Is anyone on this forum certified as a JF/JKD instructor under Jerry Beasley?
If so, what do you think of his organization?
Beasley
I have known Jerry Beasley for a long time, and he is a knowledgable and intelligent communicator and researcher. He is not, however, a certified JKD Instructor. Neither, for that matter, is Joe Lewis, the man under whom Jerry trained in what he has called JKD. I know that Dr. Beasley has been to numerous seminars with JKD instructors like Dan Inosanto and Larry Hartsell, but to those who have seen the way those seminars compare to Dan’s classes and private instruction, it is easy to confirm that seminar instruction and conversations are not enough. I think it’s great that Jerry has brought so much attention to JKD lately (meaning in the last few years, but I can’t help thinking that his outlook and even perspective on what Jeet Kune Do really is might be a little off base. I know he’s written books and produced videos. But the best way to decide is to look at how and where he got his material. Look at the history of what he’s taught. See if that’s in line with what you are looking for, and go from there. Best Wishes,
Mik
Nature is ruled by the redness of fang and claw…
Ernest Hemmingway
Dr.Beasley and JKD
Mike is of course Mike B. who taught JKD at my Karate college some years ago. Mike was not invited back, because of scheduling and nothing personal. mike thought it was personal, hence his less than supportive comment.
No doubt a lot of readers have seen my name along with JKD. In the 1980’s I wrote many articles about JKD promoting the careers of Dan Inosanto, Larry Hartsell and others. In 1993 I promoted the all important Original JKD camp with Ted Wong, Howard Williams and an endorsement from Taky Kimura. I also wrote about the “original” JKD, indeed I coined the name “Original JKD” and wrote about the version of JKD that bruce Lee taught between 1967 and 1969. In 1993 I also wrote the lines"he looks like Bruce, he sounds like Bruce, he moves like Bruce" in describing Ted Wong who has become the top proponent of OJKD.
It goes without saying that some readers found offense with the introduction of OJKD . Some in the JKDC camp felt OJKD would compete with JKDC for students. As it turns out the Bruce Lee family chose to promote OJKD (Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do). I was only a writer and promoter of JKD. As far as martial arts are concerned my various ranks are in karate/jujitsu/kickboxing. I am happy with these arts and do not need to claim that I teach JKD. I have, on occasion, taught seminar classes in which the topic requested was my understanding of JKD.
My point in responding to this thread is to let my readers know that I am not connected to the JKD family of instructors and practitioners who compete for students.
I do not certify people in JKD. I write about JKD and that’s about it.
As long as readers continue to buy my books and editors continue to ask me to write JKD related texts I guess I should continue to satisfy the demand for my work.
Jerry Beasley
www.aikia.net
[QUOTE=]I have known Jerry Beasley for a long time, and he is a knowledgable and intelligent communicator and researcher. He is not, however, a certified JKD Instructor. Neither, for that matter, is Joe Lewis, the man under whom Jerry trained in what he has called JKD. I know that Dr. Beasley has been to numerous seminars with JKD instructors like Dan Inosanto and Larry Hartsell, but to those who have seen the way those seminars compare to Dan’s classes and private instruction, it is easy to confirm that seminar instruction and conversations are not enough. I think it’s great that Jerry has brought so much attention to JKD lately (meaning in the last few years, but I can’t help thinking that his outlook and even perspective on what Jeet Kune Do really is might be a little off base. I know he’s written books and produced videos. But the best way to decide is to look at how and where he got his material. Look at the history of what he’s taught. See if that’s in line with what you are looking for, and go from there. Best Wishes,
Mik
Nature is ruled by the redness of fang and claw…
Ernest Hemmingway[/QUOTE]
A prominant book on his shelf behind his desk at the university where he teaches is “how to make money from your hobby”.
JKD Certification …Dubious?
The concept of “Certification” in JKD has always been of dubious reputation. Bruce Lee offered only a few certificates in his lifetime. The certificates were from the Jun Fan Gun Fu institute. Students were recognized for years of practice. Ted Wong received the level two for two years of training and Dan Inosanto received the level three for being a student for three years. No person ever received a certificate from Bruce Lee stating that the person on the certificate was designated as Instructor of JKD. Hence technically no one can claim to be “certified” to teach JKD under Bruce Lee. It is true that Bruce appointed several students as class leaders or teaching assistants. Taky Kimura, James Lee and Dan Inosanto were all teaching assistants. However none received certificates stating that they had been “Certified” as instructors of JKD.
According to Dan Inosanto in a 1975 article for Black Belt Best of Bruce Lee #2 Bruce moved to LA in December 1966 and sought to get a few guys together to train as of 1967. They practiced Jun Fan Gung Fu. According to Dan “JKD was not formalized until 1968”. Bruce taught jeet kune do as an art fron 1968- 1970 until he left for Hong Kong. Upon his return to the US Bruce closed his JKD school. JKD as an art lasted only three years. Here’s why.
In 1970 Bruce was injured trying to lift 125 lbs on his neck and was confined to bed for 6 months. During that time Linda notes that Bruce studied and absorbed the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti. As a follower of Krishnamurti Bruce agreed that “truth” could not be conveyed as an organization or art/style. He abandoned his desire to open JKD schools and disbanned the art and formal practice of JKD. The JKD Concept reflects the post 1970 conversion to Krishnamurtianism. Note that the famous British rock group the Beatles studied Indian spiritualism in 1966 and three years later the Beatles as a group were history. Their music had evolved from a recognizable genera to something previously unknown/unheard. Bruce had similarly positioned JKD from a fighting art to a “pathless path” by using the Krishnamurti philosophy. The JKD concept is very much the art of no art.
Today their are two very different versions of JKD. There are those who rightfully claim that JKD is the art taught by Bruce Lee from 1968-1970/71 before his conversion to Krishnamurtianism. And a second school of thought led by Bruce’s protoge Dan Inosanto claims that JKD is only a concept and can not be identified as an art/style. Both are correct an reflect two distinct eras in the development of Bruce Lee as a martial artist and teacher.
Several of Bruce’s students have elected to teach what they know about JKD. Some were with Bruce before he named his art jeet kune do. Some were students when Bruce taught JKD as an art fron 1968-1970 ( before he hurt his back and converted to Krishnamurtiasm). Perhaps only Dan Inosanto was with Bruce both before the name JKD existed, during the time in which Bruce taught JKD as an art, and after Bruce disbanned the teaching of JKD to follow the teachings of the Indian guru Krishnamurti.
I am familar with the JKD concept and published the first book on the subject (endorsed by and dedicated to Dan Inosanto) in 1988. I promoted the Original JKD camps from 1993-1997 with Ted Wong so I am familar with the original JKD as well. However the most outstanding fighter to ever work with Bruce was Joe Lewis who trained in jeet kune do under Bruce from 1968-1969. I have been a student under Joe Lewis since 1982. I should note that I earned the 1st dan in 1971 and after five advancements I earned the 6th dan in 1985, the 7th dan in 1990 and the 8th dan in 1995 all from Joe Lewis.
Jerry Beasley
www.aikia.net
Interesting. I always though Krishnamurti played a role in Bruce’s life because many of the things he said about JKD were almost word-for-word what Krishnamurti said about organizing “truth” in general. Glad I can have that afffirmed.
Dr. Beasley,
Dr. Martin, if he’s still around, has a book on the teachings of krishnamurti as a part of his philosophy of religion course. have you read it?
thanks,
lamp-post smasher.
I was a philosophy major at VA Tech (BA Philosophy '73) and found the pragmatic philosophy more to my liking. I remember covering Krishnamurti in a lecture but found no continued interest until reading in Linda Lee’s 1975 book “Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew” about how Bruce injured his back and while in bed for 6 months Bruce studied and absorbed Krishnamurti philosophy. The back injury and the indoctrination of Krishnamurti had a profound and lifechanging effect on both Bruce and his art of JKD. Bruce was regelated to taking cortisone shots on a regular basis and various prescription drugs to cover the pain. The doctor informed him that he would never kick again. He kicked in spite of the pain…the cortisone would have caught up with him eventually. At any rate Bruce disbanned the teaching of JKD in 1971 and positioned JKD as a non-art/anti-style. Bruce was following Krishnamurti but failed to give specific references. Many beleive that had Bruce regained full health his ego would get the best of him and he would again call JKD a martial art. It is good to forget all that is known, remove all bias from time to time. Eventually we must identify the truth. To reject all truth, simply because a guru instructs us to is simply trading the guru’s message for the truth. Had he not died two years after the conversion Bruce would have regained his senses…we think.
Personally I see the Krishnamurti philosophy and the post-71 JKD (inspired by Krishnamurti) as a passing trend. Use it like a boat to cross the river, said Bruce, once on the other side, you need no longer burden yourself, simply discard the boat! To each his own.
Aikia:
what other ‘art histories’ are you as well informed about?
How then can you claim to have been "certified to teach JKD by Joe Lewis, when in fact Joe Lewis himself is not certified to teach it? And in fact he only studied with Bruce for less than a year which certainly not qualify him to teach ANY style of martial art. I don’t have a problem with Dan Inosanto or Jerry Poteet or any of Bruce’s other original students writing books or producing videos, because they were with him for a great lenght of time. But when Joe Lewis (or even worse, the number of “instructors” who never met Bruce at all much less studied under him) try to cash in on Bruce’s name, it only serves to make them look like snake oil salesmen.
Certified?
MoiFah raised an interesting question. If you are saying that no one has really been certified as an instructor under Bruce Lee, and especially we know for a fact that Joe Lewis only studied with Bruce Lee for less than a year how can Joe Lewis certify anyone? Why would you accept ANY type of certification from someone who spent less than a year with Bruce Lee and you also know that he is not certified by him? No one questions the fighting ability of Joe Lewis and that he is a good kickboxer/instructor, but the fact that he is certifying students in an art he merely learned for a year is very questionable. Makes it sound like Joe Lewis is just adding to his income by cashing in on the luck that he could spend some time with Bruce Lee.
FYI: I also have several seminar certifications as well as many photos signed (for me) by Dan Inosanto.
Certifiction
My friend, look at what you have written. Keep in mind that there are many today offerring “certification” in JKD that are 2,3,4 even 5 generations seperated from Bruce Lee. Any actual student under Bruce Lee has more to offer than any non-student, certified or otherwise.
Joe Lewis was the best fighter that ever trained with Bruce Lee. I was more interested in the fighting strategy that Bruce taught Mr. Lewis than the stick and knife drills available in most of the JKDC seminars. That is the primary reason. In 1970 Mr. Lewis introduced the art of full contact kickboxing as an extension/expression of jeet kune do. That is the method I preferred. I like the 'aliveness’of the contact sparring.
My new book “JKD: High-Risk Sparring” featuring Joe Lewis presents a detailed analysis of the work Joe Lewis completed under Bruce Lee.
It is also interesting to find that Bruce Lee’s private student Stirling Sillaphant ( well known screen writer/producer) has the exact same level in jeet kune do as Dan Inosanto…level 3. In both cases level 3 has little to do with “instructor certification” rather both are simply certificates attesting to the fact that the student completed 3 years training with Bruce Lee. In itself quite an accomplishment.
On the issue of people trying to cash in on Bruce’s name, I suspect that is one reason why Shannon Lee and Linda Lee Cadwell had copywrites placed on the names “Bruce Lee”, “Jeet Kune Do”, “JKD” and the JKD symbol. But as Dr. Beasley said, none of those videos or books would sell if it weren’t the consumer. And there will always be people interested in anything to do with Bruce.
Aikia:
was the camp with horace ('04) as successful as the ones ten years ago or more so? was the restaurant as crowded?
The martial arts summer camps of the mid-1990’s were larger. We stay at around 225-250 now. It is less drain on the facilities and more personalized instruction for the campers. www.aikia.net.
since i still don’t have anything hanging on my wall i guess i’ll come over and say hello this fall on my way to Boston. 
[QUOTE=Aikia;599590][LIST=1]
Funny you mention that Aikia because according to the Radford University website this is not an accurate statement from you.
Students who have achieved Martial Arts rank, especially the level of black belt, are qualified to manage professional karate schools. Members of the Radford University martial arts program have appeared in major martial arts journals. Radford"s instructor training program is certified by AIKIA and is recognized at the national level.
Required Courses - 10
Ten semester hours to be chosen from among:
PHED 130. Karate - 1
PHED 131. Kobudo - 1
PHED 133. Kali - 1
PHED 134. Kung Fu - 1
PHED 135. Jeet Kune Do - 1
PHED 136. Tae Kwon Do - 1
PHED 137. Jiu Jitsu - 1
PHED 330. Advanced Karate - 1
PHED 361. The Martial Arts - 3
PHED 362. Principles of Self Defense - 3
Semester hours earned in the martial arts option may be counted toward a physical education minor. Students may further enhance the option by completing the commercial fitness concentration.
The OJKD versus the JKDC controversy was nothing more than a state of confusion. There is no JKDC. What we call JKDC actually refers to the concepts that Dan developed so he could teach principles he had learned in jeet kune do through other arts. JKDC has been mislabeled as “jeet kune do” when in fact jeet kune do ( also being called Jun Fan/Janfan arts/Jun fam gung Fu etc) is simply one of the arts/styles that are used in the Dan Inosanto concepts method.
Wow! Pretty hard to swallow but it is apparently true.
Can you explain to me how you could publish anything about Jeet Kune Do or claim to know anything about it when you have not trained in Jeet Kune Do? The Joe Lewis story doesn’t hold clout because Joe Lewis was never authorized to teach Jeet Kune Do nor did he spend enough time with Bruce Lee to gain any true insight into Bruce’s methods. The two of them infact had a fallen out, but do you expect everyone to believe your bogus claim’s?
Is it so hard to understand that Jun Fan Gung Fu is the fundamental system of Jeet Kune Do, meaning Jeet Kune Do is infact the by-product of the individuals personal expression of Jun Fan Gung Fu? When was the last time you spoke with Danny, Aikia? So how can you infact be speaking for Sifu as indicated above all-the-while defining the essence of Jeet Kune Do incorrect?
Jeet kune do is jeet kune do and nothing more. JKD is not a concept it’s an art. It’s time we identified Dan Inosanto as the genius who gave us the DI Concepts method. The DICM (Dan Inosanto Concepts Method) is the forunner of MMA much more so than jeet kune do.
-Aikia
This is a disrespectful statement about Sifu, and is factually in-accurate in reguards to “MMA”. The arrogance displayed in this quote is beyond measure and really shows what kind of character Aikia truely is. A very select few have had the privledge to train under Sifu but millions possess a copy of the Tao of Jeet Kune Do and have watched the movies that made Bruce a legend. So are you trying to claim that Danny has influenced MMA more then Jeet Kune Do? Thats an incredibly bold and factually flawed statement to make Aikia. The Gracie family has alot more to do with MMA as we know it today than Jeet Kune Do, and Royce Gracie especially is responsible for its popularity in America along with Dana White ofcourse and fighters such as Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.
I believe you had no business making Jun Fan/JKD video’s in the first place Aikia, along with the Ninjitsu gig you tried in the early 80’s; it is safe to assume your credibility is almost as bad George W. Bush’s. If it is acceptable for someone to write articles’ and make videos’ on systems they have never trained in I could have instructional DVD’s out on White Crane System, Wing Tsun and Drunken Monkey. Even though the truth be told, I have had limited instruction in each system respectfully. And this is what Aikia has done with JKD and Ninjitsu, on top of demonstrating a profoundly in-accurate synopsis of what Jeet Kune Do truely is.
One can only imagine what kind of program you are running at the University! What exactly are you teaching these students in classes such as the Jeet Kune Do class cited above? What do these students do with their degree in Jeet Kune Do from the university you teach at? Are the faculty, staff and students aware of your reputation in the Martial Arts community? Do you certify these students in Jeet Kune Do, Aikia? Or are they promoted to Black Belt in Jeet Kune Do? I would advise these students to find another place of study based on the evidence presented in this thread.
And exactly who made Joe Lewis a Grand Master? Who gave him the authority to promote students to 8th or 9th Dan in Karate? I would be surprised if Joe Lewis could even back up his black belt status with legitimate credentials from Okinawa much less present anything that supports his authorization to designate students to such grades. Is there anything about your Martial Arts background that is legitimate Aikia? You seem to be a Hollywood Martial Artist from all available evidence. From all reports that I have read you are spoken of as a nice guy, but that does not make up for your lack of humility, honesty and other dark character traits you possess Aikia.
The White Dragon
Dear White Dragon,
In Jan of 2007 Dave Cater at Inside Kung Fu magazine asked me to write a book on JKD. That book is now available from Unique publications . The title is “JKD: High-Risk Sparring”. Look for it.
And White Dragon, chill out on the “I hate Jerry Beasely” concept. I am not a bad guy. Come to RU and meet me. See why I was voted “Instructor of the Year 2000” by readers of Black Belt magazine and inducted into the Black Belt magazine Hall of Fame.
Jerry Beasley
www.aikia.net
[QUOTE=Aikia;784078]In January of 2007 Dave Cater at Inside Kung Fu magazine asked me to write a book on JKD. That book will be available from Unique publications before Christmas 2007. The title is “JKD: High-Risk Sparring.”[/QUOTE]
Dear Dr. Jerry Beasley,
Can you describe the thesis of your book with the rest of us? (Without you giving away too much, of course.)