History - Jun Fan Gung Fu

Bruce Lee's Martial Art - Origins and Development

Jun Fan is Bruce Lee's Chinese name and so this is Lee's interpretation of traditional Chinese Gung Fu. Lee developed this art or style during the early to mid sixties after training in Wing Chun, Muay Thai, fencing etc and Jun Fan Martial Arts can be divided into three different aspects of fighting, all of which are wrapped together in a form of fighting that was a middle point between Jeet Kune Do Concepts and Bruce Lee's beginnings as a martial artist.

Jun Fan Kick Boxing

This mainly involves techniques and training methods from Muay Thai, Western Boxing, Filipino Boxing (Panakukin), French Savage and Western Foil Fencing. The range of this division is usually middle or long range and involved the use of hands, elbows, knees, and feet with a variety of types of attack and defence.

Jun Fan Grappling

This is another major part of Jun Fan Martial Arts and is the use of several grappling arts. As with the kick boxing phase there is a wide variety of offensive and defensive methods taught.
The grappling range has five areas of concentration:

Locking and Submission
Choking and Strangulation
Pressure Point and Pain Compliance
Time Holds
Ground Hitting Tactics

This part of the Jun Fan Martial Arts can be a very important factor in Self Protection. As many "real life" Self Protection situations can end up on the ground. This division of the Jun Fan Martial Arts is close range combat. The techniques that are used come again from a variety of different grappling arts from around the world and including free style wrestling as well as Russian Sombo, Judo and Jiu Jitsu.

Jun Fan Trapping

This section of training involves the use of close in trapping and striking techniques when the range of the fight has got to a stage where kick boxing techniques would not be effective. The main sources for this part of the art are Wing Chun and Kali and other unarmed methods of the Filipino Martial Arts. At this range the martial artist should be trying for a more tactile response to their opponent. This means that because of the close range at which they will find themselves the martial artist should be able to "feel" their opponents responses and reply with the necessary techniques.

A Vehicle of Discovery

Jun Fan Gung Fu is the martial art developed by Bruce Lee whilst Jeet Kune Do is a vehicle of discovery which utilizes Jun Fan Gung Fu to experience the concepts and philosophies of the Martial Arts.

The reality is that SiGung Bruce Lee was constantly developing, changing and personally evolving and therefore so was his art and philosophy undergoing the same rate of change over the years.

Bruce Lee said "Jeet Kune Do is a name - don't fuss over it" and, like his student Dan Inosanto, believed that the man is far more important than any established system or style.

Jun Fan Gung Fu takes the name of its founder - Lee "Bruce" Jun Fan. It is based on the core principles of Wing Chun learnt in Hong Kong under the tutelage of Sifu Yip Man in the 1950's. There is also some discussion that Bruce Lee also learnt much from class seniors Wong Shun Leung and William Cheung - in all probability in the same manner that any student would have learnt from their class seniors. Although the basis of Jun Fan Gung Fu is certainly Wing Chun - it is well known that Bruce Lee also practiced and competed in boxing as a schoolboy and experienced Tai Chi through his father and his father's friends. Also Guro Dan Inosanto has commented on occasion that Bruce Lee went to learn what he could from other systems. Guro Dan described Bruce Lee as knowing that he would not be taught by the senior of another system - so he would offer to exchange knowledge with the second or third ranking student of that system.

Bruce Lee's first exposure to the martial arts scene of Los Angeles was as a result of being introduced to Kenpo Karate instructor Edmund Parker. Parker invited Lee to demonstrate his art at the Long Beach Competition organized by Parker. And it was here that Bruce Lee met Dan Inosanto as he asked Dan Inosanto to be the host for Bruce Lee during this visit. Later Taky Kimura - who had been assisting Bruce Lee until this point - had to return to Seattle and Dan Inosanto became the assistant in a deal struck for the exchange of martial arts lessons. Later when Bruce Lee moved to Los Angeles Dan Inosanto trained with him and eventually encouraged Bruce Lee to open a school. Many of Dan Inosanto's classmates at Ed Parker's school came over to train at the new College Street school - although Dan Inosanto juggled a gruelling schedule of teaching for both men for a few years longer.
Eventually Bruce Lee handed over the bulk of his College Street teaching responsibilities to Dan Inosanto. He then also invited several students to train privately at the Lee home - these included Dan Inosanto, Larry Hartsell, Ted Wong, Herb Jackson, Richard Bustillo, Jerry Poteet etc.

The name Jeet Kune Do arose as the result of a conversation between Dan Inosanto and Bruce Lee during a car journey. Bruce Lee was discussing the use of interception and stop hits in fencing. Dan asked Bruce what that would be in Cantonese - The Way of the Intercepting Fist- Jeet Kune Do - was born and the rest as they say is history.