Interview with NIRVANA Jeet Kune Do Society Head Instructor Jesse Ohliger
Nurse, Dad, Jeet Kune Do practitioner and now an entrepreneur. Let’s meet the talented and dedicated man behind the NIRVANA Jeet Kune Do Society… Jesse Ohliger.
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Jesse Ohliger, I am a third generation Bruce Lee student and head instructor at Nirvana Jeet Kune Do Society. My day job is in the health field as a nurse. I am a father to my awesome son Logan who I love spending time with. I enjoy martial arts training, outdoor activities and organic gardening.
Tell us more about your nursing job?
My day job is as a mental health nurse for military veterans. I currently work within a multidisciplinary out-patient team for veterans that suffer from mental health issues. My job as an RN in mental health has provided me added benefits in martial arts that are often overlooked in the martial arts world. I have worked in high stress situations on acute psychiatric units where both verbal and non-verbal communication and de-escalation skills are extremely important to maintain both patient and staff safety. Through education and experience I have a good understanding of the when, where, who, what and whys of violence. I also teach violence prevention and management to employees for the department of veteran affairs. Through my martial arts experience, my job as an RN and my personal experiences I have a lot to offer to members of the NIRVANA Jeet Kune Do Society.
Where did your interest in martial arts begin?
My interest in martial arts started as a young boy. As far as I can remember and to make a long story short, my interested in martial arts started with me watching martial arts related shows and movies. My friends and I would practice and pretend to be martial arts masters and ninjas. At age nine I convinced my parents to sign me up for Tae Kwon Do. I trained for 2-3 years and achieved a purple belt. My father, knowing my passion for martial arts installed an old used heavy bag in an archway that divided two rooms in my house. He also installed a double end bag in my bedroom.
How did you find Jeet Kune Do?
In 1995, at age 13 I found Jeet Kune Do in the phone book and told my dad that’s where I wanted to go. I trained at the Jeet Kune Do Martial Arts Institute in Fishkill New York under Sifu Richard Torres for approximately 6 months and then returned at age 17 and stuck with it ever since.
What does martial art mean to you?
When I was younger martial arts was for the most part all about kicking butt. After learning more about the philosophy of Jeet Kune Do and other martial arts I have come to learn that martial arts can be an avenue towards self-actualization.
What is Jeet Kune Do?
Jeet Kune Do is the martial art founded by the famous martial artist, philosopher and actor, Bruce Lee. Lee was traditionally trained in wing chun Kung Fu. He was already teaching his modified version of Wing Chun until after his famous fight with Wong Jack Man. Bruce won the fight but was not satisfied with his performance, so he decided to further his study on effective hand to hand combat. He coined the term Jeet Kune Do in 1967 which is influenced from principles of Wing Chun, boxing and fencing. More importantly, it does not favor any particular style or form and focuses on proper body mechanics for reality-based self-defense. Jeet Kune Do in Cantonese stands for “the way of the intercepting fist”. In Jeet Kune Do, a practitioner develops to high proficiency, the ability to “intercept” an opponent’s attack with their own. This concept of simultaneous defense and attack is not always emphasized in other arts that may defend first and attack after, which lengthens the time required to complete the action and also providers the opponent a better opportunity to respond back. Mastery of Interception is an advanced skill that few acquire as it requires a fine sense of distance, timing and rhythm. Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do aims to develop a “total” martial artist, capable of adapting to all situations for self defense. Although the serious Jeet Kune Do practitioner conditions him/herself like a professional athlete, it is not a sport with rules and regulations. Jeet Kune Do targets vital areas such as the eyes, throat, groin and knees to end a situation as fast as possible. Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do also has a philosophy that relates the physical aspects of martial arts to life itself.
What are the Three Stages of Cultivation?
The Three Stages of Cultivation are Bruce Lee’s beliefs on how a person becomes proficient at martial arts or anything in life for that matter. There are three stages of progress;
The first stage is considered the primitive stage where the person acts instinctively without any formal teaching, knowledge or conditioning. His or her actions are automatic and natural.
The second stage is considered the stage of sophistication or the mechanical stage. In the 2nd stage the person is taught a certain way to think, act or in Jeet kune do, punch or kick. The person has now learned a more scientific or strategic way of doing things but because of this he or she has lost their naturalness or freedom and the action no longer comes out in a reflexive or flowing manner. The persons decision-making and action process is slowed down by the mind analyzing each movement or action to ensure proper choice and form. Sort of like being book smart but never getting good at doing it hands-on. The goal is to merge “book smart AND street smart”. This 2nd stage of cultivation is a necessary step towards the third stage as it creates the proper neurological pathways according to the specific discipline they are learning. Unfortunately, some people get stuck at this spot and never progress. Like many of us, a person may make it to the third stage in one aspect of life but in another aspect he or she could be lacking. We all to some degree have been or still are in this process.
At the 3rd stage, the person returns back to stage one but the skills they learned in 2nd stage are ingrained within them. After much practice a person will start to think less and less about if he or she is doing something right and the action will come out automatic and naturally. The action happens all by itself without thought. The style or specific way of doing something is not important anymore and the ability to see things as they are and respond to them without thought takes over. Nirvana is the word I use to stand for the third stage of cultivation. Nirvana is just like when an athlete is “in the zone”. Afterwards, you may say to yourself “wow, did I just do that”, because “it” happened so effortlessly and the at the perfect moment in time.
The pictures of the plaques above are ones that Bruce Lee had made to symbolize the Three stages of Cultivation
What is NIRVANA Jeet Kune Do Society?
A simple way to describe what NIRVANA Jeet Kune Do Society is, is to break down the name.
Nirvana - Nirvana in Buddhism means “to blow out” or to release yourself from desire. Nirvana means to release yourself from systematized, patterned and/or limiting movements and thoughts. So, it doesn’t have to be just physical. It’s an automatic, effortless and highly developed and refined state, when all the practice leading up to that moment comes out in perfect harmony. As I said before, Nirvana is the same as when athletes are “In the zone” and is the third stage in Bruce Lee’s Three Stages of Cultivation.
Jeet Kune Do - Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do translated as “the way of the intercepting fist” (see above).
Society - An organized group working together because of common interests, beliefs or professions.
My goal is to share the wonderful art of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do. Nirvana Jeet Kune Do is a community of people working towards self-improvement through the practice of martial arts. Jeet Kune Do’s main focus is in self-defense, but all aspects of health will be incorporated. Things like nutrition, exercise, communication skills, sleep and mindful awareness are all integral parts of becoming a well-rounded person and martial artist.
Nirvana Jeet Kune Do welcomes everyone and anyone that wants to learn and carry on the legacy of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do. All levels are welcome, from beginners to experienced martial artists.
We are located at the Hudson Valley Mall, 1300 Ulster Ave, Kingston, NY 12401
