Bruce Lee created his own style of martial arts known as "Tao Of Jeet Kune Do" which means way of intercepting fist. The Tao Of Jeet Kune Do actually began before Bruce Lee was born. The classical wing Chung style that started him on his way was developed 400 yrs before his time. The 2000 or so books he owned and the countless books he read, described the individual "discoveries" of thousands of men before him. There are no secrets. It's nothing special, Bruce used to say. And it wasn't. Bruce's special key was knowing himself and his own capabilities to correctly choose things that worked for him and to convert those things in movement and in language. He found in the philosophies of Confucius, Spinoza, Krishnamurti and others, an organization for his concepts and,with that organization, he began the book of his Tao.
JeetKuneDo Philosophy:
1. Jeet Kune Do favors formlessness so that it can assume all forms and since jeet Kune Do has no style, it can fit in with all styles.As a result, Jeet kune do utilizes all ways and is bound by none and, likewise, uses any techniques or means which serve its end.
2. Approach jeet kune do with the idea of mastering the will. Forget about winning and losing, forget about pride and pain. let your opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash into your flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his life! Do not be concerned with your escaping safely lay your life before him!
3. The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or in defeat. Let nature take its course, and your tools will strike at the right moment.
4. Jeet kune do teaches us not to look backward once the course is decided upon. It treats life and death indifferently.
5. Jeet kune do avoids the superficial, penetrates the complex, goes to the heart of the problem and pinpoints the key factors.
6. Jeet Kune Do does not beat around the bush. It does not take winding detours. It follows a straight line to the objective. simplicity is the shortest distance between two points.
7. The art of jeet Kune do is simply to simplify. It is being oneself; it is reality in its "isness." Thus, isness is the meaning-having freedom in its primary sense, not limited by attachments, confinements, partialization, complexities.
8. jeet Kune Do is the enlightenment. It is a way of life, a movement toward will power and control, though it ought to be enlightened by intuition.
9. While being trained, the student is to be active and dynamic in every way. But in actual combat, his mind must be calm and not at all disturbed. He must feel as if nothing critical is happening. when he advance, his steps should be light and secure,his eyes not fixed and glaring insanely at the enemy. His behavior should not be in any way different from his everyday behavior, no change taking place in his expression, nothing betraying the fact that he is engaged in mortal combat.
Be like water
Lee believed that martial systems should be as flexible as possible. He often used water as an analogy for describing why flexibility is a desired trait in martial arts. Water is infinitely flexible: It can be seen through, and yet at other times it can obscure things from sight. It can split and go around things, rejoining on the other side, or it can crash through barriers. It can erode the hardest rocks by gently lapping away at them, or it can flow past the tiniest pebble. Lee believed a martial system should have these attributes. JKD students reject traditional systems of training, fighting styles and the Confucian pedagogy used in traditional kung fu schools because of this lack of flexibility. JKD is claimed to be a dynamic concept that is forever changing, thus being extremely flexible. "Absorb what is useful; disregard that which is useless" is an often quoted Bruce Lee maxim. JKD students are encouraged to study every form of combat possible. This is believed to expand one's knowledge of other fighting systems; to both add to one's arsenal as well as to know how to defend against such tactics.
Be like water
Lee believed that martial systems should be as flexible as possible. He often used water as an analogy for describing why flexibility is a desired trait in martial arts. Water is infinitely flexible: It can be seen through, and yet at other times it can obscure things from sight. It can split and go around things, rejoining on the other side, or it can crash through barriers. It can erode the hardest rocks by gently lapping away at them, or it can flow past the tiniest pebble. Lee believed a martial system should have these attributes. JKD students reject traditional systems of training, fighting styles and the Confucian pedagogy used in traditional kung fu schools because of this lack of flexibility. JKD is claimed to be a dynamic concept that is forever changing, thus being extremely flexible. "Absorb what is useful; disregard that which is useless" is an often quoted Bruce Lee maxim. JKD students are encouraged to study every form of combat possible. This is believed to expand one's knowledge of other fighting systems; to both add to one's arsenal as well as to know how to defend against such tactics.
Economy of Motion
JKD students are told to waste no time or movement. When it comes to combat JKD practitioners believe the things work best.
Stop hits and stop kicks
This means intercepting an opponent's attack with an attack of your own instead of a simple block. JKD practitioners believe that this is the most difficult defensive skill to develop. This strategy is a feature of some traditional Chinese martial arts, as well as an essential component of European épée fencing (know in fencing terminology as the "counter-attack").
Simultaneous parrying and punching
When confronting an incoming attack, the attack is parried or deflected and a counter attack is delivered at the same time. Not as advanced as a stop hit, but more effective than blocking and counter-attacking in sequence.This is also practiced by some Chinese martial arts.
No high kicks
JKD practitioners believe they should target their kicks to their opponent's shins, knees, thighs, and midsection. These targets are the closest to the foot, provide more stability and are more difficult defend against. However, as with all other JKD principles, nothing is "written in stone". If a target opportunity presents itself, even a target above the waist, one could take advantage of the situation without feeling hampered by this principle.