Interview with Dan Inosanto

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DAN INOSANTO: I am 60 years old. Over half of mylife has been devoted to Bruce Lee's arts and teachings. I amsecure in knowing that I have done what Bruce Lee asked me to do.I am secure in knowing that I am the only individual Bruceentrusted to teach, promote and carry on for him. I'm not perfectand, in hindsight, I should have put a stop to a lot of it. DanInosanto (flipping through one of Bruce Lee's journals, left)claims he is "too nice" and that he should have longago taken a hard-line approach to individuals who improperlyrepresent themselves as authorities in Bruce Lee's fighting arts.I have always given people the benefit of the doubt and perhapsmore credit than they deserve in representing the truth aboutthemselves and their training background and credentials. Peopleoften say "Dan's too nice." Bruce said I was too nicesometimes, but he also told me humility is another form of pride.I choose not to use it as a forum to expose the inconsistenciesand faults of those individuals. Life is far too short to wastetime and energy on such negativity. Martial arts has become sopolitical and commercialized in recent years. People spend moretime putting down other martial arts than they do training,teaching and using their art to bring something to the community.I wish martial arts publications would devote more time topromoting how martial arts can be used for good in the world, andto unite cultures, races and communities.


BB: Is it true that, besides yourself, Taky Kimura is the onlyother living instructor who is authorized to teach Bruce Lee'sarts?
INOSANTO: Taky, the late James Lee and myself are the only threeindividuals ever to be given the authority directly from Bruce toteach and carry on his arts. Taky was Bruce Lee's most seniorstudent in Seattle. Bruce trusted and respected him. Bruce wouldoften remind me that, no matter how much I learned, Taky wasstill my senior and should always be paid the respect that goeswith that seniority. Bruce could be quite traditional at times,especially when it came to titles of respect.

BB: How many arts did Bruce Lee teach you?
INOSANTO: Bruce actually taught three arts which he developedhimself: his tao (way) of Chinese kung fu, his method of Jun Fankung fu, and his jeet kune do.

BB: Was all of your training with Bruce Lee conducted on aone-on-one basis?
INOSANTO: Yes.

BB: When Bruce Lee later opened his Jun Fan (Bruce Lee) Institutein Los Angeles' Chinatown, you did most of the teaching, did younot?
INOSANTO: Bruce would step in [occasionally] to correct andexplain certain things, but I taught between 90 and 95 percent ofall the classes at the Jun Fan Institute. But I asked Bruce toplease stop in and work with the students periodically. I knewthe experience of being able to work with Bruce was soextraordinary that I wanted the others to have the opportunity toencounter his presence.

BB: What did the teaching curriculum encompass?
INOSANTO: There was a constant evolution going on. Bruce wasconstantly researching every martial art he could findinformation on. His library was quite extensive for that timeperiod-or any time period. I'm not saying that Bruce studied all[martial arts], but he definitely researched the existingknowledge that was available at the time. For example, he mightnot have embraced completely what he knew in wing chun, but therewas definitely an element of wing chun in his system. He didn'tembrace everything in the southern mantis [system], but there areelements of southern mantis in jeet kune do. He also researchedmuay Thai; he liked the way the Thais used their elbows andknees, and he liked the contact. Bruce also took elements fromFrench savate. He liked the coup de pied (oblique) kick, as wellas the lateral chasse kick.


BB: How did Lee feel about kali and silat, the arts you tend tofocus on in your teachings today?
INOSANTO: In regard to kali, he, again, researched it, and hewould ask me to show him what I had learned. He would placetechniques into four categories: not good, good, good for stageshows, and good for movies. He was constantly exploring thecinematic effects of various movements. He also researched silat.In Bruce's handwritten notes, he states that "a pencak[silat] person is a well-conditioned athlete." Silat wasalso known for its ground fighting, and he made a note to"investigate into [silat] ground fighting." Bruceresearched all the arts of that time, [but] he kept a tight reinon the amount of knowledge he wanted to give out at the Chinatownschool. He severely limited the amount of material he allowed meto teach. Bruce dictated that I teach only about one-tenth of theactual material he had developed at that time. I always hopedthat he would allow me to open up and teach a little morematerial, but that is the way Bruce wanted it.

BB: Did you join Lee in his research of various martial arts?
INOSANTO: Yes, I feel fortunate that I was able to join him inhis research and development during this time. Bruce was always aresearcher and a philosopher. His notes and papers reflect yearsof searching for knowledge and all that could be used toward his"personal liberation." He wrote a series of papers,including "Jun Fan Kung Fu, Toward PersonalLiberation," and "Jeet Kune Do, Toward PersonalLiberation." I still refer to them. They have beeninvaluable to me in continuing on for Bruce in the way he wantedhis arts, philosophies, principles and concepts to be taught andremembered.

BB: How does one go about "authenticating" a Jun Fan orjeet kune do instructor's lineage?
INOSANTO: The lineage's of Jun Fan kung fu and jeet kune do arethe easiest of all martial art lines to trace. Bruce made onlythree instructors during his lifetime: James Lee, who had made noinstructors at the time of his death; Taky Kimura, who wascertified to teach Jun Fan kung fu by Bruce, but to date has madeno instructors; and myself. We are the only instructors to havebeen given complete and absolute authority to teach, promote,grade and carry on Bruce's three arts.

BB: Have you promoted any students toinstructor level?
INOSANTO: I have made instructors in Jun Fan kung fu. The onlylegitimate lineage back to Bruce Lee, in terms of instructors, isthrough my line. I must explain a little about my line ofinstructors. After Bruce's death, I gave the title [of instructorto several students], but did not certify these individuals. Ifelt it was important at the time-especially with the feeling ofloss that was felt by all during the passing of Bruce Lee-to forma support system and to hopefully continue in the perpetuating ofBruce's methods. Many of these individuals all but disappearedfor the next 20 years in regard to Bruce's arts, and continued onwith their lives, pursuing other areas. Several years later, Istarted my existing instructor's program. During the last 10years, I have raised the standards and made the requirements muchmore stringent on those entering and progressing through myprogram.

BB: What is "original" jeet kune do, and how does itdiffer from jeet kune do "concepts"? Many of ourreaders seem confused by these two terms.
INOSANTO: Actually, there is no difference between original jeetkune do and jeet kune do concepts because, to practice theconcepts of jeet kune do, one has to know the original jeet kunedo material, which is called Jun Fan kung fu. I use the term jeetkune do concepts to emphasize that jeet kune do is a concept.Jeet kune do was Bruce's personal research and development inwhat worked for him in combat. Can you teach jeet kune do? I havealways said "Yes." Can you standardize jeet kune do? Isay "No." Because in Bruce's own words, "Jeet kunedo is finding the cause of your own ignorance. Jeet kune dofavors the formless. Jeet kune do utilizes all ways and is boundby none." Since each individual is different, he must findthe cause of his own ignorance and must utilize all the ways thatpersonally fit him. So original jeet kune do is really Jun Fankung fu, the material that was handed down by Bruce when he wasalive. Jun Fan kung fu can be taught and is standardized so thatstudents can learn it easily. Jun Fan kung fu provides the basictraining methods, techniques, strategies, principles and conceptsfor combat and self-defense. Jun Fan kung fu basics prepare youfor your own personal way of combat.

BB: Is it true that you taught martial arts to Bruce Lee's son,Brandon Lee?
INOSANTO: As a young boy, Brandon came in for training just once.But as an adult, he came in earnest to study and train. He reallybecame serious, and he was truly talented.

BB: What systems did you teach him?
INOSANTO: I trained him with the idea that perhaps someday hecould take over [his father's systems]. When he began to train, Itold him "Brandon, you can train strictly in Jun Fan kungfu; you don't have to take the kali, silat, muay Thai, savate orshootwrestling [I teach many of my other students]. You can trainin whatever you want here." I thought he would trainstrictly in his father's arts, but he said he wanted to train ineverything. Brandon was very open to anything he could use, andone day I said to him "it is so hard following your father.Some people say I'm doing this right, and others say I'm doing itwrong, and this is all so hard for me." Brandon's responsewas "Tell me about it! I know what you are goingthrough."

BB: Brandon Lee asked you to be in several of his movies, yet youdeclined.
INOSANTO: I didn't want to do it because people would say I wasriding on the shoulders of Brandon Lee, the son of Bruce Lee.Brandon thought this was ridiculous, but I know how people in themartial arts community talk.

BB: Were you like a father figure to Brandon?
INOSANTO: Brandon would always come by my house and talk to meabout problems he was having. But he really developed a closerelationship with my wife, Paula, and talked with her about morepersonal issues.

BB: How would you rate Brandon's ability as a martial artist?
INOSANTO: He excelled at everything he trained in. He becamecertified in Thai boxing, as well as his father's arts.

BB: Does it bother you to see how heavily Bruce Lee has beenmarketed since his death more than 20 years ago?
INOSANTO: Bruce Lee has become a commodity, a product. People areselling, marketing and capitalizing on every phase of his life.This really saddens me. Bruce was not only my teacher, but myclose friend. Even today when I am asked about him, I can stillget emotional. Bruce was far more than a piece of martial artsmerchandise. He was a human being, complete with faults like allof us. Yet Bruce left the martial arts world with a strong andpowerful gift.

Interview Taken from Black Belt Magazine