The Mike Henry Interview
Interview
Conducted by Paul Bax
When
and how did you first start your training in martial
arts?
Mike Henry: I started my
training the moment I stepped through the gym doors at the
University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). The Wu-Wei class
was being taught by Joseph Cowles with Joe Purcell
assisting. It was my first exposure to any type of martial
arts training.
How
did you first hear about Bruce Lee and his art of Jeet Kune
Do?
MH: I did not
hear about Jeet Kune Do until much later in my training,
but I did hear something about Bruce Lee before my training
began. I really did not know who he was, just that he was
supposed to be good at martial arts.
What
was it about JKD that led you away from traditional martial
arts?
MH: Since
Wu-Wei was my first martial art, it was Wu-Wei that allowed
me to experiment with other martial arts, both traditional
and non-traditional. I try to be as open minded as
possible.
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"?
MH: I studied
the concepts that Joseph Cowles taught in Wu-Wei Gung Fu.
Most were the same as JKD Concepts that I would later learn
through JKD books, videos, and seminars by Tim Tackett,
Larry Hartsell, Dan Inosanto, and others.
You
are a student of Joe Cowles. How did you two
meet?
MH: We met my
first day in Wu-Wei class. I had wanted to take a martial
arts course ever since I was a teenager. When I was 22
years old I found a UTA Continuing Education catalog which
gave a short description of Wu-Wei and mentioned Bruce Lee.
As I mentioned before, I had no idea who Bruce Lee was,
just that he was supposed to be good. So I said to myself,
“If it’s good enough for Bruce Lee then it’s good enough
for me.”
How
long did your physical training last with
him?
MH: I trained
with Sifu Cowles from 1983 until he left Texas in 1987.
Describe
your training under him.
MH: Training
was always ardent. We would enter class dry and leave
totally soaked with sweat. The first training classes would
leave me physically and mentally exhausted. Even much later
when I would train at Sifu Cowles house he would push us to
our physical limits, but more importantly, to and past our
mental limitations. For instance, one time Sifu Cowles held
the Thai pads for what seemed to be an intolerable amount
of time while I attempted to kick the pads as hard as I
could. When I stopped to catch my breath Sifu would stand
there waiting. He wouldn’t say anything. No words of
encouragement. He just stood there prepared to absorb my
next kick as if it was going to my most powerful kick ever.
You could just see it in his eyes and you just had to
gather whatever you had left in you and kick until he said
stop.
How
is Joe Cowles Wu Wei different then what you have
experienced from Lee's other students?
MH: I think the
biggest difference is the organization or classification of
Bruce’s techniques, concepts, and philosophy. It seems to
me Bruce, while in Seattle, was just beginning to visualize
what Jun Fan Gung Fu was and what he wanted it to become.
How has your friendship with Joe Cowles affected your
life?
MH: Sifu Cowles
has been more than just a martial arts instructor to me.
Being a Toe-Dai (“Closed-Door student”) has meant Sifu has
been like a Father figure to me and, at times, has provided
me with spiritual guidance.
What
do you think is the biggest misconception that people have
about Bruce Lee's art?
MH: To those
that have never studied a martial art, it is just like
Karate. To those that have studied other martial arts, it
is a hodgepodge of many martial art styles mixed together
with no real substance.
A
lot of emphasis has been put on who Bruce Lee actually
certified and what he certified them in. Your
thoughts?
MH: I guess
certification is more important now than it was back then.
I think Linda Lee Cadwell said it best when she said
something about Bruce teaching more than just techniques.
What I mean is, Bruce was friends with many people and
taught many people martial arts. Everyone who met Bruce had
to learn something and most likely something very profound.
The thing is to be open and to learn about yourself. Learn
what works and what doesn’t work for you at the moment.
How
has Bruce Lee's philosophy affected you?
MH: His
philosophy has enhanced my studies of the psychology of
man. Being a person who generally does not like
confrontations, Bruce’s philosophy of fighting without
fighting fits right in. When I was a kid, “Having no
limitation as limitation” may have been easier to imagine.
It is interesting how I find myself or others limiting what
we do or can do. But I think Bruce’s philosophy of being
water is the most impressive. I feel being a simplifier
helps to achieve a lot of what Bruce philosophized about.
Do
you think “The Tao of Jeet Kune Do” is a good
representation of Lee's art?
MH: Yes, from
an extremely high level and from a specific time in Bruce’s
life. I feel “The Tao of Jeet Kune Do” has many of the
puzzle pieces that Bruce knew at the time of its writing
and given the constraints he was under at the time.
Although the “Tao” has many of the puzzle pieces it does
not necessarily describe how they fit together and more
importantly, how they fit together when it fits the moment.
I’m sure this would be difficult to communicate in a book.
I would think nothing short of actually training with Bruce
would allow anyone to gain a “good” representation of his
art.
What
bothers you most about the JKD or Bruce Lee
community?
MH: Politics.
Dan
Inosanto has been ridiculed over the years for his somewhat
abstract way to teach Jeet Kune Do. Your
thoughts?
MH: All I can
say is I have attended only a few of Dan’s seminars. I
would think as anyone grows, whether in the martial arts or
in life, that they change their “way.” I am sure the way I
taught my very first students and the way I have taught my
most recent students would differ drastically. It would not
surprise me if others would ridicule me for teaching a
certain way. I would think Dan’s “path” is, and continues
to be, what he feels fits the moment.
What
is your take on Inosanto's three certificates being signed
on the same day?
MH: I am
unfamiliar with the three certificates. However, it is not
uncommon for a student to be certified with many sashes at
one time. For instance, I recall one student taking only
one certification test, his Black Sash test and passing.
This gave him multiple certificates one the same day which
included his Blue Sash, Green Sash, Brown Sash, and Black
Sash.
How
often do you teach and how many students do you
have?
MH: At the
moment I teach my kids privately in my garage. I teach
mostly Ju-Jitsu and the concepts to them, but they seem to
enjoy it.
What
do you look for in prospective students?
MH: The hunger
to learn. Not necessarily martial arts, but the openness to
learn about themselves and how they can improve themselves.
Have
you ever had to use Wu Wei in real life encounters and if
so, how effective was the art?
MH: I attempt
to use the concept of wu-wei daily although the application
of the concept often eludes me. As far as fighting goes,
“Fighting without fighting” has served me well, but I did
have one altercation with a former student of Wu-Wei (not
my student) that ended up in a fight. I cannot explain what
happened during the fight because I honestly do not know
what happened. All I know is I had blacked out and when I
came to the guy was on the ground. I was standing with his
leg in a leg lock and I was ready to twist the heck out of
it when I realized that is something I didn’t want to do
since he was a former student. Was my blacking out an
application of Wu-Wei? Could the blacking out be referred
to as the “it” I remember Bruce once mentioning?
Who
do you respect in JKD in regards to second-generation
instructors?
MH: I respect
all second-generation instructors because I respect and
trust all of Bruce Lee’s direct descendants.
What
are your goals in your training and teaching of Wu
Wei?
MH: Right now
my training and teaching of Wu-Wei is very limited. This is
by choice after teaching some 16 years at the University of
Texas at Arlington. I do try to maintain a Wu-Wei website
to help with communication between instructors, students,
and prospective students. Perhaps things may change and I
will teach formally again.
What
differences do you see in the art of Wu Wei and Lee's final
evolution of Jeet Kune Do?
MH: The two are
basically the same. That is, since Wu-Wei and Jeet Kune Do
both come from the same root, they have the same
foundation. They both deal with the exploration of oneself.
Some instructors excel in one aspect of martial arts and
even others excel in the philosophy of the art. Hopefully,
the “final” evolution of Jeet Kune Do has not arrived. As
the “Tao of Jeet Kune Do” says, “Jeet Kune Do is not a
matter of technology, but of spiritual insight and
training.” Or as Joseph Cowles related to us about Bruce
saying something to the effect, “You never stop learning
until they the put the last nail in your coffin.”
Where
do you see Wu Wei in the future?
MH: The future
of the art has been turned over to Eyal Koren and Joe
Purcell. I am not sure at this time what each sees as the
future of Wu-Wei.
How
often do you speak to Joe Cowles and do you have any plans
to update your training with him in
person?
MH: I have only
spoken with Sifu Cowles a few times over the past year.
Before that we would talk maybe once a month when I was
heavily involved in creating a book on Wu-Wei, the
development of a Wu-Wei website, and even before that, a
Wu-Wei newsletter. I have always wanted to visit Sifu
especially when he was living in Idaho, but family matters
have always taken priority. Perhaps someday I can visit
Sifu in Washington.