MMA How Does Jeet Kune Do Compare to Mixed Martial Arts? MMA LIFE SHOP

If you've ever watched a MMA fight or UFC match, you'll see that the fighters use multiple techniques and moves to try and bring their opponent down. Televised fights like these have spurred an incredible interest in all types of mixed martial arts (MMA). Many people interested in learning mixed martial arts inevitably find themselves looking up information on the different styles and choosing to learn more about those that strike their interest. Many mixed martial arts styles, such as Jeet Kune Do, draw on techniques from a wide variety of fighting styles - while cutting out much of the superfluous techniques and inefficient moves that slow down a fighter or cause them to be less potent or direct in using the tools at their disposal.

Benefits of Learning Jeet Kune Do

Jeet Kune Do itself can't really be compared to mixed martial arts fighting because the two complement and are part of each other. You won't hear a student of JKD say that Muay Thai is better than Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or that grappling is a better method of taking down an opponent than fencing. That's because Jeet Kune Do pulls from several different disciplines (most notably boxing, fencing and Wing Chun) to give the fighter exactly what he or she needs to be able to fight - nothing more and nothing less. In addition, JKD has no predetermined patterns or fighting techniques, but rather allows the student the flexibility to take what suits them and leave the rest behind. It is this accepting philosophy and methodology that have made Jeet Kune Do so popular.

MMA and JKD Draw from Similar Backgrounds

At their core, MMA and JKD expect similar results from their followers. Students should know how to adequately defend themselves and attack within several ranges of combat - with or without weapons. Unlike in some other fighting styles, where defending oneself is done by means of moving away from the attacker, JKD emphasizes moving toward them - in a sense, intercepting their attack. This kind of stop-hit is also evinced in the name Jeet Kune Do itself - meaning "The Way of the Intercepting Fist".

Bruce Lee often commented on the "flowery" movements of traditional martial arts or, as he sometimes called it "the classical mess". He insisted that the only real way for a student to understand what methods work best for him or her was by actually engaging in direct combat. This helped hone the student's fighting readiness without wasting time or effort. This kind of "take what you need and leave the rest behind" philosophy might not look as good on the dojo floor - but it will most certainly come in handy when you need to fend off a gang of thugs or protect yourself or your family from an attacker!