The sources of the TAO

A few years ago, author James Bishop released a book called ' who wrote the TAO', where he delved into the origins of many of the quotes, paragraphs originated that are found in the Tao (which as we now know was largely compiled by Bruce Lee's own notes, who had 'copied/taken' these texts for his own personal research, never intending to publish these had he lived).  

That book was released a few years ago. James Bishop was aware of earlier research attempts however and he managed to find the family of the original researcher and now that body of work has been released with his help. The proceeds will go to the family of Joe Snyder's family.




When the Tao of Jeet Kune Do was published in 1975, it quickly became one of the most influential martial arts books ever written. Celebrated as Bruce Lee's definitive statement on combat, philosophy, and personal expression, it inspired generations of martial artists around the world. But there was another story waiting to be told.


Years before digital databases and Internet search engines existed, researcher Joseph J. Snyder embarked on a painstaking investigation into the origins of Bruce Lee's posthumous masterpiece. Traveling from library to library, comparing thousands of pages by hand, Snyder uncovered the literary, technical, and philosophical foundations upon which the Tao of Jeet Kune Do was built. His work revealed an extraordinary network of sources drawn from boxing, fencing, Judo, Aikido, kinesiology, exercise physiology, and philosophy, his research anticipating modern Bruce Lee scholarship by decades.

Completed in the early 1980s but never published during Snyder's lifetime, The Sources and Application of Bruce Lee's Techniques is both a fascinating work of literary detection and a compelling study of how Bruce Lee developed Jeet Kune Do. Snyder demonstrates that Bruce Lee's greatest genius lay not in creating techniques from nothing, but in his remarkable ability to study, synthesize, refine, and transform knowledge from many disciplines into a revolutionary martial arts philosophy. What results is a fascinating work of scholarship that is both an exposé and a training guide.

Published now for the first time, this long-lost manuscript includes Snyder's complete research, extensive documentary appendices, source comparisons, and traced illustrations, preserving the work of a forgotten pioneer whose scholarship deserves a permanent place in Bruce Lee studies. Get your copy at Amazon!


Walk On!

An interview with me

Recently I was interviewed by Empower Martial arts Podcast.

You can find it here:  The Real Jeet Kune Do ?

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Hand before Foot! Correct execution of the lead straight in Jeet Kune Do.

 On one of the several Facebook Jeet Kune Do group, there is currently a 'discussion' on hand before foot when punching. I put discussion in brackets as the poster of the questions appears to be fully convinced that moving hand and foot together (or even a foot a fraction earlier) is better (more powerful) including various example videos.  (the group in question is JKD talk, look it up if you so desire) and it is starting to take on levels of 'trolling'.  

So let me explain why hand before foot.  The human eye has poor depth perception, and to register depth, it required multiple points of reference. Moving a fist towards someone's face in a perfectly straight line results in the person not seeing the movement until it's well underway, and differences in the position of the fist vs the rest of the arm or the torso of the opponent become more obvious.  All this takes place in a split second of course but that is exactly the reason, to beat the opponent to it. To hit before they can respond or before their response/defence is fully developed. 

If you step forward at the same time, the entire body has so many reference points for us observers, that you will notice almost immediately.  

The straight lead, is very much based on the above principles, and they come from fencing. A fencer will trust his epee forward to the opponent before he himselves moves, a very deceptive way of striking. 

You'll hopefully understand that this principle is very effective when you have to bridge a gap between you and the opponent in order to land the hit. 

A common mistake however is that people end up landing the fist with a completely outstretched arm, almost like superman. This is a case of the wrong timing/distance judgement. Whilst the fist is the first to land, you have to ensure that there is at least about an inch or two left of the arm 'extension' to complete, as well as some of the hip rotation, before the leadfoot lands.  

This will ensure that the forces involved with the arm extension and the rotation of the hip all contribute to the power of the strike. If these are already completed on the moment of impact, all you are left with is the linear force produced by your footwork x your body mass.  (force=mass*acceleration(speed)).

These factors are often poorly understood. You need to combine the forces of your footwork, with that of the arm and hips to maximise the impact.  This takes time and lots of repetition to get right, and for that purpose it is important to try to train this slowly.  

How to do it:

From your guard position with your hand in a neutral (almost horizontally) position (this way it starts from underneath the peripheral vision of your opponent, giving him even less reaction time). 

Start extending your arm (nothing else!), once this is extended almost halfway, you start to add hiprotation, and a fraction later you push off the rear foot.  This second half of the movement is difficult to do slow as you can't overcome gravity, you'll just have to complete the movement at normal speed.

However it is important to train the start of the punch slowly, to really develop the neural pathways/signals to execute the punch correctly. And do this repeatedly. Once you can do that without thinking, you slowly start to speed up the first half of the movement. There is no other way, step by step, slowly increasing.  The moment you sense you're ending up doing it at the same time, slow down and start again.  You don't need (and I recommend you don't!) to spend hours on it.  Spend 5 minutes on it, maybe a few times per day where you have a moment available.  Do this consistently and regularly, several times per week. That teaches your nervous system much more effective than one longer session (if you do spend longer, spend that time on other aspects of JKD training, but start with the fine motorskills such as the above when you are fresh and fully focussed, doing it at the end of a session will result in less focus, you're physically and mentally tired so you risk doing it wrong)

If you have a target (bag, or someone holding a glove for you), then start using this to practice on and take care of the moment of contact, the arm should still be in it's final phase of extending, the hips in the final phase or rotation, and the leadfoot not yet landed to ensure all forces are present in the impact!.

Don't have the arm too far bend on contact because then the remaining extension happens when your leadfoot is already on the floor, and the punch becomes a push! A way to get the fist landing correctly is to try and aim for the palm of the hand that is holding a focusglove, not the surface of the focus glove itself. That will result in a penetration of approx 1-2" in the final extension.(so aim through the glove (just)).  

These are all small but very important details, don't skip them, focus, and get it right!   

Walk On! 

It's supplementary..

 Of course it comes as no surprise that a good varied healthy diet is important to keep our bodies in good shape. If you then also engage in (high intensity) physical exersize, such as martial arts, supplements are a good idea. 

If you get a bit older, you might need to give your body a bit of extra support, just in case you don't get the correct and/or sufficient amounts of certain food groups and/or vitamins by way of your daily diet. Changes in our bodies, metabolism etc as you age mean you may need this, especially if you also work out. Vitamin tablets (there are many different ones out there) are a good start, vitamin C is probably the most well known and an important one.  This blog however I wanted to focus on  protein powders. These have been around for many years and are generally good to take. However recently there are more variations available that mix in other elements that can be beneficial.  

The main two are either adding Creatine or Collagen, or both. (illustrative picture attached, other brands/flavours are available).

Below a quick breakdown of what each of those target. 

Creatine:
How it works: Creatine helps your muscles rapidly regenerate ATP (adenosine triphosphate) during explosive or heavy movements.
Benefits: It is heavily researched and proven to increase power, delay fatigue, and even support brain function and focus.
Who it's for: Athletes, weightlifters, and anyone experiencing age-related muscle or cognitive decline.
Actionable tip: Look for Creatine Monohydrate (the most cost-effective and well-studied form).

Collagen:
How it works: Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body. Taking hydrolyzed collagen peptides signals your body to increase its own natural collagen synthesis.
Benefits: It supports the scaffolding of your body, reducing visible signs of aging by hydrating the skin, and promotes resilient joint cartilage and tendons.
Who it's for: Anyone focusing on beauty, anti-aging, or joint and connective tissue support.
Actionable tip: Pair it with foods or supplements rich in Vitamin C (e.g., citrus or a vitamin complex), as Vitamin C is required for your body to properly synthesize collagen.

I take my protein powder as part of my 'overnight oats' breakfast. I use greek Yogurt, rolled oats, blueberries, a scoop of protein powder, some honey and some semi skimmed milk (to make it a bit easier to help with the mixing and doesn't turn into concrete :-) ). 

I hope this helps!

Walk On!

Ung Moon or not?

 In Jeet Kune Do, we don't tend to practice 'forms'.  Forms for the uninitiated, are patterns-sequences of movements that train kicks, punches, stances etc and in some cases also are symbolic for a particular aspect of history of an art, or it's country of origin, amongst others. 

Nobody fights like that however. Traditional martial arts such as Karate and/or Taekwon-do, to name a few, often have a 'traditional' aspect in which forms (Kata in karate, Tul or Poomse in Taekwon-do) are being practiced and they count very heavily towards your next belt. They also have a sports/competition aspect, where practitioners spar eachother, and that looks very different. (they also compete in patterns but that's beyond the scope of this blog). 

Other martial arts do not practice forms (examples are Muai Thai, Boxing, fencing, BJJ etc.), but are concerned with the honing of skills such as punching/kicking etc etc and practice these on stationary targets, moving targets, and spar much more frequently to test their skills and develop timing/strategy. 

Bruce Lee was very aware of that and once his Jeet Kune Do journey had begun proper, he took the same approach, he mostly didn't practice forms (anymore) but instead all his training became focussed on sharpening the tools and develop rhythm, timing, strategy and become the best fighter he could be. 

However, Jeet Kune Do developed out of Bruce Lee's earlier ideas on the martial arts he termed Jun Fan Gung Fu, in other words 'Bruce Lee's Gung Fu' (Jun Fan Lee was Bruce Lee's cantonese birth name), and a significant element of that was still rooted in his formal training in Ving Tsun (Wing Chun) Gung Fu.  During his Jun Fan Gung Fu 'years', he also developed a pattern for his students to practice, with the same aim as traditional arts would, to develop techniques etc but in a formalised method. It was called Ung Moon, which many translate as 'the 5 gates'. 

It comes as no surprise that if you observe someone demonstrating this 'form', you would be forgiven to think you're watching someone practicing Ving Tsun, particularly if you see how they open (start) the form.  Various aspects, that would later return in Jeet Kune Do (in modified form) can be found in this form, for example the first section is about simultaneous attack and defence, executed by a series of blocks and strikes at the same time, both left and right, but it is performed from a more 'squared on' stance.  As you may know, the idea of simultaneous attack and defence is a principle very much present in Jeet Kune Do. 

There are JKD practitioners and schools that insist on training in this form, particularly in more recent years. It is almost as if there is a desire to 'formalise' JKD training in order to 'identify' it, perhaps make it more 'interesting' , and it's also depending on lineage. 

Those in a lineage more alligned with earlier 'Jun Fan Gung Fu' , and even Dan Inosanto's concept approach, are more inclined to study/practice this form than later lineages such as that of Ted Wong, where I belong too.  That latter approach is more alligned with Bruce Lee's later thinking to leave the form practice and concentrate on the more 'practical' / hands on approach of drilling and testing over and over... 

So what do I think? I'm not a person to insist that someone should practice JKD in this way or that way, but rather look at themselves and ask what do I want to acchieve?  If you want to learn JKD as per the latest ideas of Bruce Lee, then perhaps you should spend your valuable time on just drilling, working the bag, focus gloves and practice sparring.  If you are interested in where things originated, perhaps out of a general interest in the martial arts, then by all means learn the Ung Moon too. 

If you have the interest, the time and it alligns with your current goals in Martial Arts, then by all means go ahead, and enjoy!  There are some examples out there that show the Ung Moon from a more practical approach, be it in a very Ving Tsun like (squared on) approach, and have turned it into a partner drill by doing so. That may be more useful as to be fair, a more squared on 'positioning' happens in JKD almost naturally in close range (not striking or grappling/trapping range!! get rid of the idea to define distances by 'tools or techniques, but describe them by distance, for that's what it is, nothing more) but there are nuances here that go beyond the scope of this blog. Come to training to find out what that is.

My personal view is that from a practical (and time constraint) perspective, just practice the techniques that form this pattern(form), as individual / isolated partner drills and from a more alive basis (you're moving) like a semi free 'sparring' drill. 

I would short sell you not to leave you a link to someone who is performing the Ung Moon, and someone who explains some  practical applications of it.  Finally here's also a video of Jeet Kune Do veteran Chris Kent, a highly regarded and very knowledgeable instructor, with his views on the Ung Moon. 

You will note that they will use a lot of chinese terminology, where in later years Bruce would just call techniques by their english names, as we tend to do in our classes. (and I'm the first to admit I'm not familiar with some of this 'traditional' terminology, it's not required to learn Jeet Kune do as we practice it).    Again, terminology and chinese name knowledge is often used in a more 'formal' setting, and will help if you want to study the older variants of Bruce Lee's martial arts journey.  We call a punch a punch... your mileage may vary. 

Walk On! 

Promo : Jeet Kune Do Lessons in Devon, UK.

 Ok, apologies in advance but just a quick plug in case any of you readers stumble accross this blog and are interested in training with me. 

If you live in Devon, specifically in or near Torbay, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot, Ashburton and even Plymouth and/or Exeter,  and you want to learn Jeet Kune Do, get in touch. 

I offer monthly memberships, as well as ad hoc classes for those on shift work that can't make it to every class and therefore don't want to spend monthly fees that they can't attend.  I also do (limited) private classes for the right person(s). I value my spare time however so spaces are very limited! 

Get in touch via the website contact page at JEET KUNE DO and hopefully I'll see you soon!

Walk On! 

The straight lead

 Many of you will be aware of the book 'The Straight Lead', by Teri Tom.

The book delves into the signature punch that was developed by Bruce Lee and is a fundamental tool in the arsenal of Jeet Kune Do (or to use the subtitle of Teri's other book, 'arsenal of self expression' ).

It has been out of print for some time now and some second hand copies are offered for sale for frankly ridiculous prices, but if you want the book, but not pay as much as that, then rest assured. 

Terri Tom has anounced a revised version of the book, that will be released in May this year. 

It will be available through Amazon.  She says that all photos will be enhanced in high definition, and there will be an entirely new intro, which she described as ' a corker of a new intro'.. 

I have the original print but will order the new version and report back on my findings.   Here are the original (left) and new edition (right) side by side.

Walk On!

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!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

 

Wishing all our members, followers, friends and family a very merry Christmas and happy and prosperous New Year!

Walk On!

Ted Wong- who was he and what exactly did he teach?

We sometimes get questions on what it is that sets Ted Wong's approach to Jeet Kune Do apart from other 'lineages'.  

Ted Wong never learned any other martial art and all his knowledge was purely obtained by the teachings of Bruce Lee, throught the lessons that he enjoyed in private and by observing Bruce Lee teaching others. You could say that his knowledge was therefore very pure. As he practically 'lived' with Bruce Lee for a fair amount of time and was one of Bruce's closest friends, he is without question the person who spend the majority of time with Bruce Lee, training and observing. Other students are more well known for a variety of reasons, but Ted Wong was certainly the most knowledgeable when it came to pure Jeet Kune Do, and he passed this on in later years. 

To summarise what it comprises off we can state the following:

Sifu Ted Wong stressed the importance of great mobility through proper footwork to help the practitioner control their  fighting distance, and of proper body mechanics to improve their power generation and balance. He taught to understand and apply the 5 ways of attack to help  improve the practitioner tactics in combat. Certainly, all the basic tools and techniques must, under his guidance, be refined to "perfection" in order to improve ones physical and motor skills - to reduce ones limitations, to simplify ones techniques, to make no telegraphic movements, to eliminate wastage of motion, to develop spontaneity and naturalness, etc.  He would often say, he who controls the distance, controls the fight. 

Many martial artists make the mistake to want to learn more and more, and not to take the time to truly master the knowledge they already have, the truth doesn't lie 'out there', yet it lies 'within'! 

Sifu Ted Wong encouraged JKD practitioners to focus on themselves, to acquire a very good comprehension of the principles of force and to apply them to all of their moves in order to fully optimize their potential.

Sifu Ted Wong did not want the knowledge and experience he acquired from the many private lessons he got from Bruce Lee to become lost. So, he opened up to the world to share with them the learnt art and philosophy. Sifu Ted Wong was one of the original students of the Bruce Lee's backyard training in Los Angeles. He was also the last private student of Bruce Lee and one of the only three people certified in Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee.
Sifu Ted Wong had a goal, and that was to preserve Bruce Lee's art, which he worked very hard during a great part of his lifetime to achieve it, and to try and stop some of the misrepresentations of Jeet Kune Do that were starting to come to the fore during his lifetime..
To be disciplined and respectful to others, and to mind our own business were also part of his great teachings, not surprising either. Ted Wong himself was a quiet humble man. 

It sometimes is useful to stop and reflect on that for a moment, and you'll understand why very few of Ted Wong's students are outspoken and on social media, but instead keep themselves to themselves and just 'train'.  

Walk On! 

Another Seminar done

 As mentioned in my previous post, another JKD seminar was held in the Netherlands on October 18th.

Teaching was sifu Richard Torres, from the JKD Martial Arts institute, Fishkill , New York.  He is one of the few certified instructors under Ted Wong, and spent a lot of time working and travelling with Ted Wong doing various seminars/workshops etc in the past. His extensive research and huge library of books and articles would probably rival and surpass that of Bruce Lee himself, who was known to have 2500 books etc in his own private library. I can say with some confidence that Richard Torres is one of the most knowledgeable teachers in the art of Jeet Kune Do.  

Myself and one of my senior students attended the seminar, and also had a private theory session the evening before at the house of my own instructor, James ter Beek. The seminar was great and it was traditionally followed by a large meal.   We travelled home the following day, looking back on a succesful weekend and with knowledge to workon and teach.

Walk On! 

Jeet Kune Do Seminars & Workshops

 

The world of Jeet Kune Do, is known sometimes for heated arguments about what JKD is, the division between 'original' and 'concepts' JKD is only a part of the discussion. Many times it also involves groups and individuals who believe that JKD is not an art at all, but just a philosphy, and you can do whatever you fancy.

Thankfully, there are still many opportunities to be taught by knowledgable instructors that are capable to set the record straight, and to come together and set up a unified experience for all to learn and enjoy.

One such event was held last weekend in New York, USA.  Three instructors, One Art.  Instructors were sifu Richard Torres, sifu Joaquin Marcelo, and sifu Octavio Quintero, and set up a workshop with over 100 participants. 

Sadly I was unable to attend but my instructors and many of my JKD friends were there, but it demonstrates that the world of JKD is more unified than some people might think. The more these events are held, the more I hope it will silence the critics, and more understanding of the art will be perpetuated. 

Your next opportunity is this month, in Leiden the Netherlands, where sifu Richard Torres will hold a workshop on Saturday October 18th.   Be there!

Walk On!

 

Stages of learning

 

The illustration shows in Bruce Lee's own handwriting, the 'three stages of a technique'.  He breaks this down into : Synchronisation of Self, Synchronisation with an opponent, and finally 'application under fighting condition'.    

The first stage is primarily aimed at learning the correct form, developing precision, and to synchronise all this as a 'whole' , building up speed progressively, but never to lose form (get sloppy). 

The second stage is about timing and distance.  Here you may find yourself working with a partner who provides targets to strike at various angles, intervals and distances (focus mitts drills).  Also here the difficulty is gradually increased. 

Lastly you will test these with a (sparring) partner, who will also be willing to hit back, doesn't want to get hit himself etc.   and is the closest you will get to real fighting conditions.  

As you can see, this progression is very similar to anything we learn. You start with the basics, and gradually increase the difficulty and application of those very same basics.  

Many martial artists confuse this with making things more complicated.  

If anything, a fight should be simple, direct and straight to the point, which will give you the best chance of 'scoring', walking away from the encounter relatively unharmed.  The 3 stages of learning are a great way of getting you there.  

Walk On! 

7 deadly sins in martial arts!

As published by Mike Gittleson by JKD Colorado.



The seven deadly sins as they relate to the martial arts...
Pride - making your training about showing off, finding every chance you can to try to dazzle everyone with your "omnipotent" skill
Greed - Focusing on making money and building an imperium of students and followers.
Lust - Lusting after fame, glory and thy neighbor's wife (aka other people's students)
Envy - Spending time watching others in envy of their fame, abilities and accolades. Turning this to ridicule, nitpicking and trying to justify your envy by pointing out everything they do wrong.
Gluttony - Trying to collect an inordinate amount techniques in order to feel all knowing. Training for accumulation rather than simplicity and understanding.
Wrath - Lashing out angerly at others, coveting hatred for those who have differing opinions or practice different styles.
Sloth - Pure laziness in your training. Maintaining the facade that you have earned your skill, all the while, not continuing to practice and hone it.
Don't succomb to the sins. Keep your training honest and focused.


Walk On!

Workshop success

 Wow, that went quick.  One day you're busy organising a workshop with all the hotel/paperwork/venue etc to arrange, and then it's gone.  We had fun!  There were people with prior JKD experience, but also hosted people with a Kali, Taekwon-do, Kung Fu , Kickboxing backgrounds.  They all had a great time, learned new things or got a fresh perspective on things they apply but now have a deeper understanding of.  Walk On!

Jeet Kune Do - Competition or not?

 Jeet Kune Do is amongst the martial arts for which generally there are no competitions held.(* I'll get to some exceptions later). 

The overwhelming majority of people training in JKD (and that includes those training in the JKD Concepts approach) tend to train for personal development, and there is a wide spread view that as JKD is designed for the street, no rules, 'any thing goes', you couldn't possibly hold competitions because there are multiple techniques / actions you'd not be able to do as it would injure your opponents.  

Yet we do train them on a variety of targets, and also with some restraint, on your sparring partner whilst wearing the appropriate protection equipment. 

The main issue is not so much that you couldn't conceive a competition, but by stripping it back to make it safer and introduce rules (amongst which how to award points/ scoring system) you inherently alter the essence of the art, and it is in danger of looking like a kickboxing contest, or any other martial arts tournament.  

*This is exactly what has happened to some (dubious) Jeet Kune Do 'associations/world councils/fill in colourfull name' that have attempted it before and still hold tournaments. (they are predominantly located in Asia, most organisers/participants have no link to actual Jeet Kune Do instructors that have a direct lineage to any original students.) . The motive of these 'tournaments' seems unclear / vague to me, other than a vehicle to 'stroke' the ego of the founder of these organisations, and very little to do with competing in JKD..  There are some good martial artists amongst the competitors, but from I've seen I have not witnessed any JKD, but rather their structure etc looks more that of a Taekwondo fighter or kickboxer..  I posted some examples at the bottom of this article.

If a competition is held at all at any point, some real clear rules need to be established that ensure JKD remains recognisable as it's own art, not just 'anything goes'... The fighters should be encouraged to fight strongside forward, use minimum 80% lead weapons, and scoring should reward elements like trapping (for example a pak sao - backfist combi should score highly) so that people will actually use it and show off an element of JKD that isn't present in other (traditional) systems. 

What about fingerjabs? These could be given their own category, where participants have to score on a moving target within a certain time (maybe wearing gloves dipped in an ink or similar so that a clear visible mark is left where fingerjab landed) and speed and accuracy can be awarded in this way. 

Add the points from the fights to the points awarded to the 'finger jab' element, and the highest scorer is the overall winner. 

It is going to be difficult to organise and get sufficient participants however. There are not many genuine JKD schools compared to other martial arts.  That said, JKD students could still participate in other (open) tournaments, restricted to the rules of that tournament, if only to experience what it feels like to be under pressure in a fight (a higher level of pressure than you would experience normally at the school, where sparring is done to help eachother learn, not to win a match).  

Thoughts?  Here are a few links to a 'JKD' tournament: (copy and paste the text in your browser).

 https://youtu.be/MlAOXT2JkIE?si=VsJTnC-RqF2LCrHk

https://youtu.be/TqJSuNJ_2J4?si=xiTD0HWtkUolTfDa

https://youtu.be/HPUEw8MiZ7A?si=ubD49lCRriGCK2Mh

https://youtu.be/9_HufeuhsdI?si=TMtKKy7CaG_1z2KV

Walk On!

Getting Down with it

 Often the discussion comes up that people should practice grappling because thats what will happen in a fight.  Often they mention that 70% of fights end up on the ground. Whilst personally I don't subscribe to that high percentage, it is almost guaranteed that 100% start with both feet firmly planted on the ground.

What contributes to this view is the popularity of BJJ and MMA, with the latter responsible for the popularity of BJJ as it is seen that in the environment of MMA fights, grapplers were often dominant. So it's no surprise that this is the opinion held by many.  Is it therefore important to train lots in grappling? 

I say NO.  Let me clarify: Firstly, I'm going to state that it is good to get a bit of grappling experience, so you know what it 'feels' like.  But I'm saying NO to training it a LOT.   Why? First off, it is very unlikely that in a street fight, you will be facing an (experienced) grappler.  I can say this because of statistics. In the UK (where I live) there are approximately 67million people, of this, according to sport England data of 2022, about 237 thousand practice martial arts. That's one in 280 persons.  Of that amount a large proportion will be children. In practice it is probably about 2/3rd children and teens, vs adults.  That changes the ratio to about one in 5-600...  All other potential opponents have no martial arts background whatsoever so their fighting skills are not going to be of a high quality. That doesn't mean they won't try it (they see it on the TV all the time), but as a trained martial artist, you should be reasonably succesful in fending off their attacks from a stand up position, which is far more favourable. You retain mobility, so you can run away as soon as there is a chance, but one other big factor is important: Once on the ground, you are very much in a one on one environment with very little to no situational awareness. YOu're not going to see his budy (or a stranger) suddenly getting in on the action and kicking you in the head or worse.. Also you're not going to see any concealed bladed weapon he might be carrying so you could get stabbed in this situation, another reason to stay on your feet and keep him at a distance. 

So instead of spending time learning intricate grappling techniques and submissions etc, learn take down defenses, and how to get back up QUICK, when you're on the ground. Focus on those elements of ground fighting, and you will be best prepared for the majority of street encounters you are likely to find yourself in, at least in the UK.  Your mileage may vary, but thats the situation where I live. 

Walk On! 

Cross training in other arts?

 In my previous post I wrote about the importance to look at the 'root', and not the branches.

Subscribers to the JKD concepts method tends to train in various martial arts, often combining the strengths of many into a personal expression of JKD (not Bruce Lee's ),and/or looking at similarities (but you'd then invariably need to know the original material too, that's a lot of time invested), whilst those on the other side of the fence focus on the fundamental material, (just learn to punch and kick etc etc.) and apply Bruce Lee's teachings on strategy and structure..  One trains the root, the other the branches (you should by now know which is which).

However, if you are on the 'original JKD' side of the fence, does it matter or is it even beneficial to train in other arts?  The answer is obviously not a one size fits all.  Firstly, you need to be mindful how you approach that training. Why are you cross training? Is it because you simply enjoy it, are you in to the sport element of the other art(s) perhaps? 

Me and one other student recently did a little of this. We went to a workshop hosted by a local kickboxing school, who had invited Bill 'Superfoot' Wallace to teach.  Truth be told, we went primarily to meet with this legend of the martial arts world, after all he's not getting any younger. (79 by the time of writing). 

That said, it was fun to spend about 2 hours training kick boxing combo's and techniques , predominantly his approach of course (and boy, does he love the side kick, we threw a lot of them).. But what did we learn from it?  

What stood out for me personally is that all drills we did, were aimed at the 'competition' strategies you may encounter. All kicks/punches were above the belt etc, so the structure/approach and execution of all we did was aimed at that.  If you have trained in JKD for a while, this should hopefully be immediately apparent.  Some of the combo's we trew, could be simplified if used on the street. (why bother trying to make the opponent move his arms so I can kick him in the ribs), when just as easily I could have kicked him in the knee or groin?   

Nevertheless there were some pointers for me personally that I found helpful. It is always good to have another person pick up on little habbits you may have (bad or good, but usually you want them to pick up on 'bad' stuff, that's how you learn and grow) and Bill found a few on me. 

Truth be told, I wasn't used to fight on barefeet (and I developed blisters about 15 minutes in that continued to distract me for the rest of the session), and I'm not used to a kick boxing approach so I naturally didn't perform certain techniques the way he wanted me to (muscle memory can be a dissadvantage sometimes, I wrote about that before..). Personally, I wasn't too happy with my personal performance, but that's OK, I picked up a few pointers and had a great time! 

My main focus will always be JKD, but it was fun to get some other insights and to learn how others approach a fight. You can get a lot from books and videos, but occasionally experiencing it helps further your understanding.  And in this case, if you can learn from a legend,  then take the opportunity if you can, it's fun!

Walk On! 

The style of no style, system without a system, what's all this about?

 Bruce Lee was a man seemingly contradicting himself.  On the one hand, he is known for remarks or quotes as those in the title, and actually named his personal art 'Jeet Kune Do' and if you know the translation / meaning it would appear to seeminly solidify it into a 'style'  on the otherhand, he advocated to go 'beyond style', or beyond system.

For us living in the 2020's, reading Bruce Lee's notes and articles about him, it is often a little difficult to understand, particularly if you do not know in what phase of his personal development he made such statements or notes, and if they were for himself or a certain audience.   All in all it hasn't helped in making things easy to understand.  If you read earlier notes or annecdotes by others who knew him, you'd be forgiven to think  that Bruce was on a path to gather the best of many styles, and put them together into one coherent system, but he soon discovered that various systems varied in their approach, and they just didn't work well (together), and he then  came to the realisation that he approached it all wrong. Instead of looking from outside in, he decided to look inside out. In other words, rather than looking at the branches (the various martial arts systems/styles out there), he looked at the root of all human combat, which is the way a human being moves-functions. No matter what art you take, there's a human at the core(root)! This is where his statement 'it is futile to look at all the decorative flowers and branches, if you understand the root, you understand all it's blossoming', originates. 

He then started approach martial arts scientifically, to focus on how humans moved, which movements were more efficient than others for a certain task etc. This allowed him to become efficient, and fast. 

Yes, he had 3 arts at the root of his development, but he had found that these already had a fair degree of scientific approach behind them, he only needed to refine and adapt them to his needs. These were chiefly Ving Tsun, Boxing and Fencing, and by doing so, they no longer were 'fencing (he used no bladed weapons), boxing (he didn't use gloves and his footwork resembled more that of a fencer), and the forms in ving tsun were no longer important, rather he used the theories of centreline, 4 corners and others etc to develop his strategies.  The useful elements of each of these 3 arts were modified to a degree to work seemlessly together, and elements of grappling arts were studied to cover the ground fighting aspect, but all whilst being very consious not to move from style to style, depending on the situation, but rather which action / human movement is the most efficient/direct/effective at any given moment.  He didn't throw a boxing punch, followed by a wingchun trap and a kick, he 'just punched', 'kicked' , 'grabbed', 'pulled', 'threw' as it came naturally, not labelling things any longer.  The movements were purely based on efficiency as performed by the human body, and as such he transcended systems/styles.  This is also where the statement comes from that Jeet Kune Do, trancends all styles. 

This is what the true art of Jeet Kune Do is all about.  It can still be called a style, but I hope that you understand that this is not a 'style' in the traditional sense, but the rather the style of human combative movement.

The label Jeet Kune Do serves this purpose to identify we're studying/practicing Bruce Lee's teachings, and not anyone elses.

Walk On!