Hi Guys

I posted this question quite a few years ago now but thought I'd re-do it as there are probably some new faces here since 1998 (I hope so) and I'm still wondering what the answer might be.

As I understand it, jkd is a philosophy that embraces the notion of self expression and self determination through the martial arts. Absorb what you find personally useful, reject what doesn't personally work for you and add what you can to augment what you have. Do this in such a fashion that you eventually have a system of concepts, strategies and techniques that best fit your own unique personality and allows you to defend yourself in a manner that is "natural" and organic for you. Do I have it right so far? It's an appealing concept to me - 20+ years in CLF and there some things I still wonder how I'd pull them off!

Anyway - here's my question (and it does come from someone with only a passing familiarity with jkd, so forgive me if I miss the boat completely). When I see jkd (video, seminars etc), I see a lot of foundation work being done in various systems. Western boxing, silat, escrima, muay thai, maybe some wing chun - now some groundfighting. All well and good - a nice toolbox to have as a base.

BUT

there doesn't seem to be much in the way of traditional MA's influencing the jkd philosophy. I know Bruce Lee mentioned the "classical mess" where people had become bound by protocol and ritual and had lost sight of what the arts really held, but what if I - in my own personal experience, felt that one of my best paths of expression was through something like Shotokan or TKD or Hung Gar? What if I could naturally make that art work for me efficiently, and genuinely felt it fit best with my own psychological and physical make-up. Let's say it's the closet that I feel fits best in my house. I might go and get some clothes from outside - boxing, BJJ etc - but want to bring them back to hang in my traditional closet (not sure if I'm making sense now).

Would this be catered for in a jkd training environment?

Or to take it even further - what happens if I start out in a jkd environment, not knowing that that a traditional system is really the most ideal way for me to express myself martially and physically? Isn't that akin to forcing a left handed child to learn how to do everything right handed?

I certainly don't mean any offense, and I know this is probably an inaccurate question anyway - we all have to start somewhere and find our way - but it's a question that's been on my mind for years yet whenever I ask it I really don't receive an answer that satisfies me.

So I thought I'd throw it out there again.

Thanks for reading - looking forward to what comes back.

James