i know in jkd you are not to think but just let your instinct do it like when bruce said ("i do not hit it hits all by its self") this i understand but im scared that when the time comes this it he is reffering to will not do anything ....... how do you know when you will automatically react in a effective way ????????

When you have trained long enough to be able to respond. A person that has brought there skill level to a point of being able to do without thought . This takes time . I find slowing down enough to relax in movement is a good step to learning. The mind and body must learn to train together. As the mind is the reactor signal for the body. And the body if taught well will respond. Its like a reflex action. Its just done in a moment. wu wei mushin both step towards no mind. Each mind is different. So each react to there sudden reflex action of thought. How you train to the point of doing will dictate how you will respond in a stress point of action. We all revert back to what we know and do best. Training lets that action be what you know and do best. So train hard give it your best and time will be the teacher of the doing.

When he says "I don't hit, it hits by itself" he is referring to the principle of non-intention. This is from what I understand, 'releasing' your strikes with gravity rather than muscle contraction.

Sparring is a good way to develop your tools to make them instinctal though.

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jiyasa
naz
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The "it" is the highest level of Bruce's or any art. The "it" is simple the ability to fit the opponent like a glove, to meld with him. Bruce fought with the opponent, not against him. That's why he said "When the opponent expands, I contract. When he contracts I expand." Bruce was filling in that empty part of the circle, something he learned from chi sao. When there is no resistence, a good chi sao practitioner will simply attack, not out of puposeful thought of "Oh, I need to attack" but because there simply isn't any resistense. It is like water behind a dam; when there's a crack the water goes. It is also like a spring; when the spring is released, it shoots out with out knowledge of itself. That is non-intention. Now there are certain steps that must be taken to achieve non-intention, but I'm not knowledgable enough to say anything about it. I'm still learning myself. I'm sure someone of greater skill will be able to better answer your question.

One excellent 3rd generation JKD instructor, coming up.