Jeet Kune Do: Getting Down to the Essence

What Does the Referee Position Have to Do with Jeet Kune Do?

I have talked earlier of wanting to see how GM Dan Inosanto boils down all that he has learned. Some have said that there is too much knowledge, it can’t be done. Indeed, if you look at all of the martial arts information available today, plus the ever-increasing goal of martial artists to be well-rounded in all phases of combat, then it all seems staggering.

That’s why so many styles are a laundry list as long as a Manhattan telephone directory of all of their styles and techniques. But too many styles are useless. There is a point at which too much technique becomes counterproductive.

Sure, it’s great for the owner of the school, because he’s got 15 years of material, and the checks keep rolling in. Student retention is high because there’s always something new, and there are plenty of “advanced,” “secret,” “black belt,” techniques that are being dangled just beyond the student’s nose, which he can get to with just 7 more years of monthly dues, mat fees, membership fees, belt fees, test fees, etc.

My teacher GM Estalilla of Kabaroan, puts it this way. “Suppose the student is going off to battle tomorrow. What would you teach?”

Let us look at the art of freestyle, high school/collegiate wrestling. There are literally hundreds of techniques. How could you sort it all out? How could you teach the essence in just a day or two? (I’m not talking mastery, but an introduction to the essentials, coupled with techniques a student could learn today and use in the parking lot on his way out if attacked.)

First of all, get rid of the referee’s position. In wrestling when the wrestlers go off the mat, they return and one wrestler is on all fours, with the other in a dominant position. We can calculate that the referee’s position is unlikely to happen in real life. Eliminating the referee’s position eliminates dozens of techniques, such as a sitout, switch, standup, etc., and the takedowns of the opponent on all fours.

Someone could argue, “Wait, but what if I get pushed down to all fours and the opponent is above me…” Let’s stick to what is likely. Let’s look for the high percentage moves and train those.

Get rid of pinning moves. On the street, our goal is not pinning. Furthermore, I don’t want to be on the ground. This eliminates the cradle, the tilt, the grapevine, Iowa ride, etc. If need be, I can use a choke or a lock in this position. 

No. I don't want to be on the ground. My goal is not to pin anybody. On the street I don't get points.

Next, look at the remaining wrestling moves. Which ones can be used if I hold a weapon, like a knife? Which ones lead into, or follow up from, a strike? Which would work against an armed opponent?

Which are the most effective? What are the techniques that champion wrestlers master, and use to help them dominate opponents?

With this sort of thinking, I think I can boil wrestling down to about 7 techniques. Am I going to beat a champion wrestler? No. (At least not at wrestling, that’s what the backup blade is for.)

Will everyone agree with me as to the 7 essential techniques? No. But at least we are now thinking about what is vital, what is the essence.

Nobody knows where Bruce Lee was going with Jeet Kune Do and grappling, but I have to think this was where he was headed: How can I strip it down, and strip the extras away, so that I get down to the most powerful, effective, direct, and essential techniques?

“The Straight Lead”: Teri Tom and Ted Wong

In the wake of Sifu Ted Wong’s death, I thought of the book “The Straight Lead,” by Teri Tom. It’s an

The Straight Lead, by Teri Tom

excellent book.

Now you might think that a book only about the lead punch would be simple-Simon dull and repetitive, but you’d be wrong. If you can judge a teacher by his students, the knowledge and seriousness of author Teri Tom speaks well of the late Sifu Ted Wong. Sifu Wong poses for several pictures and is interviewed, as well as being referenced and quoted throughout the book.

The most fascinating aspect of the book is how it goes into great depth about how Bruce Lee developed his lead punch. Bruce didn’t just get a punch from Wing Chun, or from boxing, or simply combine the two. Bruce Lee’s lead punch was the result of intense study and wide reading in the fields of both boxing and fencing, including legendary boxer Jack Dempsey and fencer Aldo Nadi. Regardless of how well you think you know Bruce Lee, I guarantee you will find something new in this book.

The book goes into great depth on the lead punch, on footwork, and on strategy. Teri Tom writes so intelligently and has researched her subject so thoroughly, that you can’t help but be prompted to think more deeply about the martial arts. Even if you disagree with her and Sifu Wong.

And you may very well find yourself disagreeing. The late Sifu Wong was a prime mover behind the “purist” Jeet Kune Do movement, and your view of GM Dan Inosanto may cause your blood to boil, especially in the comments and interview sections toward the end, which are less focused on technique.

For the serious martial artist, those interested in Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do, or the late Sifu Wong, I think this book is a must have.

Author Teri Tom and the Late Sifu Ted Wong

Grandmaster Ted Wong RIP

I was just gearing up to write about Bruce Lee. If Bruce Lee were alive as of November 27, 2010, he would be 70 years old. It’s practically impossible to imagine a 70 year-old Bruce Lee. And now I hear the sad news that one of Bruce Lee’s top students and closest friends, Ted Wong, has died.

It seems like many of those who were close to Bruce Lee are slipping away from us all too quickly.

I remember years ago when I was studying JKD with Tim Evans Sensei, and we had one of Ted Wong’s instructors come and give a seminar. This teacher asked what we thought Jeet Kune Do was. “Freedom,” was one answer. The instructor’s answer was that JKD was Bruce Lee’s personal art. (Here I am paraphrasing.) Bruce Lee was Chinese, spoke Chinese, and that his art was inextricably Chinese.

Since the instructor himself was Chinese (as was his teacher, Ted Wong) and the audience was Filipino and Caucasian, the implied message seemed to be a twist on the old sign, “No Dogs or Caucasians Allowed.” Many people were upset, inferring racism or –at the least– chauvinism.

But in time I came to see the point that was being made. The place to start is with Bruce Lee’s technique. That is JKD. That is the essence. Those core techniques and teachings of Bruce Lee need to be preserved, especially in view of how many of those who had first hand personal experiences with Bruce Lee are fading away. This was the impetus for the Bruce Lee Foundation –to preserve the legacy while there’s still time. From the Bruce Lee Foundation:

“But, too often, people diverge from Bruce Lee’s JKD but continue to call it “Bruce Lee’s JKD” which only adds to the confusion. So, yes, there was a certain amount of individuality and personal exploration promoted by Bruce Lee in JKD but it was within the framework of the foundation he had already himself laid down. Anything that diverges too abruptly from that path (such as, teaching other arts and labeling it JKD, or altering the basic stance and front lead, or adding weapons training into JKD, etc) should be classified as someone else’s take on JKD and not ascribed to Bruce Lee. To think we know best what Bruce Lee wanted or who Bruce Lee is is pure hubris. Rather if we come up with our own innovations, we should stand proudly by those and label them with our own name, but keep Bruce Lee’s JKD pure.”

Of course, this could be interpreted as a slam against the Inosanto crowd. Yet I see GM Wong’s point, that Bruce Lee didn’t do weapons. And it seems that with GM Inosanto every week is a new art, whether Silat, Savate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or Zulu warrior arts.

You can see Ted Wong in action here, and while the technique is nothing earth shattering, the execution is solid, fluid, and eerily like Bruce Lee. You can also hear an interview between Ted Wong and Bruce Lee’s daughter here. Every account I’ve ever heard is very clear that Bruce Lee had an incredible aura of almost nuclear charisma. Ted Wong describes Bruce as “a magnet.”

There is a memorial website for GM Wong here.

How to Stop the Tackler –Crossface

I asked my nephew James, the champion wrestler, what his primary defense is against the opponent who shoots. He replied the cross face, which he demonstrates here.

We square off and I (on the right) prepare to go for a double leg tackle.

 

I shoot for the outside of James' lead leg. Note how his arm drops to counter.

James' forearm comes up across my face.

James sprawls, throwing his legs back and placing his weight on me (by lowering his hips). It's hard for me to counter, even if I drive or get both arms on one leg, because he is twisting my head in the other direction.

This video shows the basics of the crossface and sprawl.

Remember, in Bruce Lee’s fighting stance, he kept his lead right arm low, with the elbow resting on his hip. Could this be useful against the shooting opponent?

In this video (at the very end of the clip) a wrestler uses a crossface like the aikido entering throw irimi nage, at least as practiced by Steven Seagal, who uses it to great effect.

Steven Seagal Performs Irimi Nage

 

Fewer Options, Please

Kimbo Slice

The Kuntawman is back after a recent hiatus with an interesting article about Kimbo Slice. In his opinion Kimbo excelled as a street fighter because he was doing what he was g0od at. Once he started training in MMA, he began doing techniques he didn’t excel at, and instead of relying on a few well-executed techniques, he had a buffet table full of options, some (many?) of which were unfamiliar.

Bruce Lee’s theory was that the untrained man had no technique, but he had a natural fluidity that is an asset. Perhaps it was the naturalness of what Kimbo was doing that made him successful as a street fighter.

We also know that when people are confronted with too many options, that decision making breaks down. Perhaps Kimbo’s problem was one of too many choices.

I think this is a valuable lesson: having hundreds of techniques is not a strength of a system, but a weakness. I have thought that one of the reasons for the success of boxers versus karateka is that boxers have fewer weapons, and fewer choices, so that there is no moment of paralysis when the guy who has hundreds of techniques thinks, “Okay, there’s a punch hurtling toward my face, do I sidestep, crossblock, parry, goose neck block, cross step, front kick, side kick, knife hand….” POW!

Many FMA could benefit from simplification, by stripping down to the bare essentials. That way, the student under attack is not trying to decide which part of the curriculum, that includes everything from staff to bow and arrow, he should do next.

New Video

Bruce Lee --Strong Side Forward Stance

I’ve posted a new video at my Big Stick Combat You Tube channel.

Officer Cook Meets Jimmy Lee

Master James Lee

My father is a retired California Highway Patrol officer. He had a fellow officer who was into body building and the martial arts. One time he took my dad to see his teacher Jimmy Lee, who studied kung-fu, at a time when no one in the US had ever heard of it.

When my dad first saw Jimmy Lee, he was unimpressed. Jimmy was a small, unassuming guy. But when he moved, he was amazing. He moved lightning fast.

“He detested karate,” my dad told me. “His style was fluid. In his mind he was five moves ahead of you. Everything flowed.” My dad demonstrated a series of moves: backfist, elbow, punch, downward elbow, etc.

“One time he accidentally hit my friend, who was a solid guy, and and a massive bruise instantly appeared on his chest.”

Jimmy also dealt with prejudice. Once on the docks some guys were taunting him, shouting “chink” and other slurs. When he confronted them, he hospitalized three of them and the rest took off running.

In fairness, he could dish out his own slurs. Once when his son had a run-in with a black kid his age, Jimmy went to the kid’s house. When the boy’s father got confrontational, Jimmy let him have it: “My ancestors were wearing silk while yours were still swinging from trees.”

Gary Dill and James Lee

“The one thing I learned from Jimmy was never to judge people by their appearance,” my dad said. “Once I told him, ‘I’ve never seen anybody as fast as you or move like you do.’”

Jimmy humbly replied, “I’m nothing. You should see my cousin Bruce.”

Of course, at that time, my dad’s question was “Bruce who?” Nobody had yet heard of Bruce Lee.

Left Handedness

A "Left-Handed" Follow Up to a High Thrust

A martial artist asked if I was left-handed, because in some ways my style appears left-handed. But in reality I am right-handed, and my style is right hand dominant.

Let’s start empty-handed. My inspiration is Bruce Lee, who fought with his dominant right side forward. This meant that his strong right hand jab and right side kick were forward. Since in boxing you will throw and land more often with the jab, why not jab with your strong arm?

The left hand, which is normally weaker, gains power because it builds up speed and momentum due to greater distance traveled and greater torque. So my knockout blows are the left straight, the left roundhouse kick, the left overhand elbow, and the left knee.

I was showing this empty-hand system to a friend this summer, but he just couldn’t do the left elbow. The initial tendency is to say right-forward stance and left elbow don’t work. But it makes sense, and it can be learned.

People will get lazy and throw the lead right jab, then move the left foot forward and hit with the right rear hand or elbow. This is because they haven’t developed their left side weapons, and they will be weak in combat.

With a weapon it also makes sense to have a right-forward lead. If you are right-handed you want your weapon hand in the lead. It’s easier to block and attack with a bolo in your right hand, which is forward, than your empty left hand if your left side is forward.

Now here is where I differ with a lot of people. Many (most?) guys who use the two-handed grip will hold the bat like a right-handed baseball player, with the left hand at the pommel and the right hand above it. Only instead of having the left foot forward like a baseball batting stance, they have the right foot forward (See Amo Guro Blackgrave here.). The Tapado stylists use a similar stance.Yet I argue that the more powerful stance would be that of the baseball stance with the left foot forward, because it allows you to step into the strike and get the full torque of the hips.

So for me, I have the dominant right hand at the pommel. This is how I swing the stick one-handed, which I may do on occasion. Now by adding the left hand above it, I can instantly go into bat strikes without any grip changes.  By standing with my right foot forward and placing the bat over my left shoulder, I can now get the full power of hip rotation.

If you think about it, there are other advantages of this “left” stance (right foot forward, right hand at pommel, left hand above it, and bat resting over the left shoulder.). For one, an opponent may throw up his left hand to entangle my bat while striking with his right. Because I am hitting from my left side, it is easier for me to avoid his left hand and hit his weapon hand.

Nunchakus

Like many martial artists my age, I got my start in the martial arts from watching David Carradine on “Kung-Fu” and Bruce Lee movies. Click here to see a young Master Dan Inosanto and I believe Ted Lucaylucay. (Also note that Dan is using larga mano.)

Of course, everybody had to have nunchakus. The problem is that nunchakus, like everything else, were illegal in California. So my friend and I made our own nunchakus out of pine dowel and eye screws.

Once I was swinging the home-made nunchaku around like crazy, spinning and twirling in front of my friend. When I let the nunchaku hang down at my side, one of the sticks fell off! We both let out a sigh of relief –if that nunchaku had broken just seconds earlier, I could have accidentally sent that stick flying right into my friend’s head.

Another friend of ours, a guy who was so cool that he wore Chinese slippers and the black kung-fu jacket to school, was practicing in front of a window in his house, where he could see his reflection. Like all cheap home-made nuchakus, one stick went flying off the chain. In his case the stick was moving so fast that it went straight through the glass, leaving a circular hole as wide as the end of the stick.

Lately I have been thinking about the nunchaku, but the problem is that nunchaku in some locations, like California, are a felony, and scream “WEAPON!” So I have been exploring using a padlock and chain, like you would use to secure a bicycle, as a semi-improvised weapon.

The idea is that the chain and padlock would be a hard-hitting flexible weapon like the nunchaku, but would not be illegal or out of place, particularly for a bike rider. It has been interesting to apply the principles of Big Stick Combat to the chain and padlock.

Tomorrow I’ll share with you the key principles of what I’m calling the Thunderbolt Chain.

Starting Your Own Style

Master Joe Tan (left) and GM Vasquez

Kuntawman has another thought-provoking post over at Filipino Fighting Secrets Live.

“Martial artists seem to think that there is something wrong with creating one’s own style, as if every art we have today never had a founder.”

For a long time I have been opposed to starting my own system, primarily because of the abuses, and the proliferation of crap out there.

The first problem is people starting styles without sufficient background. Guys who simply don’t have the training and the background try to create their own styles, and the result is often a travesty. Part of this is the martial arts fantasy trip in which somebody imagines he is the next Bruce Lee, ignoring Bruce Lee’s maniacal training and voracious reading.

I’m reminded of the local escape artist who imagined he was the next Houdini. The reality was that he was totally ignorant of the huge amounts of practice, research, and physical conditioning that made Houdini the success he was. The local guy was a lazy fantasist, who was unaware of just how poor his skills were. He wound up killing himself during a televised escape attempt.

The Masters who have created their own successful styles have paid their dues and devoted years to their craft. The fantasy martial artist has not.

A second problem is additive styles. I have said this before, but some arts just do not go together, like ballet and football. I don’t see how you combine Serrada and Larga Mano. Yes, you can do both, but they are not a coherent whole. GM Giron had a short stick system and a long stick system. The short stick system (with the exception of the abaniko method) was a logical extension, and methodologically consistent with, his larga mano style. I don’t know how you do a long range Serrada style.

When I do espada y daga (stick and knife) or sinawali (two sticks) I am not doing different styles, but wield those weapons in a way that is consistent with the big stick –simplicity, directness, and power.

I saw a guy in one of the martial arts magazines doing a Muay Thai and Tae Kwon Do combination! I’m sorry, but those two styles are mutually exclusive. That you are teaching the two as a combination shows me that you haven’t grasped the essences of the two systems.

Starting a style is not just a matter of being good, but being creative and analytical. GM Vasquez is the most amazing teacher I have ever seen for his ability to analyze a technique, to see counter techniques, and to apply devious principles. He studied under the founder of Tapado, Nono Mamar, but GM Vasquez was able to explain to me how he had modified, adopted and changed techniques, and why those changes were better.

That’s why there are many outstanding professional players who make lousy coaches, and mediocre players who became outstanding coaches. Many people can execute techniques, sometimes very well, but lack the ability to analyze, and to see outside of the box.

For me, the worst reason to start one’s style is the simple wish to be the guy in charge. This really bothers me when guys break off to start their own styles, when there’s nothing different but the name. If you haven’t really added anything to the system or style, then don’t claim your own style.

Next I will talk about good reasons to create one’s style.

Tapado Founder Mamar (left) and Master Joe Tan