Jeet Kune Do

Jeet Kune Do Stages of Cultivation

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 07:31:00 +0000

Jeet Kune Do

These symbols represent Bruce Lee's personal journey of self-cultivation. Specifically designed by Bruce Lee, the symbols hung on separate plaques in his Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute in Los Angeles.

Partiality : Is the compartmentalized person. You have lots of extreme and you are trying lots of different things. Bruce’s symbol for this stage was the two halves of the yin yang, separate, not touching, and without the circle in each half. He called it the running to extremes.

Fluidity : Is when you can take what happens as it comes. Bruce Lee called this two halves of one whole and his symbol was the complete yin yang with two arrows going around the yin yang. This symbolized that these two halves are always relating, we’re always in a place of totality.

Emptiness : Which Bruce Lee called the formless form. This is when you exist in a stage of natural response and you let go of all technique. The third stage is about freedom. You don’t have to live in the third stage all the time, it is achieved in moments of action in real life situations. Stage 3 is the automatic response of the skillful warrior.

Related Post :

Jeet Kune Do

Source : Wikipedia / evolutionjkd

Jerry Poteet Passed Away

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 03:53:00 +0000

With heavy hearts, we are saddened to report that Sifu Jerry Poteet passed away on Saturday, January 15, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.

His Flame is still burning bright now and into the future through our family, instructors, students, friends, and followers. As Sifu Bruce Lee once said :

“ Remembrance is the only paradise out of which we cannot be driven away. Pleasure is the flower that fades, remembrance is the lasting perfume. Remembrances last longer than present realities. ” - The Jerry Poteet Family. Original Source : jkdlondon

Related Post :

Bruce Lee Jeet Kune Do

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 07:51:00 +0000

Bruce Lee Jeet Kune Do is the seminal book presenting the martial art created by Bruce Lee himself as described in his own notes and writings. Jeet Kune Do was a revolutionary new approach to the martial arts in its time and is the principal reason why Bruce Lee is revered as a pioneer by martial artists today, many decades after his death.

The development of his unique martial art form—its principles, core techniques, and lesson plans—are all presented in this book in Bruce Lee's own words and notes. This is the complete and official version of Jeet Kune Do which was originally published by Tuttle Publishing in cooperation with the Lee family in 1997. It is still the most comprehensive presentation of Jeet Kune Do available.

This book features Lee's illustrative sketches and his remarkable notes and commentaries on the nature of combat and achieving success in life through the martial arts, as well as the importance of a positive mental attitude during training.
In addition, there are a series of "Questions Every Martial Artist Must Ask Himself" that Lee posed to himself and intended to explore as part of his own development, but never lived to complete. Bruce Lee Jeet Kune Do is the book every Bruce Lee fan must have in his collection.

Common terms and phrases

Artists should consider:

Attack to right backfist blow body
Bruce Lee Chi sao
Chinese martial art close-range fighting close-range tactics combined with kicking Counter to left-stancer's counter to right Counter to right-stancer's Counter-time defense distance factors
Feint fighter finger jab footwork groin gung fu High—to left stancer
High—to right stancer high/low inside high inside low jeet kune Joint locks judo kick combined kicking and vice kicking or vice knee lead hand leading right learning left cross left reverse
Lesson Linda Lee Cadwell Low—to right stancer martial art martial artists means mind move movement on-guard position one-two one's opponent opponent's pak sao punch rear Reverse left right and left right hand right hook right lead right-stancer's left
Riposte shovel hook side kick simple attack Simple parry snap speed spinning back kick stop hit strike style swing target techniques thing thought thrust Training aid uppercut vice versa Wing Chun

Popular passages

Page 375 - Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.‎ Appears in 333 books from 1966-2008

Page 374 - Now in order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it: They must not do too much of it: and they must have a sense of success in it...‎ Appears in 153 books from 1851-2008

Page 388 - Many people dedicate their lives to actualize a concept of what they should be like, rather than to actualize themselves . . . This difference between self-actualizing and self-image actualizing is very important.‎ Appears in 10 books from 1974-2006

Page 62 - Yet it is certainly considered as a principle of being. Can we consider it a spiritual essence? I think not. Suzuki says that "mind" in this sense is "an ultimate reality which is aware of itself and is not the seat of our empirical consciousness. This "mind" for the Zen masters is not the intellectual faculty as such but rather what the Rhenish mystics called the "ground...‎ Appears in 7 books from 1972-2001

Page 343 - enlightenment tradition, absence of thought has been instituted as the main doctrine, absence of phenomena as the substance, and nonattachment as the foundation. What is meant by absence of phenomena? Absence of phenomena means to be free from phenomena when in contact with them. Absence of thought means not to be carried away by thought in the process of thought.‎ Appears in 15 books from 1963-2007

Page 382 - In order to go rowing in our boat we have waited For the setting of the sun. A slight breeze ripples the blue surface And stirs the water lilies. Along the banks, Where the cherry blossoms fall like rain, We watch a glimpse of strolling lovers.‎ Appears in 5 books from 1923-2001 Page 379 - The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.‎ Appears in 27 books from 1957-2008

Page 374 - THE three things most difficult are, to keep a secret, to forget an injury and to make good use of leisure.‎ Appears in 21 books from 1824-2005

About the author (1997)

John Little is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on Bruce Lee, his training methods, and philosophies. Little is the only person who has ever been authorized to review the entirety of Lee's personal notes, sketches, and reading annotations. Little's articles have appeared in every martial arts and health and fitness magazine in North America including Muscle and Fitness. He is the author of The Warrior Within : The Philosophies of Bruce Lee, and co-author of Power Factor Training, The Golfer's Two-Minute Workout, and Static Contraction Training for Bodybuilders. A native of Canada, John is an expert in the fields of martial arts, bodybuilding, and physical conditioning.

Or click this link : books.google

Bibliographic information

Title :
- Bruce Lee Jeet Kune Do : Bruce Lee's Commentaries on the Martial Way
- Volume 3 of Bruce Lee library, Bruce Lee
- The Brue Lee Library, Vol 3
Author : Bruce Lee
Editor : John Little
Compiled by : John Little
Edition : illustrated
Publisher : Tuttle Publishing, 1997
ISBN : 0804831327, 9780804831321
Length : 400 pages

Subjects :

Sports & Recreation
Martial Arts & Self-Defense
Sports

Source : books.google

The F.M.A. Aplidadas

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 20:07:00 +0000

The F.M.A. aplidadas to the daily work of security bodies and forces.

Today July 5 Warriors Academy have had a pleasant 3 hour class, in which security professionals know applications from the Philippines martial arts to real-life work situations.

A good time and good company...

Greetings to everyone and good job.

4 "criminals" thank you!

And everyone... even the next!

Source : Jeet Kune Do Elche.

Eclectic & Hybrid

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 10:52:00 +0000

Hybrid martial arts like Jeet Kune Do, also known as hybrid fighting systems or sometimes freestyle fighting, refer to martial arts or fighting systems that incorporate techniques and theories from several particular martial arts. While numerous martial arts borrow or adapt from other arts and to some extent could be considered hybrids, a hybrid martial art emphasizes its disparate origins. The idea of hybridization or "mixing" of martial arts traditions originates in the 19th to early 20th century, when Asian traditions first came to the attention of European practitioners. The concept rose to wide popularity during the 1960s and 1970s, with the development of kickboxing styles; Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do (1967) that uses aspects derived from various arts including Wing Chun, and Boxing,; Zen Do Kai (1970)[undue weight? – discuss], which incorporates Muay Thai, kickboxing and elements of judo, Taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and many other martial arts. Robert Beal created a style he called "Bushido", which is a blend of various Chinese and Japanese fighting styles mixed with western boxing. Fred Degerberg went on to create his own school and teach his own variation of blended martial arts.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

Since 1993, hybridization of martial arts has culminated in the development of mixed martial arts, a practice which combined the already hybridized styles of Brazilian Vale tudo fighting and kickboxing, among others. The term mixed martial arts, while in its literal meaning a synonym, has come to refer this specific combat sport. Examples of Hybrid martial arts :

Savate - a form of kickboxing developed by French sailors, may qualify as an early example.
Bartitsu - created in 1899 as a combination of several forms of traditional jujutsu, Kodokan judo, English boxing, French savate and stick fighting
Sanjuro - a British martial art combining influences of different styles and dance, also used in special educational needs and disabilities therapy

Eclecticism

Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular cases.

It can sometimes seem inelegant or lacking in simplicity, and eclectics are sometimes criticized for lack of consistency in their thinking. It is, however, common in many fields of study. For example, most psychologists accept certain aspects of behaviorism, but do not attempt to use the theory to explain all aspects of human behavior. A statistician may use frequentist techniques on one occasion and Bayesian ones on another.

Eclecticism was first recorded to have been practiced by a group of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers who attached themselves to no real system, but selected from existing philosophical beliefs those doctrines that seemed most reasonable to them. Out of this collected material they constructed their new system of philosophy. The term comes from the Greek, literally "choosing the best", and that from (eklektos), "picked out, select". Well known eclectics in Greek philosophy were the Stoics Panaetius and Posidonius, and the New Academics Carneades and Philo of Larissa. Among the Romans, Cicero was thoroughly eclectic, as he united the Peripatetic, Stoic, and New Academic doctrines. Other eclectics included Varro and Seneca.

The term eclecticism is used to describe the combination, in a single work, of elements from different historical styles, chiefly in architecture and, by implication, in the fine and decorative arts. The term is sometimes also loosely applied to the general stylistic variety of 19th-century architecture after Neo-classicism (c. 1820), although the revivals of styles in that period have, since the 1970s, generally been referred to as aspects of historicism.

Eclecticism plays an important role in critical discussions and evaluations but is somehow distant from the actual forms of the artifacts to which it is applied, and its meaning is thus rather indistinct. The simplest definition of the term—that every work of art represents the combination of a variety of influences—is so basic as to be of little use. In some ways Eclecticism is reminiscent of Mannerism in that the term was used pejoratively for much of the period of its currency, although, unlike Mannerism, Eclecticism never amounted to a movement or constituted a specific style: it is characterized precisely by the fact that it was not a particular style.

Source : Wikipedia.

Jeet Kune Do ( 1997 )

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Jeet Kune Do : Bruce Lee's Commentaries on the Martial Way (1997) edited by John Little.

Jeet Kune Do rejects all restrictions imposed by form and formality and emphasizes the clever use of the mind and body to defend and attack.

Part 2 "Jeet Kune Do — The Fundamentals"

An instructor should exemplify the things he seeks to teach. It will be of great advantage if you yourself can do all you ask of your students and more.

Part 5 "On training in Jeet Kune Do"

As an instructor, you must be able to distinguish between poor performance caused by lack of ability or aptitude on the part of the student and poor performance caused by lack of effort. You should treat the first with patience and the latter with firmness. You must never apply sarcasm and ridicule.

Part 5 "On training in Jeet Kune Do"

Even today, I dare not say that I have reached a state of achievement. I'm still learning, for learning is boundless.

Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

The man who is really serious, with the urge to find out what truth is, has no style at all. He lives only in what is.

Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

Take inventory of everyone with whom you have contact.

Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

Faith is a state of mind that can be conditioned through self-discipline. Faith will accomplish.

Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

Faith makes it possible to achieve that which man's mind can conceive and believe.

Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

Possession of anything begins in the mind.

Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

Thoughts are things.

Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

Make at least one definite move daily toward your goal.

Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

The intangible represents the real power of the universe. It is the seed of the tangible.

Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

The spirit of the individual is determined by his dominating thought habits.

Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

Source : Wikipedia.

Larry Hartsell on Jeet Kune Do ( Part 2 )

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 11:58:00 +0000

Some people say that if your opponent wants to grapple, you will end up grappling. You can avoid grappling if both of you want to keep your distance; but if either person wants to come in, the other person has no choice.

Exactly. If there’s going to be a fight, somebody’s got to come in at you — whether it’s in kicking, punching or grappling range. So kicking, punching and trapping ranges are used mainly to get into grappling range?. That’s one way. Would you ever stay out of grappling range on purpose and not go in? Yes. If a guy is physically stronger or moving quickly, I would probably stay back and let him come to me. My defense would be my offense.
But your ultimate goal in self-defense would still be to grapple?

To end a street fight, use whatever works — a left hook, an uppercut, maybe a right cross. If he comes in, maybe a figure-4 face lock or whatever’s there.

Once you’re in, would you ever pull back out and continue striking?

No. There’s a saying in wing chun that I like: “Once you have him, you keep him.”

How do you know when to close the distance to grapple?

If you know something about boxing, about kicking, it helps you time [your entry]. Dan Inosanto told me, “You never grapple with a grappler; you never kick with a kicker; you never box with a boxer. You do something he doesn’t know.” But sometimes you’re forced to go into one of the ranges whether you want to or not. So you should know something about each range.

Know something about each and specialize in one or two?

Yes. Use what you do best to counter what he has.

Is entering into trapping range and grappling range what you do best?

Yes, getting to the inside range.

How do you generally finish a fight after going to the ground?

I just go into a submission hold — kata gatame or yoko shiho gatame, then maybe into an arm lock or neck crank.

When you face an opponent in a self-defense situation, do you plan on getting into grappling range, or do you just work in whatever range he takes you to?

Your opponent’s move is your move. Go with the flow. You can initiate the first move or you can counter his move. It can be done two ways; I do both.

How well does grappling mix with arts that focus on punching and kicking?

Every martial art should have some form of grappling. I have worked as a doorman and bouncer in some of the worst bars in Charlotte, North Carolina, and most fights I saw ended up on the ground. One guy was either in the mount position beating the hell out of the other guy or grabbing [whatever he could]. Judging from what I’ve seen and been involved in, you have only one or two punches. If they don’t knock out the other guy — or at least hurt or stagger him — you end up in clinching range.

For grappling self-defense, how important is ground work vs. throwing? Do you need throwing techniques, or is throwing something you can avoid?

There are different types of throws for competition and self-defense. If you’re fighting on pavement, you don’t want to throw where you’re going to injure yourself. But there are many different ways to take a person to the ground: single-leg and double-leg takedowns, body tackles and go-behinds.

Those are ways to get to the ground without using a traditional judo throw? Yes.

Do the same things that make grappling so effective in competitions like the Ultimate Fighting Championship make it effective on the street?

Definitely. You can throw a guy, tie him up or go into a standing lock. Locking, grappling and takedowns — it’s all a blend. But you have to realize that if you’re fighting two or three people on the street, you might not want to take it to the ground because the other guys might start kicking you in the head. You have to be effective in standing grappling to turn your opponent and get behind him, then use him as a shield.

Some people say grappling is best for self-defense because you can win a fight without hurting your attacker.

Exactly. You can go into a time hold, control hold or submission. That’s why I like it.

Is the best way to improve — as a striker and a grappler — to acquire as many skills as you can from different styles?

I think so. It reminds me of a saying: “There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but my path may not be your path.” We’re all built differently; we all have different instincts. That’s what Bruce Lee believed. You have to pick your own path. Some are short, and some are long. I always encourage students to attend any seminars they want. When it comes to knowledge, you owe allegiance only to yourself.

Source : blackbeltmag.

Larry Hartsell on Jeet Kune Do ( Part 1 )

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 11:52:00 +0000

For years, martial artists have associated Larry Hartsell with two ultra-effective fighting concepts: grappling and jeet kune do. Bruce Lee’s system will forever stand at the forefront of martial arts popularity, and now that proponents of Brazilian jiu-jitsu have focused the world’s attention on the effectiveness of ground fighting, grappling is in vogue.

This naturally brings us to Larry Hartsell — an expert in both ways of fighting — as he twists Black Belt into a knot and chokes us into submission. At the mercy of his elbow lock and hook punch, we bring you the following interview.

Could you begin by discussing your martial arts background?
My first martial art, in 1958 or 1959, was judo. At the same time, I was a high-school wrestler in the light-heavyweight class. I had a football scholarship and went to Wingate Junior College and got involved in tang soo do when I met a Korean foreign-exchange student.

After that, [the college] dropped the football program, and I became enthusiastic about the only martial arts books they had out in 1960: books by Masutatsu Oyama [of kyokushin karate], Ed Parker of kenpo karate and Hidetaka Nishiyama [of shotokan karate]. I got interested, so I moved to California, where I started shotokan at the University of California at Los Angeles with Nishiyama.

Later, I rode by Ed Parker’s kenpo karate school on Santa Monica Boulevard and looked in. Dan Inosanto was teaching the kenpo class. I said, “This is what I want.” I became a student of Dan and Ed. I met Bruce Lee in 1964 at Ed Parker’s just before I got drafted into the Army. I was home on leave later in 1964 before I went to Vietnam, and that’s when I really came to know Bruce. We became friends, and after I got out of the Army, I came back and studied with him. From 1967 to 1970, I studied with Bruce and Dan and taught at Ed Parker’s.

When you went to Ed Parker’s, did you have to drop things you learned from Bruce Lee?

Yes, I did because Bruce had adopted boxing then. He [mixed] it with wing chun kung fu. Also, there were grappling techniques he picked up from Gene LeBell and some stuff from Wally Jay’s small-circle jujitsu, which he added to jeet kune do.

What interest did Bruce Lee have in grappling?

Before his death, he had added 33 grappling moves to the jeet kune do concept.

He got those from Gene LeBell and Wally Jay?

Wally Jay, Gene LeBell and Hayward Nishioka. And he had some chin-na and silat. He would mix the arts. He would enter to trapping and take down into a submission. If you read Tao of Jeet Kune Do, you’ll see those grappling [techniques].

How well do jeet kune do principles apply to grappling?

I think the attack-by-drawing principle, where you deliberately set an opening for the guy to come in so you can counter, [applies well]. You can leave an opening for a side kick, then capture the leg and go for a takedown. Also, you can use progressive indirect attack — faking the attack to go into a single-leg takedown and an Achilles-lock submission or some other technique.

So, for the most part, jeet kune do principles work well to move in and go to the ground, after which pure grappling takes over?

Yes, that’s one way. Any range can be closed quickly. In kicking range, you can capture the kick. In boxing range, you can arm-wrap and take him down. Any range can be closed, and you can be on the ground very quickly. I’ve had people at seminars say, “I would just stay outside and kick.”

But suppose you’re on a slippery surface; how are you going to kick? Suppose you kick and slip, and the guy’s on top of you. You have to learn to deal with grappling range. Sometimes you cannot dictate your own environment; you’re into grappling range whether you want to be or not.

Is the best way to deal with the environmental factor to study a variety of arts?

I think so. You should be experienced in all ranges. How are you going to effectively counter a boxer who’s a good inside fighter unless you experience that range? I believe a blend is the best.

For beginners, what styles do you recommend for blending?

For weapons range, I recommend the Filipino martial arts because [they come from] a knife culture. For grappling range, shootwrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu. For punching range, I would find a good boxing or kickboxing gym. As far as overall conditioning, Thai boxing is king. It also has good standing grappling — hookups, which use knees and elbows.

blackbeltmag.

Fighting Ranges of Jeet Kune Do

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 11:42:00 +0000

Nearly everyone has heard of the four ranges of combat: kicking, punching, trapping and grappling. They are perhaps most often associated with training in jeet kune do, in which students seek to acquire different skills from different arts to prepare themselves to fight in any situation.

Yet there’s another set of ranges — only three this time — in JKD training. They are the high, middle and low ranges. If you train to strategically use them, you can transform yourself into a smarter fighter and your opponent into a blithering fool who gets taken out of commission more quickly, more easily and more efficiently.
Fight Smart

Physically, Bruce Lee was not a big man. At about 130 pounds, he had to make sure his techniques and strategies were the most efficient and realistic ones known. JKD-concepts instructor Ralph Bustamante is in the same boat.

“I’m at 150 pounds right now, and this is probably the heaviest I’ve ever weighed,” said Ralph Bustamante, who’s certified under Burton Richardson and has trained with Dan Inosanto, Richard Bustillo and the Machados. “For me to pull something off, I have to really get the technique down, but technique alone is not going to get me where I want to go.”

That’s where the three ranges come into play. The guiding strategy goes something like this: When your opponent attacks you in one range, that means he’s focusing all his attention on that range. Therefore, the logical choice for you is to counterattack him in a different range.

“When a person is doing something in one range, he’s forgetting about the others,” said Ralph Bustamante, who teaches JKD in Santa Clarita, California. “If you’re in trouble in a fight, you should address those ranges that he’s not thinking about.”

Definitions

In a confrontation, your opponent — even if he’s untrained — can easily attack you in any of the three ranges. Using the high range, he might throw a punch at your face. Using the middle range, he might throw a hook to your breadbasket or a knee to your sternum. Using the low range, he might launch a kick at your thigh or knee.

The key to using JKD’s three ranges lies in protecting the body part your opponent attacks by evading, intercepting or blocking, then counterattacking to a different range. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

“It takes a little training to be able to use the ranges,” said Ralph Bustamante, who has trained in the martial arts for more than 30 years. “First, somebody has to tell you they exist. People with no experience don’t know they can attack a different range.

It’s like they have a rule book that says what they can and cannot do in a fight. But constantly being exposed to the fact that you do have an alternative and training so you understand what that alternative is all about gives you an edge.”

Why don’t more martial artists know about — and use — the ranges? “A lot of people have been exposed to them, but they seem to push them to the side,” Ralph Bustamante said. “I think it’s because they want to crash heads — they want to compete with each other at the same level. That’s not the most advantageous way to do it unless you’re doing tournament fighting. On the street, you have to be ready to mix and confuse your opponent, and you can do that by addressing the different ranges.”

Denial

The average martial artist hopes — and trains — to defeat his opponent with whichever skills he knows best, Ralph Bustamante said. That can work well if your opponent is good at one range (say he’s a boxer) while you’re good at another (a skilled muay Thai thigh kicker, for example).

But what if you and your opponent happen to be good punchers? You could end up slugging it out in a no-rules boxing match. Unfortunately, this is often the product of conventional training, in which students spar with practitioners of the same style: Boxers box with boxers, taekwondo practitioners kick other taekwondo practitioners, etc.

Presenting an attacker with something he’s not used to and, therefore, not good at defending against, makes more sense. “I’ve dealt with some kickboxers who were good at what they do,” Ralph Bustamante said. “But when they try to deal with the different ranges, they’re thrown off. It takes them by surprise because it’s not in the range they’re familiar with.”

When the three ranges are used successfully, shocked martial artists are often filled with disbelief. “A lot of times, there is denial,” Ralph Bustamante said. “They can’t quite understand it. They want to try again, and generally they lose again because they’re not even competing on the same level.”

With a typical tournament match or mixed-martial arts fight, it’s relatively easy to determine your opponent’s style before you tangle with him. But on the street, how can you know? “You don’t ever really know what the person is going to do,” Ralph Bustamante said.

“If he’s a street fighter, he could pick something up from the ground, and that throws everything out the door as far as wanting to go over and do some boxing with him. However, most will rush you and take you to the ground.” Others will try to punch your head. The best thing to do, Ralph Bustamante said, is stay away from your opponent and try to get an idea of how he fights.

As soon as you determine his style — that he’s a headhunter, for example — that’s your cue to go for his middle or low range. “The first thing you should think is, ‘What is he doing?’ because whatever he’s doing, you don’t want to do,” he said.

Source : blackbeltmag.

One Inch Punch

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 09:47:00 +0000

The one-inch punch is a punching exercise from Chinese martial arts (kung fu) performed at a range of 0–15 cm (0–6 in). The one-inch punch was popularised by actor and martial artist Bruce Lee. It is designed to improve punching power and technique.

It is commonly believed by experts and kung fu enthusiasts that the one-inch punch skill comes only from the Wing Chun system of kung fu. However, it is present in many styles of Southern Chinese martial arts. As a general rule, Southern Chinese martial arts rely mostly on hand techniques from very close quarters (as opposed to Northern Chinese martial arts which focus more on kicking techniques from medium to long distances). Because the Southern styles martial artists were often fighting nose-to-nose with their opponents, they had to learn a way to deal out punishing blows even while almost touching their target.
The one-inch punch is a skill which uses fa jin (translated as explosive power) to generate tremendous amounts of impact force at extremely close distances. This "burst" effect had been common in Neijia forms. When performing this one-inch punch the practitioner stands with his fist very close to the target (the distance depends on the skill of the practitioner, usually from 0–6 inches). A quick movement of the wrist produces the force needed, the wrist is held with the knuckles facing out on a horizontal axis, the wrist is then moved up and a strike is produced with the bottom two knuckles. The target in such demonstrations vary, sometimes it is a fellow practitioner holding a phone book on the chest, sometimes wooden boards can be broken.

The one-inch punch was made popular in the west when demonstrated by Bruce Lee at Long Beach International Karate Championships in 1964. Bruce Lee learned the technique from his Wing Chun training in Hong Kong. He used the art of Wing Chun as his basis of the art he founded, Jeet Kune Do.

In the television show Mythbusters episode "The One Inch Punch", the technique was tested quantitatively using a force gauge. For comparison, it was matched against a conventional punch thrown with a full wind-up by Jamie Hyneman. The one-inch punch was delivered by Anthony Kelly, a Martial Arts Expert and Master Instructor who had learned the technique from one of Bruce Lee's students. The conventional punch measured 325 pounds of force while the one-inch punch measured 153 pounds. In the absence of a safe method of testing against a human being, the hosts deemed it "plausible" as a combat technique, if the user had proper training and experience.

The one-inch punch is also often used in martial arts as a training exercise to show how to generate further power at the end of a conventional punch.

In the television show Stan Lee's Superhumans, the Shaolin monk Shi Yan Ming demonstrated his one-inch punch on a crash test dummy. The testing showed it was 1.7 times more injurious than a 30mph car crash with modern safety features.

A closer look at the weapon Bruce Lee made famous world wide.

The one inch punch was made famous by Bruce Lee. It is often carried out as a bit of a party trick but is in all honesty a serious weapon, demonstrating what the human body can do when the structure and mechanics are used efficiently "as one". The one inch punch has its roots in the traditional Chinese systems of Gung Fu, specifically Wing Chun and other Southern Chinese arts.

How To Perform A One Inch Punch

I don't believe that anyone can learn the one inch punch purely from reading some text. However, I will outline the basics of how to do a one inch punch:

The initiation starts with the rear heal turning in words.
This projects the lead hip forward (ensure the hip and knee points directly at the target - over rotation will lead to your energy steering away from the target.)
As the hip turns the arm expands and snaps into the target.

It's not a push - this is a common beginners mistake - it is more of a bursting 'snap' movement that is meant to 'sink' your opponent - think of the one inch punch as a pneumatic drill.

How Does The One Inch Punch Generate So Much Power?

It's all to do with the body's mechanical structure working efficiently. We can compare this to a super car such as a Lamborghini - it's engine generates super power because it is precision tuned for maximum efficiently. If any of the pistons, timing belts or mechanics were out of place there would be a loss of power. Everything in a Lamborghini is tuned to perfection - from the fuel pressure, spark plugs and pistons right down to the suspension, wheels and tyres.

Source : Wikipedia / fightscope.

Chinatown JKD Association

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 21:45:00 +0000

The Chinatown JKD Association serves as a platform for dissemination of the Jeet Kune Do material taught by Bruce Lee and Dan Inosanto at the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute:

Los Angeles Branch, while maintaining a focus on personalization and continued growth in the martial arts as advocated by Sijo Lee.

The organization's directors have compiled as a foundation, all of the techniques and training methods handed down by first-generation Bruce Lee student Bob Bremer and long-time JKD practitioner, author, and instructor Tim Tackett.
The first phase of Chinatown JKD's mission to preserve and promote Jeet Kune Do involves the production and distribution of training modules consisting of the foundational material ("Original JKD") plus supplementary techniques and strategies derived from other arts which fit the JKD structure and increase our usable knowledge. These modules will be distributed via streaming media, DVD, and MP4 download.

Official Website : http://chinatownjkd.org/

The Way Of The Intercepting Fist

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 20:01:00 +0000

Bruce Lee developed an art that was particular to him and he called it Jeet Kune Do (JKD). The Chinese characters around the symbol and the core philosophical tenet behind JKD translate to “Using no way as way, having no limitation as limitation”. The term Jeet Kune Do was coined around 1967 by Bruce Lee in an attempt to put a name to his expression of his martial way. Lee wrestled with putting a name to his art as he constantly veered away from any type of crystallization of its essence, however, the simple need to refer to it in some concrete way won out and Jeet Kune Do was born.

The techniques and the philosophies of JKD apply to real life situations and real combat. Jeet Kune Do consists of physical techniques and applied philosophies and requires the practitioner to train him or herself to their most combat ready state so that when faced with a particular situation, the tools needed are readily available.

In one of Bruce Lees spots on the television show Longstreet, James Franciscus asks Bruce Lee, What do you call this thing you do? Bruce goes on to explain that the name he has given to his own approach to the martial arts is Jeet Kune Do. Translated from Cantonese, jeet means intercepting or stopping. Kune means fist, and do is the way. In English then, Jeet Kune Do is The Way of the Intercepting Fist. Over the years, there has been much debate over the name Jeet Kune Do. Is it a style or a philosophy? Is it based on Eastern or Western martial arts? Bruce Lee himself was quoted as saying its only a name.

Because, of course, he had to have some way of referring to the techniques and strategies he was using. The idea of intercepting is key to JKD, whether it be the interception of your opponent technique or intent. The basic principles behind JKD are:

Directness
Simplicity
Non-classical form or the form of no form

The story of how he came to develop those techniques starts in 1964 when Bruce was teaching the traditional Chinese martial art of wing chun at his school in Oakland, California. Bay Area kung fu instructors, unhappy that Bruce was teaching non-Chinese students, sent Wong J. Man from Hong Kong to Oakland with an ultimatum: close the school or throw down. The challenge, of course, was accepted.

In early 1965 the two faced off, but a fight that Bruce felt should have been over much sooner lasted an excruciating three minutes. He realized that even though he had successfully dispensed with the challenger, the traditional arts were not as effective as he’d wanted them to be in a real situation.? At this point, Bruce could’ve taken the easy way out and continued with the classical arts. He could have coasted on his reputation and his victory over Wong J. Man. Instead, he turned away from the confinement of tradition and dove into researching how to be most effective in combat. He read thousands of books on various fighting systems, he began weight training, cardio and nutritional programs, and he began to implement science and philosophy with the physical Little by little he began to form the foundation of Jeet Kune Do.

While Bruce Lee analyzed many fighting styles, this does not mean he incorporated all of them into his arsenal. Which brings us back to the James Franciscus question: “What do you call this thing you do? Arguments of whether or not JKD is a style aside, Jeet Kune Do is the name that Bruce Lee gave to the fighting techniques and strategies he was developing and employing. It was what he was doing—how he was most efficiently using arms, legs, body weight, tactics, and the laws of physics—to fight. True, there are philosophical principles that guide the physical side of JKD, but we must never forget that JKD is about doing, about action—very specific action.?? That action is comprised of the JKD techniques developed by Bruce Lee himself. And these actions are about simplicity, directness and nontelegraphic motion.

Jeet Kune Do is the name we use to describe those techniques and strategies that Bruce Lee developed and more important, employed, over his lifetime. Of course, he would have continued to improve on the JKD arsenal, modifying certain things, discarding others. But that is not for us to decide. Bruce Lee IS jeet kune do. It was not only his art; it was a way of life.

Source : brucelee.com.

Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do Grappling Association

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Wed, 29 May 2013 17:51:00 +0000

We feel that change is necessary by constantly searching for ways to improve ones martial arts abilities and update training methods. This relentless search becomes a life journey of investigating and training in various martial arts styles and systems.

Over the past five decades extensive research has been given to Indonesian Pencak Silat, Shoot Wrestling (Shooto) Japan, Thai Boxing and the Filipino martial arts. During those years the fighting structure was modified and geared towards the art of grappling and submission.

Combining the knowledge in the arts of grappling and submission alongside the skill of trapping and the striking arts, Sifu Larry Hartsell took these arts into a new dimension. The Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do Grappling Arts is one of the most sought after systems today. The Jeet Kune Do Grappling Arts were created by Sifu Larry Hartsell, who made constant changes throughout his development process. Integrated Grappling is a mixture of takedowns, throws and a various blend of groundwork of all styles, irrespective of size, weight or physiology.

" Knowledge in martial arts actually means self-knowledge. A martial artist has to take responsibility for himself and accept the consequences of his own doing. The understanding of JKD is through personal feeling from movement to movement in the mirror of the relationship and not through a process of isolation. To be is to be related. To isolate is death. To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. Now, it is very difficult to do. It has always been very easy for me to put on a show and be cocky, and be flooded with a cocky feeling and feel pretty cool and all that. I can make all kinds of phoney things. Blinded by it. Or I can show some really fancy movement. But to experience oneself honestly, not lying to oneself, and to express myself honestly, now that, my friend, is very hard to do ". — Bruce Lee

* Larry Hartsell

Larry Hartsell came into Bruce Lee’s school as a man with a black belt in Judo and over 10 years of experience in grappling as well as a strong foundation in the striking arts that began in 1961 with his training in Kenpo Karate under Ed Parker. Shortly after receiving his black belt rank from Ed Parker, he spent time in the Army including combat in Vietnam, where he served with military police.

Larry Hartsell, already an accomplished Judo man, enjoyed sparring with soldiers from the elite South Korean ROK division stationed nearby. Upon his return to this country he enrolled in SiGung Bruce Lee’s Chinatown school in Los Angeles. It was at this school that he began his thirty plus years of training under Guro Dan Inosanto. Larry Hartsell’s training under Bruce Lee continued with Private instruction at Bruce Lee’s home in Bel Air, California.

It is well known to the students of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do that Bruce Lee broke combat down into the four ranges of Kicking, Boxing, Trapping and Grappling. The serious students of Jeet Kune Do are also aware that the development of the grappling range techniques in this system were assigned to Larry Hartsell. At the time of Bruce Lee’s untimely death there were only 33 formal techniques in the grappling range. As the final and closest range there was much research to do in this range and Larry Hartsell continued his research into this area with various discrete techniques that now form the core of Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do Grappling.

Larry Hartsell’s skill in hand-to-hand combat, his weapons training and his development of techniques in the grappling range led to a wide and varied range of professional experiences. With his training under Bruce Lee, his degree in criminology, his ten years of law enforcement experience, and his training under Dan Inosanto, Larry Hartsell has been in wide demand as a professional bodyguard for celebrities like Mr. T of the A-Team fame, and as a trainer for both the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. In addition to this he taught classes at his own schools as well as at the Inosanto Academy, and offered self defense and combat courses for the elite Navy Seals and police officers through various colleges and agencies.

Larry Hartsell authored several books on the subject of Jeet Kune Do Grappling. “Entering to Trapping To Grappling and takedowns, Counters, and Reversals.” In addition he nine internationally distributed videotapes on the grappling arts. These books, videos and his skill in the grappling arts have resulted in Larry Hartsell being listed in the “Who’s Who in Martial Arts” and cover shots with numerous feature articles in Inside Kung Fu, Black Belt, Martial Arts Training, Inside Karate, Australasian Fighting Arts, and many others.

Larry Hartsell is the man Dan Inosanto described as “One of the premier Jeet Kune Do fighters of our time.” Larry Hartsell focused his efforts on the development of the Jeet Kune Do Grappling Association. With the tremendous rise in the popularity of the grappling arts it became paramount to Hartsell to demonstrate to martial artists the fact that Jeet Kune Do has had a strong emphasis on the grappling range for thirty years and that these thirty years have produced an extensive development of the grappling arts. The Jeet Kune Do Grappling Association has representatives worldwide.

Source : jkdassoc.

The Tao Of Gung Fu

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 14:26:00 +0000

Gung fu is a special kind of skill, a fine art rather than just a physical exercise or self-defence. To the Chinese, gung fu is the subtle art of matching the essence of the mind to that of the techniques in which it has to work. The principle of gung fu is not a thing that can be learned, like a science, by fact-finding or instruction in facts. It has to grow spontaneously, like a flower, in a mind free from desires and emotions. The core of this principle of gung fu is Tao - the spontaneity of the universe. The word Tao has no exact equivalent in the English Language. To render it into the Way, or the "principle" or the "law" is to give it too narrow an interpretation. Lao-tzu, the founder of Taoism, described Tao in the following words :

The Way that can be expressed in words is not the eternal Way;
the Name that can be uttered is not the eternal Name.
Conceived of as nameless it is the cause of Heaven and earth.
Conceived of as having a name it is the mother of all things.
Only the man externally free from passion can contemplate its spiritual essence.
He who is clogged by desires can see no more than its outer form.
These two things, the spiritual (Yin) and the material (Yang),
though we call them by different names, are one and the same in their origin.
The sameness is a mystery of the mysteries.
It is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.

In Masterpieces of World Philosophy : "Tao is nameless beginning of things, the universal principle underlying everything, the supreme, ultimate pattern, and the principle of growth." Huston Smith, the author of The World's Religions, explained Tao as "The Way of Ultimate Reality---the Way or Principle behind all life, or the Way man should order his life to gear in with the Way the universe operates." Although no one word can substitute its meaning, I have used the word Truth for it---the "Truth" behind gung fu; the "Truth" that every gung fu practitioner should follow.

Tao operates in Yin and Yang, a pair of mutually complementary forces that are at work in and behind all phenomena. This principle of Yin-Yang, also known as T'ai Chi, is the basic structure of gung fu. The T'ai Chi, or Grand Terminus, was first drawn more than three thousand years ago by Chou Chun I. The Yang (whiteness) principle represents positiveness, firmness, masculinity, substantiality, brightness, day, heat, and so forth. The Yin (blackness) principle is the opposite. It represents negativeness, softness, femininity, insubstantiality, darkness, night, coldness, and so forth.

The basic theory in T'ai Chi is that nothing is so permanent as never to change. In other words, when activity (Yang) reaches the extreme point, it becomes inactivity; and inactivity forms Yin. Extreme inactivity returns to become activity, which is Yang. Activity is the cause of inactivity and vice versa. This system of complementary increasing and decreasing of the principle is continuous. From this one can see that the two forces (Yin-Yang), although they appear to conflict, in reality are mutually interdependent; instead of opposition, there is cooperation and alternation.

The application of the principles of Yin-Yang in gung fu are expressed as the Law of Harmony. It states that one should be in harmony with, not in rebellion against, the strength and force of the opposition. This means that one should do nothing that is not natural or spontaneous; the important thing is to not strain in any way. When opponent A uses strength (Yang) on B, B must not resist him (back) with strength; in other words, B does not use positiveness (Yang ) against positiveness (Yang), but yields to A with softness (Yin) and leads A in the direction of his own force, negativeness (Yin) to positiveness (Yang).

When A's strength goes to the extreme, the positiveness (Yang) will change to negativeness (Yin), and B can then take him at his unguarded moment and attack with force (Yang). Thus the whole process is not unnatural or strained; B fits his movement harmoniously and continuously into that of A without resisting or striving.

The above idea gives rise to a closely related law, the Law of Noninterference with Nature, which teaches a gung fu man to forget about himself and follow his opponent instead of himself; he does not move ahead but responds to the fitting influence. The basic idea is to defeat the opponent by yielding to him and using his own strength. That is why a gung fu man never asserts himself against his opponent, and never puts himself in frontal opposition to the direction of his opponents force. When being attacked, he will not resist, but will control the attack by swinging with it. This law illustrates the principles of nonresistance and nonviolence, which were founded on the idea that the branches of a fir tree snap under the weight of the snow, while the simple reeds, weaker but more supple, can overcome it.

In the I'Ching, Confucius illustrated this: "To stand in the stream is a datum of nature; one must follow and flow with it." In the Tao Teh Ching, the gospel of Taoism, Lao-tzu pointed out to us the value of gentleness. Contrary to common belief, the Yin principle, as softness and pliableness, is to be associated with life and survival. Because he can yield, a man can survive. In contrast, the Yang principle, which is assumed to be rigorous and hard, makes a man break under pressure (note the last two lines, which make a fair description of revolution as many generations of people have seen it):

Alive, a man is supple, soft;
In death, unbending, rigorous.
All creatures, grass and trees, alive
Are plastic but are pliant too,
And dead, are friable and dry.
Unbending rigor is the mate of death,
And yielding softness, company of life;
Unbending soldiers get no victories;
The stiffest tree is readiest for the ax.
The strong and mighty topple from their place;
The soft and yielding rise above them all.

he way of movement in gung fu is closely related to the movement of the mind. In fact, the mind is trained to direct the movement of the body. The mind wills and the body behaves. As the mind is to direct the bodily movements, the way to control the mind is important; but it is not an easy task. In his book, Glen Clark mentioned some of the emotional disturbances in athletics:

Every conflicting centre, every extraneous, disrupting, decentralizing emotion, jars the natural rhythm and reduces a man's efficiency on the gridiron far more seriously than physical jars and bodily conflicts can ever jar him. The emotions that destroy the inner rhythm of a man are hatred, jealousy, lust, envy, pride, vanity, covetousness and fear.

To perform the right technique in gung fu, physical loosening must be continued in a mental and spiritual loosening, so as to make the mind not only agile but free. In order to accomplish this, a gung fu man has to remain quiet and calm and to master the principle of no-mindedness (wu hsin). No-mindedness is not a blank mind that excludes all emotions; nor is it simply calmness and quietness of the mind. Although quietude and calmness are important, it is the "non-graspiness" of the mind that mainly constitutes the principle of no-mindedness. A gung fu man employs his mind as a mirror---it grasps nothing and it refuses nothing; it receives but does not keep. As Alan Watts puts it, the no-mindedness is "a state of wholeness in which the mind functions freely and easily, without the sensation of a second mind or ego standing over it with a club."

What he means is, let the mind think what it likes without interference by the separate thinker or ego within oneself. So long as it thinks what it wants, there is absolutely no effort in letting it go; and the disappearance of the effort to let go is precisely the disappearance of the separate thinker. There is nothing to try to do, for whatever comes up moment by moment is accepted, including nonacceptance. No-mindedness is then not being without emotion or feeling, but being one in whom feeling is not sticky or blocked. It is a mind immune to emotional influences. "Like this river, everything is flowing on ceaselessly without cessation or standing still." No-mindedness is employing the whole mind as we use the eyes when we rest them upon various objects but make no special effort to take anything in. Chuang-tzu, the disciple of Lao-tzu, stated :

The baby looks at things all day without winking, that is because his eyes are not focused on any particular object. He goes without knowing where he is going, and stops without knowing what he is doing. He merges himself with the surroundings and moves along with it. These are the principles of mental hygiene.

Therefore, concentration in gung fu does not have the usual sense of restricting the attention to a single sense object; it is simply a quiet awareness of whatever happens to be here and now. Such concentration can be illustrated by an audience at a football game; instead of a concentrated attention on the player who has the ball, they have an awareness of the whole football field. In a similar way, a gung fu man's mind is concentrated by not dwelling on any particular part of the opponent. This is especially true when he deals with many opponents.

For instance, suppose ten men are attacking him, each in succession ready to strike him down. As soon as one is disposed of, he will move onto another without permitting the mind to "stop" with any. However rapidly one blow may follow another he leaves no time to intervene between the two. Every one of the ten will thus be successively and successfully dealt with. This is possible only when the mind moves from one object to another without being "stopped" or arrested by anything. If the mind is unable to move on in this fashion, it is sure to lose the combat somewhere between two encounters. The mind is present everywhere because it is nowhere attached to any particular object. And it can remain present because, even when relating to this or that object, it does not cling to it. The flow of thought is like water filling a pond, which is always ready to flow off again. It can work its inexhaustible power because it is free, and it can be open to everything because it is empty.

This can be compared with what Chang Chen Chi called "Serene Reflection." He wrote: "Serene means tranquillity of no thought, and reflection means vivid and clear awareness. Therefore, serene reflection is clear awareness of no-thought." As stated earlier, a gung fu man aims at harmony with himself and his opponent. Also, being in harmony with one's opponent is possible not through force, which provokes conflicts and reactions, but through a yielding to the opponent's force. In other words, a gung fu man promotes the spontaneous development of his opponent and does not venture to interfere by his own action. He loses himself by giving up all subjective feelings and individuality, and he becomes one with his opponent. Inside his mind, oppositions have become mutually cooperative instead of mutually exclusive.

When his private egos and conscious efforts yield to a power not his own he then achieves the supreme action, non-action (wu we). Wu means "not" or "non" and we means "action," "doing," "striving," "straining," or "busyness." Wu we doesn't really mean doing nothing, but letting one's mind alone, trusting it to work by itself. Wu we, in gung fu, means spontaneous action or spirit-action, in the sense that the governing force is the mind and not the senses. During sparring, a gung fu man learns to forget about himself and follow the movement of his opponent, leaving his mind free to make its own counter movement without any interfering deliberation. He frees himself from all mental suggestions of resistance and adopts a supple attitude.

His actions are all performed without self-assertion; he lets his mind remain spontaneous and ungrasped. As soon as he stops to think, his flow of movement will be disturbed and his opponent will immediately strike him. Every action therefore has to be done "unintentionally" without ever "trying." Through wu we, a "reposeful ease" is secured. This passive achievement, as Chuang-tzu pointed out, will free a gung fu man from striving and straining himself :

A yielding will has a reposeful ease, soft as downy feathers, A quietude, a shrinking from action, an appearance of inability to do. Placidly free from anxiety, one acts with the opportune time; one moves and revolves in the line of creation. One does not move ahead but responds to the fitting influences.
Establish nothing in regard to oneself. Let things be what they are, move like water, rest like a mirror, respond like an echo, pass quickly like the nonexistent, and be quiet as purity. Those who gain, lose. Do not precede others, always follow them.

The natural phenomenon which the gung fu man sees as being the closest resemblance to wu we is water :

Nothing is weaker than water,
But when it attacks something hard
Or resistant, then nothing withstands it,
And nothing will alter its way.

The above passages from the Tao Te Ching illustrate to us the nature of water: Water is so fine that it is impossible to grasp a handful of it; strike it, yet it does not suffer hurt; stab it, and it is not wounded; sever it, yet it is not divided. It has no shape of its own but moulds itself to the receptacle that contains it. When heated to the state of steam it is invisible but has enough power to split the earth itself. When frozen it crystallises into a mighty rock. First it is turbulent like Niagara Falls, and then calm like a still pond, fearful like a torrent, and refreshing like a spring on a hot summer's day. So is the principle of wu we :

The rivers and seas are lords of a hundred valleys. This is because their strength is in lowliness; they are kings of them all. So it is that the perfect master wishing to lead them, he follows. Thus, though he is above them, he follows. Thus, though he is above them, men do not feel him to be an injury. And since he will not strive, none strive with him.

The world is full of people who are determined to be somebody or to give trouble. They want to get ahead, to stand out. Such ambition has no use for a gung fu man, who rejects all forms of self-assertiveness and competition :

One who tries to stand on tiptoe cannot stand still. One who stretches his legs too far cannot walk. One who advertises himself too much is ignored. One who is too insistent on his own view finds few to agree with him. One who claims too much credit does not get even what he deserves. One who is too proud is soon humiliated. These are condemned as extremes of greediness and self-destructive activity. Therefore, one who acts naturally avoids such extremes.

Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know.
Stop your sense, let sharp things be blunted,
Tangles resolved, the light tempered and turmoil subdued;
For this is mystic unity in which the wise man is moved
Neither by affection nor yet by estrangement,
Or profit or loss or honour or shame.
Accordingly, by all the world, he is held highest.

A gung fu man, if he is really good, is not proud at all. "Pride," according to Mr. Eric Hoffer, "is a sense of worth that derives from something that is not organically part of oneself." Pride emphasises the importance of the superiority of a person's status in the eyes of others. There is fear and insecurity in pride because when a person aims at being highly esteemed and achieves such status, he is automatically involved in the fear of losing his status. Then protection of his status appears to be his most important need, and this creates anxiety. Mr. Hoffer further states that: "The less promise and potency in the self, the more imperative is the need for pride.

One is proud when he identifies himself with an imaginary self; the core of pride is self rejection." As we know, gung fu is aiming at self cultivation, and the inner self is one's true self. So in order to realise his true self, a gung fu man lives without being dependent upon the opinion of others. Since he is completely self-sufficient he can have no fear of not being esteemed. A gung fu man devotes himself to being self-sufficient and never depends upon the external rating by others for his happiness. A gung fu master, unlike the beginner, holds himself in reserve, is quiet and unassuming, without the lest desire to show off. Under the influence of gung fu training his proficiency becomes spiritual, and he himself, grown ever freer through spiritual struggle, is transformed. To him, fame and status mean nothing. Thus wu we is the art of artlessness, the principle of no-principle.

To state it in terms of gung fu, the genuine beginner knows nothing about the way of blocking and striking, and much less about his concern for himself. When an opponent tries to strike him, he "instinctively" parries it. This is all he can do. But as soon as his training starts, he is taught how to defend and attack, where to keep the mind, and many other technical tricks—which makes his mind "stop" at various junctures. For this reason whenever he tries to strike the opponent he feels unusually hampered (he has lost altogether the original sense of innocence and freedom). But as months and years go by, as his training acquires fuller maturity, his bodily attitude and his way of managing the technique toward no-mindedness come to resemble the state of mind he had at the very beginning of training when he knew nothing, when he was altogether ignorant of the art.

The beginning and the end thus turn into next-door neighbours. In the musical scale, one may start with the lowest pitch and gradually ascend to the highest. When the highest is reached, one finds it is located next to the lowest. In a similar way, when the highest stage is reached in the study of Taoist teaching, a gung fu man turns into a kind of simpleton who knows nothing of Tao, nothing of its teachings, and is devoid of all learning. Intellectual calculations are lost sight of and a state of no-mindedness prevails. When the ultimate perfection is attained, the body and limbs perform by themselves what is assigned to them to do with no interference from the mind. The technical skill is so automatic it is completely divorced from conscious efforts. There are big differences between the Chinese hygiene and the Western hygiene. Some of the obvious ones are Chinese exercise is rhythmic, whereas the Western is dynamic and full of tension; the Chinese exercise seeks to merge harmoniously with nature, whereas the Western dominates it; the Chinese exercise is both a way of life and a mental cultivation, while the Western exercise is merely a sport or a physical calisthenic.

Perhaps the main difference is the fact that Chinese hygiene is Yin (softness), while Western is Yang (positiveness). We can compare the Western mind with an oak tree that stands firm and rigid against the strong wind. When the wind becomes stronger, the oak tree cracks. The Chinese mind, on the other hand, is like the bamboo that bends with the strong wind. When the wind ceases (that is, when it goes to the extreme and changes), the bamboo springs back stronger than before. Western hygiene is a gratuitous waste of energy.

The overexertion and over development of bodily organs involved in Western athletics is detrimental to one's health. Chinese hygiene, on the other hand, throws its emphasis on conservation of energy; the principle is always that of moderation without going to the extreme. Whatever exercise there may be consists of harmonious movements calculated to normalise but not excite one's bodily regimen. It starts out with a mental regimen as a basis, in which the sole object is to bring about peace and calmness of mind. With this as a basis, it aims at stimulating the normal functioning of the internal process of respiration and blood circulation.

Handwritten Essay by Bruce Lee dated May 16th 1962.

Source : orangecountymartialarts

What Is The Arts Of Jeet Kune Do

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 07:37:00 +0000

"The art of Jeet Kune Do is simply to simplify. Jeet Kune Do avoids the superficial, penetrates the complex, goes to the heart of the problem and pinpoints the key factors. Empty your cup that it may be filled; become devoid to gain totality." Many claims have been made over the years with regards to the proper definition of Bruce Lee's art of Jeet Kune Do. To some it is a process of "Change"; others see it as just a form of "modified" Wing Chun. Many recognize Jeet Kune Do to be simply a mixture of many different elements from numerous fighting styles, all combined to hopefully, at a later stage, form something meaningful to the individual concerned. However ... There is but ONE definition of Jeet Kune Do (As stated by the Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do Nucleus) ... "Jeet Kune Do is the complete body of technical (physical, scientific) and philosophical (mental, social and spiritual) knowledge that was studied and taught by Bruce Lee during his lifetime. It is concerned solely and exclusively with Bruce Lee's personal evolution and process of self-discovery through the Martial Art, as supported by written record (personal papers and library) and oral recollections (by those students who spent time with and/or studied under him)."
A distinction is made between this body of work (Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do), and the individual student's own personal process of self discovery through the martial art, as each student is free to use all, some or none of Bruce Lee's teachings to assist him. Jeet Kune Do accepts you as you are and is not about setting up restrictions or "Ways" of doing things - It seeks to be a source of inspiration and delight for those who possess an interest in Bruce Lee, and the martial viewpoints that he created.

Jeet Kune Do should be considered as the "Root" that was established by Bruce Lee, and NOT the ultimate goal of any practitioner, as students are expected to modify, add, and delete all aspects of Jeet Kune Do until they develop something that is uniquely their own (You the individual become, through this process of self-discovery, your own best teacher). With this explanation still fresh in your mind I urge you to continue reading through my web site - I hope my explanations and ideas on this wonderful art and philosophy prove to be helpful and enlightening.

THE ART OF JEET KUNE DO

This is my small contribution and brief introduction to the art of Jeet Kune Do as I understand it. Although I never had the opportunity to meet Sifu Bruce Lee I continue to feel indebted to him for the changes his art and Philosophy have brought in my life - changing me mentally, physically and spiritually. I am hoping that this short passage will make you want to explore all the aspects of this interesting art, and so use it as a means of self-discovery ... Developing a NEW way of life!!. To begin with, Jeet Kune Do (abbreviated JKD from now on) means "The way of the intercepting fist" and with this combat phrase in mind, it is basically concerned with the interception of an attack, a movement or even an intention by your opponent to launch an attack.

It is one of the most popular and well debated (due to each person's understanding and application of JKD being different from the next) martial arts in existence today. There are two schools of thought in JKD practice today ... Jun Fan/JKD practitioners, and the JKD Concepts practitioners. Jun Fan/JKD practitioners concentrate on Bruce Lee's original teachings, training and fighting methods, while the JKD Concepts practitioners use Bruce Lee's ideas and theories and explore and add techniques from many other martial arts to their training - Whatever form of JKD you choose to follow, it is really up to you to find your own truth in the art of Jeet Kune DO !!!

Well, you might ask .... What are the main theories, principles and techniques involved ? What is the structure of this method ? What training methods are used ? How can you get involved in the learning process ? .... I will cover that in a little more detail shortly. Although Wing Chun, a Southern form of Chinese martial art still remains the nucleus of the JKD system, western fencing with its non-telegraphic motions, footwork as well as attack and defense theory were also incorporated. Bruce Lee also liked the way that boxers fought and so body mechanics, footwork and all the evasive tactics were taken from boxing and also incorporated into his JKD system. Bruce Lee, after researching several methods of kicking, also came up with his own unique way of kicking - very fast and very direct !!.

It is therefore safe to say that JKD consists primarily of Wing Chun, Fencing, boxing and Bruce's own unique way of kicking. Learning the art of JKD is like putting together a large puzzle. Each period of Bruce Lee's life holds important pieces of the puzzle - The more you learn, the more complete your puzzle becomes. It also helps to learn as much about Wing Chun as possible so that you can better understand the roots of the system - You will find that the study of Wing Chun will really solidify your knowledge and understanding of JKD (It is after all the real foundation !!). There are three major areas of concentration in JKD :

Simplicity
Directness and,
Non-classical attitude

Simplicity means doing only what is necessary to complete a task as quickly and efficiently as possible - This is by no means as easy as it sounds and requires a lot of thought and practice through continual drilling of all the basics.

Directness means to follow the shortest and safest possible route to an opponent (normally a straight line) with non-telegraphic motions and doing as much damage as possible. The principle of directness in JKD can be found in the individual's ability to use his longest weapon (usually his lead hand or leg) against the nearest target on his opponent's body. Non-classical means that all the techniques are delivered in a practical manner, unlike the majority of "fancy" techniques that are used and taught in traditional martial arts.

The first thing that must be considered is the fighting stance (Bai-jong), or the on -guard stance which Bruce Lee believed must have your power side forward - In this position your most powerful weapons are closest to your target. This stance is highly mobile with good offensive and defensive capabilities ... Plus much much more!! Mobility, more than anything else is highly stressed in JKD, as combat is a matter of movements ... Footwork is light, quick and economical. Good footwork is essential to close (bridge) the gap to your opponent and attack powerfully, or evade and counter an opponent's attack. The JKD fighter will use linear, lateral, angular and circular footwork patterns, so as to put himself in the best possible range. There are three fighting ranges emphasized in JKD :

Long range
Medium range and,
Close range

Each of these three ranges must be practiced. The fighter must understand the tools applied in each range and how to use them effectively. Long range is known as the fighting measure, and is the most favorable position to maintain when you are not attacking. In this long range you are basically very "safe" and it is from here that you can test your opponent's reactions without being in too much danger of being hit. You can test your opponent's reactions by using feinting or probing attacks which appear to be real!!

Kicks, punches, trapping and grappling movements can all be used in the medium range. As a general rule, by the time your opponent is moving into the medium range you should have already intercepted him and countered his offense with an attack of your own.

Once we get into the close range, head butts, elbows and knees can now be used. This is generally where close quarter grappling occurs (chokes, strangles etc.) and is a very deadly range due to the serious nature of the natural body weapons that can be employed.

Physical blocking of an incoming blow is only used as a last resort by the JKD practitioner ... instead he uses the four corner parry which redirects the incoming force. The best defense in JKD is to attack!! The next preferred method of defense is the simultaneous attack and defense whereby you parry the opponent's attack while delivering (at the same time) an attack of your own to the open line. An even more effective form of defense is to fire a fast powerful attack of your own into the same line as the incoming attack, thereby deflecting the oncoming attack and landing successfully on your target - This form of interception is called the stop-hit; when using the foot for interception it is called a stop-kick. When you have honed your interception skills, damage is done immediately to the attacker, both mentally and physically.

The most important factor in JKD training is sensitivity training. Every offensive and defensive movement will have a certain type of energy and energy flow. Sensitivity drills that are used in JKD are referred to as Chi Sao or "Sticking hands" and use of this drill will enable the student to "sense" the opponent's energy quickly and subsequently trap and counter him immediately. Chi Gerk or "Sticking legs" develops the sensitivity in the legs for sweeps, deflections and counter kicks practitioners.

Another area of vital importance in JKD is Bruce Lee's five ways of attacking. Bruce Lee realized that there are essentially only five ways that you can attack an opponent and that every empty hand attack ever conceived will fall into one of these five categories.

One of the most useful pieces of equipment for the JKD practitioner is the Mook Jong or the wooden dummy (Refer to the last picture in my photo album) from the Wing Chun system of Chinese Kung Fu - This piece of equipment allows you to train alone when no partners are available. The wooden dummy consists of a head, trunk, two upper arms, a lower arm and a lower (sometimes metal) extension that represents the lead leg of an opponent ... All the offensive and defensive moves can be performed on the dummy. Striking the dummy and performing your defensive moves on it also conditions the arms and the legs for impact - This was one of Bruce Lee's favorite pieces of training equipment !!

As you can see Jeet Kune Do is a very well rounded and balanced martial art which has something special to offer everyone from a mental, physical and spiritual point of view. It is, and will become - If you let it ... "A NEW WAY OF LIFE".

Fighting Man's Exercise : Bruce Lee's Training Regiment

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 21:43:00 +0000

Bruce Lee was a specimen of health. He trained every day and consumed only the proper food. He was a martinet who never let his work interfere with his training. Even when he was sent to India to find suitable locations for filming, he took along his running shoes. One of the most neglected elements of martial artists is the physical workout. Too much time is spent on developing skill in techniques and not enough in physical participation.

Practicing your skill in fighting is important, but so is maintaining your overall physical condition. Actually both are needed to be successful in a real fight. Training is a skill of disciplining your mind, developing your power and supplying endurance to your body. Aerobic Exercises : Lee’s daily training consisted of aerobic exercises, plus others which were patterned to develop his skill in fighting. He varied his exercises to avoid boredom. One of his favorite exercises was running four miles a day in 24 to 25 minutes. He would change his tempo while running — after several miles of constant, even strides, he would sprint several feet and then return to easier running. Between changes in running tempo, he would also shuffle his feet. Lee was not particular where he ran: at the beach, in parks or woods, up and down hills or on surfaced streets. Besides running, he also rode an exercycle to develop his endurance, legs and cardiovascular muscles.
He usually rode full speed — 35 to 40 miles an hour continuously for 45 minutes to an hour. Frequently, he would ride his exercycle right after his running.

Progressive Fighting Systems

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:37:00 +0000

Rapid Assault Tactics (R.A.T.) is a self-defense system developed by Paul Vunak and is the central aspect of his approach to the martial arts, known as Progressive Fighting Systems.

It was developed for the U.S. Navy Seals as a primary combative program based in Jeet Kune Do martial arts. Rapid Assault Tactics focuses on identifying phase (or range) in which an attack situation is occurring and responding to it with appropriate tools, typically using the HKE apporach (headbutts, knees, and elbows). Today the R.A.T. system is taught to Special Forces, Military, Marines, Rangers, F.B.I, D.E.A, C.I.A, S.W.A.T. Teams, and over 50 Police Departments in the U.S and other countries. Jim Wagner's Reality-Based Personal Protection system has revolutionized the way people are learning self defense. It's easy-to-learn, and most of all - realistic! Students and instructors from every type of traditional and sport-based martial arts you can imagine are coming to the system. More important, people with absolutely no self defense training find that they can learn and master the Reality Based techniques and training methods just as well, if not better, as the "black belts" in the same courses. After all, it does not take years to learn real self defense, it takes days.
Even many of the world's elite police and military units have come to Jim Wagner for training :

German counterterrorist team GSG9,
the Israeli National Police Academy,
the FBI,
Argentinean G.O.E.,
Brazilian G.A.T.E.,
the U.S. Army,
Finland's National Police Academy,
the Royal Dutch Police,
the German Federal Police Academy,
the DEA,
Homeland Security,
and the list goes on.

More important, people with absolutely no self defense training find that they can learn and master the Reality Based techniques and training methods just as well, if not better, as the "black belts" in the same courses. After all, it does not take years to learn real self defense, it takes days. How long does it really take to learn how to defend yourself?. If you walk into any traditional martial arts school as a beginner and ask the instructor, "I want to learn how to protect myself. How long will it take to learn?". The typical answer will be, "Three to five years" depending on the system and how many days a week you can devote to it.

On the other hand, if you join the United States Army, the Israeli Army, the French Army, or the Russian Army how long will it take for them to teach you how to defend yourself? These organizations will not only teach you about self-preservation but how inflict injury on the enemy in only five to six weeks by attending a Basic Combat Training course. This short time not only includes hand-to-hand combat and learning various weapon systems, but other soldiering skills are in the mix including marching, hygiene, military customs, and a lot of other things.

A SWAT officer goes to learn the highest levels of police tactics in a matter of only two weeks to four weeks. Most counter terrorist courses for special operations personnel are under eight weeks. Most top bodyguard schools in the world are six months long, and only a few days are devoted to the defensive tactics one needs to know.

If you were to boil down the advanced Israeli military hand-to-hand combat program into an around-the-clock course it would amount to a full week of intense training, and slightly longer for the U.S. Army Combatives program and the U.S. Marine MCMAP system.

So, why is it when you go to a traditional-based civilian martial arts instructor they say it takes years to learn self defense, and when you go to the professionals who do the conflict for real they tell you it will take only days? Who's right, the civilians or the professionals?

The truth is that learning real self defense only takes days. If you can't master any self-defense move in five minutes then it is either too complicated or too impractical.

Website : http://absolutedefense.net

Be True To Yourself - Grandmaster Ted Wong

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Tue, 29 May 2012 17:59:00 +0000

Can you really lie to yourself? If you know that you are being deceitful how can you lie to yourself? I don’t think you can. Perhaps you can believe that something is true and it may very well be false. Your perception of a situation may in fact be your reality but your perception may miss the intended message, or could simply be an incorrect interpretation.

What I mean is can you truly lie to yourself? Seems to me you know the truth, therefore you lie to others and cheat yourself. That’s a lose-lose all around. For example, you can say that during your last (insert martial art match, school test, workout, etc here) and afterwards you say you really gave it your all. You left it all on the mat and gave it your best. But you know if you really gave your best or had more left in the gas tank. You know if you could have done better, tried harder, given more. You can lie to your coach, teachers and teammates, maybe even your loved ones, but you know the truth. As I mentioned, I don’t think you can lie to yourself; you cheat yourself and lie to others.

At least that’s what I think. Being self serving, perhaps another topic all together, but along the lines of lying to the world, while you know the truth of your underhanded manipulation. In this case you can’t lie to everyone because some see through the facade and self serving ways with perfect granularity. But again, you know the truth. Now, if you are true to yourself and act accordingly there is a different outcome. And that’s a win-win for all involved. Don’t cheat yourself by being less than forthcoming because really, can you lie to yourself? Be true to yourself and everything else will fall into place.
Train Hard * Train Smart * Live well.

In his own words, nothing has been as exciting as being Bruce Lee’s student and close friend. Ted Wong’s first encounter with Bruce Lee was in 1967, in Los Angeles, California. Ted Wong was so impressed by Bruce lee that he decided to study martial arts at Bruce Lee’s Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute in Los Angeles, California.

Shortly after beginning his martial arts studies Bruce Lee saw something special in Ted Wong. Bruce Lee invited Ted Wong to his house, and took him as his private student. He was Bruce Lee’s last private student and has had more time in private instruction with Bruce Lee than any other individual.

Ted Wong worked very hard under the tutelage of Bruce Lee, and not only was he a dedicated student, but he became Bruce Lee’s sparring partner. Ted Wong watched Bruce Lee train and teach the best martial artists of their time, including the undisputed heavy weight full contact Karate Champion Joe Lewis.

Ted Wong is known today as one of the most knowledgable men in the world when it comes to Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kung Do. He is the most qualified person to provide instruction on the advanced stages of Jeet Kune Do. Ted Wong studied under Bruce Lee from 1967 to 1973. He was a board member of the Bruce Lee Foundation.

So What Exactly Is Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do?

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:49:00 +0000

Over the years, many people have made claims regarding the proper definition of Bruce Lee's art. Some have defined it as a process of "change;" others have labeled it as simply "modified Wing Chun;" others, with the best of intentions have stated that it is simply an eclectic jumble of various styles and arts that hopefully will, at some unspecified point in the future, gestalt into something meaningful for the individual practitioner.

With the formation of Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, however, there no longer exists any need for such contradictory and confusing definitions. There is but one definition for Jun fan Jeet Kune Do and here it is: Jun fan Jeet Kune Do is the complete body of technical. (physical and scientific) and philosophical (mental, social,
spiritual) knowledge that was studied and taught by Bruce Lee during his lifetime.

Jeet Kune Do

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:39:00 +0000

Jeet Kune Do is a hybrid martial arts system and life philosophy founded by martial artist Bruce Lee with direct, non classical and straightforward movements. The system works on the use of different 'tools' for different situations.

These situations are broken down into ranges (Kicking, Punching, Trapping and Grappling), with techniques flowing smoothly between them. It is referred to as a "style without style". Unlike more traditional martial arts, Jeet Kune Do is not fixed or patterned, and is a philosophy with guiding thoughts. It was named for the concept of interception, or attacking your opponent while he is about to attack. However the name Jeet Kune Do was often said by Bruce Lee to be just a name. He himself often referred to it as "The art of expressing the human body" in his writings and in interviews. Through his studies Bruce came to believe that styles had become too rigid, and unrealistic.

He called martial art competitions of the day "Dry land swimming".

He believed that combat was spontaneous, and that a martial artist cannot predict it, only react to it, and that a good martial artist should "Be like water" and move fluidly without hesitation.

In 2004, the Bruce Lee Foundation decided to use the name Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do to refer to the martial arts system that Lee founded. "Jun Fan" was Lee's Chinese given name.

On Sparring

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:34:00 +0000

The main characteristic JKD is the absence of the usual classical passive blocking. Blocking is the least efficient. Jeet Kune-Do is offensive; it's alive and it's free. The combatant should be alive in sparring, throwing punches and kicks from all angles, and should not be a co-operative robot.

Like water, sparring should be formless, Pour water into a cup, it becomes part of the cup, Pour it into a bottle; it becomes part of the bottle. Try to kick or punch it, it is resilient; clutch it and it will yield without hesitation. In fact, it will escape as pressure is being applied to it. How true it is that nothingness cannot be confined. The softest thing cannot be snapped. There is nothing better than free-style sparring in the practice of any combative art. In sparring you should wear suitable protective equipment and go all out. Then you can truly learn the correct timing and distance for the delivery of the kicks, punches, etc. It is a good idea to spar with all types of individuals--tall, short, fast, clumsy. Yes, at times a clumsy fellow will mess up a better man because his awkwardness serves as a sort of broken rhythm. The best sparring partner, though, is a quick, strong man who does not know anything; a madman who goes all out, scratching, grabbing, grappling, punching, kicking, and so on.

The first rule is to keep yourself well covered at all times and never leave yourself open while sparring around the bag. By all means use your footwork--side stepping, feinting, varying your kicks and blows to the bag. Do not shove or flick at it. Explode through it and remember that the power of the kick and punch comes from the correct contact at the right spot and at the right moment with the body in perfect position; not, as many people think, from the vigor with which the kicks or blows are delivered.

The old-fashioned punching speed bag teaches you to hit straight and square; if you don't hit it straight the bag will not return directly to you. Besides learning footwork, you can hit the bag upward too. Another important function is that after the delivery of the punch, the bag will return instantaneously and this will teach you to be alert and to recover quickly.

The bag should not be hit in a rhythmic motion but instead in a broken rhythm. Actually fight the bag as if it is your opponent. To develop proper distance and penetration against a moving target, use a partner equipped either with a body protector or an air bag. He can either stand still and take the brunt of the kick, or he can back away from the attack.

The former teaches proper application of the kick, especially valuable in teaching beginners. The latter training is to teach penetration. As soon as your partner thinks you will attack, he tries to back away as fast as possible. This practice is valuable to both men; one learns to penetrate and the other to back away quickly.

The body protector is sometimes used for sharpening the attack. The partner will not attack but will maintain a correct distance in a ready fighting pose. As you begin to attack, he will try to counter, block, or move away. You will have almost the actual feeling of hitting your opponent in a real situation.

- Bruce Lee Philosophy

On The Tools Of The Trade

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:30:00 +0000

I refer to my hands, feet and body as the tools of the trade. The hands and feet must be sharpened and improved daily to be efficient.

It is true that the mental aspect of kung-fu is the desired end; however, to achieve this end, technical skill must come first. The techniques, though they play an important role in the early stage, should not be too restrictive, complex or mechanical. If we cling to them, we will become bound by their limitation. Remember, you are expressing the technique, and not doing Technique number two, Stance three, Section four? Practice all movements slow and fast, soft and hard; the effectiveness of Jeet Kune-Do depends on split-second timing and reflexive action, which can be achieved only through repetitious practice. When performing the movements, always use your imagination. Picture your adversary attacking, and use Jeet Kune-Do techniques in response to this imagined attack.

As these techniques become more innate, new meaning will begin to emerge and better techniques can be formulated.

On fitness

In Jeet Kune-Do, physical conditioning is a must for all martial artists.

If you are not physically fit, you have no business doing any hard sparring.

To me, the best exercise for this is running.

Running is so important that you should keep it up during your lifetime.

What time of the day you run is not important as long as you run.

In the beginning you should jog easily and then gradually increase the distance and tempo, and finally include sprints to develop your 'wind.'

Let me give you a bit of warning: just because you get very good at your training it should not go to your head that you are an expert.

Remember, actual sparring is the ultimate, and the training is, only a means toward this. Besides running, one should also do exercises for the stomach - sit-ups, leg raises, etc.

Too often one of those big-belly masters will tell you that his internal power has sunk to his stomach; he's not kidding, it is sunk and gone! To put it bluntly, he is nothing but fat and ugly.

On toughness

A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard.

Forget about winning and losing; forget about pride and pain.

Let your opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash into your flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his life.

Do not be concerned with escaping safely - lay your life before him.

- Bruce Lee Philosophy

On Efficiency And Flexibility

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:23:00 +0000

In primary freedom, one utilizes all ways and is bound by none, and likewise uses any techniques or means which serves one's end.

Efficiency is anything that scores.

Efficiency in sparring and fighting is not a matter of correct classical, traditional form. Efficiency is anything that scores.

Creating fancy forms and classical sets to replace sparring is like trying to wrap and tie a pound of water into a manageable shape of paper sack.

For something that is static, fixed, dead, there can be a way or a definite path; but not for anything that is moving and living. In sparring there's no exact path or method, but instead a perceptive, pliable, choice-less awareness. It lives from moment to moment. When in actual combat, you're not fighting a corpse. Your opponent is a living, moving object who is not in a fixed position, but fluid and alive. Deal with him realistically, not as though you're fighting a robot. Traditionally, classical form and efficiency are both equally important. I'm not saying form is not important - economy of form that is - but to me, efficiency is anything that scores. Don't indulge in any unnecessary, sophisticated moves.

You'll get clobbered if you do, and in a street fight you'll have your shirt zipped off you.

- Bruce Lee Philosophy

On form, No Form

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:20:00 +0000

Too much horsing around with unrealistic stances and classic forms and rituals is just too artificial and mechanical, and doesn't really prepare the student for actual combat.

A guy could get clobbered while getting into this classical mess.

Classical methods like these, which I consider a form of paralysis, only solidify and constrain what was once fluid. Their practitioners are merely blindly rehearsing routines and stunts that will lead nowhere. I believe that the only way to teach anyone proper self-defence is to approach each individual personally. Each one of us is different and each one of us should be taught the correct form. By correct form I mean the most useful techniques the person is inclined toward. Find his ability and then develop these techniques. I don't think it is important whether a side kick is performed with the heel higher than the toes, as long as the fundamental principle is not violated.

Most classical martial arts training is a mere imitative repetition - a product - and individuality is lost.

When one has reached maturity in the art, one will have a formless form.

It is like ice dissolving in water.

When one has no form, one can be all forms; when one has no style, he can fit in with any style.

- Bruce Lee Philosophy

Accumulate But Eliminate

reduan64@yahoo.com (Reduan64) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:14:00 +0000

In JKD, one does not accumulate but eliminate.

It is not daily increase but daily decrease.

The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.

Before I studied the art, a punch to me was just like a punch, a kick just like a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick no longer a kick. Now that I've understood the art, a punch is just like a punch, a kick just like a kick. The height of cultivation is really nothing special. It is merely simplicity; the ability to express the utmost with the minimum. It is the halfway cultivation that leads to ornamentation. Jeet Kune-Do is basically a sophisticated fighting style stripped to its essentials. Art is the expression of the self. The more complicated and restricted the method, the less the opportunity for expression of one's original sense of freedom. Though they play an important role in the early stage, the techniques should not be too mechanical, complex or restrictive. If we cling blindly to them, we shall eventually become bound by their limitations.

Remember, you are expressing the techniques and not doing the techniques.

If somebody attacks you, your response is not :

Technique No.1,
Stance No. 2,

Instead you simply move in like sound and echo, without any deliberation.
It is as though when I call you, you answer me, or when I throw you something, you catch it. It's as simple as that - no fuss, no mess. In other words, when someone grabs you, punch him.

To me a lot of this fancy stuff is not functional.

A martial artist who drills exclusively to a set pattern of combat is losing his freedom.

He is actually becoming a slave to a choice pattern and feels that the pattern is the real thing.

It leads to stagnation because the way of combat is never based on personal choice and fancies, but constantly changes from moment to moment, and the disappointed combatant will soon find out that his 'choice routine' lacks pliability.

There must be a 'being' instead of a 'doing' in training.

One must be free. Instead of complexity of form, there should be simplicity of expression.

To me, the extraordinary aspect of martial arts lies in its simplicity.

The easy way is also the right way, and martial arts is nothing at all special; the closer to the true way of martial arts, the less wastage of expression there is.

In building a statue, a sculptor doesn't keep adding clay to his subject.

Actually, he keeps chiselling away at the inessentials until the truth of its creation is revealed without obstructions.

Thus, contrary to other styles, being wise in Jeet Kune-Do doesn't mean adding more; it means to minimize, in other words to hack away the unessential.

It is not daily increase but daily decrease; hack away the unessential.

- Bruce Lee Philosophy