JKD Principles

There are a number of blogs and forum threads about how to be a true JKD artist. Some feel that following the teachings of Bruce Lee, means abandoning all technique.

Well … uh … ‘kinda’ … ‘sorta’

While it’s true that Bruce Lee didn’t want to be bound by techniques, he certainly had practiced and perfected a myriad of moves. And even though he emphasized the elimination of such a large repertoire, there is no denying that all of that practice of precise techniques influenced the way his body responded.

Bruce didn’t know anything about the myelin sheaths in his brain, or how he was creating pathways for faster, no-thought, responses. So, even if he thought he was reacting free of technique, his body still conformed to his internalized rules of good positioning, elbow orientation, balance, and so on.

Bruce Lee Clones

Rather than trying to be a clone of Bruce Lee, we should concentrate on becoming the best version of ourselves that we can. So, how should we choose our techniques? And how should we practice them?

Choosing Martial-Arts Techniques

It’s easy …

Don’t worry so much about the moves; instead, focus on the principles.

Let me give you one example:

Bruce Lee recognized a fighter’s problem of getting faked out by a feint. These indirect attacks created openings for the opponent to attack.

After further analysis, Bruce recognized that it was a side-to-side movement that opened you up the most for an indirect attack. So, he developed his principle of staying focused on an opponent’s centerline.

This means no more side-to-side blocking. In other words, no hard blocks that don’t head in toward your enemy’s centerline.

How does this affect you?

• You could choose a style that doesn’t use hard, side-to-side blocks
• You could eliminate such moves from a style that does block this way
• You could modify your blocks, so that they push in toward your opponent.

You’ll find an explanation of centerline theory in this free video:
http://kerwinbenson.com/attack-by-drawing/

If you stay faithful to the principle, you’ll stay focused on the centerline of your opponent. Your response could be free from any recognizable technique. (Although Bruce acknowledged in The Lost Interview that there were a limited number of ways that a human can move his or her body. So, everything might seem familiar.)

Or your response might be from a specific style that you have studied.

I think Bruce Lee’s point was that it doesn’t matter where it hails from. You respond with the best tool for the job, based on what you have practiced and internalized. As long as you stay faithful to his principles … and yes, there are more than one … then you’re OK.

Just my thoughts for the day.

Your opinions?