A WILD BOAR stood under a tree and rubbed his tusks against the trunk. A Fox passing by asked him why he thus sharpened his teeth when there was no danger threatening from either huntsman or hound. He replied, “I do it advisedly; for it would never do to have to sharpen my weapons just at the time I ought to be using them.”
- Aesop’s Fables
It’s a fact that Bruce Lee had an interest in grappling and was training it to some extent. But should it be a part of Jeet Kune Do?
We have the late Larry Hartsell who is famous for the 33 formal grappling techniques. ( Click Here to read Larry Hartsell’s article on Jeet Kune Do grappling with excerpts from Bruce Lee’s notes. ) But this was very limited. Almost no extended groundwork. As far as I know, Bruce Lee never taught grappling as part of his curriculum.
Since Lee never had the chance to develop this part of his system, should it be included?
I think most serious JKDers will agree that training grappling is important. After that, the paths split. Some believe wrestling favors the JKD mindset. Some believe arts like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu provide a better groundfighting base.
I guess it comes down to your own views of Jeet Kune Do as to whether grappling should be included. Is JKD the actual art & philosophy that Bruce Lee taught in his lifetime? Or is it a concept that governs your choice of fighting tools & arts?
Personally, I belong to the former group. But I also see the value and necessity of training grappling. I just believe it should be kept separate from the art of JKD. My main argument for this is because Bruce Lee didn’t have the chance to develop this aspect of his art.
Given time, with the interest Bruce Lee showed in grappling, I’m sure we would be seeing much more of it. But that didn’t happen.
There are many great grappling systems that can fit with the stand-up art of JKD. In a future article, I would like to examine some of them and exactly how well they integrate within the art.
If we were to take the grappling techniques that Bruce Lee actually trained and put them in JKD, would this be acceptable?
I don’t think so. Compared to the grappling systems that we see today, this would be an inadequate addition. As stated before, I don’t think Bruce Lee had the chance to develop this aspect of his fighting art to the fullest extent. Other people and systems have done this, though. So it shouldn’t be hard to adapt this to your preferences.
I am going to follow this article up with an examination of different grappling arts and how they can fit within the Jeet Kune Do structure. I welcome any questions or comments on this subject, as it is one that interests me greatly.
Let me wrap this up by saying that, in my opinion, grappling should NOT be a part of Jeet Kune Do. I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to this art. I believe that in order for it to be called JKD, it should follow the teachings and guidelines set forth by the founder. Since Bruce Lee didn’t have the chance to flesh out this aspect of his art, there is no way we can know where he would have gone with his grappling.
I also believe that every serious JKDer MUST train grappling. If for nothing else but to learn to deal with it.
Copyright 2008
Kip Brockett
All Rights Reserved
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Fancy Footwork ‘Which Way is Best?’
***********************************
We’ve all heard that footwork is “everything” in JKD.
Right?
But what kind of footwork?
Obviously there are many types. Footwork that’s,
- smooth & dance-like
- explosive
- plodding
- bouncing & Muhammad Ali-like
just to name a few.
One of my all-time favorite boxers is Sugar Ray Robinson.
He had the best footwork, by far, of any boxer I’ve seen,
in my opinion.
He bounced and used rhythm when on the outside, gliding
in and out with that lightning jab.
But on the inside, he settled down and delivered powerful
punches.
He had a combination of footwork that served his style
of boxing well.
I’d like to examine 2 well-known JKD personalities and
the styles of footwork they use. They’re very different in
their approach and movement, which makes for a great
comparison and contrast.
Ted Wong, Bruce Lee’s last major private student and
considered by many to teach the purest strain of JKD
as taught by Bruce Lee before his death.
And Joe Lewis, the heavyweight kickboxing champion
and owner of Joe Lewis Karate Systems, who was also a
private student of Bruce Lee.
First, let’s look at Ted Wong.
Ted Wong’s footwork is smooth as silk, almost
dance-like. Although there is explosiveness and speed
involved, there is an obvious lack of ‘jerky-ness’ to his
movements.
He has some of the best footwork I’ve ever seen. It is,
quite frankly, a beautiful thing to watch.
At nearly 65 years of age, he moves with the grace and
speed of someone a third of his age, but who has also
spent 30 or more years honing his skills.
Joe Lewis’s footwork, on the other hand, is explosive.
Almost the complete opposite of Ted Wong’s footwork.
The emphasis is the blast of power to quickly bridge the
gap with power and ferocity.
The power in Joe Lewis’s movements are clearly evident.
Joe Lewis is a heavyweight, but his movements are
quick as a lightweight. Of course, with heavyweight
power!
Which is the best way to train?
Well… I don’t know.
I don’t like the “this is better than that” type of
approach to martial arts.
It may be more appropriate to say, “this is better for
me than that.” At least, as it pertains to each
individual’s goals, body type, personal style, etc.
In my own training, being an avid student of Ted
Wong, I try to emulate his footwork. I work on the
smoothness of movement that he exhibits.
I also incorporate the explosiveness and many of the
drills that Joe Lewis teaches.
I don’t have the same body type or fighting style that
either of these gentlemen have, so I try to adapt their
teachings to fit me.
I strive to find the balance that Sugar Ray Robinson
possessed. But always with Kip Brockett in mind! 
Copyright 2003
Kip Brockett
All Rights Reserved
(This article originally appeared in the JKD101 Newsletter: Vol. 1, Issue 3)
I was browsing back through Sun Tzu’s Art of War and after reading the chapter “Attack by Strategem”, I came across his 5 essentials for victory.
The first one caught my attention. I have read it numerous times before, but I started thinking about how it could be applied in everyday training. I also tried to think about other applications on different levels.
“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”
The obvious first level of this can be seen as simply choosing the battles you fight. As an example, let’s take a self-defense situation where it is assumed the attacker has a weapon, but you’re not sure. You are not armed. You may choose not to fight. The best solution may be the “flight” instinct and not the “fight”.
But let’s take this a little deeper.
Let’s say you are working your punching techniques by doing some competitive sparring. Choosing when to fight and when not to fight is not so clear cut, but still very relevant.
To borrow from Joe Lewis, you don’t want to attack someone when they are “set”. When someone is “set”, they are planted and have you in their line of fire. They are basically just waiting for you to get into range so they can attack. This is called their Set Point. (For more information on “Set Point Control” see the link below to Joe Lewis’ DVD, now titled “Control the Firing Line”.)
So, what we want to do is choose when we want to fight. We may use our footwork to set him up. Make him move his Set Point first and then catch him between Set Points. This way we are choosing when we want to fight and when we do not want to fight.
Let’s take this to the grappling realm.
When you are grappling someone bigger and stronger than you, then you have to be very selective as to when you fight and when you do not fight. Otherwise, you will exhaust yourself through fruitless effort.
So in a way, we are choosing our battles constantly as we evolve as martial artists. In order for us to be efficient, this process has to take place.
Let’s take it one step further.
In our daily training, don’t we also choose when to fight? We choose when to train hard or to keep it light. We choose the type of techniques we will train. We choose IF we are going to train or not.
So in a sense, aren’t we deciding on whether to fight our weaknesses, or not fight them and strengthen our strengths?
Copyright 2008
Kip Brockett
All Rights Reserved
