Jeet Kune Do
Our training programs are designed to offer the ultimate in fitness and self-defense. If you are more interested in getting in shape quickly we offer CARDIO-KICKBOXING© ,an energetic, fin-filled class which provides a total body workout while teaching effective self-defense techniques. With Cardio-kickboxing, you do not have to worry about uniform, equipment or risk of injury. Just be prepares to work hard and have fun ! Our martial art training program is know as JEET KUNE DO (JKD), the personal combat philosophy and a thorough understanding of the various ranges of combat in both empty-hand fighting and the use of weaponry. The major martial art methods we use at UMAA are: JUN FAN GUNG FU/KICK BOXING, the precursor to the later named Jeet Kune Do, this is the non-classical Chinese martial art which Bruce Lee taught in the 1960s. It is a blend of several martial arts including Wing Chun gung fu, Western boxing, Fencing, Eskrima, Northern and Southern styles of gung fu, Muay Thai and French Savate. Filipino Kali/Eskrima/Arnis/Pangamut, the ancient native art of the Philippine islands which promotes the understanding of the use of weaponry as a means of developing superior body mechanics for empty hand fighting. The natives of the southern Philippines remained unconquered for almost 400 years due to their deadly fighting skill in Kali. Muay Thai (Thai Boxing), the national art of Thailand, Muay Thai is often referred to as the "Art of Eight Weapons", (hands, elbows, knees, legs) indicating wherein lies its technical base. Although a ring sport, Muay Thai's emphasis on power, finesse, speed and endurance make it equally effective for self defense. Boxing Francaise-Savate, the national art of France, was first practiced by the street hoodlums of mid-19th century Paris. With the addition of English boxing techniques, it was refined into an elegant martial sport which, like its Siamese counterpart, now enjoys worldwide popularity. Maphilindo Silat is the art which resulted from the blending of Malaysian Bersilat, Filipino Kuntaw Silat, and Indonesian Penjak Silat by Guru Tuan (master teacher) Inosanto. This highly lethal art which is practiced throughout southeast Asia offers a wide variety of combat methods. UMAA's Maphilindo Silat is most effective at the close quarter grappling range. Wing Chun Gung Fu, the gung fu system which Bruce Lee studied before coming to the USA and on which his art of Jun Fan is primarily based. What must be remembered is that we do not seek to teach nor learn these arts separately. The word unified derives from the Latin unus meaning "one" and fio meaning "I become." Therefore, as we learn more about our bodies through intensive martial art practice, we learn more about our selves as individuals. This in turn leads to a greater understanding of our personal role in life. :::: At Unified Martial Arts Academy the philosophy of Bruce Lee is essential to our Teaching. His primary development concepts of "Using no way as way - no limitation as limitation" and "Absorb what is useful - Reject what is useless and add what is specifically your own" have always guided our thoughts on martial art. In Bruce's short life span he was able to research and integrate 26 different arts. These methods are now known as the "Jun Fan Martial Arts". Thanks to Dan Inosanto the researching of arts from around the world was able to continue after Bruce's death.
The current J.K.D. family owes much of art they are studying now directly to Dan. He has continued where Bruce left off. Although there has been some criticism of the "new" arts that we have been exposed to, they have all contributed something to this great study. It is a mistake to think that time can stand still or that every piece of a life long research will lead to a major revelation.
Not all martial artists can process or apply philosophical concepts within their training. This group of people is now trying to hold on to the "old" methods or what is called "original J.K.D.". We believe that Bruce intended the art to continue it's growth. In any case, continuing research is always necessary to bring your students the best from martial arts.
Bruce said it is the individual that is important, not the system. The art that is currently practiced offers something for every type of student. We don't compare arts. Each art is seen to cover a certain circumstance or training need. The higher level J.K.D. instructors conceive of these diverse arts as pieces of a whole.
Wing Chun served as a base for Bruce's trapping. We now have several different arts that have different trapping theories. Kali, for example, uses angling and limb hitting where Wing Chun dominates the centerline. These two compliment each other well.
Elbowing tactics are similar. Our heaviest elbows come from Muay Thai. We also use elbow tactics from Kali that damage the limbs and hold the Head for hitting as well as Silat where they use Elbows to manipulate the body into throwing positions. As a complete package these elements can be seen as logical "parts" of the study of Elbowing. We don't argue which part is better, we simply teach it as a part of our training and allow the students to "absorb what is useful".
Just a note on the phrase "absorb what is useful reject what is useless and add what is specifically your own" - the middle section of that - "reject what is useless" - seems to be less important as more information becomes available. Like so many other fields of research - each new piece of information brings new light to "old" tactics. Many times a new perspective is all that is needed to make once discarded methods seem very important. This is especially true as the Martial Artist goes through different life cycles. What seemed to be all important in your early 20s may have changed when you hit 50. What should be learned from all this is a sense of humility and respect for differing opinions and preferences. Understanding how different circumstances require different solutions is part of the psychology of J.K.D..
