What is Jeet Kune Do anyways?
Well if you found this blog chances are you already have your own opinion, which probably works for you quite well. So rather than debate about what it is and what it is not, I would like to talk about what it could be. We have to have a place to start from, but in JKD we are hesitant to define the art, because of tradition and politics. My definition is living, and subject to evolve, that is part of the discourse we are having here, but its purpose is to draw a context for us to reflect from, so we can achieve a mature, developed conversation about our art.
Our group views Jeet Kune Do as being comprised of modified boxing, modified fencing, and modified Wing Chun, utilizing the 5 ways of attack to achieve victory in as few moves as possible. We learn the material in the way that Bruce Lee taught it. Where we diverge from existing groups is that we draw upon sources Bruce did not have access to. We may integrated clinch work into our Chi Sao, and we might study the positional hierarchy of wrestling, to find positions to strike from on the ground. We do not add techniques, or change our structure, but we adapt our delivery method to suit the situation, whether that be in the streets, or in a ring.
When I say JKD is modified boxing, fencing, and wing chun, I am only telling you about the sources of the techniques. When people ask what JKD is, they usually mean how does JKD behave in a fight, not where did it come from. Years ago, my former Sifu said in a moment of insight, “JKD is Punching, Kicking, and Trapping, NO GRAPPLING”! No grappling? But all of the MMA fighters on TV say grappling is important!?!.
Punching, Kicking, and Trapping:
I am sure we all understand punching, and kicking, but what exactly is Trapping? For our purposes, Trapping is defined as Grappling for Strikes. Kali, Silat, Wing Chun, and Muay Thai are arts that make use of trapping during a fight, but each has its own emphasis. For example, Wing Chun favors striking with the hands, while Muay Thai is oriented towards striking with the legs while trapping. As far as drills go, the differences between Chi Sao and wrestling can be attributed to the goals of the drill. In wrestling, the goal is to find openings for submissions, throws, or pins. In Chi Sao the goal is to find dominant positions to strike from while maintaining contact.
Using this definition, we can define our approach to fighting in terms of strategy. Everytime there is contact, the opportunity to win the fight is present, and we train to capitalize on those opportunities by striking the opponant into submission or knockout. If the opponant has good defense, the 5 ways of attack come in to play, Single Direct Attack, Progressive Indirect Attack, Attack By Combination, Hand Immobilization Attack, and Attack By Draw. Hand Immobilization Attack’s are the act of attacking with a strike, while immobilizing the striking tools of the opponant. This can be as simple as checking their lead hand so they can not hit, or as complex as staying in the pocket, while flowing through, and around the opponants gaurd, landing hit after hit as you move, re-trap, and angle around the opponant. When done well, trapping is extremely difficult to deal with, every defensive move the opponant makes, gets them more and more tied up, while being hit. Believe it or not there are plenty of examples of trapping in Boxing, MMA and Muay Thai, you just have to know what your looking for.
