JKD? I Don't Know...

While on vacation, I went to a Jeet Kun Do (JKD...now the title rhymes!) school my brother uses to work out. I don't know the first thing about JKD so I figured what the heck & gave it a try.


My feelings are mixed. It was an excellent work out. The owner knows his stuff & how to get things moving even in the early morning. He has excellent control & teaches effectively.


On the downside - & this is all opinion. I'd recommend this school to anyone who wants to learn a martial art - I'm not a proponent of the "headbutt" technique. I think the likelihood of knocking yourself out is too high & that's a disaster waiting to happen in a self-defense situation. Again, my opinion. He's not "wrong" in teaching that.


Overall, the school teaches well & offers practical coursework for any student of the martial arts. While I'm content to apply HKD/Arnis for my self-defense needs, JKD is more up your alley if you want to keep a little more distance & allow for strikes. HKD emphasizes close quarters for the most part & Arnis will offer distance in (mostly) armed situations.


All things being equal JKD is a fine art developed by perhaps the finest modern student of the martial arts: Bruce Lee. While there's a lot of hype surrounding his name, my understanding from people I've met who knew him insist he was as great as the legend implies.


I'd encourage any of you interested in the martial arts to get out there & see what's available. There are more "kwons", "ryus", etc out there than I could ever name here & I believe all offer something of value. I, for one, would love to learn traditional "kumdo" (sword). It's not practical for self-defense unless you're the Highlander but fun doesn't have everything to do with practicality, does it? :-)