Jeet Kune Do

Brief History

Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do (translated as Bruce Lee's Way of the Intercepting Fist) was created in 1965. It is said, though has not been proven to be true, that Bruce Lee was challenged to a fight by a fellow martial artist named Wong Jack Man, who didn't think much of Bruce Lee. At the time, Lee had been teaching Wing Chun Kung Fu in Oakland, with no restrictions on who could learn. Man did not approve of teaching white people, so he challenged Lee to a battle; if Lee lost, he would have to stop teaching white people. If Man lost, he would stop teaching martial arts period. Right before the fight, Man tried to establish ground rules to limit Lee's technique, but Lee was furious at the idea and maintained that the fight would be No Holds Barred. The fight between the two Kung Fu warriors was said to have taken a while, even though Bruce Lee dominated the match. When asked why the fight went on for as long as it did, Lee contemplated on how to make martial arts more efficient and practical for fighting on the streets. While the traditional arts seemed doable in practice, certain techniques did not seem to apply in the event of an actual confrontation (which Bruce Lee would know, since he was sent to America at 18 by his parents because he kept fighting other kids in China.) This marked the beginning of Jeet Kune Do. When Lee died, only a select few had truly learned Jeet Kune Do as he taught it, but many claim to teach it. It's a mysterious art in this way, though some believe that Bruce's words, explaining how to treat martial arts when learning, is all that is needed to fight effectively.
 

Jeet Kune Do and Video Games

Because Jeet Kune Do is a way of thinking when using a martial art, not a martial art itself, it's really only found when the player uses it's strategies. That being said, Jeet Kune Do is found in any game that involves martial arts. If a player notices that a move is not helpful during a conflict and discards it, that's Jeet Kune Do; merely molding the arts to best suit you and the situation you're in. Jeet Kune Do is much more noticeable in video games, however, if the character used does not use flashy moves, and merely tries finish the fight fast. He or she's not trying to humiliate, or have fun, or be cruel. They're just trying to come out on top in the quickest and easiest manner. Even if the player were to use this strategy, the character can be shown using unnecessarily risky moves, such as kicking someone in the head, which Bruce Lee compares to punching a man in the foot. This makes it hard to spot Jeet Kune Do in video games, though it could still be interpreted as an important ingredient in fighting games. The player would also be using Jeet Kune Do effectively if they knew their character well enough not to think about the attacks they're utilizing. By merely watching the opponent and redirecting (or intercepting) their attacks without thoughts wandering off to how to redirect them, the player is using Jeet Kune Do.
 
Players aside, the developers of games can design characters in such a way that Jeet Kune Do can effectively be used. However, they might not be aware of it. Many characters modeled after Bruce Lee, namely Fei Long from Street Fighter, are often seen as Jeet Kune Do practitioners. The problem with this is that Fei Long is known to be used best up close; he cannot maintain a fight from being far out. This makes it almost impossible to use Jeet Kune Do as Fei Long, for if he's fighting Zangief, Long's player can't change his strategy as much as he should.