On Health, Fitness & Jeet Kune Do

When is the last time you took a moment to objectively listen to and evaluate that ever-present voice in your head?

We all have it. For some of us, it is louder and more obnoxious than for others. Sometimes the voice helps us make difficult decisions, but in general, it tends to be rather negative, cynical, and often cruelly chastising.

It’s called self talk, and for some reason the great majority of people tend to beat themselves up with it, and it is perhaps a student’s greatest challenge to advancement.

I see students punishing themselves far too often for making mistakes.  There are no mistakes!  There is always a better way of doing things, and we can always strive to be better.  Reminding and encouraging ourselves to excel is far more productive that convincing ourselves of how poorly we performed.

Martial arts, or any holistically engaging activity, can be used as a powerful tool to quiet and/or control self talk, but like most skills, turning the mental chatterbox into a trained and supportive ally takes time and diligence.

Focusing on a union of mind and body creates a certain synergy leading to ease of movement and physical expression. Bruce Lee saw the power of developing spiritual and mental strength, especially after that fateful day in 1970 when he injured his back, told he would never kick again, and subsequently bedridden for six months. Lee turned to books about philosophy, psychology, spirituality and personal growth. He also reinforced his mental/spiritual/emotional training via copious writing.

Reading and watching videos or listening to audios are also powerful ways to control mental chatter and retrain our self talk, just be certain that the material is engaging and positive. Follow up by practicing what you have learned, writing about it, and using positive language during self talk.

One thing that all martial artists and aspiring martial artists should remember is that the non-physical aspect of training is far more powerful than the physical. As Bruce Lee said, “JKD, ultimately is not a matter of petty techniques but of highly developed spirituality and physique.”

In Health,

–
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com

The Azusa Adult School will now be offering basic Jeet Kune Do and bodyweight based strength and conditioning this coming Fall.

I will be teaching a two hour class Thursday evenings entitled “Urban Self Defense & Functional Fitness.”

At a tuition of $80 for two months of training, this is a steal!  Keep in mind, however, that due to liability issues, contact will not be used during training.  With the exception of focus mitts, this will be a non-contact class.

For more info and registration go to: http://www.adultedreg.com/azusa/index.cfm?processtype=department&deptid=5261

Here’s a great short clip of original Bruce Lee student, Bob Bremer demonstrating some gap bridging skills using the hammer principle.

Enjoy!

–
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com

The shovel hook is one of those punches that gets very little publicity in the world of pugilism, yet is extraordinarily useful.

I generally don’t teach the shovel hook until later on in training due to its tendency to throw the balance and guard off when executed by a novice. Once incorporated into the arsenal of short range punches, however, it is highly deceptive and powerful.

Having said this, it seems that there is a bit of variation along with some confusion about how the shovel hook is executed.

The two main variations I’ve seen from boxers are essentially hybrid hook/uppercuts. One being more of an uppercut that is thrown into the body rather than upwards towards the face, and the other being simply a hooking punch that is thrown at a 45 degree angle towards the face.

These two variations seem to be the predominant modern versions of the shovel, although there do appear to be more.

In Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee seemed to have preferred the mechanics of the classic shovel hook as described by old time boxing champion Jack Dempsey. In fact, the description of the shovel found in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do is nearly identical to Dempsey’s except for the right stancer’s modification.

So, for the record, the JKD shovel hook is thrown with the elbow starting tight against the body and in front of the hip.  The fist then travels in a 45 degree angle, generally toward the solar plexus or chin, landing on the bottom three knuckles. Most of the power is actually being generated from a deep shoveling/upward thrusting of the punching side hip. It really is more of a straight punch than a hook as the shoulder whirl is not emphasized, the elbow is not necessarily fixed, and the body weight is kept in the lead side.

Hope this helps,

–
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com

The human body is covered with potentially useful striking surfaces, making it an incredibly adaptable potential living weapon.

Does having so many choices, however, really benefit the user? I suppose it depends.

I recently overheard a veteran martial artist explain to a novice the difference in the side kick using the heel versus the knife foot. He went on to explain that the main difference is in the type of damage caused. The heel kick is more “crushing” whereas the outer edge of the foot is more “cutting”. Giving numerous examples, he also showed how the knife foot allows for more surgical precision reaching smaller targets like the throat or individual ribs.

As I listened, memories of my childhood training in Tang Soo Do came to mind. It seems that this explanation is pretty standard in traditional martial arts. It also seems to be common to teach proper knife foot positioning by practicing walking on the edges of one’s feet.

In my own classes, however, I never teach the side kick utilizing the knife foot. The structure of the foot and ankle simply does not allow safe execution of a strike with the foot in a supinated position. The foot and ankle are essentially a very complex support system designed for strength, mobility, shock absorption and stability just to name a few. Extending the the delicate foot muscles, tendons, and ligaments to the end of their range of motion, as in pronation or suponation, weakens the foot and increases the likelihood of a sprain.

In my acupuncture practice, I have treated numerous ankle sprains with over ninety percent of those coming from foot supination, much like the knife foot position except that the ankle was pushed just a tiny bit further than it wanted to go.

Kicking with the heel, on the other hand, places the shock of striking on the strongest part of the foot; the part designed to withstand high impact.

Admittedly, the knife foot side kick does look nice . . . which is probably why Bruce Lee is seen utilizing it for the camera.

Just remember, that the knife foot looks nice in the movies, but it is about as effective for kicking as it is for running.

Keep it simple and just use your heel.

Happy Training!

–
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com