# JKD Weapons Training



## Spartan

*Question:*
*Does JKD have any weapons training? How did Bruce Lee feel about learning weapons? I look at the curriculum list Bruce taught his students, and I notice that there's no weapons component. *

*Also, it seems like Lee abandoned the traditional wing chun weapons (butterfly knives, long pole), in favor of the Filipino weaponry. If anyone could tell me about this, I'd really appreciate it.*

*Thanks, *
*Joe*


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## Robert Lee

Jun Fan or JKd did not train weapons. Bruce did his own weapon training, to Use more for The movies.  You do not find weapon training in JKD But in concepts Kali weaopns and what ever a person wishes. I believe Bruce understood the easyest way to end a threat was a gun. So much weapon training was not so much the need But training the human body to perform.


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## arnisador

Most JKD nowadays will teach some Kali--knife and stick.


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## Infinite

Robert Lee said:


> Jun Fan or JKd did not train weapons. Bruce did his own weapon training, to Use more for The movies.  You do not find weapon training in JKD But in concepts Kali weaopns and what ever a person wishes. I believe Bruce understood the easyest way to end a threat was a gun. So much weapon training was not so much the need But training the human body to perform.



So true, but he also loved the nunchuk and used to carry one around (or so the rumors go).

So I think he understood the importance of weapons I just think he thought you should learn to fight first then use that knoweldge to pick the weapons you think fit with your style.

IMHO (which may not be some humble)

Sorry was looking for JKD weapon training information.

So I thought I'd revive the thread... my last JKD was teaching escrima.


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## Zaose

Infinite said:


> So true, but he also loved the nunchuk and used to carry one around (or so the rumors go).



Really? I haven't heard that. Could you cite your sources? Just curious.



Infinite said:


> So I think he understood the importance of weapons I just think he thought you should learn to fight first then use that knoweldge to pick the weapons you think fit with your style.



More specifically, and I believe it was brought up already in this thread, I think he trained weapons to help him better understand them (vs them) and to help him better understand his unarmed combat. 

Bruce didn't teach Kali or Escrima - those were added to "jkd" by Dan Inosanto as his personal expression of combat. I even believe Bruce told them that stuff was "out". 

On a personal note, I think training weapons is excellent - even if you never plan to use the weapon. It really increases your awareness of angles, lines,  etc etc. The benefits are worth it, in my opinion.


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## Infinite

Zaose said:


> Really? I haven't heard that. Could you cite your sources? Just curious.
> 
> 
> 
> More specifically, and I believe it was brought up already in this thread, I think he trained weapons to help him better understand them (vs them) and to help him better understand his unarmed combat.
> 
> Bruce didn't teach Kali or Escrima - those were added to "jkd" by Dan Inosanto as his personal expression of combat. I even believe Bruce told them that stuff was "out".
> 
> On a personal note, I think training weapons is excellent - even if you never plan to use the weapon. It really increases your awareness of angles, lines,  etc etc. The benefits are worth it, in my opinion.



Two sources for the nunchuk neither really all that credible to be honest. The first is the movie based on his life Dragon the Bruce Lee Story. The second was a BBC documentary on his life in the early 80's which I can't find the name for.

Both seemed to indicate that somewhere around 16 or so he started to get into street fights and at that point he picked up nunchucks and then loved thems o much he used them in the films.

Could be all conjector tho.


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## jeff5

Its kind of academic at this point, but what I've always read is that Bruce liked the nunchuk as a movie weapon, but for practical purposes thought it wasn't very good.  I never heard he carried them around, but eh I could be wrong!  (won't be the first time)

There is no weapons training in the JunFan/JKD curriculum, but I think training weapons to train specific attributes like speed, hand eye co-oridination, flow, timing, stamina etc. is an excellent thing to do.  That's personally whey I like Kali and the Filipino martial arts in general, and I believe its one of the reaons why Guru Dan added them to his curriculum.


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## joeygil

I can't recall if this was from Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey or hearing from Sifu Dan.  But I understand in Game of Death, Sijo Bruce used plastic chucks in some cases as much for self protection as not hurting the other actors.

I think Sijo Bruce learned his Nunchucks from Sifu Dan (who probably used them more in his old Kempo days).  From what I understand, Bruce's legendary skills with them was more movie reputation that actual fighting/sparring.


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## g-bells

training with escrima sticks can only increase your reaction time, seeing that a stick moves a LOT faster than a hand or foot. i train in jkd and use the sticks for that reason


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## MingTheMerciless

But then Bruce Lee is also a Huge Fan of Fencing though


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