In Bruce Lee’s art of Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do, there are many things that are extremely important in getting off to a good start with your training. I have listed some guidelines to help you. If you follow these guidelines you will definitely see a big difference and a definite improvement in your training process!
(1) Relax! Excess tension will only slow your development! Learn from an early point in your training to recruit only the muscles necessary to accomplish the task at hand! Also, if you are not relaxed, the muscles that you are using unnecessarily will put a braking action on the tendons and slow your initial movements! Remember, an open hand moves faster than a closed hand! The only time you should actually form a fist is a split second before impact, unless you are using the straight blast (during the full speed straight blast, there is no time to open the hand)!
(2) Develop Correct Training Habits! Learn things right the first time! If you are doing something wrong and you don't realize it, you will probably continue to do it wrong! Sometimes it takes longer to unlearn something than it originally took to learn it! If you make sure that you are doing everything correctly you don't have to go through all of that wasted unlearning time! Good training habits develop good fighting habits! Always remember, you will fight like you train!
(3) Develop Body Feel! Learn to feel everything and know that you are in the correct position by what you feel! If you have to look to see if you are in the right position, it's too late! Develop body feel in everything that you do! Body feel is a highly developed neuromuscular attribute! Once you develop it, the muscles of your body "tell" the mind that everything is as it should be! You no longer have to look to see!
(4) Develop A High Level Of Sensitivity! Start energy/sensitivity training at the earliest possible moment! Sensitivity is definitely one of the most useful attributes that you can develop in this art! Every offensive and defensive movement has a directional energy flow of some kind. The better you understand the different energies the better prepared to deal with them you are! There are some instructors who would tell you differently, but if they do, it probably means that they are either too lazy to teach you the drills or they have not worked on it enough to be comfortable in that area! I have known many second and third generation instructors like that!
(5) Trapping Does Work! Trapping skills are extremely important in this art! As with the energy/sensitivity training, there will be some instructors who will try to tell you different! In this case, find another instructor! Once you have developed your trapping skills you will have much more confidence on the inside! You can tie an opponent up in knots and without realizing it, they will help you do it!
(6) SIMPLIFY: Economize Your Structure! Do not waste motion! Wasted motion is wasted energy! Conserve your energy for the attack! As stated earlier, develop body feel so that you will feel when you are wasting motion! Cut it down to just what is needed to correctly accomplish the task at hand! If necessary, divide a movement into parts and work on economizing the motions involved in each part. Then put all of the parts back together and apply what you learned! Always learn the most direct path of delivery for your tools, and learn to deliver from wherever you might be without having to reposition!
(7) Mobility Is Everything! Learn how to move correctly! Footwork is what gets you where you need to be and gets you away from where you don't need to be! Develop smooth, economical footwork. The simple patterns (push shuffle, sidestep, pendulum shuffle, lunge) are the most important! They are the patterns that will most commonly be needed in most situations! Learn to execute all techniques while moving in a way that maximizes their potential! Your instructor should be able to help you with this!
(8) Read, Watch, Research! Supplement your training with good books on JKD and good instructional videos on JKD! It will also be helpful to you to acquire some good wing chun books and videos! If you need recommendations on what to get, I can help you there! Some of the most important things that I have learned have been through my own personal research!
(9) Join a training organization. Belonging to a good organization gives you many more opportunities to interact with other practitioners of Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do. This interaction allows you to share training methods and ideas with others that are interested in the same thing as you!
(10) Keep on training! Never give up! I have seen so many students get discouraged because they felt as if they weren't progressing fast enough! They gave up right before they would have actually gotten somewhere with their training! Don't allow this to happen with you! There is enough in this art to last you a lifetime! You will always be learning and you can always learn more! If nothing else, just developing your attributes and discovering new ways to train and use your techniques can last forever! After all, look at Bruce Lee! We are nowhere near his skill level, yet he always felt that he could improve and he always did! Is that inspiration or what?
One of the most important pointers that I can give you is this: Always work on your basics! They are the roots to your development! A tree without strong roots will eventually fall or be up-rooted! Always work on your basics! I hope this is helpful to you in some way! Good luck with your journey into the world of Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do! Train hard and train smart! The results are well worth the effort!
Keep Blasting!
Sifu Lamar M. Davis II
Senior Instructor
Hardcore Jeet Kune Do
Sifu@HardcoreJKD.com
http://www.HardcoreJKD.com
http://www.RealCombatOnline.com
Phone (205) 956-1901
"Hit Hard, Hit Fast, Hit First - ALWAYS!"
. Would you like to fight like those people? Or how about a combonation of Wrestling and stand up fighting on your feet, like you see on those pay per view No Hold Barred fights.