2003
Belfast & Dublin,
Ireland
Bruce Lee™ JKD
Seminar and Lecture Tour by Desy McIlkenny  In an age where
self proclaimed martial arts "legends
and masters" are a dime a dozen, a few stand out from
the crowd, one of the these is Sibak Taky Kimura, Bruce Lee's
senior student and first Assistant Instructor.
Taky Kimura and his family visited Belfast, Northern Ireland,
recently to give a lecture and seminars on Jun Fan Gung Fu
and Jeet Kune Do. The visit was hosted by Martin O'Neill's
JKD Ireland Group. Taky is now aged
79 years, he continues to train regularly and retains the
technique, vitality and enthusiasm of a much
young man. The term "legend" is an appropriate description
of this man who was appointed an assistant by Bruce Lee in
1964. The first lecture comprised a presentation by Taky and Andy
Kimura on Bruce Lee, his life and philosophy. Taky interspersed
the evening with anecdotes about his friendship with Bruce
Lee. The audience was extremely attentive and enjoyed the lecture.
Taky also presented a slide show of his private collection
of Bruce Lee photos. The seminars were taught on Saturday and Sunday from the original
notes given to Taky by Bruce Lee. To have the art taught from
the original source was just awesome! Taky is a humble and
selfless man and he cares deeply about Bruce Lee's legacy and
has spent most of his life ensuring that it is properly promoted
and looked after for the benefit of future generations. Taky
provides a clear example of what a true martial arts master
should be; caring, selfless, a mentor and guide for his students.  The seminars contained profound insights into Jun Fan Gung
Fu/JKD, its simplicity, economy, efficiency and its non classical
approach. Taky and Andy Kimura demonstrated Bruce Lee's self-defence
methods and trapping, punching, kicking and grappling. The
class was packed and the students were held spellbound by first
rate teaching and instruction. Taky and Andy went around each
participant and personally demonstrated each move in a hands
on approach.
Andy Kimura has been busy keeping at the cutting edge of research
and development by training with a range of top people including
Sifu Dan Inosanto and Eric Paulson, the renowned shoot wrestler.
The JKD approach to grappling was introduced by Andy at the
seminar. The atmosphere was fantastic and students really enjoyed these
events and were left hungry for more JKD. The Kimura clan brought a true feelings of Jeet Kune Do to
Ireland. JKD students should pay close attention to the remarkable
example set by Sibak Taky and Sifu Andy Kimura and the way
they conduct themselves. Bruce Lee would be proud of the way
that the Kimura family in Seattle is taking care of his martial
art and legacy. The seminars were challenging and required
lots of effort and sweat, but they were very enjoyable. At
the end of the seminars, students were presented with attendance
certificates and fans crowded round for interviews and photographs,
none were disappointed. Martin
O'Neill was honored to receive his Level 2 Certificate in
Jun Fan Gung Fu from Sibak Taky and Sifu Andy Kimura. Martin
O'Neill expressed his thanks to Taky, Andy and the Kimura family.
Appreciation and thanks were also made to Alain and Veronique
De Preter from Belgium and to Monica, Peggy and Brodie for
their craic, friendship and support.
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