I had been led to believe that only more techniques and movements would get me closer to comprehending JKD.

I had been led to believe that only more techniques and movements would get me closer to comprehending JKD. And like countless others, I was not only in a state of constant confusion, but also very frustrated. Little did I know that I was hindering my own development in the pursuit of endless techniques and arts. In the back of my mind I always wondered why JKD’s founder had urged martial artists to "hack away" asmany movements as possible. Yet, here I was always adding and adding.

JKD Discovery
All this changed when I met Jerry Poteet. In the course of one afternoon, he not only managed to make jeet kune do accessible, he gave me the key principles that allowed me to train actual skills, explosive speed and power I previously thought were unattainable. He not only emptied my overflowing cup, he smashed it to pieces.

How did he do this? First, he showed me step-by-step specific body mechanics that anyone could do; he doubled my hitting and kicking power and speed in the first lesson. Next, he taught me underlying principles that hold true for every combat scenario. Now, rather than endless choices in combat, I have only one answer for every fight scenario.



Just Be
Nothing to "think about,” nothing to "do". Just be. But be what? Sounds mystical, doesn't it? At least, that's what I thought, until I put the skills he taught me to the test. Determined to learn what Jerry had taught me, I went home and practiced and practiced until I had polished (I won't say perfected) what he showed me.

After quite some time, I went back to my sparring partners and utilized what Poteet had taught me. It seemed like magic; I was effortlessly (when I let it happen), countering and controlling my adversary’s punches, kicks, strikes, grapples, etc. Surely, I thought, something must be wrong.

Make Your Mind Free
Can it be that easy? After all, I'm not the biggest or strongest guy in the world. When I asked Poteet, he just laughed and said, "It's simple, as in uncomplicated…not easy.” What he meant was that to counter an attack with the fewest moves possible, you need skills like timing, awareness, effective body mechanics, etc. Simple, yes. Easy? No way. You see, it is almost instinctive to want to do more, rather than less, in a fight. It's this temptation to do too much that I train to override every day in my own workouts, and in my personal life.

It is amazing what an individual can accomplish when he is uncluttered, free of useless techniques and ideas, and so on. At last, martial arts and JKD was a joy to do, and not an unsolvable riddle.

At this point, I must mention that the highest level of jeet kune do is obtained through hard work and training. When people talk about "expressing themselves,” they somehow miss the steps of learning and training. Unfortunately, you can not skip this step. If we could only take the "red pill,” I’d buy the whole bottle. I now realize my previous mistakes in training JKD; you need an authentic foundation of principles and skills. Only after internalizing the principles into your physical skills, making them an automatic reflex, can you truly "express yourself."

If we think about this in another way, we would realize that every society and culture survives by laws, rules and customs. These laws provide stability, continuity and safety in societies. Without them, there is chaos and lawlessness.

Philosophy in Motion
The same is true of martial arts. Without an underlying foundation or structure, we are in the Dark Ages, having to improvise a strategy every day just to survive. But if we have the principles by which to build a bullet-proof foundation, we can improve the quality of our martial arts and lives. We do not have to re-invent the wheel for every new combat scenario.

And that is the beauty of jeet kune do. It is philosophy in motion, not motion without philosophy. The next generation of jeet kune do students will play their part in preserving a legacy. Sincere martial artists crave JKD'S awesome stopping power and explosive speed. Along with that comes another unique feature of JKD—energy training that seems to bestow psychic powers on the JKD martial artist. This is what Poteet calls "the open end.” But that is another topic for another time.



During the late 1960s, the revolutionary art of jeet kune do was conveyed to an elite group. How could he have done so without an underlying philosophy and physical structure? It is my great pleasure to pass on that art, learned from Poteet, to future generations. I am blessed to have this knowledge and I can't wait to share it with other martial artists.

Octavio Quintero is a senior student and world trainer under Jerry Poteet. He assists Poteet in a new Online JKD Program at www.jerrypoteet.com and is available for JKD seminars. Poteet can also be contacted at You can contact Quintero at

Booking a Seminar
Octavio Quintero teaches in Sacramento, California, and is currently conducting worldwide seminars. For more information visit www.theartofjkd.com.