In Jeet Kune Do, we are taught that everything we do needs to be simple. In this post I'd like to explain why that is, in case you didn't know.
As you may know, JKD was primeraly developed for use 'on the street', in a self defence situation, where there are no rules, any thing goes! This is what we train for.
To understand Self
Defence training, we need to understand what generally happens. I am not
describing a particular scenario here, but rather what happens to almost anyone
that has ever been attacked.
What happens?
This is quite normal,
due to elevating fear / panic the brain very quickly loses its ability to think
rationally. The longer it goes on, the
bigger this influence becomes. When reaching absolute terror levels, it is not
uncommon that people lose control of their bowels, faint, etc…
If you are interested
in the science behind this, I’ve put an illustration in this
article, showing how this all works.
What is important?
It makes no sense to
learn complicated, difficult to remember and execute series of moves.
Your response needs to
be able to be executed fast and efficient, without much thought, as if in a
reflex, therefore it needs to be simple to learn & lead direct to the
desired result. Remember above where I mention you will lose the ability to
think rationally in a stressful situation?
About Jeet Kune Do:
Bruce Lee developed
his art, Jeet Kune Do, with exactly this in mind and that is why it is so
effective for self-defence.
Whilst he is most
famous for spectacularly choreographed action scenes in his movies, remember
that this is done for cinematic effect. On the street, this will rarely work.
(you may not have the space, not wearing the right clothing, and these moves
are very noticeable to the opponent).
Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune
Do (literally translated, the way of the intercepting fist) is designed to be
able for you to recognise an imminent attack and learn to intercept your
attacker (this doesn’t mean you have to wait for him to physically start
moving, you will learn to recognise a threatening situation and may be able to
land a ‘pre-emptive’ strike.) The ultimate goal is to prevent a fight, but if
one threatens to develop, it should be stopped before it can develop in a full-on
brawl… The concept is sometimes referred to as ‘defensive offence, or offensive
defence’.
In the beginning the
emphasis of training is on tool development and mobility. In a self defence situation, the best way is
still to ‘run’, get out. There are however plenty of instances that this is not
possible (you’re with someone else you are trying to protect, there are
obstacles, etc ) Staying on your feet and to be able to regulate the distance
between your attacker and yourself is very important. This distance keeps you safer, but it also
buys you time, your attacker will have to move towards you in order to reach you.
This gives you time to respond and the opportunity to ‘intercept’ him.
What we won’t do
(much) off:
In part to the rise of
sports such as MMA, there is also a huge interest in grappling arts, such as
Judo, or Jiu Jitsu (often Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)). Whilst some grappling knowledge is good to
have, we approach this differently. Regarding grappling, we approach it from
the perspective of ‘prevention’ and how to get up when you find yourself
down. Going to the floor on the street
is a very bad idea. Whilst you are
potentially busy trying to subdue someone (or trying to fend of someone that is
doing it to you), it is not unlikely that a bystander jumps out of the woodwork
, unrelated to you and proceeds to kick you whilst down, all in the name of a
few minutes of ‘fame’ on a social media platform. Therefore, when possible, avoid ‘groundwork’
and leave that to law enforcement officers, your job is to get out, fast!
From a practical
perspective, in general men tend to be bigger and stronger, so any attempt to
wrestle a male attacker often leads in women getting hurt (or worse). There are obviously exceptions, but in this
class we deal with the ‘normal’. Chances are you won’t be attacked by a
professional fighter, but rather an opportunist, in 99% of the cases.
This is why we train the way we do:
Tool development, and
mobility (as mentioned earlier) is learning how to punch, kick, parry and evade
and control the distance. We do not have a huge arsenal of different kicks and
punches. Bruce kept this simple. Only those that according to him are most
efficient, were kept. The following quote aptly explains another reason: ‘I
fear not the man who practices 10.000 kicks once, I fear the man who practices
one kick 10.000 times’.
In other words, we spend time to learn the few
kicks and punches really well, in order for them to become so natural for you
to execute that you don’t have to ‘think’ too much, which leads us back to the
beginning of this writing. When
attacked, we just need to be able to instantly respond, without thought, as if
it were a reflex.
Finally:
Some of you may have
heard the following quote which is often wrongly attributed to Bruce Lee (it
actually originates from chairman Mao, but Bruce did write it down in a book
dedication to a friend of his, which is where the confusion stems from).
‘Research your own
experience. Absorb what is useful; Reject what is not, add what is specifically
your own’.
Simply said, be
critical of your learning experience, try to find what works well for you (we
all have different attributes, strengths and weaknesses), focus on those rather
than those that don’t work so well for you.
The ‘adding’ does not
mean look elsewhere and start adding other techniques etc. (you'd be going away from the aim of keeping things simple) Rather look within, put in your own heart and
soul, your own spirit and tenacity, and as Bruce Lee would say, ‘express
yourselves honestly, as a human being, not lying to oneself’.
Martial arts will lead
to self-discovery, self-expression, self-confidence and all these elements will
help tremendously in all other facets of life.
