My intro to JKD with JDKbyNik

Discussion in 'Jeet Kune Do' started by Bigmikey, Oct 3, 2012.

  1. Bigmikey

    Bigmikey Internet Pacifist.

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    **DISCLAIMER: I'm writing this to fulfill the promise I made Nik which was after a week of trial lessons, I'd tell everyone here my thoughts on his school, his teachings and JKD in general. I am not writing this in any official MAP capacity, as one of its agents or representatives. The opinions given here as those of a complete rookie to JKD and are not intended to be the final expert opinion on any particular style or methodology of JKD or its derivatives. It is quite simply my report on the experience I had, and no more.


    Information

    School Name: Ballistic Fighthing Methods

    Styles Featured: Jeet Kune Do, MMA, Filipino MA, Silat

    location: Huntley Rd., Algonquin Illinois

    Web Site: www.ballisticfightingmethods.com

    See website for class schedules and upcoming events!


    Review:

    This was my first experience with any martial art other than a traditional Asian art like Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido or Okinawan Karate so I had no expectations walking into the class. Sure, I'd read Bruce Lee's Tao and Bruce Lee's fighting method but I knew what was written there had changed in the years since its writing. My slate was blank.

    The school isn't small, but it isn't overly large. It's nicely decorated but, and this is probably my only criticism, I noticed a distinct absence of any sort of mirrors which might actually be beneficial to noobs since they can stand next to an instructor and watch them do things in the mirror rather than crane the neck around or stand to the side. It's a small matter of no consequence really, they seem to do well enough without them.

    The class begins abruptly for me with my traditional background. There are no lengthy warm ups or outdated calisthenics, its just right to business which, upon reflection, I found refreshing. In HKD there were warm up exercises, and some stretches, and then some running in a circle around the school while suddenly having to do jumping jacks mid jog, all of which ate into the 50 minutes of class we had but didn't do enough to improve either our flexibility or our conditioning. I guess the Koreans haven't heard about the bodies ability to adapt to stress. Doing the same low impact warm up day after day loses whatever minute benefit it may have once the body adjusts to those paltry demands. I would rather we simply used the time to learn. Seems Nik feels the same. It mattered little anyway, by a few minutes into class I was sweating as if I'd done some lengthy warm up anyway. The sort-of-hour long classes are filled moments of intense cardio off set by periods of instruction. I say "sort of" because none of the classes I went to ended on time. Instead they ran well over the hour, which I found refreshing since we didn't have to stop a lesson midway through simply because the clock said we should. No one minded at all. Still, even at 80 minutes, they flew by unlike some of the HKD classes I remember, which were half as long and yet felt somehow much longer.

    Working with an assistant instructor named Kevin, I began to learn the fundamental principles behind what they do: Probe/Intercept - Apply Pressure - Terminate the engagement. Those are my terms, not Nik's, but the point is the same. We drilled methods of gauging our enemies intent, intercepting his initial attack, applying pressure to put him off balance and finally get inside and finish him.

    We started with a set of principles called "RAT" (Rapid Action Tactics). My drills, the "starting point" as Kevin called it, involved one of two methods of intercepting an attacker: an eye gouge or a groin kick with the instep. Either one is delivered from a stance strange to me with my traditional background. My stance was about as wide as a normal step might be, front knee bent, rear heel up, centered over the hips. It took a bit but I ultimately found it comfortable and natural. From this position, there was some foot work which I believe was called the step-slide (or something of the sort). It entailed stepping forward with the lead food and sliding the trailing foot behind, never leaving that step-width stance.

    My interceptions started from this stance and with this footwork. For the eye gouge, as an example, I would read the attackers distance, step forward with my lead leg, flick my lead hand out, fingers extended but relaxed, at the attackers eyes. Similarly for the groin kick. It was delivered from the lead leg for MY drill. It was interesting to watch my Korean style front kick against Kevin's more natural, less polished kick. Neither was any more or less effective, it was simply something I took note of. It was also interesting to note how difficult it was for me to kick ONLY groin high. After so much Korean "high section" pounded into me, kicking to the groin was actually difficult as the mechanics were honestly foreign to me. Eventually I stopped kicking Kareem Abdul Jabar in the ju ju's and got it right.

    Next, after the interception is 'Apply Pressure' or closing the distance as my mind refers to it. For me this was done using a chain punch. I had never chain punched before and it seemed odd to me to bring both of my hands to bare in such a linear, repetitive fashion but I can see how, if used correctly, it could be very affective at keeping an opponent off balance while you move to the next step. The clinch.

    Coming from HKD/TKD and Karate, I'd never clinched up before so the first tim Kevin got his hands around my skull I pretty much shut down and just giggled. My brain sloshed around inside my skull like a sponge floating in a bucket of water on the back of a truck headed through a field. He grabbed me by the neck as if he were grabbing a bowling ball off a return at the bowling alley. The moment he locked on to me I could tell I was through. Next he threw a series of knees and elbows at me with startling speed and power. It was impressive. Mine, however, not so much. The subtle nuances were difficult to put into practice at speed. The body mechanics were foreign yet seemed far more natural. I know it was my own time spent training like a Korean that made a more natural movement so difficult to grasp at first.

    Nothing inhibits natural motion more than structured training.

    Yet, the instruction was so well delivered I was able to catch on and feel comfortable. By the end of class I felt as if I had actually learned a fair bit about tactics, application and the principles behind them. That's more than I can say after three years of Hapkido.

    We also did an exercise which felt a teeny bit 'kung fu movie" to me but which was ridiculously fun. The drill was lap sao/bong sao. It involved constant contact and a fluid exchange of power/energy. It was enlightening and I was less than awesome at it though I did want to be.

    The next class we got to play with knives and I summarily got my **** sliced into lunch meat by a man large enough to make me feel small - a feeling I've not had in a LONG time. Jeff the giant was nimble and quick in his execution but patient and kind in his instruction. He, too, is an HKD survivor having attained his black belt before leaving the fold and it was apparent in some of the kicks he threw at me during a bit of light contact drilling we did.

    We explored lap sao/bong sao in more depth and worked in exchanges, break aways and other techniques such as body pummeling, and something called "dugong" (sp?) which seemed like a way of applying pressure to either draw someone in while controlling them or to move them off balance, still while controlling them.

    Unfortunately, after that second class my work schedule prevented me from attending any more - which I'm rather upset about. It's not every day you get the chance to 1) learn something for free that's so intriguing and fun, and 2) learn from someone who seems to know it so completely. Nik has graciously afforded me one more day next week to come in and take another class. I'll not miss it.

    On a personal note: Nik is a fabulous teacher with a great sense of his craft. He patiently conveys things not only verbally, but visually and physically also. At several points during class he pulled the group together and using a white board, explained theories and concepts visually which helped a noob like me a great deal. His physical demonstrations are enlightening and his demeanor is friendly yet ever professional. You can't seem to help but respect him every bit as much for the knowledge he clearly possess as you do for the person he is.


    Rating (out of 5): 4.99 (I gotta have my mirrors, man :D )
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2012
  2. Nojon

    Nojon Tha mo bhàta-foluaimein

    Dumog perhaps? Dugong is Australian for manatee mate.:D
     
  3. Bigmikey

    Bigmikey Internet Pacifist.

    THATS IT! Thanks!
     
  4. Bigmikey

    Bigmikey Internet Pacifist.

    GRRR... once again I can't edit. It just clocks, and clocks and then tells me there's a connection error, yet I can post like this all day. Gonna go chain punch the server.
     
  5. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    Is that you in the the shorts Mikey? :)
     
  6. Bozza Bostik

    Bozza Bostik Antichrist on Button Moon

    Nice one! I look forward to reading that in more detail later. I love JKD myself and wish I could study it again.

    What happened with the HKD? You were thinking of quitting.
     
  7. Bigmikey

    Bigmikey Internet Pacifist.

    I fought hard to stay there, man. I did. But I was working on a spinning turn kick and laid myself up for almost a week cause the knee just wont have it anymore. It's required to pass the test so at that point it became a matter of why bother paying for the test when I know I cant complete it. I asked the wife if she'd think less of me if I quit. She looked at me and said "Actually, I'd have thought less of you if you'd TRIED." and that was all I needed to hear.

    What makes Nik's JKD so attractive to me is the utter and complete absence of "high section" mentality. Even with my jacked up knee, achilles, hips and hamstrings I can still kick a guy in the dangly bits *evil grin*
     
  8. Bigmikey

    Bigmikey Internet Pacifist.

    nah.. my legs are paler... and yet shaplier.... *shrugs*...
     
  9. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    The JKD approach is very much "this is us and our ideas, if you can't make it work we'll adapt it for you".

    It's not for everyone, but I've found all JKD instructors to be pretty honest and open.
     
  10. JKDbyNik

    JKDbyNik Valued Member

    Thank you BigMikey for the very kind review!!! It was a real pleasure having you in the class and I definitely hope to see you again!!! And like we discussed in class, I don't want you to throw away your HKD training, rather come with an "empty cup" and absorb the concepts of JKD, then look back at HKD and see how you can plug it back in. Afterall, "all knowledge is good knowledge" as Bruce said. See you soon brother!

    p.s. I am filming a short vid on the Lop Sao/Bong Sao Drill and what it's really for...I will make sure to post it up here.

    DISCLAIMER!!! I only threatened BigMikey a lil bit to write a good review! LOL!
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  11. Bigmikey

    Bigmikey Internet Pacifist.

    It's interesting you say that, Simon. After my first class Nik and I were talking and he said "Mike, you say often that 'you wasted your time' in HKD. I don't want you to say that. It's not true." And then he went on to help me see that my HKD time was anything BUT a waste. Since I cant repeat his words let me see if I can use my own. Basically, the 120-odd techniques I learned are like $120 in my back pocket. Just sitting there they have no intrinsic value. Its what they can be turned INTO that GIVES them value. Nik showed me how the locks and throws I learned can be employed into JKD and used VERY effectively. It was eye opening and gave me a better feeling regarding the time I spent in HKD.
     
  12. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    I sometimes think it would be easier to have a class of black belts from other styles.

    They would all have technique to varying degrees and I could just say, "try it this way and see what happens".

    I'm sure a lot of good ideas and a raised skills set would emerge from it.

    I did a simple hubud drill at the MAP meet this weekend. As everyone was a martial artist they got the basic flow in a matter of minutes. Some knew the drill, some didn't, but it was nice to be called over and have someone say, "i find myself doing this, is that okay"?
    Of course it is okay. This leads to that, which in turn allows you to do the very thing you do in your own art.

    One of the reasons I chose that drill. Entries for the TKD guys, Southpaw and his MMA takedowns, the karate guys and so on.
     
  13. JKDbyNik

    JKDbyNik Valued Member

    This is very true Mikey! I remember being at a Guru Dan Inosanto seminar many moons ago, and he started talking about JKD. He said something that changed the way I looked at thing. He said "JKD isn't a martial art, it's a lens to which we are to view everything through. First you look at martial arts thru the JKD lens, then you can look at everything around you, but most importantly, we should view ourselves thru the lens." Once I wrapped my mind around it, he was SO correct!!! In some time, once you get a little more educated in the JKD philosophies and concepts, you will look at your HKD training and some of it you'll throw away, but some of it you'll make your own. As Bruce said..."Absorb what is useful, discard the useless, and add what is simply your own."
     
  14. Bigmikey

    Bigmikey Internet Pacifist.

    Believe me, if I can swing it AT ALL, I'll be getting more educated in JKD. I may have to sell my family, but I'll make it work ;)
     
  15. JKDJoe

    JKDJoe Valued Member

    Sounds good and similar to the way JKD is taught at my school.
    Glad you enjoyed it and learned a bit. And FYI, my Grandmaster is a black belt in Hapkido and Ju-Jitsu as well and blends them all with painful brilliance.
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2012
  16. Considered

    Considered New Member

    That's excellent - I hope I find an open minded teacher like that around here soon!

    Good luck with it, sounds like a great training environment.
     

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