The John Helton Interview
Conducted by Paul Bax

When and how did you first start your training in martial arts?
John Helton: I started in 1972 while in the military. I was stationed at Treasure Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. For recreation I would go to the gym on base and a bunch of guys would practice an Okinawan style of Karate.

How did you first hear about Bruce Lee and his art of Jeet Kune Do?
JH: That’s two different questions for me. I heard of Bruce Lee in the 60’s. I was not training in the martial arts. As kids we saw action heroes on TV giving the bad guys that famous Karate Chop on the back of neck. In those days we referred to anything like that as Jujitsu or Karate. It was the ultimate in super hero fighting. If you Karate chopped someone when you were messing around they had to lose. For me and my friends it was make believe TV stuff because a fight was nothing like TV or movies. Fights were fast bloody and on the ground (I don’t mean the ground work that people are doing in studios these days. Real street ground fighting is different). Then, usually, you had to run from the scene because you would get in trouble for fighting. No formal training is needed for the kick to the groin, which started almost every fight, or Side Walk Sundaes that ended most every fight I ever witnessed. They are still my personal favourites. In 1975 I found myself in a Ed Parker influenced Kenpo School in Cincinnati, Ohio. I was told that Bruce Lee was a real fighter and was the best Martial Artist anyone has ever seen. Since that time I have aligned myself with people who believe that Bruce Lee was infinitely better than they are and I believe they, in turn, are infinitely better than me.

What was it about JKD that led you away from traditional martial arts?
JH: This is my position. I have never trained with Bruce Lee so I have never trained in Bruce Lee’s JKD. I have been lucky enough to be a student of people who were exposed to Bruce Lee and trained, experimented and experimented with him on a regular basis. They work with me to clear up timing, mechanics, and dynamics. I only use the words Jeet Kune Do as a short cut so I don’t have to say every time, “the concepts that Bruce Lee developed and shared with people he trained.” Bruce Lee said he was sorry he even gave what he was doing a name. For me JKD organizes components and puts them into action. So for everything I have learned – from the back of the neck Karate Chop to the Straight Blast, from the groin kick to PIA. I can use the JKD template to manage the material and help me study more effectively. I hope if you ask everyone this question they say JKD helped them understand their foundation; and yet, in the same sentence, I hope you get entirely different answers from everyone. That will be truly JKD. As for traditional martial arts, I don’t know how to answer that. My first response is I don’t think I was ever in a traditional school. I guess moving away from past practices is kind of natural for some. For some people a recreation of history is more important. I like them both. Having “No Way as The Way” doesn’t mean you are not traditional or undisciplined. To me it means you are appropriate for the time. It means balance at all times.

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”?
JH: I don’t think I have ever heard the words Jeet Kune Do ever come out of the mouth of Steve as what we were working on. Steve sometime says, “Bruce wanted us to do this,” or, “Bruce said this,” and then he tries to help you move. In the late 80’s I received an Associate Instructor certificate from Dan Inosanto in Jun Fan Methodology. At that time Dan was very careful about using the word Jeet Kune Do. Dan explained to us one time that to him and Bruce JKD was an adjective not a noun. He would use the example, “If Bruce and I would see a pretty girl on the street we would say wow she’s JKD.” I think every change or phase of how Bruce Lee’s concepts should be taught are business concerns. This includes the definition of JKD. That’s one major difference with Steve: I don’t experience he has any business concerns. I also want to say that business concerns are not a bad thing. I have not experienced any change in how and what Steve teaches.

Explain your training under Steve Golden.  Are you an instructor under him?
JH: Steve dropped in on my Kenpo instructor, Al Tudor, and must have had a good time because he kept coming back. In the late 70’s Steve’s job caused him to be in Cincinnati. So he would contact Al when he was in town. After a while we hosted seminars with him and then finally his regular students organized a workshop that we attend. Al Tudor lead the way for myself and Tim Coletta to work on the material we were obtaining. We became an intense study group. We took turns being each other’s lab rats. We use every method of training we could steal or invent. For every one hour we spent with Steve, we would spend one or, maybe, two years trying to reproduce what we believed we had experienced. What we came up with was distinctively ours. Steve gave us the seeds to grow. He says, when he gives you your certificate, the only reason you are being certified is because you have made the material your own. Yes, I am an instructor.

What other Lee students have you trained with if any and explain some of the differences in their instruction.
JH: Steve told us about people he trained with and said if we get a chance we should train with them. Very shortly after that we then began to train with Dan Inosanto and others. I don’t know if they are different. The difference for me is how much and what kind of time I have spent with them. There is a difference in the method of teaching and your relationship with your teacher if you have only learned from video-tape or seminar or if you have trained in a more intense and consistent way. I am not saying one is better than the other but this may be why there are differences. The other reason people could experience a difference is as simple as they are different body types, ages and personalities. I can tell you this: at the first nucleus workshop I got about ten minutes with Pete Jacobs. In ten minutes he had my mechanics and dynamics and timing straightened out and I was performing flawlessly. Same with Bob Bremer and I think I would have had some similar experiences with other first generation guys. I have been lucky enough to have had Steve and Danny in my own home eating supper messing around in my basement. I have been with Steve in this type of environment way more than anyone. Steve has been my instructor, as far as I am concerned, since the first day he hit me anytime he wanted to, and then told me exactly how he did it. I also consider him a friend because, some 20 years later, he’s still working with me to improve. Steve shows the big picture some of the other guys don’t. Steve will show you what he knows then dare you to get better at it. If by any chance you get close, he just steps his game up. It’s his secret. He gets better because his students get better. If you print that make sure only Masters read it.

What do you think is the biggest misconception that people have about Jeet Kune Do as Bruce Lee taught it?
JH: As I said, I am not qualified to speak to that. What I can say is, if you are training with some one who trained with Bruce Lee and they are better than you, what ever they say about it is right even if another student of Bruce’s disagrees. It’s not your fight.

A lot of emphasis has been put on whom Bruce Lee actually certified and what he certified them in. Your thoughts?
JH: I have none. It’s knowledge vs pedigree. Who knows more about computer science, a guy who graduated from Carnegie Melon or a guy who was home schooled in Alabama? You don’t know until you experience them. If you assume, you have incomplete intelligence. I will train with anyone because everyone will teach me something. Not because everyone is a great instructor. It’s because I have been taught by Steve Golden to be a great student. And – let’s all say it together – It’s not your fight.

How has Bruce Lee’s philosophy affected you in a positive way?
JH: It hasn’t…. People who I train with now who interpret Bruce’s and other’s philosophy have caused great joy in my life.

Do you think The Tao Of Jeet Kune Do is a good representation of Lee’s art?
JH: I think it’s at best a peep-hole into what Bruce Lee taught and, more importantly, meant to those guys.
 
What most bothers you about the JKD community?
JH: Nothing. For me it’s like this: in my neighborhood on Thanksgiving most every home will be sitting down to a Thanksgiving meal. There will be some similarities and there will be some differences. Many families will have procedures that seem strange to other families. Great debates could ensue. Even if a contest were set up to determine what was best, it would not change some minds. Yet everyone will say they have Thanksgiving the right way. That is a reality to them. If you spend the whole Thanksgiving Day, running around trying to discredit other people’s Thanksgiving. You’ve missed the point and Thanksgiving. I’m a musician and we say it this way, “Your only as good as the person listening to you.” So, if it means something to you, enjoy.

Dan Inosanto has been ridiculed over the years for his somewhat abstract way to teach Jeet Kune Do. Your thoughts?
JH: If you have had the honor, and I mean the honor, of being in a training session with Dan and listened to him then you have been taught to have “the eyes to see and the ears to hear.” If you didn’t get that when you were training with him, go back and train with him more.
 
How often do you teach and how many students do you have?
JH: I have been an instructor at some level since 1978 I have shared a lot of information with a lot of people. I will probably teach a small group all my life
 
What do you look for in prospective students?
JH: Someone who I’m better than… Now that’s my impression of a Steve Golden response, and very JKD. Aside from the obvious, I don’t want mentally disturbed people or bullies or people who want to prove me wrong. I don’t know that I look for any one thing. It’s a long journey and the relationship will grow or die. Either way that’s what was supposed to happen. Steve, more often than not, will refer to us as friends. Danny, for the first few years, called us the Golden Boys. What an honor. Maybe some day somebody that trained with me will say, “I’ve got this friend named John, and, if you think I’m good, you should see this guy.” The minute I get a new student I look for a chance to introduce them to Steve. That’s the best. See, that’s what all the First Generations think when they talk to you. They think, “Bruce would blow this guy away.” But they can’t take you to Bruce, so they create their Bruce for you. It’s a great thing.

Have you ever had to use JKD in real life encounters and if so, how effective was the art?
JH: Remember, I am Steve Golden trained and Golden Boys never lose. Steve has taught us never to fight anyone better than us. It is our second rule. We only have two rules. The first rule is don’t hurt the instructor.

Who do you respect in JKD in regards to second-generation instructors?
JH: This, to me, means who I personally know. In no order: Al Tudor, Tim Coletta, James Chandler and Cass Magda.
 
What are your goals in your training and teaching of JKD?
JH: To not embarrass my seniors.