Can you learn and teach JKD from a book?

**bigstu31s** · Posted On: 6/23/2011 6:07am

Found this website http://tmatkaratekickboxing.webs.com/ whilst looking for a Karate club for a mate and noticed they also teach JKD. Then after doing some digging on their website I notice this:

Jeet Kune Do takes the techniques from Jun Fan Gung fu, the original style of the late martial arts master and film star Bruce Lee (Lee Jun Fan). It is a hard hitting style geared towards quick self-defence actions. The practictioners wear full body/face protection and train to have fast reactions to attacks, with powerful techniques.

Carl's experience of Jeet Kune Do/Jun Fan Gung fu comes from training in the late 70's to all the available instructional books by Bruce Lee and Dan Inosanto. He also got a small amount of training from his former instructor Mike Gregory (now a Sifu of Jeet Kune Do Concepts), attended a one day training session with Howard Williams - a former student of both Bruce and James Yimm Lee and another one day session with Dr. Leung Ting in Ving Tsun (Wing Chun) who was a classmate of Bruce Lee's in the style.

Carl continues to add to add to his JKD/Jun Fan knowledge by studying/practicing techniques from the works of Instructors: Bruce Lee, James Yimm Lee and Lamar Davis II and is currently undergoing video gradings with The World Jeet Kune Do federation in the USA led by Professor Carter Hargrave.

All of these materials (Books and DVD's) on Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do can be purchased for study and training.

Can someone really be qualified to teach JKD after attending a few seminars and workshops and having read books on the subject. Hell i've read Pumping Iron and seen the movie but I'm not qualified to train bodybuilders

**Lu Tze** · Posted On: 6/23/2011 6:19am

This is a rhetorical question right?

**Boneless** · Posted On: 6/23/2011 6:28am

qualified on paper maybe.

more important: would you want to learn from someone who has learned trough watching pictures or someone who has at least 6+ year with a style

**bigstu31s** · Posted On: 6/23/2011 8:47am

Originally Posted by Boneless

qualified on paper maybe.

more important: would you want to learn from someone who has learned trough watching pictures or someone who has at least 6+ year with a style

I'm not sure whether i'm more suprised about him teaching JKD after no hands on training or by his admission to this fact

**It is Fake** · Posted On: 6/23/2011 10:21am

This is going into YMAS? Why? You've been here long enough to know how most posters feel about Video Grading. Heck people are still pissed off about Gracie University and Bullshido is known as being full of BJJ and MMA nutriders.

**Permalost** · Posted On: 6/23/2011 10:48am

If you could effectively learn the art from a book, you could cut out the middleman and just read the same books he has.

**RWaggs** · Posted On: 6/23/2011 11:37am

Originally Posted by bigstu31s

Can someone really be qualified to teach JKD after attending a few seminars and workshops and having read books on the subject. Hell i've read Pumping Iron and seen the movie but I'm not qualified to train bodybuilders

As any child of the 80s knows, attempting to learn martial arts from a book will definitely get you beaten up by a gang of angry Socs in skeleton costumes.

**shotfghter** · Posted On: 6/23/2011 11:47am

The World Jeet Kune Do federation in the USA led by Professor Carter Hargrave.

Isn't someone in this forum trying to find out more about him?

http://www.bullshido.net/forums/show...=31636&page=39

Aside from that, I've been told before that with prior knowledge learning things from a book can be helpful - but I think most people would disagree with learning from a vid then being certified to teach.

If you could effectively learn the art from a book, you could cut out the middleman and just read the same books he has.

Truer words have never been spoken.

**Permalost** · Posted On: 6/23/2011 12:40pm

I don't know how connected they are to Carter Hargrave, but it looks like they get their official ranking from him. I think that such certs aren't worth the paper they're printed on, and based on Carter's actions and how he conducts himself, I wouldn't want to have anything to do with him. Having said that, they seem very upfront about what they do and that their jeet kune do is studied from books and whatnot. Carter hasn't shown himself to be this honest. Looks like a bunch of karate guys read the Tao of JKD and it resonated and they wanted to do some training outside their traditional karate, and that's cool I guess.