Train like you fight!

 Train like you fight, or you'll end up fighting as you train. 

If you train correctly, the latter won't be an issue, but if your supplementary exercise consists of 5-10K jogs, some (slow) lifting for strength and stretching, you are conditioning your body for endurance, not repeated high intensitity short bursts as is the case with a fight.  

A Jeet Kune Do person is not someone that steps into the ring for a competition fight either, but having that type of fitness will set you up quite well.  Ideally a self defence situation will mean that you will have to act fast, aggressively, overwhelmingly and then get out!  It's never a steady state contineous effort.

The photo shows Bruce Lee running with his pet dog (Great Dane) Bobo who often accompanied him on his runs.

 There's nothing wrong with occasionally going for a gentle jog, if only to clear your head, and if you are at the start of your journey, it could be something to help you build up a base level of cardiovascular endurance/fitness, but don't dwell on it too long.  The sooner you adapt your supplementary training to methods that support your martial arts training, the better.

HIIT and Interval running is much better to support your goal, but take a structured approach, below an example/suggestion.  

Suggestion for an Interval running program:

- build up to a 3-5K steady state run (using a Couch to 5K program is a good starting point) 5K takes most people around 30 -35 minutes to complete initially.  Run up to 2 times per week outside your martial arts training.  This will take most people (who are already somewhat active) about 4-6 weeks to acchieve. 

- Introduce intervals. You start off with up to 10 minutes steady state warm up, then you go trough a series of intervals: 6x 30 second sprint followed by 1 minute rest each (= 9 minutes), then return home (10 mins cooldown run).  This again is approx 30 minutes of work out time, but the middle bit focusses on anaerobic fitness (the ability to endure high intensity high heartrate and recovery).   

Do this for at least 4 weeks. 

-Progression: shorten the steady state warm up to about 5 minutes: The interval section will now be extended and changed a little to: 6x 2minutes at 90% of your max, with 1 minute rest in between (18 minutes), then cooldown run back 'home' at steady state.  This middle section more resembles a boxing match where you go 6 rounds at 2 minutes, with 1 minute complete rest in between. Again total workout time in the region of 30 minutes.  

4 weeks on this program. 

- Integrated Approach: This introduces an active recovery phase to the above progression. Rather than complete rest, you now keep on gently jogging, shuffle or shadow box.  Again start with a warm up steady state section, progress to the interval section , and a cool down section.   

4 weeks on this program.

You are now 16-18 weeks into the program.  To measure your progress go for a steady state 5K run, the same route/distance as you did when you started), your time will likely have improved and be below 30 minutes to complete it, possibly much closer to 20. 

Continue with your integrated program, but vary the intensity of your intervals, exchange sprints, with high intensity runs (90% of your effort but just shy of a sprint), or knee raises on the spot etc, vary your 'rest' phases. 

Walk On!

Jeet Kune Do - Training for the individual

 A phrase often uttered in the JKD community, but seldom properly understood is the one that says that Jeet Kune Do is a style without a style, that you have to find what works for you and cultivate it, etc etc. 

It is true, the intention of Bruce Lee for those that train Jeet Kune Do, is to develop themselves, not be stuck in fixed routines and forms because a classical martial art asks that you do so in order to progress.

Jeet Kune Do is an art that leaves the individual free in finding their own way. That doesn't mean that you can do stuff that violates basic principles on which Jeet Kune Do was founded.  If a technique is not efficient, it has no place in JKD for example. No matter how athletic, spectacular or otherwise it is. 

What Bruce Lee was after is that there is no fixed method of training, and for each individual the training methods may need to change. If your overweight, you need to include more exercises and a lifestyle that helps you reduce that weight.  If you're weak, you need to do strength training, if you are not flexible, you need to stretch. Find the weak points, work on them. If you are poor at kicking, find out why that is, and work on it, same with anything else.   When you work on these basics, first, then you can start to look deeper at individual techniques. Perhaps your straight punch is great, but you struggle with the hook, so work on the hook!  Get all the basics right first and get those to a decent level of proficiency.

Once all that is dealt with (and maintained), you'll start to find what works well. We are al built slightly different, taller/shorter etc.. Both the tall and the short person should be able to kick and punch, etc well (the basics), but when it comes to a fight, both will find different tactics that work better.  A taller person may find they can keep their opponent at bay because of their longer reach.  A shorter person may find he'll fight better in close range (when faced with a tall opponent) as it can neutralise the longer range tools of the opponent, whilst retaining more options themselves. Tactics and personal attributes will determine someones 'style' in JKD in the long run, not the searching for techiques or even arts to 'blend' into JKD. 

So two JKD persons, two different styles, both JKD. Think Tyson and Ali, two boxers, two very different fighting styles. Both box, no adding of anything else, but cultivating their strenghts and making boxing their own.   

In Jeet Kune Do, the following are the very basics every person needs to be working on and get good at, that can be trained on your own with minimum to no equipment,  outside of regular class. 

Ideally, if you have the space, invest in a heavy bag or a BOB (Century BOB), or both, as minimum training equipment on your own, which will enhance your training a lot. 

- Basic mobility (not as in footwork, but in moving all your joints through every direction of movement they are naturally capable of to loosen them up. ) For example: In which directions can you move your head?? (turn left, right, up down, tilt left and right (ear to the shoulder), and combinations of these! (try it, ear to the shoulder, and then in that position nod yes, then no)) You can do more than you think, work on that!

- Basic fitness (strength (body weight), endurance (jog, cycle etc), flexibility (stretch) )

- The on guard stance (Small Phasic Bent Knee Stance  (SPBKS))

- Footwork (learning to move in all 4 directions whilst maintaining the guard and relax whilst doing so) 

- Basic techniques(your basic kicks and punches, all from guard (and returning!! Don't let your limbs hang out there, on guard, on guard, on guard!!)  Both static (at first) and with footwork.  

- Elusive lead (5 lines of attack to various target areas)

Then comes refinment of all the above + method and tactics, for this you ideally need a partner (class time training). This is acchieved through a mix of drills, and (controlled) sparring. The list is not complete, but it gives you an idea of how this differs from individual training above.

- Timing & rhythm

- Basic trapping and sensitivity drills. (If you are lucky enough to own a wooden dummy (mook jong) you could also train some of this individually, but they can be expensive). 

- bobbing/weaving, slipping , parrying. 

- Sensitive Aura  ( e.g. distance judgement, vision and hearing, 'sixt sense' etc.)

- 5 ways of Attack

So you can see, many things to work on, in your own way, your own approach, catering to your own needs and wishes, whilst not seeking for solutions outside of the art. Lastly I'd also like to emphasise to learn to relax, not just physical , but mental. Take a moment and just 'breathe', just be, no thought, no distraction. Mindfulness. 

'The medicine for my suffering I had within me from the very beginning, but I did not take it. My ailment came from within myself, but I did not observe it, until this moment. Now I see that I will never find the light unless, like the candle, I am my own fuel, consuming myself  -  Bruce Lee' 

WALK ON!