Jeet Kune Do: Presence as Flow

"Everybody was kung fu fighting..." Carl Douglas

Created by Bruce Lee in the late 1960s and born out of frustration with rigid traditional martial arts, Bruce felt styles were too focused on "dead patterns" instead of adaptability. His goal: a martial art that was alive, fluid, and effective in real combat.

Bruce said, "I do not believe in styles anymore. I don't believe there is such a thing as a Chinese way of fighting, or a Japanese way of fighting. Unless man has three arms and three legs, we will have a different form of fighting. But basically, we all have two arms and two legs."

His core philosophy was efficiency, directness, and simplicity, meaning don't waste movement, don't overcomplicate.

Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless, add what is uniquely your own.

Be water, meaning presence is adapting to any environment, whether in a fight, on the street, or in life.

Some combat principles

Centerline theory meaning protect and attack along the centerline of the body (eyes, nose, chest, groin).

Intercepting, meaning JKD, is called "the style of intercepting." Bruce believed the best strike was cutting off your opponent's move before it started. Presence in motion.

Economy of motion means don't waste energy. Every punch, kick, or movement should serve a purpose.

Integration means Bruce pulled from Wing Chun, boxing, fencing, and street fighting. JKD was mixed martial arts before MMA existed.

Presence beyond fighting

This is where it connects to my themes

Adaptability in business is just like Bruce blended disciplines; entrepreneurs today blend strategies. No single style works forever.

Calm in chaos is a street fight, a boardroom, or a New York nightclub—presence comes from grounding, not panic.

Expression as in style isn't a costume, it's a way of being. JKD is about expressing yourself through combat, not copying a teacher.

Bruce, "The martial arts are ultimately self-knowledge. A punch is just a punch, a kick is just a kick... until you realize the punch is you, the kick is you."

JKD influenced MMA, UFC, and modern training methods, and it's less a style you memorize, more of a way to think: presence, adaptability, flow.

And in life, when plans collapse, when chaos hits, when pressure builds, being water is the highest form of presence.

"War, huh, yeah... what is it good for? Absolutely nothing." - Edwin Starr