance in the Basics approach. In reality Bruce Lee God rest his soul, has passed on- it’s hard to believe I know but it’s true. One kick practiced 10k times is to be feared -, Bruce Lee. Peace through Strength !

Oh man.....this Greenville guy is so OFF right from the get go regarding Dan and what Dan says. Dan never said nor says that people should do a bunch of different arts and find yourself. He says that the many arts are AVAILABLE for people to experiment IF THEY WANT.......but if they want to do as close to what Bruce Lee did in his personal JKD as possible....then fine, go for it. What he says is that most people do not have the attributes of Bruce Lee and therefore it would be very difficult for the vast majority of people to make Lee's JKD work for them as well as it worked for Lee. Example, power, speed, strategic mind, coordination, flexibility etc..etc..etc..etc. Hardly anybody has all the attributes Lee had rolled up in one person. And he damn well designed the art to work first and foremost FOR HIMSELF. Lee had incredibly long arms as another example, for a manof barely 5'7. They called him "gorilla" back in Hong Kong when he was 17 and 18 for a reason. His arms were VERY long compared to his body/height. Those long arms combined with his hand speed and in and out footspeed, balance, timing etc., allowed him to do things most just cannot do. Dan stated in an interview where Joe Lewis interviewed him, said the ABD..."Attack By Drawing" in JKD is something Bruce's attributes allowed him to pull off but that gets most martial artist in trouble when they try it. I can go on and on but Mr. Greenville academy, you just have a flawed interpretation of what Sifu Inosanto says here....and there is more to the interview than just the few clips you show. Context sir, context.

in a real fight you should trust in your instincts and let fear and rage flow while keeping as calm as possible, observing your oponent and the whole situation you are in closely. your senses will sharpen and time will seem to slow down. all i knew about fighting was how to punch straight and fast havin practised acuracy/speed with candles and strengh with weights. still i ended my first real fight within 1 minute. i did not want to be in a fight, thats why my aim was to end it fast. switching feet to have my right arm for the jab while my oponent came swinging at me. he ran right into my strong arm. i was ready for him.(no kicking to his head while he was lying to my feet with his eyes turned inwards) i gave him mercy and he was not injured at all. my right thumb was injured. must have got caught on his chin. i never planed or trained any of this but my body knew that my left jab would not be strong enough to stop him for good. so i switched without thinking. my calmness, timing and acuracy won against his bold agression and bravery. years later at my second street fight it was a group of 3 street-thugs that were throwing rocks at me while i was riding a bike. I knew i had to pick the leader (the big guy) first or they will wait for me everyday. i felt his strengh and training emediately. his tight defense blocked all my attacks but i gave him no time to counter punching him like a hail storm. i noticed the other 2 moving in from the sides trying to get to my back and closing the trap they had set up. so i got my anger under control and moved backwards while shouting threats at each one of them. I never ones turned my back towards them, raging like a wounded lion in a corner. back on my bike telling them next time i wont stop and today was theyre lucky day. i knew i would loose this time so i put on quiet a show for them. glad i made it out in one piece. hehe i never was a good fighter but i have fast arms and good instincts that served me well.

The difference between Bruce Lee and the “Original JKD” guys is that Bruce wasn’t obsessed with emulating a man who died over 40 years ago.

The last passage in the Toa of Jeet Kun Do reads "If people say Jeet Kune Do is different from" this or from "that" then let the name of Jeet Kune do be scraped, for that is what it is, just a name. Please don't fuss over it". Stop trying to imitate Bruce Lee in turning JKD into a "style". You'll never find your truth by mimicking someone else. By continuing with the metaphor of food and martial arts I would like to add that yes you might like some dishes more than others but that shouldn't stop you from trying as much as you can and remembering those you like.

I believe you have misunderstood what Danny is saying. You completely missed his point. I am very disappointed. He is basically saying that you have to find your own path toward your own martial art, and not follow someone else's martial art, even if it is created by Bruce Lee. Again, Jeet Kune Do means the "WAY" of intercepting fist. It is not a style of any kind. There is nothing wrong with learning other martial arts, in order to understand how they approach offense and defense, and therefore so that you are aware of it. Learning in general is not a bad thing. To live is to learn. When you stop learning is the day that you are dead. Find your own path to being a good human being as well as a Martial Artist. Bruce Lee is just pointing the Way to your own path.

Dan isn't wrong and never said you couldn't become good with a lead jab. Dan was talking mostly about the difference between himself and Bruce Lee. Dan couldn't apply Jeet Kune Do like Bruce could because Bruce had abilities that Dan didn't have despite his years before as a martial artist. No 2 people are completely alike,maybe similar in certain ways but not identical. Dan for example said that he could never Bridge The Gap the way Bruce could because he simply didn't have Bruce's speed therefore this wouldn't work for Dan. The saying by Bruce "use what works for you and discard what doesn't " is so true. In this one finds one's way. But it is your own. Dan applies this but still he knew Bruce had quite an advantage over him in speed and agility

Something that I am learning about the JKD community is there is in-fighting. Inosanto is wrong because of x,y, and z. I think a big problem with JKD is that it was not fully formulated because Bruce Lee died young. So of course Inosanto would take the pieces that he learned from Lee and make it into his own way. We can say that what we are teaching is what Bruce Lee taught (original JKD) but in reality we are bringing are own expression of JKD to every class we teach just like Inosanto is doing.

Dan Inosanto and Bruce Lee were innovators incorporating styles…. And you’re saying not to incorporate styles? I think Master Inosanto is just continuing what Bruce started by continuing too to evolve. I don’t think we have ever seen one MMA fighter saying they are a JKD fighter. It’s mixed martial arts, and that’s what Mr. Lee and Mr. Inosanto have set out. We should be thanking Bruce Lee, Dan Inosanto, and Carlos/Helio Gracie.

What I get from Guru Dan's explanation, (which may have come from an interview regarding Bruce specifically, I can't remember) is essentially that an individual like Bruce or anyone else with a super powerful lead jab may not find their particular style(s) to have a good exploitation for this type of strike. That being said, this plants the seeds for JKD to come to fruition within an experienced martial artist.

I allow me to give you James DeMile's thoughts about it, he shared it in certain interviews, i am only paraphrasing: "After Bruce was gone anyone looked to Dan Inosanto and thought he has everything about JKD. Well, Daniel only knew what Bruce had show him. He had a piece of the cake but not the whole cake. At some point he didnt know what else to do, so he started to mix in Escrima, Silat, Wing Chun, Boxing and other things. Well, Boxing and Wing Chun dont go together, they are too different. Bruce did two different things: 1) Creating a defnitive style, the name was Jeet Kune Do 2) Researching all Martial Arts, and in the end writing a large book about it, about the styles, their strenghts and weaknesses, etc.. But because of his death, Nr. 2 could never be finished." This was DeMile. And now what i think: I actually believe Inosanto continiued (2), but he used the name (1) for it, and this was the big mistake. Yes Bruce wanted to research all styles, but only to know what they are about, not to mix them into his JKD. So if Inosanto would have called what he did someting like "Bruce Lee Martial Arts Research Concepts", then it would have been perfect. But since he used the term "Jeet Kune Do" in it, its simply the wrong name for it. Maybe this is close to the truth. Only maybe...

I don't think Sifu Jason is saying you can't cross train or even add a move from another discipline, he's saying you can't throw a bunch of other martial arts into a hat and call it Jeet Kune Do. The fact that Dan Inosanto was certified to teach JKD by Bruce Lee means there had to be a basic system that could be taught and learned, and one of the main fundamentals of that system was to keep it simple. If you take a cake recipe and continue to add different ingredients there comes a point in which it is no longer cake, regardless of whether it's better or worse than cake it's not cake. The same is true for Jeet Kune Do.

Did you ever meet or train with Bruce Lee? I believe Guru Dan did! Yet you know what Bruce meant better than Guru Dan.

The issue here is that Dan Inosanto is an Institution in Martial Arts World while honestly I don't know Who you are, man

The larger the data set, the more accurate the pattern. I think you missed the entire point.

But in all fairness, Dan was with Lee from the very beginning. He knows what was going on and what Lee was about. One might disagree with in part, but one cannot disagree with the whole.

Oh man, a little knowlegde and understanding is a dangerous thing.😊

Man. You're really reaching here. I got exact opposite out if what he said than what you got. As a matter of fact, I think you know exactly what Guru is saying. Simply saying exactly what Guru means by arguing your point as if its different from what Guru meant, when it isn't.

So Jeet kune Do is different from this or that? Actually, I think you you make some good points about simplicity, daily decrease rather than increase, not trying to be a jack of all trades & a master of none , but ... I also think Mr. Inosanto makes a valid point about Bruce not having all the answers, he was just one guy who never fully (if at all) experienced things like Muay Thai or Brazilian Jujitsu; sure, you could say that Bruce had tools that could counter those styles but we don't actually know he could, & regardless of what we imagine the "legendary" Bruce Lee could do, that has no affect whatsoever on what you or I can pull off. I trained briefly with a well known JKD instructor in northern California (won't mention any names) who told me he would study, look at, watch classes of different styles to get ideas of how he'd deal with them but he wouldn't actually train in them; that approach seems narrow-minded & promoting a false sense of security to me. I'm not saying you should train in every martial art you hear of, but you should be open-minded & honest enough with yourself to admit maybe you don't have all the answers, other styles may actually be able to offer things that could help you be a more complete martial artist.

Best advice: Don't look at Asian philosophy through a Western mind set.

I think uv misread what dan says, he means the more knowledge u gain the greater a person u will become , the more understanding u will have, it’s called maturity...once uv learned as much as u can, only then can u strip it down to fundamentals

You're totally misunderstanding what inosanto said.

What I hear is a lot of theory from both sides. I like the idea of keeping it simple. Rather than different styles, I look at it as different ranges. Simplicity at different ranges. I think they are both right! That was my take on this.

Man. Never have I heard such out of context commentary about what a man said and the martial arts for that matter. When it comes to the striking arts, I find more similarities than differences. With all do respect Sifu. I disagree with you and your nit picking.

This guy just sucessfully exposed his utter lack of understanding of JKD philosopy. 🤣

I believe Danny is trying to point out that "attributes" in a person are VERY important in gaging a martial artists skill & power to be successful defending themselves. To think that if students were placed into a cookie cutter training pattern that ALL would then grow at the same or similar rate are fooling themselves. In martial arts, or any sport/occupation/hobby. it requires different personalities, IQ's, education, body types, strengths, reflex's, coordination, endurance, not to mention age and or disabilities. I know personally know real good high kickers as they are naturally flexible. I know a grappler that happens to be very flexible beyond any average man or athlete that stretches all the time, double-jointed in many places. *He's right, not many martial arts folks, have the likelihood of ending a fight in a single strike and will need to proceed with other attacks to accomplish the goal. Knowing what what you are naturally good at is a good thing to understand and guide your training. (My opinion of course)

I don't see how JKD can be defined as Bruce Lee himself contradicted himself. You can make an argument for almost anything Lee himself said.

An importent reflection on simplicity and echoing Bruce Lee's deeper mind....thank you

You got it wrong, Bruce said, there are different fighting ranges (some quote 4, some 5)- some arts are more effective than others in those ranges. That’s how different arts and „different techniques“ come into play. Which art depends on the range your fighting in, and techniques

What I disagree with the presentation is that if you introduce a new element into your martial art, you understand fully what it is that you introduce, and how it fits into the art. when everyone does the same thing, the one that wins ends up the one that does it better, such as MMA, martial means war, it is meant for fighting and self-defense. flashy gets you killed. use flashy moves in training, but the stuff that wins fights is the techniques that will take out the aggressor the quickest, and is not set with strictures that hamper, and artificial barriers that stop one from using the full potential of technique. Train to the fullest to use all the techniques in one's arsenal and have them available when needed. Just as in cooking, to change part of the recipe, you first have to understand how everything fits into the recipe, and you have been faithful to the recipe. Changing part of the recipe, for instance, when making cornbread, it calls for the use of sugar in the recipe, I like to use honey, it makes the cornbread moister, and firmer, what happens when you change, for instance, from using regular milk when making pancakes, and you use buttermilk, the proportions to the recipe stay for the most part stay the same, but the overall effect is different. the same with martial arts, understand what your art is, and practice it, but keep an open mind. That's what Dan is saying. Your art should be evolving, and improving, to your best ability, and understanding, static means stagnation, the martial way is anything but static, or stagnant.

People with martial art backgrounds are biased... Ted Wong didn't have a martial arts background, he was not biased, that made him the best recipient of JKD!

Synchronized swimming can be your Jeet Kune Do