Bruce Lee wrote an outstanding and
famous article,
Liberate
Yourself From Classical Karate regarding this problem. His replies to reactions to his (at the time)
controversial statements are also revealing.
Don't take anything on this page as gospel. It's just informational.
Required reading for serious martial-artists:
Its hard to train in the martial-arts without equipment:
The martial art of Tang Soo Do is relatively modern. However, its basis, the Korean art of Soo Bahk Do, dates back many centuries. Tang Soo Do is a composite styles, being 60% Soo Bahk Do, 30% northern Chinese and 10% southern Chinese. Our kicking techniques, for which Tang Soo Do is unsurpassed, are based on Soo Bahk. Soo Bahk was first developed during the Silla Dynasty (618-925 A.D.), but enjoyed it flowering during the Koryo Dynasty (935-1392 A.D>).
Tang Soo Do is both a hard and soft style, deriving its hardness in part from Soo Bahk and its soft flowing movements from the northern Chinese systems.
The man who developed Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan, Grandmaster Hwang Kee, is a martial arts prodigy, having mastered Tae Kyun (another Korean system not related to Tae Kwon Do) and Soo Bahk Do at the age of 22. At that time, (1936), he travelled to northern China. There he encountered a Chinese variation of martial artistry called the Tang Method and developed what was to be known as Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan.
Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan (a brotherhood and school of stopping inner and outer conflict and developing virtue according to the way of the worthy hand) is not a sport. Though it is not essentially competitive, it has great combat applications. It is a classical martial art, and its purpose is to develop every aspect of the self, in order to create a mature personality who totally integrates his intellect, body, emotions, and spirit. This total integration helps to create a person who is free from inner conflict and who can deal with the outside world in a mature, intelligent, forthright, and virtuous manner.
Chi Gong (aka Qigong) is a Chinese mind-body discipline with philosophical ties to Taoism and Buddhism; it is partially derived from yoga.
What is chi? The Chinese believe that chi, or qi, is a kind of bioenergy which exists in all things; the universe is made of yin chi and yang chi; (In Taoism, yin is considered to be all things cool, feminine, dark, etc. -- while yang is considered to be all things masculine, warm, bright, etc. The two are not opposing forces, but complementary. It is said that there is a little yin in the yang and a little yang in the yin.) Others see "chi" as a useful mental construct or visualization which helps the martial-artist use and focus his power and stay balanced and relaxed.
Chi flows through the human body in vessels called meridians; these meridians are commonly believed to be similar to (but not the same as) the nerves and the nervous system. Chi provides energy to the body, mind, and spirit. In essence, chi is the body's life force.
Chinese medical theory therefore believes that it is very important to keep the flow of chi smooth and regular, and to keep the yin chi and the yang chi balanced; otherwise, illness (both physical and/or mental) and eventual death result. (Traditional acupuncture is merely the use of needles to manipulate the flow of chi at acupoints -- points at which the meridians are relatively "uncovered" by physical obstructions such as muscle tissue or bone structures.) The manipulation of chi through various means, including acupuncture, qigong, and herbal medicines, is especially effective in curing disease and chronic ailments such as (but not limited to) ulcers, migraines, arthritis, glandular dysfunctions, insomnia, and even many types of cancers.
The Qigong practitioner uses both mental control and physical exercises to increase his supply of chi, ease its flow, and maintain its balance, while maintaining complete control. During these exercises, it is common to feel various sensations as qi moves through the body -- heat, pressure, and swelling or tingling sensations are common. As well, during practice, people may experience trembling or pain in certain areas of the body. While it may take a while for the healthful and healing effects of qigong practice to fully manifest themselves (a month to a year of constant practice), after each practice session, one feels more alert and energetic, yet relaxed, centered and peaceful. In advanced stages, an adept can mentally direct the flow of his chi to various parts of the body, and even outside of his body, to a certain extent.
Qigong thus has applications in maintaining personal health, Chinese medicine, and the martial-arts. The skilled Qigong practitioner is often called upon to help cure sick people. This is because he is so sensitive to the movements of chi that he can feel the specific imbalances, stagnations, or impurities in the qi of others. Having determined, in his own way, what is wrong, he can take the appropriate steps to helping the sick person, which may involve using his own chi to make the proper corrections in the bodies of others.
Traditional Chinese martial-artists all study qigong. This is partially because the moral training that martial-artists undergo dictates that at the same time one learns to hurt or kill others, one should also learn how to heal.
On a more practical level, the proper use of qi is very important in combat. By directing his own chi to certain areas of the body, a fighter can decrease the injuries caused by the blows of his opponent. A fighter can also direct his chi to his hands and feet in increase the damage done by his own strikes.
The most dramatic example of this practical application of qigong in combat is seen in a technique called the Iron Sand Palm, or the Red Sand Palm. After years of specific training in this technique, the practitioner develops immense "internal" strength. He can crush a pile of bricks with what appears to be only a light slap; the most skilled can even control which brick(s) in the pile he wants to break. It is obvious that such power used in a strike to an opponent would cause devastating damage.
(We should note that while other non-Chinese styles of martial-arts also teach "brick-breaking", the power developed in these styles in transitory. In old age, it is readily apparent whether a martial-artist acquired his power through brute conditioning or through the use of qigong, for the Chinese stylist will still have steady, supple and powerful hands -- whereas the martial-artist who took the shortcut will have hands so weak and trembly that they are virtually useless.)
I will not attempt to teach or describe any qigong exercises here for two reasons. Firstly, I am still a novice and therefore not qualified to teach -- and I won't be for many many years to come. Secondly, qigong study is a very serious proposition and MUST be fully supervised by a good sifu (teacher). Each person will have a slightly different training regimen, due to his or her different body type. Great care should be taken in practicing qigong -- remember that you're choosing to mess around with your life-force here, and this is not something to be taken lightly.
Yang's Martial Arts Association has published several decent books about chi kung, including _Chi Kung_ by Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming and _Tao of Bioenergetics_ by George Katchmer. The latter is actually a book which compares the Chinese views on chi and other phenomena with separately discovered Western theories by scientists such as Carl Jung and William Reich. About the former book -- its good, but did I mention that you shouldn't try to learn qigong on your own without supervision?? Anyway, you can get a listing of books by writing to:
Yang's Martial-Arts Association (YMAA)
38 Hyde Park Avenue
Boston, MA 02130
We've all heard stories of the highly trained, highly skilled martial-arts master getting his butt kicked on the street by a totally untrained bar brawler. This has led many people to remark, "That crap doesn't work in a real fight."
So is martial-arts training completely useless for self-defense and fighting? Not really. The problem is, the black-belt spent all his time learning techniques that would be useful in a fight, but he never bothered to train himself to exploit opportunities to deliver them. He knew how to deliver that great roundhouse kick, but not when or why. All three are important. Perhaps, in addition, he failed to develop many important attributes needed to be a skilled fighter (which is not to say that the black-belt wasn't a skilled martial-artist.)
Bruce Lee wrote an outstanding and
famous article,
Liberate
Yourself From Classical Karate regarding this problem. His replies to reactions to his (at the time)
controversial statements are also revealing.
Bruce Lee began his formal training in the style of wing chun gung-fu for self defense in his ongoing streetfights with gangs in Hong Kong. His teacher was the legendary Yip Man. Wing Chun is a relatively new, devastatingly fast and powerful style of gung-fu which stresses occupying the center-line, simultaneous parry-and-attack, and developing heightened sensitivity in the forearms. It is especially effective in the middle and close distance ranges.
Growing up in Hong Kong, Bruce was exposed to other styles of Gung Fu; from these, he learned some of the kicks of the northern styles. When he moved, at the age of 18, to the United States, he began to incorporate these kicks into his style. He also modified some of the stances and positions of Wing Chun, moving his right side forward and his left side back a little to create less of a square stance. Bruce's art -- Jun Fan.
In the early 1960's, Bruce met Ed Parker, the founder of American Kenpo; undoubtedly, each of them influenced the other's art to a certain extent. Bruce also met Dan Inosantos, a student of Parker's at the time. Inosantos was to become Bruce's main protege (and currently is regarded as one of the main authorities of Jeet Kune Do). Inosantos introduced Bruce to the Filipino martial arts. (Here is another place with info on the Filipino arts). Througout the '60's Bruce was constantly meeting other martial-artists, reading, practicing, and learning. Among the arts and/or people he came into contact with were:
It was Professor Jay who suggested an "all-encompassing martial-art" to Bruce. But, by the late '60's, Bruce was no longer just interested in 'styles' or in simply adding techniques to his arsenal. Instead, he was interested in a philosophy of combat -- a set of principles about the nature of combat -- and how to apply that philosophy. Thus was born Jeet Kune Do. Actually, the process is a little more involved. A little synopsis by Marty here. You can also read these:
JKD also stresses deception and misdirection:
Specific drills were introduced to train students in attributes so that they could effectively implement these strategies. Unlike most traditional MA training, JKD training includes specific drills to improve attributes like balance, reaction speed, technique performance speed, timing, reflexes, sensitivity, coordination, and rhythm. Then students are given protective gear and told to spar, no-holds-barred -- to learn how to employ these attributes and strategies in a real fight. Lee used to say, "You need to jump in the water to learn how to swim ... you can't just stay on dry land."
Theoretically, Lee found that there were four distance ranges and five general methods of attack in hand-to-hand. The Jun-Fan/JKD page describes these.
What was written here is by no means a complete description of Jeet Kune Do ... nor can any written account truly describe this, or any other martial-art. To learn and understand any martial art -- go, look, listen, and DO.
Some potential sources of more expert information regarding Jeet Kune Do can be gotten from these sources (but I have not verified the addresses which may no longer be current ...):
SO, are you inspired to take up the martial-arts yet?
Here's something a little more
humorous
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