When I began training in JKD in Dan Inosanto’s backyard in 1973, a great deal of emphasis was placed upon the cultivation and development of our lead side tools, both in training on equipment and also in sparring. I’m sure that most people have read Bruce Lee’s notes about the use of the lead side; that the dominant side is better coordinated, that it’s closer to the opponent therefore is faster and can be used with greater frequency, etc.  But it goes further than that. It’s about the attitude one takes towards developing those lead side tools.

In an article I wrote several years ago, I made the point that I did not feel that Jeet Kune Do is the art for everyone, and I explained my reasons for thinking this. And I still feel the same way about it. However, while I don’t think JKD is the art for everyone, I do think it is an art that has something to offer everyone. From the person who is looking to develop self-confidence, to the individual seeking to develop skills which they can use if necessary to protect themselves or their loved ones, to the person looking for a philosophy they can use in their approach to life and living.

I was contacted the other day by an individual who asked me about whether or not “belts” exist in JKD because he had recently seen a school advertising that they taught JKD, but he noticed that the participants wore belts. The following is my perspective on this issue.  I’d like to state at the very outset that I have no desire to belittle or denigrate anyone who is pursuing or has earned any form of belt-ranking. This is simply about the relationship of belts as they relate to Jeet Kune Do.

With relation to JKD, people need to stop regurgitating statements like, “None of us are Bruce Lee” -- “Only Bruce Lee could do that” -- “None of us have Bruce Lee’s speed”, etc. Very often the people making such statements are simply repeating what they themselves have been told by someone else. I have heard and read these kind of statements since Bruce Lee passed away, and it’s high time that they ceased.  They are self-defeating and a waste of time and energy. They don’t accomplish anything. Even worse, they may stifle or kill the enthusiasm of individuals who may, as a result of continually hearing such things, never actualize their own potential.  If a person is continually being told that what worked for the individual who developed Jeet Kune Do will not work for them because they are not blessed with the same physical attributes as that person, then why should they even bother to study the art at all?