ALTHOUGH STUDENTS OF JEET KUNE DO study common principles, techniques, and methods, training is still largely an individual matter. It is up to each individual, in conjunction with the instructor, to establish goals and an appropriate training program to achieve those goals. For instance, many students are attracted to Jeet Kune Do because of its practical, no-nonsense approach to self-defense for the streets. So, surviving an assault is usually an important and worthwhile goal.

However, street survival is usually not the only goal of a martial arts student. Otherwise, such an individual could merely carry a firearm or a knife for self-protection. Typically, a student interested in martial arts training wants to pursue other goals as well. For example, you may want to improve your overall fitness and raise your self-confidence. Therefore, as a student of Jeet Kune Do, you should carefully consider your needs and ensure that your program will help to satisfy those needs.

Setting Goals

Establishing an appropriate training program requires you to identify goals that you want to achieve. Therefore, your first task is to decide on your own goals. Some potential areas that you may want to consider for goal setting include physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual goals. We will examine each of these areas below.

Physical Goals

This is the area that most students of Jeet Kune Do are, at least initially, primarily interested in improving. Often, through watching some of Bruce Lee’s films or reading about his martial art in books or magazines, prospective students become convinced that they can become good fighters if they train in Jeet Kune Do. Becoming a good fighter, however, requires more than just learning the physical techniques of the art. You must also improve certain of your own attributes in order to make the art work for you.

Strengthening power is one goal that should definitely be high on a Jeet Kune Do student’s list. Without power supporting your techniques, you will not be able to hurt or to stop your opponent. The principle of intercepting will have little meaning because your stop-hit or stop-kick will fail to halt your opponent.

Speed is another attribute that a student should improve. There are two primary types of speed that you should develop: movement speed and reaction speed. Power depends largely upon cultivation of movement speed, which refers to how quickly you can execute a technique. Reaction speed refers to the amount of time it takes for your brain to recognize an event—such as a punch coming at you or an opening in your opponent’s defenses—and to send the right signals to your body to respond appropriately.

Another attribute that you should improve is flexibility. This refers to the elasticity of your muscles—that is, how far you can stretch them. A person whose legs are flexible has a greater range in kicking heights, for example, than an individual whose leg muscles are stiff. Therefore, the more flexible you are, the more target areas you can reach with your kicks. It is also harder for your opponent to defend against your kick if he or she has to worry about defending targets at various heights.

Coordination and dexterity are additional physical attributes that a Jeet Kune Do student should develop. Coordination has to do with synchronizing your movements so that they work together, while dexterity refers to moving with ease and skill. Although some people seem to be blessed with more coordination and dexterity than others, everyone can take steps to improve these attributes. Jeet Kune Do students who can make various movements operate in an adept manner will move more economically and smoothly.

Enhanced health and fitness are two important physical goals for which the Jeet Kune Do student should strive. These affect not only your performance in fighting, but also other areas of your life as well. If you possess good health and a high level of fitness, you will improve your skills more rapidly than a person in poor health and low level of fitness. You will be able to train longer, more often, and more intensely. The physical training involved in Jeet Kune Do helps to relieve and reduce stress, which in turn contributes to better health and fitness.

Mental Goals

Another important area in which you should set goals has to do with the mind. Traditionally, martial arts have been credited with enhancing a person’s mental capacity in addition to physical ability. Jeet Kune Do training should be geared toward improving your mind as well as your body.

One aspect of mental health that is directly related to the idea of self-defense is developing greater awareness of yourself and your environment. In fighting you need to be aware of your opponent’s position, actions, and intentions. In addition, you should be alert to your own body position, movement, and intention, relative to your opponent. You also need to recognize your surroundings, such as walls or avenues of escape. All these elements influence decisions that you will make regarding your ability to defend yourself effectively.

You will also want to improve your perception of events. For example, you should develop your capacity to recognize when your opponent is preparing to strike, so that you can respond appropriately and in a timely fashion. Moreover, you ought to strengthen your ability to recognize when your opponent may be ripe for a counterattack—when his attention is diverted, for example, or when she relaxes her guard.

Enhanced self-esteem, self-image, and self-confidence are all worthy goals that you should strive for in your training. Learning and mastering various skills should affirm that you are a person of value who has been blessed with talent and ability. When you successfully achieve something in Jeet Kune Do, you naturally feel good about yourself, which strengthens your sense of self.

Two additional goals that the Jeet Kune Do student should consider are better balance and harmony. Training in martial arts can help you focus your thinking and center yourself. It can help relieve the pressure of work, school, and other concerns. Understanding the balance and coordination needed in martial arts can inspire you to seek the same harmony in other areas of your life.

Emotional Goals

Fights tend to result from a heightening of people’s negative emotions. The act of fighting itself also intensifies the emotions that the combatants feel. When they are allowed free rein and remain unchecked, such emotions can impair your ability to think clearly and to fight effectively. However, when you manage them properly, you can channel your feelings so that your fighting contains, in Bruce Lee’s words, “emotional content.”

“You see, the kicks and punches are weapons not necessarily aimed toward invading opponents. These tools can be aimed at our fears, frustrations, and all that. Martial art can help in your process toward growth.” (Lee 1997, p. 30)

Therefore, an important goal for you, as a Jeet Kune Do student, is to learn to manage your emotions in fighting so that you stay cool under pressure. You should strive to control fear, anxiety, and anger when facing an opponent. You need to deal with the inevitable adrenaline rush that results from the fight or flight response to the perception of danger.

Learning to get along and cooperating with others is another important goal in the emotional area. Jeet Kune Do training helps because you are forced to work with other people who are often strangers, at least in the beginning. Because you are all striving together to improve and to grow, you look out for the others’ interests, not only your own. You also forge a strong bond based on mutual interests.

Spiritual Goals

Training in Jeet Kune Do can lead to better understanding of the fragility of life, as you learn how easy it is for someone to cause serious injury, or even death, to another human being. This, in turn, can deepen your appreciation of and respect for the sanctity of human life and the spiritual interconnectedness of all human beings. Moreover, it can strengthen your respect for the Creator of yourself and all men and women. As you strengthen your body physically, your training also forges your mind, heart, and spirit.

Establishing a Training Program

Once you have identified specific goals that you wish to attain, you can design a training program that will help you reach those goals. Such a program is, by necessity, highly individualized because your combination of goals is unique to you. Also, it must take into account factors such as your age, schedule, level of fitness, and preferences.

Training without purpose is a waste of energy and effort. To obtain the most from your training, you need to identify your goals and establish a training program that will help you attain those goals. Work together with your instructor and other students so that they can assist you in remaining on track.