2. Jeet Kune Do
It might seem bizarre to see a Kung-Fu based martial art, one developed by Bruce Lee, to be ranked so highly on this list. Hadn’t the original UFCs proven many Kung-Fu based martial arts to be ineffective? Perhaps even a little silly?
But Jeet Kune Do isn’t a sub-genre of Kung-Fu, it just so happens that many of its practitioners have or had a background in it. Jeet Kune Do was Bruce Lee’s response to a system of martial arts that had become too rigid and predictable. There were too many rules of what to do when, whereas Lee believed real combat cannot be predicted. Having too many systems clouds the mind of the martial artist. Jeet Kune Do is the practice of clearing the mind of thoughts and allowing reaction, instead of relying on fixed patterns of movement.
That being said Bruce Lee did involve straightforward martial arts technique as well as guiding philosophy to this martial art. Jeet Kune do focusses on minimal movement but with speed and maximum efficiency. Kicks, punches and grappling are all utilized, and different techniques are used based on what range one’s opponent is in.
