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Jeet Kune Do

11K views 26 replies 8 participants last post by  corkyfraud 
#1 ·
Hey, I know there are similar posts to this but I wanted to get in depth.

Now I know JDK is a kind of mixed martial art. I trained in it a little.

I have seen that some fighters say its not good to use it because its a kind of jack of all trades style and its better to stick with the experts of each individual style.

But I have taken a few good things from it, one of which I want to talk about here.

The power hand forward stance.

I recently tried switching to that and noticed it felt very comfortable. Bruce lee always said that it was a better way as your power hand has less distance to travel.

But one thing I dont understand is not turning the hand over as you punch. Im not sure of the reasons but I was always told to turn it over.

So whats your stance (no pun intended) on this style of having the power hand as lead?
Have you tried it and do you think there are major benefits for it?


:)
 
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#2 ·
I've always played around with switching my stance up during sparring. I like to do it to throw my partner off and throw different looks at them. And it feels good to throw a few jabs with my power hand but my trainers always shoot me down after they notice I go south paw lol
 
#3 ·
Hey, I know there are similar posts to this but I wanted to get in depth.

Now I know JDK is a kind of mixed martial art. I trained in it a little.

I have seen that some fighters say its not good to use it because its a kind of jack of all trades style and its better to stick with the experts of each individual style.

But I have taken a few good things from it, one of which I want to talk about here.

The power hand forward stance.




I recently tried switching to that and noticed it felt very comfortable. Bruce lee always said that it was a better way as your power hand has less distance to travel.

But one thing I dont understand is not turning the hand over as you punch. Im not sure of the reasons but I was always told to turn it over.

So whats your stance (no pun intended) on this style of having the power hand as lead?
Have you tried it and do you think there are major benefits for it?


:)
Bruce Lee also said that you shouldnt close your fist until the moment before impact to reduce drag, but honestly, i cant close my hand fast enough and have a hard enough fist to prevent braking all of my fingers. lol.. The whole turning of the hand thing goes along with the reduce drag concept.
 
#5 ·
Yeah I dont plan on doing it properly just trying new things out really.
Catterman, I cant close my hands quick enough either. I tried on the heavy bag and my hand folded lol

Is there a power and speed difference from turning the hands over to not turning them over? I hanvnt personaly noticed a difference.
 
#6 ·
Not turning the hand over as you punch (leaving the first verticle). Is a remnant of Lee's initial training in Wing Chun Kung Fu as a child. In Kung Fu in general (at least to my knowledge of it), there is no "jab" or "cross" its instead replaced with various versions of the "vertical fist."

Search chain punches (a training technique) on youtube for a demonstration of the concept in motion.

My opinion on the power side forward or southpaw(in my case) stance, is that its something that a lot of fighters underestimate.

The draw back is obvious. The power punches (cross, rear hook, overhand, rear uppercut) are less powerful because they're not being performed with the dominant side of the body. However, the additional power that is translated into the lead punches (jab, lead hook, lead uppercut, etc), for me, make it worth the loss.

Another thing to think about is that power is only marginally decreased by the use of a power-lead style, because true punching power comes from the balls of the feet, all the way up, assuming there is proper coordination, not much power should be lost.

The gains to the lead side however are significant. Everyone (excluding our ambidextrous friends) have more developed bones/muscles/nerve fibers on one side of their body vs the other. This is on the power side. By makes the more developed side the lead side, one is able to use these more developed nerve fibers and muscles to throw punches more accurately and more surgically.

For me personally, in regards to JKD as a whole, I'm unimpressed. I've read the Tao, and researched the man, and while he was a very skileld fighter, and intellectual, IMO today he palls in comparison to fighters like Jose Aldo, or Frankie Edgar (similar weighted fighters of today).

The only aspect of JKD the Concept that is still as groundbreaking as it was when it was first concieved (IMO), is the idea that Martial Arts is always changing and that assigning it a name and constraining its limtations are foolish and counter productive.
 
#8 ·
I've tried it. Using a 1,2,1 wherein I didn't turn my first with the second jab. Against a person it felt very strange and unnatural (I should have spent more time working ont it) but against the bag it felt like a pushing technique, not a snapping technique.
 
#9 ·
Thats exactly what I felt. Like I was pushing more than anything else.
Believe it or not there is a guy that coaches boxing and kickboxing at my gym who uses JDK a lot and was very effective. He was one of the old school underground cagefighters around europe.
He can actualy pull off the three inch punch.
But I feel like im just pushing not punching.
I looked at some chain punching. Didnt look effective imo. Im sure most of us could endure some of the stuff I just watched to get in and take them out.
 
#10 ·
Yeah, chain punching is more of a training aid to develop fast-twitch nerve conduction, endurance, and coordination (similar to the concept a speed bag) rather than an actual hand-to-hand tactic.
 
#16 ·
2 things really p*** me off about that.
1) the fact that they say everything he is doin i a special technique, when its clearly just strong arming an old man.
and 2) They slowed it down so it didnt just look like, what it was, a shamefull brawl.
 
#24 ·
Hey bringing up an old thread here. :)
I have recently been practicing the vertical fist especially on my right straight. I have found its actually a lot quicker that turning the fist. And it generates quite a lot of power.
I think that in a street confrontation a straight vertical fist right would be more effective because of the speed.
This is all my opinion though im not an expert by any means.
 
#25 ·
What makes the turned over fist often superior to a vert fist, to me, is that it's a lot easier to protect yourself with the turned over fist. The shoulder seems to more naturally come up (or come up on its own) to protect that side of the jaw/face. Whereas with a vertical fist, the shoulder doesn't really come up for protection, and even if you purposely bring it up, it just feels unatural. At least that's how it comes off for me, from how I was taught the vert fist (which was to fire it off almost like a shovel hook, but with a straightening/lengthening of the arm).

I would guess that's not the case for everyone, and I'm not saying you're wrong - that's just my perspective on it, based off my training/what I've seen.
 
#26 ·
I agree with you. It doesnt offer that shoulder protection. But I played around with it for a bit and instead of throwing it like a slight shovel just throw it perfectly straight.
After a bit of playing around my shoulder seems to be just where I want it.
So its kind of a mix between boxing and JKD.
 
#27 ·
Well technically JKD is not a system as much as a philosophy. Bruce was comfortable in his skill set and what worked for him, and he always encouraged others to do the same. Whether it be Kung Fu, Muay Thai or Karate..JKD encourages one to find the most effective technique for the given situation. If your push kick is more effective (due to your reach), then say a lunging punch...then use it. Bruce was bothered by the fact that JKD may become stylized and systematic and hence always referred to it as a philosophy.
 
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