Does Jeet Kune Do have a ranked belt system? What are the grades of each JKD belt?

Founded by the legendary Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do was inspired by Wing Chun and involves many similar moves, whilst also adding distance-based fighting into the mix. One thing that has often been the source of conversation surrounding Jeet Kune Do is also its belt system. Because JKD isn’t too widespread, some people don’t know whether it uses belts as ranks.

The answer to this is that Jeet Kune Do does use belts and in some ways, isn’t too different from the likes of Judo when it comes to grading. However, not all schools use belts – but more on this later. Of course, each belts value is determined by the individual instructor. So, what may constitute a belt promotion in one gym may differ compared to another.

It should also be noted that some schools may grade differently. For instance, some may give out the yellow belt as the second ranking, whereas others may give out a green and white belt instead. In short, there’s no ‘correct’ or unified system which may be to do with Bruce Lee never fully implementing one whilst he was alive. For the sake of this article though, we shall focus on one of the most common belt systems used in JKD.

Has JKD always used belts?

As mentioned earlier, not every gym uses belts and many don’t use a uniform. The reason for this goes back to Bruce Lee’s philosophy for JKD, which is that it was designed for street fighting. Therefore, JKD hasn’t got official clothing and some schools don’t use belts. With this said, the history of belts in JKD has always been blurred.

Again, this dates back to Bruce Lee’s creation of JKD where there weren’t unified rules or hierachy in place. Arguably, this is a good thing – but it also explains why JKD’s belt system varies at times – or doesn’t even exist at all in some cases. So, to answer this question – Jeet Kune Do has always used a ranked belt system but only by some.

What are the belts in JKD?

Before continuing, please note that JKD doesn’t have a fixed belt system and the example below isn’t universally followed by all. Having said this, it is a good example to follow.

Like many different martial arts, Jeet Kune Do begins with the white belt. If you like, this is like a blank slate which is symbolic of a beginner who is starting their journey. The second belt after this is the green and belt, which is still a beginner rank but shows progress and some understanding of the JKD system. After this comes the blue and white belt which shows a higher understanding of the martial art.

Next comes the black and white belt which is then followed by the red and white belt. At this point, the JKD practitioner should be fairly advanced whilst still not the finished article. This is followed by the yellow and white belt, then the red and yellow belt. For many people, the red and yellow belt is the final rank to obtain in Jeet Kune Do. This is the same color as the Jeet Kune Do logo and should show expert level in Jeet Kune Do.

However, there is one last color after this which is a white belt. This shows the complete journey through the belts and shows the practitioner has done a complete 360 through the system. It shows that even if you’re a master, you’re still capable of learning like a beginner. On many JKD logos, the red and yellow symbol also has arrows that follow each other. This also represents the full cycle of JKD – a looping circle.

Does JKD have black belts?

In some circles, Jeet Kune Do does award the black belt. Of course, this depends on the specific gym and instructor. As established already, some use different colors as the final belt such as red and yellow. However, some also use the black belt that is typically found in other martial arts. Ultimately, it’s up to each gym and how it’s run. So, if you planned on earning a JKD black belt, then this may be literally impossible – depending on where you train.

As you may have noticed by now, the ranking system in Jeet Kune Do is fairly fluid and can be difficult to keep track of. A lot of times, it depends on each gym and there’s no official way of grading that is universally followed. To answer the original question, there are some JKD black belts and some places don’t do belts at all.

What’s worth noting is that Bruce Lee didn’t ever have a black belt. Of course, it would be rude to question his credentials but obviously, he was the equivalent of black belt in various disciplines. As Lee founded JKD, he may have thought that a belt system was pointless as he never had one himself. Over the years though, some people may have added their own interpretation to his art. Sometimes in martial arts, hierarchy and structure can be a good thing.

Conclusion

Overall, it’s fair to say that Jeet Kune Do does use a ranked belt system. At the same time, trying to understand this can be quite tricky at times. In short, it depends on where you train and the politics of that particular place. Just remember that if you do train with belts in mind that it can leave you unsatisfied at times. For instance, you may one day wake up and realize that it’s the journey and not the destination where training is concerned.

Another thing worth noting is that Bruce Lee never used belts. This is quite telling considering that Bruce Lee was the founder of JKD and never implemented a belt system. Nonetheless, JKD has been somewhat modernized and times move on. With this said, it does use belts and sometimes it doesn’t. Welcome to the often complicated world of martial arts.

To learn more about the ins and outs of Jeet Kune Do, then check out this book.