I normally fire the jab to (1) the nose, (2) the chin or (3) the jaw hinge. I normally fire the hook to (1) the jaw hinge or (2) the nose/cheekbone area. The temple is a good target if your knuckles are trained for solid impact.
The nose is a good target for straight punches, because the nose is not solid bone, it's cartilage and it breaks easily. When you break/fracture someones nose it usually explodes with blood, automatically blinds them with tears/blood and it's very painful, usually sending your enemy to his knee's with pain.
A good target for a hook punch is the ear. Dont laugh! That hurts like a mofo! Its like getting an ear ache, times 10. The sharp numbing pain could cause someone to pass out. The only thing you would have to worry about is missing your target and crashing your knuckles on your enemies skull; a good alternative is a Hook palm strike, delivered in a similar manner as a Hook Punch. Your fleshy palm can endure a harder surface better then your jagged boney knuckles. Keep in mind, a strike to the ear is very harmful to your enemy, the ear is not solid bone, its just cardilage and flesh. Probally, with enough force applied, you could rupture youre enemies ear drum and cause partial (or complete) deafness. So, please be kind to your enemy and just break his nose.
This message has been edited by Phases on Oct 30, 2004 2:30 AM
Hahaha Phases, Iīll be sure to aim my jabs at my enemies nose if I get into a fight, I recently experienced being hit in the ear repeatedly with an open hand, I was to busy laughing at that time so I didnīt realize how much it hurt untill later that evening :P
Iīd go for the nose in the first strike and then fire a hook to the jaw, ear or below the ribs.
But I try to avoid fights as much as possible and have done good so far, probably because coincidents though and mainly because I donīt know what would happen if I get angry when fighting and there werenīt any rules to obey :P
I've got a book by sifu Kevin Seaman, and he reccomends using palmstrikes to the head and other solid areas, and penetrating knuckles to the torso etc.
In many Philopino systems, they strike exclusively with the palms, as it is said that this is a better transfer of energy than the solid fist.
I don't nessecarily agree with using the palms exclusively, but hey.
I think Palm strikes are under-rated. When people think of palm strikes, they think of traditional martial arts and they think it's a bunch of bull... like Budda-palm/iron palm/Judo chop chop/karateeee slappy slap. Palms are a safer weopon to use because you can cause a lot of damage with no injury to yourself. I wasnt taught how to do palm strikes, it just came from idea's I had while practicing my hook punch on the heavy bag.
Do you use the jab per se? Do you personally see a place for the boxing jab in JKD? I know personally my feelings about this have changed over the years.
I occasionally employ a normal boxing jab, but most likely a vertical fist punch, simply because that is what I have trained to do the most! I don't think it hurts to have the versatility, plus the boxing jab is so common, that if you use it initially in the early stages of a fight against a fairly skilled opponent, they don't recognize any difference in the way you do things. By the time you change up and put some good ol' straight JKD on 'em, they aren't expecting that. Sort of a "change of strategy" I guess you could call it, or even a "set-up"!
Earlier on in my development, the jab dominated my handwork. When I became more involved in JKD I switched almost exclusively to the straight lead. There seems to be little emphasis placed on the jab in Jeet Kune Do; only a few mentions of it are made in Bruce Lee's writings and his students don't seem to emphasize it as much either. I do think that it makes a good training tool for the finger jab when sparring with boxing gloves on.
The jab is perhaps the most useful punch to use. If it is understood in its need. JKD the straight lead. vertical gung fu fist. Is the jab per say of JKD. It is thrown with different needs. AND horizonal fists can and is a JKD option. The boxing aspect Allows this. There is no unwriten rule that all JKD strikes must be done in the vertical fist. But the vertical fist is used often. The jab sets up distance, followup strikes as combinations. intercepts. as stop hit. Stopping forward advanement. a jab can be a flicking jab. stiff jab And what I refure as a pressing jab. To off balance and allow forced followup sometimes. Either in vertical and or horizonal. The use is the person doing it. But as you can see even in boxing a vertical jab is deployed at times. Its what you do at the moment . And the intent of use. The gung Fu fist vertical Is The main . But The lead should be trained in action at different entry levels of use to further out think The opponet. Because we can not allways blast a skilled fighter away. But we can set him up. Use the jab both ways .As a boxing type. The vertical as the lead with different power levels of use and need.
I really don't think that the jab and the straight lead are synonymous. One of the biggest differences is at which point the body mechanics occur. The jab is thrown out from the shoulder. A straight lead, on the other hand, moves hand first and then ends in the same manner as a one-inch-punch. This difference is subtle, but devistating; it often can't be seen but can be felt (on both ends).
Also, most of the higher level JKD men I've studied with maintain that the straight lead's fist position was modified from the gung fu vertical fist to a slightly diagonal fist. I've heard this from several sources who are not in the same camp, so it seems pretty reliable to me. Try it out; the alignment feels great!
I am inclined to agree with you here! The diagonal fist does feel nice! I both use it and teach it to my students. It has it's place, just as the vertical fist does. I find that for cutting punches (sliding leverage - cutting into the tool) the chung chuie style punch works best, but for just an all out knockout lead hand punch, the diagonal fist is awesome! It is my preferred initial strike with a closed hand. Of course, bil jee is still the fastest!
Actually, we are in complete agreement there! The vertical fist position seems to be better for the outside cut punch and the close quarter punch (the one typically used during phon sao techniques). I attribute this the slight change in my bai jong when I get closer; I tend to square up slightly and assume a little bit more of a wing chun guard, although not quite.
"Switching it up", sounds like somthing you do in rounds, in a boxing match, with 12 rounds and judges to impress. I guess you could say there are rounds in a real fight, each 10 seconds = 1 round, so after the first round where you are "feeling" him out to see his strengths and weaknesses, then you can "switch it up" in the next round. Could you really I.D. someones style in 10 seconds? I would need a few trained coaches and a break between rounds.
Seems like street-fights dont last long enough to "switch it up" to confuse your opponent. Its a bundle of confusion from the start to finish. All you can really do is hit first, hit more and hit last.
It seems to me that if even two punches are thrown, there is opportunity to change things up. Furthermore, if your tool box only is equipped for a particular type of fight or opponent, you will find yourself ill-equipped if things don't go your way. Within reason, I think all martial artists should open their minds to a variety of possiblities that are likely to occur in a fight.
since we are talking jkd here, I will just mention that Sijo Bruce Lee, beleaved the best place for a knock out to acure is the jaw. (because of the whip lash of the head, causes the brain to bounce around inside the skull.) now in wing chun logic, depends on your opponents size, if you are a short sized person versus a large opponent, trying to angle your punch upward may decrease power. so although keeping the vertical punching arm may help protect your head, may be straight line punches toward the sternum can be deliverd more easily with more power. remenber Bruces startegy against kareem abdul jabbur in the game of death? he worked down stairs long anough to bring him down and finish him.
Current Topic - where to aim the jab when bareknuckle?
That hurts like a mofo! Its like getting an ear ache, times 10. The sharp numbing pain could cause someone to pass out. The only thing you would have to worry about is missing your target and crashing your knuckles on your enemies skull; a good alternative is a Hook palm strike, delivered in a similar manner as a Hook Punch. Your fleshy palm can endure a harder surface better then your jagged boney knuckles. Keep in mind, a strike to the ear is very harmful to your enemy, the ear is not solid bone, its just cardilage and flesh. Probally, with enough force applied, you could rupture youre enemies ear drum and cause partial (or complete) deafness. So, please be kind to your enemy and just break his nose.