Jeet Kune Do
Ways of Attack:
The Five Ways of Attack outline five distinct strategies that can be helpful to any martial artist regardless of experience or style. Each strategy works together as well as on it's own. After practicing them individually, you will begin to realize that all are inter- related. An HIA can also be a PIA, ABCs are made up of a series of SDAs, or you may use an ABD to pull off a PIA. I know it looks confusing using all those acronyms. Attacking can be quite simple having the Five Ways of Attack to label your options.
Single Direct Attack
An SDA, or Single Direct Attack, is one single strike, taking a direct path to the target. Although it is probably one of the most difficult attacks to land, it is definitely the most important to master. Strong SDAs make strong fighters. If you were able to land an SDA with successful consistency, you would obviously out class your adversary. An SDA takes precise timing, distance, and a keen awareness. An SDA is a very simple attack, involving no set up or preparation. It is an attack that takes advantage of holes in an opponent's defense.
Examples of an SDA:
A straight lead to the head when they drop their guard.
A front lift kick to the groin area.
A side kick to the open ribcage.
Attack By Drawing
ABD stands for Attack By Drawing. It is a set up. It draws the others into a situation that enables you to strike. You can draw them to make an attack that you plan to counter. They can be led a certain direction so that you can intercept or simple get them close enough to hit. Most ABD type attacks require a level of comfort that can only be achieved through numerous sparring sessions. It is necessary to be able to think clearly during the confrontation. ABDs are preplanned; they are a manipulation of you opponent's actions.
Examples of ABD:
To close the gap, you back away. As they follow, shorten each of your steps gradually so that it goes undetected. With each step getting shorter, they come into your range without noticing. As soon as they are in striking distance, attack.
Purposely leaving the right side of your head unguarded, you attempt to draw a jab out of them. When they throw the jab, you counter with a slip and a strike to the ribcage. (Distance is important in this. If you stand out of his punching range, you are likely to get kicked in the head while waiting for the jab)
Attack By Combination
An ABC is an Attack By Combination. It is, as it sounds, an attack that utilizes a series of strikes together as one. They are designed to overload the opposition with a few, or possibly several, strikes to fend off. ABCs can be combinations involving hands, feet, or the two together. The amount of possible combinations is endless. With practice on your own, you will find the combos that flow best for you.
Examples of ABCs:
A straight lead to the head, a cross to the body and a hook to head.
A Side kick to the knee, a straight lead to thee head, then a hook to the head.
A straight lead to the head, a hook kick to the groin, followed by another straight.
Progressive Indirect Attack
PIA or Progressive Indirect Attack is the preferred method for a JKD man. It is an attack that is planned from start to finish. Both Feints and fakes are used along with real strikes to set up your final blow. Unlike an SDA, which is thrown directly towards the desired target, with a PIA you may throw a fake, feint, or a real attack, towards another target, drawing their attention to that attack. When they respond, it will open the target you originally intended to hit. Planning a PIA, you will chose a striking point and progressively work your way in.
Examples of PIAs:
Throw a fake low punch to the stomach. When they drop their hand to block, strike to the face.
You notice your opponent drops his hands when you attack low, and raises both when you attack high. Lead with a low kick to the groin. When they block it, follow with a lead to the head. If they block that too, throw another kick to the groin while their hands are covering their face.
For someone who backs away frequently; Throw a Straight lead as a feint, when they step back, Double up on the lead, catching them in recovery from their first step.
Hand Immobilization Attack
A Hand Immobilization Attack is a way to force an opening through a tight defense. HIAs, also known as trapping hands, may also be a way of tying up the opponent's weapons so they cannot be used against you. The origin of trapping in JKD is from Wing Chun Gung Fu, the style Bruce practiced when he was young. Trapping can get very complicated. For effective HIAs, it is best to stick to simple traps, steering away from those that involve several movements.
Examples of HIA:
Lead with a low punch to the stomach, When they block, slap their forearm (Pak Sao) with you're rear hand, preventing it from moving while you take advantage of the opening, hitting with a backfist to the head.
While fighting inside, you throw a hook to the head. If they block the hook, as soon as contact is felt, hook their forearm and jerk (Jut Sao) the arm downwards (Like pulling the lever on a slot machine). Immediately spring off their arm with the same hand and strike to their head.
Interception
Jeet Kune Do translates as 'The Way of the Intercepting Fist'. It seemed appropriate to provide an article about interception itself.
The interception of an attack can be a very useful tool. It can add power to your attack without additional effort. It may require little preparation, giving the element of surprise. It also, can be extremely frustrating to your rival, helping to win the bout psychologically as well as physically.
There are many different types of interception. An interception does not have to be executed only with the fist. You can intercept a punch with a kick, a kick with a punch, or a kick with a kick etc. Some do not even involve a strike from both sides. You can cut off an attack by simply moving into a position that will jam them, leaving no opportunity for them to land the attack. Alternatively, if he were to simply step one way or the other, you could intercept their motion with a blow, causing him to walk into it.
There are also different times during the adversaries' attack in which an interception may take place. It can occur before, during, or after their attack or movement. Before, or while the opponent is in preparation, you can read their intentions and strike before they can initiate. During their movement, there may be several opportunities to intercept. You could strike from the materialization of their movement all the way up to their full commitment. After, or upon completion, the interception takes place as they recover and before they can launch another attack.
In order to utilize interception as a tactic, it is necessary to train certain attributes. First are your Single Direct Attacks (or S.D.A.'s), for obvious reasons. The faster, more precise, and more powerful your technique, the better chance you will have in pulling it off. Next, and equally important, is mental awareness. Your mind must be sharp in order to pick up on their movement and react accordingly. Additionally, work to control your emotions is needed so that fear, self-doubt, and you ego do not cloud your senses and hinder your performance. Two other attributes that need specific attention are timing and distance. Surely, they are both important anyway, but without them, interception becomes impossible. Proper timing can be responsible for some of the most devastating attacks. You can use the momentum from your movement combined with theirs, timing it so that they collide head on into your strike. While the correct distance enables you to strike the target cleanly allowing for more power and penetration.
Examples of interceptions:
The opponent begins to throw a front kick from the rear leg. You intercept his kick with a sidekick to the attacking leg as it approaches your position. This is commonly called a stop kick or Jeet Tek in JKD. Depending on your distance and timing, you can attack just about any part of their leg, from the thigh down to the top of their foot.
The opponent throws a jab at your head. Drop and Step forward to the outside of their lead leg letting his jab pass over your shoulder. As it does, strike to their open rib cage. This is also called a slip.
The opponent begins to step to his left. Throw a hook with your right hand, timing it so that they walk into the punch. Strike them before they complete the step, they will take a much greater impact if their feet have not yet settled on the ground. Intercepting is almost an art in itself. It takes a lot of practice to perfect but is well worth the effort in the end. Once you are able to utilize interceptions effectively, you will gain a new level of control in both, sparring sessions, or on the street. Interception is a tool for the superior fighter.
The Straight Lead
The straight lead is one of the most effective techniques in JKD as well as being one of the most important. The principles involved in this attack are fundamental to all of JKD. This is only a very brief description. The straight lead is a very intricate and scientific punch. Its perfection takes a great amount of practice and deserves a lot of attention to the details. To effectively learn this punch requires hands on training. It cannot be completely understood from its explanation.
It is a punch that is launched from the leading hand. Although its mechanics are completely different, it can be equated to a boxers jab. Like the jab, it can be used as a feeler, to measure distance or to create openings for subsequent attacks. Unlike the jab, it , when performed correctly, can have the sting of a knock out punch.
From the ready position the hand is held loosely and relaxed. Pointing towards the target, the hand starts the motion straight and unswerving. Following the hand, the front foot lifts slightly off the ground. Quickly, the muscles of the rear leg push the forward, propelling the body weight behind the punch with great momentum.
The arm travels completely straight throughout the entire motion. Upon impact, the fist lands first, having been relaxed all the way through, clenching at the last moment with a final snap three inches past the point of impact. All energy and momentum are focused on the bottom three knuckles, the fist being held vertically. Followed by the fist is the front foot, and then the rear. The shoulder extends, and the hips snap, thrusting through the target. With the arm, shoulder, and hips in action the body forms a straight line (The power line) at the final destination. This facilitates a minimum amount of wasted energy. The entire body weight collides with the target.
Upon retraction, the arm is pulled back by the hips as quickly as it was launched. the body recovers into its original position smoothly, without loss of balance. With a clean recovery, you are ready for another attack.
The speed of the straight lead depends on the hand leaving first, creating the ultimate in non-telegraphic motion. Also, traveling in a straight line, it takes the shortest route possible.
The power depends on, the speed, its straight path, and the creation of the power line as explained earlier.