Bryan Stevenson Interview
Conducted by Paul Bax

How long have you been training in the martial arts?
Bryan Stevenson: Twenty-three years.
 
What styles have you studied and what ranks do you hold?
BS: Kajukenbo 2 systems starting art-no longer practice. Wing Chun Certified Instructor Yip Man (Beg Student of Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun). Hocks CQC Group. Black Belt 2nd Filipino Martial Arts and Black Belt SDMS.  Almost 12 years Jun Fan and Jeet Kune Do. Missouri Jun Fan Gung Fu Club four and a half years under Dr. Myron Harbottle (student of Ron Kealoha –Bruce Lee Seattle Era). Former Certification under Lamar Davis and served as his Senior Sissok at the Independence Missouri School. Current Certifications and Continuing education with Seattle Era Gung Fu –Patrick Strong and LA Era Jeet Kune Do –Tim Tackett
 
How long has your school been in existence?
BS: Since Lamar Davis was here about 7 years ago, as profession the last three and half years.
 
Besides self-defense, what do you want your students to garner from their training?
BS: Our slogan is empowering the individual for unlimited potential
This empowerment can be health or life skills, self-defense academic success but we have comments on many other benefits
 
What is the purpose of bringing in instructors for seminars?  What specialty are you looking for when choosing outside instructors?
BS: I want to garner from their years of experience, training ideas and personnel expression of the art; to help look beyond the finger to moon. There is a saying, “Don’t seek the masters, seek what they sought”.
 
What classes are offered at your school?  What is the training schedule and fees?
BS:  We have classes 7 days a week morning, noon and night.  Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do and also Hoch Hockeim’s SFC courses and recently we had a Gracie BJJ instructor start teaching classes here al, Yamuna Body for flexibility training. All classes are taught seperately are biggest is the JKD. The average is around $100.00.
 
List the positive aspects that have resulted from your physical training and how that has transferred over to your everyday life.
BS: Health and balance, dealing with different situations.  
 
What is the most satisfying aspect of: a) teaching b) training?
BS: Watching the progress of my students and most of all when I get a letter or phone call from a past student that says thanks for helping me go the right direction or helping me to sets goals that changed their life. These are my trophies.
 
How did you first hear about Bruce Lee and his art of Jeet Kune Do?
BS: I remember being about 6 or 7 and seeing this big movie poster of Bruce Lee the art probably the Tao of Jeet Kune Do.

How has Bruce Lee influenced you?
BS: First of all, entering into the Martial Arts in the first place. But I never thought I would train in his art or that I would be eating at dinner tables with people who trained with him. That’s incredible!! He continues to be the standard of training and benchmark for all martial artists.
 
Were you attracted to JKD because of his movies or from what you have read in magazines about Lee's physical art?
BS:I would say books and magazine for but the movies made me join the Martial arts in general
 
What was it about JKD that led you away from traditional martial arts?
BS: On one hand I started out in the eclectic arts so I really never went into what we would call the traditional, but it did cause me to want to practice wing chun so in that way it turned me on to traditional arts.

JKD has gone through a lot of phases over the years due to different theories on how the art should be taught.  Were you ever a student of “JKD Concepts”?
BS: No, I believe JKD Concepts is just an early version of mixed Martial Arts or cross training set to a boxing style. I have worked out over the years with many who are Concepts people and there are defiantly some differences between that and the original art of JKD. I have to say many of the concepts people are more serious Martial Artists in general compared to many original JKD players I have met.  When I was first really getting interested in JKD I was investigating this notion or concept approach. It seemed like it would be overwhelming to train in all those different arts especially for the average person. I overstrained about 40 hours a week for several years and that was lot. 

What other Bruce Lee students have you learned from and how did their training differ?
BS: I attended a few Ted Wong Seminars and worked a little with a couple of his instructors early on this was before starting with Sifu Davis. I worked his stuff heavily for a few years and his JKD has had an influence to this day on me. In fact, one well known JKD instructor said I must have photographic memory because I move and kick like Ted Wong and another instructor said I move and kick and hit like Ted Wong but trap like Lamar Davis.
I have also met and trained with Richard Bustillo a few times and Steve Golden.

What do you think is the biggest misconception that people have about Jeet Kune Do as Bruce Lee taught it?
BS:  That it is limited and limited to just shapes and apperses and that the principles have limits, that it has no set techniques, principles or structure. Or that it can be only taught one on one.
 
A lot of emphasis has been put on whom Bruce Lee actually certified and what he certified them in.  Your thoughts?
BS: Every one who trained with Bruce Lee was touched in a special way. I say whether you trained half a year or two years, you have something to offer the world.  I would train with every one of them if I could but I think the ones I have trained with are a good culmination of that knowledge. To me its what you have done with that information over the 30 plus years that it most important. If all you learned was a pak sau from Lee and you have been working on it all these years then you have something great to offer.
If every one stuck to the couple of folks that were be said to be certified then no one at all would really know much about Jun Fan Gung Fu or JKD to this day.