Unified Martial Art Academy

And so it began...

Cass Magda arrives in Miami for our Weekend Intensive—and apparently simply getting him from Miami International Airport to the hotel wasn't going to be interesting enough. 😂

So after meeting up at baggage claim, I introduced him to another kind of Miami experience:

Being driven to Coral Gables by a car which I wasn't really driving!

Welcome to Miami, Mr. Magda!

This was the beginning of what turned out to be a pretty special weekend of training, learning, conversation, laughter and spending time with some great martial artists.

Over the next few days, I'll share some moments from the weekend—some training, some behind-the-scenes stuff, and probably a few things that had absolutely nothing to do with martial arts.

But every story needs a beginning.

Here's ours.

A lot of martial artists discuss the evolution of Jeet Kune Do
…but very few stop to examine what CAUSED the shift in teaching methodology in the first place.

In this clip from Episode #372 of The Jeet Kune Do Dialogues, I talk about the shift from backyard training to seminar culture — and how that changed the way JKD had to be taught.

“You cannot teach 100 people the way you teach the 10 guys at your school.”
That reality changed EVERYTHING.

When seminars became the vehicle for spreading JKD internationally…
>structure became necessary.
>attribute development became necessary.
>a certain amount of organisation became necessary.

And without understanding THAT shift, a lot of modern discussions about JKD miss an important piece of the historical puzzle.

A lot of people think the split between “Original JKD” and “JKD Concepts” happened because of arguments…
…but part of it may have started because of PERCEPTION.

In this clip from Episode #372 of The Jeet Kune Do Dialogues, I talk about the symbolic contrast between Dan Inosanto’s Inside Kung Fu column “In The 20th Century” and the Ted Wong column that followed it: “Classical JKD.”

One represented exploration and evolution.
The other represented preservation and “the Bruce Lee stuff.”

And whether intentional or not…
…a contrast was set up in people’s minds.

This is one of those historical moments in JKD that many people overlook — but it may explain decades of division, confusion and debate.

Martial Arts Changed When Phones Took Over!

A lot of people talk about how much “information” martial artists have access to today…
…but what if all that access is actually making people WORSE?

In this clip from Episode #372 of The Jeet Kune Do Dialogues, I talk about how social media, mobile technology and internet culture have changed martial arts research — and not necessarily for the better.

There’s a difference between:
Watching martial arts…
Commenting on martial arts…
Creating A.I. martial arts…
…and actually LIVING martial arts.

Some people are using technology as a tool.
Others are becoming products OF the technology.
Big difference.

Watch the clip and let me know if you think modern martial arts culture is evolving… or deteriorating.

Mind Blown!!

I teach for two hours…
and I’m ready for a nap.

Dan Inosanto?

Almost 90…
and still teaching for hours on end.

That’s what blows my mind.