JKD
Remembering Ted Wong
I just got the news that the respected JKD (Jeet Kune Do) practitioner and instructor, Sifu Ted Wong, passed away last week.
May I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and students.
In case you find yourself reading today’s post and not being aware of who Ted Wong was, I would like to share a profile by Teri Tom that originally appeared in the December 2006 issue of Black Belt Magazine:
Ted Wong: 2006 Man of the Year
By Teri Tom
“It’s the stuff of legends, really. A story of serendipitous privilege and great personal anguish.
In 1967 Ted Wong was living in Los Angeles’ Chinatown when a friend tipped him off about a class at Bruce Lee’s Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute.
Acceptance to the class had been by invitation, and members were expected to have prior training. Wong snuck into the class with no experience, and when Lee saw him, he asked, “Who are you?”
Wong thought he’d be given the boot, but instead, the two struck up a conversation in Cantonese. Lee made an exception and let Wong stay.
Wong wasted no time making up for his lack of experience, and before long he was training in Lee’s backyard, having become his most frequent sparring partner.
From July 27, 1967 to October 14, 1971, Wong studied under Lee at least 122 times. According to Lee’s own appointment books, Wong spent more time receiving private instruction than any other person.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a martial artist who’s more qualified to teach advanced Jun Fan jeet kune do—which is why Wong was certified by Lee himself.
M. Uyehara, author of Bruce Lee: The Incomparable Fighter, agreed. He wrote: “I still think Bruce considered Ted Wong as his protégé before his death. Wong was his constant companion for the last few years. Besides working out on Wednesday nights, Wong also came to see Bruce on weekends. When Bruce needed a sparring partner, it was Wong he selected.”
But that period wouldn’t last. With Lee’s death in 1973, Wong found himself without a teacher.
What followed is a story of great pain, moral integrity and self-reliance.
While others were quick to capitalize on their association with Lee, Wong threw himself into 15 years of seclusion.
There was still so much to learn, so he went back to the origin: the writings his teacher had left behind.
He tracked down the sources that influenced those writings, books that had been in Lee’s library.
He relied on his photographic—or, more precisely, his “filmographic”—memory to draw connections between what he’d seen Lee do so many times and the principles outlined in his writings.
When he lost his instructor, Wong faced the same temptation we all do: to look to outside sources—different masters, different styles.
He chose to do the opposite, and it wasn’t an easy path to follow. But Wong had all he needed: the road map left by his teacher and the benefit of many hours spent with one of history’s greatest martial artists.
In the 15 years that followed, Wong developed a solid understanding of what Lee had tried to teach him. Wong didn’t supplement his arsenal with techniques from other arts. The only thing he added to Jun Fan jeet kune do was an understanding and analysis designed to enable future generations to benefit from Lee’s lifework.
In the 15 years it took Wong to connect the dots between his training and Lee’s writings, others misinterpreted those writings and misrepresented their teachings as jeet kune do.
Although reclusive by nature, Wong couldn’t remain silent. The damage propelled him out of the shadows in the early 1990s.
After decades of turning down requests for interviews, he found himself in the spotlight. Still, he refrained from adopting a traditional approach.
While he could have turned a handsome profit by opening a school, Wong didn’t go that route. Maintaining the integrity of the art was more important.
Even now, he privately teaches only a half-dozen students in the Los Angeles area.
Instead of running a school, he’s taken his act on the road. He’s planted JKD seeds in countries around the globe, including Japan, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Holland, Scotland, Italy and Spain, as well as across the United States.
He’s made regular trips to those locations for years and built a small army of loyal students. Without a facility to run, he can pick and choose his students based on their character and interest in the art.
In his spare time, Wong serves on the board of the Bruce Lee Foundation, where he contributes his time as an adviser and instructor.
For his selfless contributions to the foundation, the legacy of Bruce Lee and the art of Jun Fan jeet kune do, Black Belt is proud to induct Ted Wong into its Hall of Fame as 2006 Man of the Year.
Jun Fan jeet kune do is a registered trademark owned by Concord Moon.”
Sifu Ted Wong, R.I.P.
Greetings! Enjoy The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
This sure was another exciting week at The MartialArtsReporter.com!
And here it is “The Week In Review”.
I hope you enjoy your Sunday and find the time to take in all the video clips in their entirety.
Celebrating The Life Of Brandon Lee, Who Would Have Turned 45 Today
Get A Great Lower Body Stretching Workout In Only 3 Minutes!
Here’s An Upper Body Stretching Workout In Just 3 Minutes!
Boxing Insights From My Filipino-American Barber
Jeff Imada, The Genius Behind Great Action Movies
We Will Never Forget 9/11 American Hero And Judo Champion, Jeremy Glick
I hope you come back tomorrow for a new post.
Take care. Stay safe.
Celebrating The Life Of Brandon Lee, Who Would Have Turned 45 Today
Happy Monday, everybody!
Where did the weekend go? I dunno.
I have been thinking about posting something about Bruce Lee’s son, Brandon Lee.
Now, get this: I was planning on posting about him today, February 1, and during my research I find out that today would have been his birthday.
This cannot be a coincidence!
Brandon Lee would have turned 45 today. And here again somebody who left us on this planet way too prematurely.
He was a very aspiring movie star and according to acclaimed movie critic, Roger Ebert, after watching Brandon Lee’s performance in “The Crow“, Brandon Lee clearly demonstrated that he might have become an action star, had he lived.
I totally agree with Roger Ebert.
You might remember that Brandon Lee was accidently shot and killed on March 31, 1993 at the age of only 28 while filming “The Crow“.
This is really sad, also because he was scheduled to get married to his fiancee, Eliza Hutton, on April 17.
Brandon Lee definitely had the looks for the Big Screen, but he was more than just another pretty face. After acquiring acting skills at the world-famous Lee Strasberg Academy and being part of a theater group, he was able to put it all together with his martial arts expertise that he was taught by Guro Dan Inosanto.
Before starring in The Crow, which became a box-office hit after his untimely death, Brandon Lee actually performed in a number of productions such as Kung Fu: The Movie, Kung Fu: The Next Generation, Legacy of Rage, Showdown in Little Tokyo, and a movie that I really enjoyed at the time it was released in 1992, Rapid Fire.
I know that a lot of people have focused on the final fight scene or showdown, but I really like the initial fight scene, because you get a pretty good idea of how Brandon Lee applies a lot of the JKD principles his father defined and how he uses any type of tool, weapon or whatever he can get his hands on to save his character, Jake Lo.
Besides the impressive fighting skills he put on display in the 5 min. clip below, I also admire his philosophic perspective he so thoughtfully selected for his wedding invitations:
“Because we don’t know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. And yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can’t even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four, or five times more? Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless…”
Celebrating The Life of Brandon Bruce Lee, February 1, 1965 – March 31, 1993
The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
“Time keeps on moving into the future.”
But that shouldn’t stop us from having a look at this past Week In Review. Enjoy!
This has to be my personal favorite technique ever. Don’t miss “Back To Basics: Karate Middle Punch (Chudan Zuki)“
“Chewing on” an injury myself, I thought you might benefit from “Should Injured Martial Artists Still Work Out?”
At times underrated and underestimated “Judo: No Kicking And Punching, But It Can Still Hurt Like Hell!“
Do you know who ‘The Greatest Sports Figure Of The State of Iowa’ Is? Dan Gable, Olympic Wrestling Icon From The U.S. American Heartland
Yeah, it’s that time of the year again: “Jack Bauer/Kiefer Sutherland Of “24″ And The Art Of Fighting“
Congratulations To Fellow Martial Artist, Robert Downey Jr.! Wing Chun Practitioner Wins A Golden Globe Award for Sherlock Holmes!
Take it from the Little Dragon, Bruce Lee And The Power Of Goal Setting
Enjoy your Sunday!
I’ll be back here tomorrow. You, too?
Jack Bauer/Kiefer Sutherland Of “24″ And The Art Of Fighting
Alright then, I have officially watched the first 4 episodes of this season’s “24″ with federal agent Jack Bauer, convincingly played by Kiefer Sutherland.
And yes, I am hooked again.
I actually don’t watch much TV anymore. Honestly, it can’t be more than 4 hours a ….. week.
Now that would be a good book title, “The 4 Hour Watch Week”. And ever since I reduced it to the current consumption level, I am getting a lot more done.
But there is definitely one TV show I really do enjoy and that is “24″ which is known to be one of the shows for adrenaline junkies (and I am not normally to be considered as such!).
Besides all the twists and turns in a “24″ script including very special effects, I of course enjoy the fight scenes with Kiefer Sutherland. I mean Jack Bauer.
I have been trying to find out what fighting style he uses to get the job done and so far I haven’t found out what it is.
To me it looks like elements of Wing Chun, JKD, Kali, Krav Maga.
Is there anybody out there reading this post who can tell me what fighting style Jack Bauer uses to make the world a safer place?
Thanksgiving Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
I Hope You Enjoy Thanksgiving Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com And A Quote I Really Like!
Sifu Eddie Camden, The Instructor Recommended By Martial Arts Legends
Martial Artists And The Day After Thanksgiving, Aka Black Friday
Happy Thanksgiving 2009 From TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Peaceful Warrior Wisdom For Martial Artists (And Others, Too)
Urijah Faber, The California Kid Of World Extreme Cagefighting
Jet Li, From Humble Beginnings To Action/Martial Arts Movie Superstar
This week’s quote for readers of TheMartialArtsReporter.com:
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the number of moments that take our breath away. ” Unkown
Martial Artists And The Day After Thanksgiving, Aka Black Friday
Hi everybody!
How was your Thanksgiving?
Hope you had a great time with friends and family. And if yours was anything like mine, you definitely had too much turkey and all the trimmings, right?
Well, I was able to get some time on the tennis court, but it just wasn’t enough to burn off all the calories of a genuine Thanksgiving dinner.
The disciplined martial artists an/or enthusiasts that we are, we simply call several friends over for some serious super-human workout.
The kind of fitness workout that includes push-ups, pull-ups and some other fitness exercises every serious practitioner of most martial arts such as aikido, judo, BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), boxing, karate, JKD, Kali, grappling, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, wrestling etc. usually does on a regular basis.
Just check me, I mean, these guys out. Absolutely mindboggling!
Former Hand-To-Hand Combat Instructor To U.S. Navy SEALS, Paul Vunak
Hey guys,
Do you think you could learn a thing or two from a former long-time Navy SEAL hand-to-hand combat instructor?
Me, too. And believe me, when this guy speaks, I listen.
He is also one of the top students of Guro Dan Inosanto and the Founder of Progressive Fighting Systems.
He is very highly regarded in the martial arts and self-defense community.
His name is Paul Vunak.
Sifu Paul is an extremely well-rounded martial artist, who at a very young age started with Tae Kwon Do and then throughout the last 30 or so years has mastered Kenpo, Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do, Filipino Martial Arts, French Savate and Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
With the encouragement of Guro Dan Inosanto, Sifu Paul created Progressive Fighting Systems that he has been able to spread to numerous countries across the globe.
Sifu Paul is an absolute authority in hand-to-hand combat and street fighting who has developed combat systems used by U.S. Navy SEALS as well as 18 other federal government agencies whose lives depend on the effectivity of these very systems.
I have one of Sifu Paul’s Street Fighting courses myself which I find to be very realistic and easy to learn, especially if you’re not heading to the dojo 6 nights a week and you still want to keep your self-defense skills sharp.
You might even come across a technique or two that you didn’t think of.
Today’s clip shows Sifu Paul at a JKD-seminar I am sure you will enjoy.
Stay safe!
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