Hello Dustin!
Trapping means immobilization. There are traps that control the arms, traps that control the legs, and even traps that use the neck or hair to control the opponent. The idea is to trap the opponent in one spot long enough to land an effective strike, or series of effective strikes.
As practitioners of Jeet Kune Do, our primary interest is HITTING, KICKING and applying DAMAGING FORCE to the opponent. If I can successfully land a few quick shots and drop an opponent, that is the preferred approach. However, if the opponent is very defensive by nature, and likes to block and cover up, that is where trapping skill will serve us well.
Remember, first THINK HIT! Then if you cannot get in due to obstruction(s) on your line of attack, use your trapping skills to remove those obstructions and land a clean blow!
Although trapping is mostly considered a by-product of hitting, it is also possible to attack with the intention of trapping the opponent’s limbs. This is often a tactic used against opponents who like to block, in other words, a defensive fighter. This is why Bruce Lee named one of his five ways of attack HIA, or Hand Immobilization Attack.
Much work goes into the development of effective trapping skill, so many Jeet Kune Do practitioners prefer to avoid this training. These are usually the ones that make statements such as “trapping doesn’t work” or “you don’t need trapping!” The truth of the matter is that they are too lazy to learn to trap properly, or just aren’t willing to put in the time to develop effective trapping tools! I look at it like this: Why would Bruce Lee name one of his five ways of attack hand immobilization attack if he didn’t feel that there was a need for trapping in Jeet Kune Do? He wouldn’t! Therefore it is necessary!
Some of the more common trapping hand techniques are pak sao (slap hand), lop sao (grabbing hand), jut sao (jerking hand), gum sao (pinning hand) and lan sao (bar arm). There are simple traps, which means that only one trapping technique gets the job done, and compound traps, which means that if you trap and hit and that hit is parried, you trap again and hit. In a compound trapping situation, you have to move blindingly fast, and you must have a high level of sensitivity to pull it off! Some will try to say that compound trapping doesn't work. I say they just don't have enough skill to pull it off! Why? Because I have used compound trapping on many occasions!
Those practitioners who say that you don’t need trapping often use the argument that Bruce Lee didn’t use or teach trapping toward the end of his teaching career. For trapping to be necessary, the opponent must be able to obstruct the line that you are attacking. Bruce Lee’s skill was at a level where no one could obstruct that line. If you were that fast, why would you need to trap? There would be nothing to trap because you would always land a clean hit! How many of us can say that we can do that, EVERY TIME! I know that I can’t! Therefore, trapping is a very necessary skill and an extremely important part of our training process! And besides, if and when Bruce Lee needed to trap, don’t think for a second that the trap wouldn’t be there! It was well ingrained into his neuromuscular response system!
I have always taught my students that there are five main elements necessary for the development of effective trapping skills. They are: (1) reference point trapping, (2) energy/sensitivity training, (3) mook jong training, (4) application drills and (5) stress testing. Reference point trapping teaches the mechanics of trapping, or the “how.” Energy/sensitivity training teaches the ability to sense energies and know which trap to use in certain situations. In other words, the “when” of trapping. Mook jong training teaches you to economize your structure and puts the power into your trapping techniques. The application drills help you to learn about when trapping can best be used. Stress testing puts it on the line and helps you fully functionalize your trapping skills for live street application.
These elements combined lead to a high level of contact reflex skill. You must be able to respond on contact with an opponent’s offensive or defensive energy with the correct movement. There are many drills that train you to respond quickly and efficiently to certain movements. Those who say that you don’t need trapping definitely have not developed this skill, and truly don’t have a clue as to the advantages of developing proficient trapping skills!
Keep Blasting!
Sifu Lamar M. Davis II
Head Instructor/Founder
Hardcore Jeet Kune Do Academy
Hardcore Jeet Kune Do Chinese Gung Fu Association
http://www.HardcoreJKD.com
http://www.RealCombatOnline.com
Sifu@HardcoreJKD.com
Phone (205) 956-1901
"Hit Hard, Hit Fast, Hit First - ALWAYS!"
