Lineage
BRUCE LEE
Bruce Lee was born in the hour and year of the dragon in November of 1940 in San Francisco CA. His parents returned to Hong Kong when he was three years old and at age 13, he was taken to Wing Chun legend Ip Man to study Wing Chun Kung Fu.
After Bruce turned 18, he moved to Seattle, Washington where he started teaching Wing Chun at the University of Washington while he studied philosophy. Later Bruce moved to Oakland, CA and opened a school. It was there the infamous fight between Bruce Lee and a challenger took place in 1964, arranged by the Chinatown elders in an attempt to shut down the school to prevent Bruce from teaching non Chinese students.
Although Bruce ended the fight in 3 minutes, he began to see limitations to classical martial arts. This led to his developing an uncomplicated, effective method which he could readily apply in a real fight; thus Jeet Kune Do was born.
He later moved to Los Angeles California and began selecting students to train under his wing at his newly opened school in Chinatown where he taught Jeet Kune Do in its most mature stage of development. The powerful impact he would have on the world - no less than formidable. And his memories, reinforced throughout each and every moment in time.
JERRY POTEET
Sifu Jerry Poteet, who already held a black belt in Kenpo Karate under renowned instructor Ed Parker was the second student personally chosen to train at the Chinatown Los Angeles School and is one of the elite few that Bruce handpicked to train privately at his house twice a week during the “Chinatown Era” in the 1960’s.
Sifu Poteet is recognized by Kung Fu Magazine as “the greatest Jeet Kune Do instructor in the world” and is celebrated by many as the man who refuses to dilute the art. When the major motion picture biography of Bruce Lee, "Dragon, the Bruce Lee Story" required an original instructor who had carried on the art of Jeet Kune Do just as Bruce Lee had taught, no more, no less, Jerry was there to bring Bruce and his martial art back to life through this ambitious film.
Until his passing in 2012, Sifu Poteet continued to teach Jeet Kune Do in his dedication to the irrevocable Bruce Lee, honoring the exactness of his teachings, to pass the flame on to those who seek the truth.
To learn more about Sifu Poteet click here.
ERIC CARR
Los Angeles native Eric Carr has lived a life immersed in the art and philosophy of martial arts. Trained in classical kung fu and a mixture of martial arts at an early age, Eric became interested in Bruce Lee as a young kid. At 14, he was introduced to a JKD “concepts” class and attended for several years. After moving on, his gift and passion for the martial arts and spiritual studies, led Eric to the fateful meeting of Sifu Jerry Poteet in 2001. Eric started his Jeet Kune Do training privately with Sifu Poteet, one among the Elite 5 students of the legendary martial artist and philosopher Bruce Lee. During the "Los Angeles Chinatown Era” Sifu Poteet trained at the famed school in Los Angeles Chinatown as well as privately in Bruce’s home where the two became close friends. Jerry Poteet has passed on one of the most revered art forms to Eric, untainted in form and philosophy. Just as he learned, Eric teaches the art of Jeet Kune Do exacting upon the teachings of Bruce Lee.
Martial imminence and philosophical passions led Eric to the Taoist monasteries in mainland China and he continues to exercise Taoist Qi Gong, traditional Tai Chi, with a Taoist priest and physician. Eric speaks Mandarin Chinese and German.
Eric's teachings are based on his dedication to the most influential and inspirational Bruce Lee, his teacher Jerry Poteet, and all martial arts. The privilege of having trained with Sifu Poteet in learning the most intimate knowledge of Jeet Kune Do makes Eric Carr a sanctioned living progeny.
To learn more about Sifu Carr click here.
GASPER GRAY
Inspired by anime like Avatar: The Last Airbender & Cowboy Bebop, Gasper Gray was an actor and gamer who sought out a martial arts adventure to fulfill his fantasy of becoming a real-life hero. When he stumbled upon Sifu Eric Carr’s Jeet Kune Do school, Gray was blown away to discover that what he had found there — hiding in plain sight of a Los Angeles park — was a self-defense system based in realistic applications led by a direct descendant of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do lineage; a seemingly manifested dream in crystallized form.
Gray studied under Sifu Carr for eight years, coming to find that his passion for the art was met not only with a natural talent, but also with an ambitious work ethic and a newfound sense of purpose to keep the flame of this art alive. In 2021, Gray was honored as Sifu Carr’s very first fully-certified instructor.
Gray continues training in different martial arts to diversify his tool set, sharpen his skills, and truly live the philosophy of Jeet Kune Do: “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.”