On The Tools Of The Trade

I refer to my hands, feet and body as the tools of the trade. The hands and feet must be sharpened and improved daily to be efficient.

It is true that the mental aspect of kung-fu is the desired end; however, to achieve this end, technical skill must come first. The techniques, though they play an important role in the early stage, should not be too restrictive, complex or mechanical. If we cling to them, we will become bound by their limitation. Remember, you are expressing the technique, and not doing Technique number two, Stance three, Section four? Practice all movements slow and fast, soft and hard; the effectiveness of Jeet Kune-Do depends on split-second timing and reflexive action, which can be achieved only through repetitious practice. When performing the movements, always use your imagination. Picture your adversary attacking, and use Jeet Kune-Do techniques in response to this imagined attack.

As these techniques become more innate, new meaning will begin to emerge and better techniques can be formulated.

On fitness

In Jeet Kune-Do, physical conditioning is a must for all martial artists.

If you are not physically fit, you have no business doing any hard sparring.

To me, the best exercise for this is running.

Running is so important that you should keep it up during your lifetime.

What time of the day you run is not important as long as you run.

In the beginning you should jog easily and then gradually increase the distance and tempo, and finally include sprints to develop your 'wind.'

Let me give you a bit of warning: just because you get very good at your training it should not go to your head that you are an expert.

Remember, actual sparring is the ultimate, and the training is, only a means toward this. Besides running, one should also do exercises for the stomach - sit-ups, leg raises, etc.

Too often one of those big-belly masters will tell you that his internal power has sunk to his stomach; he's not kidding, it is sunk and gone! To put it bluntly, he is nothing but fat and ugly.

On toughness

A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard.

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 escaping safely - lay your life before him.

- Bruce Lee Philosophy