:) Jeet Kune Do :) ali Jeet Kune Do, also Jeet Kun Do, and abbreviated JKD, is an eclectic and hybrid martial art system and philosophy of life founded by the martial artist Bruce Lee[2] (1940-1973) 1960 with simple and direct, or straightforward, movements and non-classical style. Jeet Kune Do practitioners believe in minimal movements with maximum effects and extreme speed. The system works by using different tools for different situations, where the situations are divided into ranges, which is kicking, punching, trapping, and grappling, where we use techniques to flow smoothly between them. It is referred to as a style without style or the art of fighting without fighting as said by Lee himself. 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 while ones opponent is about to attack. However, the name Jeet Kune Do was often said by Lee to be just a name. He himself often referred it as the art of expressing the human body in his writings and in interviews. Through his studies Lee 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 (振藩截拳道) to refer to the martial arts system that Lee founded; Jun Fan was Lees Chinese given name. System and philosophy[edit] Lees philosophy[edit] Jeet Kune Do (JKD) is the name Lee gave to his combat system and philosophy. Originally, when Lee began researching various fighting styles, he called it Jun Fan Gung Fu. However not wanting to create another style that would share the limitations that all styles had, he instead described the process that he used to create it: I have not invented a new style, composite, modified or otherwise that is set within distinct form as apart from this method or that method. On the contrary, I hope to free my followers from clinging to styles, patterns, or molds. Remember that Jeet Kune Do is merely a name used, a mirror in which to see ourselves. . . Jeet Kune Do is not an organized institution that one can be a member of. Either you understand or you dont, and that is that. There is no mystery about my style. My movements are simple, direct and non-classical. The extraordinary part of it lies in its simplicity. Every movement in Jeet Kune-Do is being so of itself. There is nothing artificial about it. I always believe that the easy way is the right way. Jeet Kune-Do is simply the direct expression of ones feelings with the minimum of movements and energy. The closer to the true way of Kung Fu, the less wastage of expression there is. Finally, a Jeet Kune Do man who says Jeet Kune Do is exclusively Jeet Kune Do is simply not with it. He is still hung up on his self-closing resistance, in this case anchored down to reactionary pattern, and naturally is still bound by another modified pattern and can move within its limits. He has not digested the simple fact that truth exists outside all molds; pattern and awareness is never exclusive. Again let me remind you Jeet Kune Do is just a name used, a boat to get one across, and once across it is to be discarded and not to be carried on ones back. — Bruce Lee[3] JKD as it survives since then — if one views it refined as a product, not a process — is what was left at the time of Lees death. It is the result of the lifelong martial arts development process Lee went through. Lee stated that his concept does not add more and more things on top of each other to form a system, but rather selects the best thereof. The metaphor Lee borrowed from Chan Buddhism was of constantly filling a cup with water, and then emptying it, used for describing Lees philosophy of casting off what is useless. He used the sculptors mentality of beginning with a lump of clay and removing the material that constituted the unessentials; the end result was what he considered to be the bare combat essentials, or JKD. The dominant or strongest hand should be in the lead because it would perform a greater percentage of the work. Lee minimised the use of other stances except when circumstances warranted such actions. Although the On-Guard position is a formidable overall stance, it is by no means the only one. He acknowledged that there were times when other positions should be utilised. Lee felt the dynamic property of JKD was what enabled its practitioners to adapt to the constant changes and fluctuations of live combat. He believed that these decisions should be made within the context of real combat and/or all out sparring and that it was only in this environment that a practicianer could actually deem a technique worthy of adoption. Lee did not stress the memorisation of solo training forms, or Kata, as most traditional styles do in their beginning-level training. He often compared doing forms without an opponent to attempting to learn to swim on dry land. Lee believed that real combat was alive and dynamic. Circumstances in a fight change from millisecond to millisecond. Thus, pre-arranged patterns and techniques are not adequate in dealing with such a changing situation. As an antidote to this line of thought, Lee once wrote an epitaph which read: In memory of a once fluid man, crammed and distorted by the classical mess. The classical mess in this instance was what Lee thought of classical martial arts. Principles[edit] The following are principles that Lee incorporated into Jeet Kune Do.[4] Lee felt these were universal combat truths that were self-evident, and would lead to combat success if followed. Familiarity with each of the Four ranges of combat, in particular, is thought to be instrumental in becoming a total martial artist. JKD teaches that the best defence is a strong offence, hence the principle of an intercepting fist. For someone to attack another hand-to-hand, the attacker must approach the target. This provides an opportunity for the attacked person to intercept the attacking movement. The principle of interception may be applied to more than intercepting physical attacks; non-verbal cues (subtle movements that an opponent may be unaware of) may also be perceived or intercepted, and thus be used to ones advantage. The Five ways of attack, categories which help JKD practitioners organise their fighting repertoire, comprise the offensive teachings of JKD. The concepts of Stop hits & stop kicks, and Simultaneous parrying & punching, based on the concept of single fluid motions which attack while defending (in systems such as épée fencing and Wing Chun), compose the defensive teachings of JKD. These concepts were modified for unarmed combat and implemented into the JKD framework by Lee to complement the principle of interception. Straight lead[edit] Lee felt that the straight lead was the most integral part of Jeet Kune Do punching, as he stated, The leading straight punch is the backbone of all punching in Jeet Kune Do.[5] The straight lead is not a power strike but a strike formulated for speed. The straight lead should always be held loosely with a slight motion, as this adds to its speed and makes it more difficult to see and block. The strike is not only the fastest punch in JKD, but also the most accurate. The speed is attributed to the fact that the fist is held out slightly making it closer to the target and its accuracy is gained from the punch being thrown straight forward from ones centerline. The straight lead should be held and thrown loosely and easily, tightening only upon impact, adding to ones punch. The straight lead punch can be thrown from multiple angles and levels.[6] 1. High straight lead 2. Medium straight lead (to body) 3. Low straight lead 4. Slanting right 5. Slanting left 6. Double straight lead Your leads hand should be like greased lightning and must never be held rigidly or motionless. Keep it slightly moving (without exaggeration) in a threatening manner, as it not only keeps your opponent on edge, but can also be delivered faster from motion than from immobility. Like a cobra, your strike should be felt before it is seen.[5] Non-telegraphed punch[edit] Lee felt explosive attacks with no telegraphing signs of intention were best. He argued that the attacks should catch the opponent off-guard, throwing them off their balance and leaving them unable to defend against further attacks. The concept behind this is that when you initiate your punch without any forewarning, such as tensing your shoulders or moving your foot or body, the opponent will not have enough time to react, Lee wrote.[7] The key is that one must keep ones body and arms loose, weaving ones arms slightly and only becoming tense upon impact. Lee wanted no wind-up movements or get ready poses to prelude any JKD attacks. Lee explained that any twitches or slight movements before striking should be avoided as they will give the opponent signs or hints as to what is being planned and then they will be able to strike first while one is preparing an attack. Consequently, non-telegraphed movement is an essential part of Jeet Kune Do philosophy.[8] Be like water[edit] Lee emphasized that every situation, in fighting or in everyday life, is varied. To obtain victory, therefore, it is essential not to be rigid, but to be fluid and able to adapt to any situation. He compared it to being like water: Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. That water can flow, or it can crash. Be water my friend.[9] Lee’s theory behind this was that one must be able to function in any scenario one is thrown into and should react accordingly. one should know when to speed up or slow down, when to expand and when to contract, and when to remain flowing and when to crash. It is the awareness that both life and fighting can be shapeless and ever changing that allows one to be able to adapt to those changes instantaneously and bring forth the appropriate solution. Lee did not believe in styles and felt that every person and every situation is different and not everyone fits into a mould; one must remain flexible in order to obtain new knowledge and victory in both life and combat. One must never become stagnant in the mind or method, always evolving and moving towards improving oneself.[10] Economy of motion [edit] Jeet Kune Do seeks to waste no time or movement, teaching that the simplest things work best, as in Wing Chun. Economy of motion is the principle by which JKD practitioners achieve: Efficiency: An attack which reaches its target in the least amount of time, with maximum force. Directness: Doing what comes naturally in a disciplined way. Simplicity: Thinking in an uncomplicated manner; without ornamentation. This is meant to help a practitioner conserve both energy and time, two crucial components in a physical confrontation. Maximized force seeks to end the battle quickly due to the amount of damage inflicted upon the opponent. Rapidity aims to reach the target before the opponent can react, which is half-beat faster timing, as taught in Wing Chun and Western boxing.[11] Learned techniques are utilised in JKD to apply these principles to a variety of situations. Stop hits and stop kicks[edit] When the distance is wide, the attacking opponent requires some sort of preparation. Therefore, attack him on his preparation of attack. To reach me, you must move to me. Your attack offers me an opportunity to intercept you. This means intercepting an opponents attack with an attack of ones own instead of simply blocking it. It is for this concept Jeet Kune Do is named. JKD practitioners believe that this is the most difficult defensive skill to develop. This strategy is a feature of some traditional Chinese martial arts as Wing Chun, as well as an essential component of European épée fencing. Stop hits and kicks utilise the principle of economy of motion by combining attack and defence into one movement, thus minimising the time element. Simultaneous parrying and punching[edit] When confronting an incoming attack, the attack is parried or deflected, and a counterattack is delivered at the same time. This is not as advanced as a stop hit but more effective than blocking and counterattacking in sequence. This is practised by some Chinese martial arts such as Wing Chun, and it is also known in Krav Maga as bursting. Simultaneous parrying & punching utilises the principle of economy of motion by combining attack and defence into one movement, thus minimising the time element and maximising the energy element. Efficiency is gained by utilising a parry rather than a block. By definition a block stops an attack, whereas a parry merely re-directs it. Redirection has two advantages, first that it requires less energy to execute and second that it utilises the opponents energy against them by creating an imbalance. Efficiency is gained in that the opponent has less time to react to an incoming attack, since they are still nullifying the original attack. Low kicks[edit] JKD practitioners believe they should direct their kicks to their opponents shins, knees, thighs, and midsection, as in Wing Chun.[12] These targets are the closest to the foot, provide more stability and are more difficult to defend against. Maintaining low kicks utilises the principle of economy of motion by reducing the distance a kick must travel, thus minimising the time element. However, as with all other JKD principles nothing is written in stone. If a target of opportunity presents itself, even a target above the waist, one could take advantage of the situation without feeling hampered by this principle. Four ranges of combat[edit] Kicking Punching Trapping Grappling Jeet Kune Do students train in each of the aforementioned ranges equally. According to Lee, this range of training serves to differentiate JKD from other martial arts. Lee stated that most but not all traditional martial arts systems specialise in training at one or two ranges. Lees theories have been especially influential and substantiated in the field of mixed martial arts, as the MMA Phases of Combat are essentially the same concept as the JKD combat ranges. As a historic note, the ranges in JKD have evolved over time. Initially the ranges were categorised as short or close, medium, and long range.[13] These terms proved ambiguous and eventually evolved into their more descriptive forms, although some may still prefer the original three categories. Five ways of attack[edit] The original five ways of attack are: Single direct attack (SDA) Attack by combination (ABC) Progressive indirect attack (PIA) (Hand) immobilization attack (HIA) Attack by drawing (ABD) SDA has been expanded to include: Simple angle attack (S.A.A.): The simple angle attack is the use of any “simple attack”, an attack that has direct line of fire that is exploited by faking or beating an opponent to the punch, from an unexpected angle. The S.A.A. can be set up by either feinting or readjusting the distance with footwork. Immobilization attack (I.A.): The immobilisation attack is the effective use of “trapping”. Trapping is a method of attack that results in holding down an opponent’s hand or leg, providing a safe route of attack. The trapping prevents the opponent from moving the body parts needed for defence, leaving them “trapped” and their body or face open for multiple strikes. HIA has been expanded to also encompass foot immobilisation techniques and is sometimes just referred to as I.A. Progressive indirect attack (P.I.A.): The progressive indirect attack is similar to a “simple attack” except there is not a committed fake or feint. The P.I.A. is an uncommitted thrust motion that forces ones opponent to move in defence as one exploits the predetermined open area. Attack by combination (A.B.C.): Attack by combination is a series of punches and/or kicks that follow a particular sequence to create openings or “setups” in the opponent’s defence. The “setup” is created by the series of punches and or kicks manoeuvring the opponent into a position to receive a knockout blow. Attack by drawing (A.B.D.): The attack-by-draw method is executed when one is able to make ones opponent believe there is an opening or weak spot in ones defence. When the opponent tries to attack this area, he creates his own opening or weak point and one attacks that area, completely catching them off guard.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 01:27:45 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015