SELECTING A MARTIAL ART
INSTRUCTORS
Selecting a Teacher and a Method of Martial Art
Advice from Bruce Lee
From the "In Conclusion" section of The Tao of Gung Fu, pages 184-185
I sincerely give this advice to all readers who are about to take up martial
arts -- believe only half of what you see and definitely nothing what you hear.
Before you take any lessons from any instructor, find out clearly from him what
his method is and request him politely to demonstrate to you how some techniques
operate. Use you common sense and if he convinces you, then by all means go
ahead.
" How does one judge if an instructor is good? Rather, this question should be
rephrased to 'how can on judge if a method or system is good?' After all, one
cannot learn the speed or power of an instructor but his skill. Thus, the
soundness of the system, and not the instructor, is to be considered; the
instructor is merely there to point the way and lead his disciples to an
awareness that he himself s the one and only one to give true feeling and
expression to the system. The system should not be mechanical and complicated
but simply simple with no 'magical power.' The method (which is ultimately no
method) is there to remind one when he has done enough. The techniques have no
magical power and are nothing special; they are merely the simplicity of
profound common sense.
" Do not, however, be impressed by instructors who have brick-breaking hands,
invincible stomachs, iron forearms, or even speed for that matter. Remember you
cannot learn his ability, but his skill. At any rate, ability to break stones,
to take a punch in the body, to jump so many feet off of the ground, are but
stunts in the Chinese area of Gung Fu. Of primary importance are the techniques.
Breaking a brick and punching a human being are two different things: a brick
does not give, whereas when being hit, a human being spins, falls, etc., thus
dissolving the power of the blow. What is the use if one has no technique to
bring home his so-called 'killing stroke?' On top of that, bricks and stones do
not move and fight back. Thus, the system should be the thing considered and, as
mentioned before, a system should not be mechanical, intricate and fanciful, but
simply simple.
" What if the 'master' does not wish to show you his style? What if he is 'too
humble' and firmly guards his 'deadly' secret? One thing I hope the readers
should realize regarding Oriental humility and secrecy is that although it is
true that highly qualified teachers do not boast and sometimes do not teach Gung
Fu to just any body, the fact remains that they are only human beings and
certainly they have not spent 10, 20, or 30 years on an art in order to say
nothing about it. Even Lao-tzu, the author of Tao Te Ching, and the man who
wrote 'He who knows does not speak; He who speaks, does not know,' wrote 5,000
words to explain his doctrine.
" In order to pass for more than their ability, the honorable masters,
professors and experts (in America, especially) say little. They certainly have
mastered the Oriental highest way of humility and secrecy, for it is definitely
easier to look wise than to talk wisely (to act wise is, of course, even more
difficult). The more one wants to pass at a value above his worth, the more he
will keep his mouth shut. For once he talks (or moves), people can certainly
classify him accordingly.
" The unknown is always wonderful and the '15th degree red belt holders,' the
'experts from super advanced schools,' and the 'honorable masters' know how to
gather around them a mysterious veil of secrecy. There is a Chinese saying that
applies to these people: 'Silence is the ornament and safeguard of the
ignorant.'"
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Instructor Recognition
The Nucleus has restructured the mentoring/recognition policy in order to better
realize the original purpose of informing the general public about qualified
instruction in Bruce Lee's art. When the Bruce Lee Educational Foundation
(formerly called the Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do) was formed in January of 1996, its
stated mission was the preservation and perpetuation of the art and philosophy
that Bruce Lee was teaching and practicing during his lifetime. In order to
answer inquiries as to where qualified instruction in Bruce's art can be found,
we endeavored to compile a list of sources. Our initial idea was to give
official Nucleus recognition to practitioners who are certified by their
instructors to teach the full curriculum that Bruce was teaching. It is still
our goal to provide information about sources of qualified instruction, but we
will undertake it in a slightly different way.
The Bruce Lee Educational Foundation has now made an official change in the
mentoring/recognition policy for the following reasons:
1. The Bruce Lee Educational Foundation is primarily an educational and
historical organization providing information about Bruce Lee, his art and
philosophy;
2. Certification to teach Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do is strictly between instructor
and student, thus it creates a hierarchical relationship which is in opposition
to the internal structure of the Bruce Lee Educational Foundation where each
director has an equal vote on policy;
3. We seek to clarify the confusion that exists as to the difference between
"certification" and "recognition."
Therefore, it will no longer be an official function of the Nucleus to recognize
qualified instructors of Bruce Lee's art. However, in order to fulfill our
stated goal in informing the public of where instruction can be found,
actively-teaching Nucleus members will provide a list of their recommendations.
Please see the instructors list on this page