Bruce Lee’s Speed Training
By Bruce Lee and M. Uyehara
What is speed in fighting? Is it the velocity of your hands, feet and body movement? Or are there other, prevalent essentials in a good fighter? What is a good fighter?
A good fighter is one who can hit his opponent quicker, harder, without much perceptible effort, and yet avoid being hit. He doesn’t only possess a pair of fast hands and feet and quick body movement, but he has other qualities such as non-telegraphic moves, good coordination, perfect balance and keen awareness. Although some people are endowed with a few of these qualities, most of these attributes are developed through hard training.
Wing Chun Kung Fu was the foundation of Bruce Lee’s art and speed and he always felt it gave him superior quickness with his hands due to it’s straight line theory and economy of movement. If want to develop speed study the basics of Wing Chun and and incorporate into your art.
All the strength or power you have developed from your training is wasted if you are slow and can’t make contact. Power and speed go hand-in-hand. A fighter needs both to be successful.
Bruce Lee evolved into the martial artist he became by adding the exercises you are about to read, you should also check out the book Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist to read how he employed the mental strategies he used to create JKD.
One immediate way to increase your speed at impact is to “snap” or “whip” your hand just before contact. It is the same principle as the overhand throw. For example, if you throw a baseball with a full swing and snap your wrist at the last moment or the tail end of your swing, the ball will have more velocity than without the snap. Naturally, the longer swing with a snap will have more acceleration at the end than a shorter swing with a snap.
Speed in Punching
To have speed and snap in your punching, your muscles and tendons need to be loose and explosive, one quick way to achieve this applying Tendon Warming Liniment on your wrists,elbows,shoulders and triceps prior to stretching and working out, this creates a explosive snap in your punching.
The back fist is not the quickest or strongest technique because you can’t utilize your entire body in the movement. It is, however, one blow that you can apply the whipping or snapping motion to.
The back fist is usually thrown at your opponent’s head, and it is used heavily in combination with Lop Sao (grabbing-the-hand techniques). It is delivered from shoulder height but can also be used as a surprise attack and can be launched anywhere from your waist to your shoulder. It is very difficult to block once you have acquired non-telegraphic moves.
Although some power is lost in this punch, it is compensated for or redeemed when combined with lop Sao. If you can develop a strong pulling power in your arm, you will be able to jerk your opponent forward and apply the back fist. The impact should be devastating.
Bruce Lee Punch Drills Demonstrated by Dan Inosanto
Candle Drill
To develop speed or quickness in the back fist, light a candle and attempt to extinguish it with the acceleration of your punch.
Blocking Drill
Another interesting exercise is to have a partner attempt to block your punch as you throw it at his face. If he misses his block, you should be able to stop your punch about 1/4-inch from his skin.
Finger Jab
The leading finger jab is the fastest attacking weapon available to you. It is fast because it travels only a short distance. It is also the longest hand weapon accessible to you. Since you do not clench your fist, you add several more inches to your reach.
To protect your fingers while throwing this technique, make sure you use the proper hand form. Align the tip of your hand by slightly bending the longer fingers to adjust to the shorter fingers and tuck your thumb in. Your hand should resemble a spear.
To develop speed in the finger jab, you need a great deal of practice and initiative. Speed relies on economy of motion, and the jab is one technique you have the opportunity to experiment with. The jab, like all jeet kune do blows, must be thrust forward without any retracting motion. It is like a snake darting at its prey without warning.
Paper Drill
The more hours you spend speed hitting, the faster your hands will travel. One excellent training device for this is the paper target. It is inexpensive, easy to construct and valuable.
Leading Straight
The leading straight is the fastest of all the punches. Not only is it the main offensive weapon, but it’s also an important defensive tool.
And it is a “speed” punch. Like the finger jab, the leading straight travels only a short distance to the target because the hand is already extended.
The leading straight is also the most accurate technique because it is delivered straight forward at a close distance, and your balance is left intact. Like the finger jab, it is hard to block, especially if you keep it in a continuous, small motion.
You can put some “zip” into your punch by snapping it just before impact. Keep your hand loose and tighten your fist only an instant before contact. To put explosiveness in the blow, utilize the flowing-energy concept by adding heaviness to your hand.
The leading straight is not an end, but a means to an end. It is not a powerful blow that will knock your opponent flat with one punch. It is, however, the most dominating Jeet Kune Do punch and is used profusely with the other combination punches and kicks.
The straight punch should be delivered from an on-guard position with the point of contact in line with the surface of your shoulder. Against a short opponent, bend your knees so your shoulders are aligned with the point of contact. Likewise, if your opponent is tall, stand on the balls of your feet.
Later, as you progress, you can throw the straight punch with your hands in any position. But the punch must be launched with your body in balance to be effective.
Unlike the classical stance, your hand is never placed on your hip, nor is the punch initiated from there. It is impractical to have your hand traveling the extra, needless distance. Furthermore, delivery of your punch from the hip exposes a large area of your body.
The leading straight will have more stings if you pivot your hips and utilize all the other functions for a heavy blow. But sometimes this will telegraph your movement, and you have to decide whether to sacrifice speed for power. This depends on your opponent. If he is very slow and awkward, you can utilize the powerful blows. But if he is fast, you may have to concentrate on speed more than power.
Speed Bag
Among the best equipment to develop speed and accuracy is the old-fashioned speed bag. To use the bag properly, you have to be quick with your hands. You also have to hit the target perfectly so the bag will bounce directly back to you.
In the beginning, use both hands to punch the bag and stand with your feet parallel but comfortably apart. Hit the bag straight, using your nose as the guiding point. The most valuable feature of the bag is that it compels you to hit directly and crisply so it returns to you sharply.
You cannot hit the bag if you punch from your hip; it takes too long to react. And you are liable to be hit in the face since your hands will not be able to protect your head from the oncoming bag.
Punching Pads
You can use punching pads to increase your speed and heavy punching.
If you are working out with one pad, have your partner hold the pad in front of him. Whenever you try to punch it, he should jerk it swiftly either upward or downward, trying to make you miss.
You can do the same exercise with two pads.
Wooden Dummy
The wooden dummy can also be used to learn speed punching. The disadvantage, however, is that you can hurt your hands if you are not conditioned to hit solid objects,using Dit Da Jow and Iron Palm helps prevent injury when hitting hard objects.
Slapping Game
An excellent child’s game that is fun and can be played with anyone is the “slapping” match. Extend your arm fully in front of you with your hand outstretched. Make sure your thumb is on the top and hold it vertically. When your partner swings his hand to slap yours, jerk your hand upward and toward you, trying to avoid contact. You let him do the slapping until he misses, then reverse roles.
How did Bruce Lee get all that power in his one inch punch? Read about it here.
Non-telegraphic Punch
Jeet Kune Do features the non-telegraphic principles of fencing, and this sets the style distinctively apart from the classical styles of Kung fu and boxing. For example, Jeet Kune Do utilizes their footwork and the principle of thrusting your hand before your body, which makes it almost impossible to parry or block speed punches such as the back fist, jab or lead punch.
The idea of non-telegraphing is to initiate your punch without any forewarning (tensing your shoulders or moving your feet or body) so your opponent does not have enough time to react. If you punch with jut a slight motion of your feet or body, you have “telegraphed” or warned your opponent of your intention.
The secret is to relax your body and arms but keep them slightly weaving. Whip your hand out loosely so your shoulders don’t become tense, and clench your hand an instant before contact. And keep a poker face. You don’t want to telegraph your intentions.
Reference: Muscle and Fitness
Bruce Lee’s Weight Training
Bruce Lee never bragged about his muscular body, but he was proud of it, especially of his highly developed abdominal muscles. When Bruce wore loose clothing, he looked like a normally built guy. But underneath the clothing, he was a man with extraordinary muscles.
“I’ve seen many muscular bodybuilders,” one of his fans said, “but never like Bruce. He is built perfectly, not bulky. He has muscles on top of muscles, yet he moves with the finesse of a ballet dancer. Those men with bulky muscles can’t move like that; they are too tight and clumsy.”
Fred Weintraub, the producer of Enter The Dragon, gave this description of Bruce: “…His body never had an inch of fat; it was pure muscle, like steel.”
Bruce had to work hard to develop those muscles. “I used to have a big, soft belly,” he explained. “My stomach protruded and I looked terrible for a young guy. I decided to streamline my waist.”
From that revelation, Bruce took up weight training. He was always a bundle of energy. He was like a small kid who would never tire. If he had his mind set to do something, nothing could have stopped him.
He combined weight training with his regular workout.
He spent as much as four hours in his garage, hardly taking a break, as he worked on the equipment, built by his students to his specifications. He designed his weight-training workout to avoid bulky muscles that might interfere with his performance. For instance, he did not want muscles that restricted the movement of his elbows.
“You must tuck your elbows in quickly when a blow is directed to your midsection,” he explained. “Some bodybuilders are so bulky that they have no way to defend the solar plexus area with efficiency. They can’t cover the area with their elbows, so when they use another method to protect it, they leave other parts of their body open. Weight training is supposed to help you, not screw you.
Bruce concentrated heavily on his abdominal muscles because he believed that the body is “the biggest target and the least mobile. The more muscles you have around your abdomen, the more blows it can take.” Bruce’s body was covered with ripples of muscles. Broad-shouldered and narrow waisted, he was the envy of even bodybuilders.
To Bruce, training was a full-time job. Even while watching television, he would be in motion. He would do his sit-ups very slowly, his body descending slower than ascending. “You’ll get more benefit by doing them slowly,” he said. “It’s not the number of repetitions, but the way it’s done.”
When he wasn’t doing sit-ups, he would be squeezing a rubber ball or pumping a pair of dumbbells. Desiring accolades, many times he would ask a friend or acquaintance to place a hand on his abdomen or leg to “feel my stomach muscles” or “feel how hard my legs are.”
Bruce wasn’t particular about what he ate. He avoided cigarettes; wine and liquor, but never refused a cup of hot tea. He would eat anything: pork, chicken, fish, beef, and vegetables. His favorite dishes were Chinese and Japanese. He was a big believer in Chinese Ginseng and Royal Jelly extracts. He felt they helped with his speed and reflexes and also supplied nutrition he needed. Scientific studies have shown Royal Jelly the food of the Queen Bee does help with quicker reflexes.
Although he was small man, 5-foot-7 and 135 pounds, he had a voracious appetite. In a restaurant, he always ordered an additional plate of food for himself- one serving was not enough. He also drank a lot of water, probably because he perspired so much.
Bruce took a daily amount of Vitamin pills, Protein Powders, Ginseng and Royal Jelly as mentioned above, apparently influenced by the bodybuilding magazines he subscribed to and the books on Oriental Medicine he had in his library. He prided himself on being healthy by taking proper nutritional products to accompany his workouts .
This material has been excerpted from the Ohara Publications Inc. book Bruce Lee: The Incomparable Fighter, authored by M. Uyehara
Bruce Lee’s Method of Training:
Aerobic Exercises
One of the most neglected elements of martial artists is the physical workout. Too much time is spent on developing skill in techniques and not enough on physical participation.
Practicing your skill in fighting is important, but so is maintaining your overall physical condition. Actually both are needed to be successful in a real fight.
Training is a skill of disciplining your mind, developing your power and supplying endurance to your body. Proper training is for the purpose of building your body and avoiding activities or substances that will deteriorate or injure it.
Bruce Lee was a specimen of health. He trained every day and consumed only the proper food. A1though he drank tea, he never drank coffee – instead he normally consumed milk. He was a martinet who never let his work interfere with his training. Even when he was sent to India to find suitable locations for filming, he took along his running shoes.
Lee’s daily training consisted of aerobic exercises, plus others that were patterned to develop his skill in fighting. He varied his exercise to avoid boredom. One of his favorite exercises was running four miles a day in 24 to 25 minutes. He would change his tempo while running – after several miles of constant, even strides, he would sprint several feet and then return to easier running. Between changes in running tempo, he would also shuffle his feet. Lee was not particular where he ran: at the beach, in parks or woods, up and down hills or on surfaced streets.
Besides running, Lee also rode an exercise bicycle to develop his endurance, legs and cardiovascular muscles. He usually rode full speed – 35 to 40 miles an hour – continuously for 45 minutes to an hour. Frequently, he would ride his exercise bicycle right after his running.
Another aerobic exercise that Lee scheduled in his routine was skipping rope, which you can adopt. This exercise develops your stamina and leg muscles, but also improves you, makes you light on your feet. Only recently, physiologists have learned, by several tests, that skipping rope is more beneficial than jogging. Ten minutes of skipping rope is equivalent to 30 minutes of jogging. Both are very beneficial exercises for the cardiovascular system.
Skipping rope properly is one of the best exercises for developing a sense of balance. First, skip on one foot, holding the other in front of you, and then rotate your foot, skipping on the alternate foot with each revolution of the rope, from a gradual pace to a really fast tempo. Minimize your arm-swing; instead, use your wrist to swing the rope over.
Lift your foot slightly above the ground, just enough for the rope to pass. Skip for three minutes (equivalent to a round in a boxing match); then rest one minute only, before you continue for another round. Three rounds of this exercise are sufficient for a good workout. As you become conditioned to skipping, you can omit the rest period and do the exercise for as long as 30 minutes straight. The best rope is made of leather, with ball bearings in the handles.
Additional endurance exercises are shadowboxing and actual sparring. Shadowboxing is a good agility exercise that also builds up your speed. Relax your body and learn to move easily and smoothly. At first, concentrate on your form, and move lightly on your feet until it becomes natural and comfortable – then work faster and harder. It is a good idea to start your workout with shadowboxing to loosen your muscles.
Imagine your worst enemy stands before you and you are going to demolish him. If you use your imagination intensely, you can instil into yourself an almost-real fighting frame of mind. Besides developing stamina, shadowboxing increases your speed, creates ideas, and establishes techniques to be used spontaneously and intuitively. Going several rounds is the best way to learn proper footwork.
Too many beginners are too lazy to drive themselves. Only by hard and continuous exercise will you develop endurance. You have to drive yourself to the point of exhaustion (you will be out of breath, and can expect to feel muscle aches in a day or two). The best endurance training method seems to be a lengthy period of exercise interspersed with many brief but high-intensity endeavors.
Stamina-types of exercises should be done gradually and cautiously increased. Six weeks in this kind of training is a minimum for any sports that require considerable amounts of endurance. It takes years to be in peak condition, and unfortunately, stamina is quickly lost when you cease to maintain high-conditioning exercises. According to some medical experts, you lose most of your benefit from exercises if you skip more than a day between workouts.
Warming Up
To warm up, select light, easy exercises to loosen your muscles and to prepare them for more strenuous work. Besides improving your performance, warming-up exercises are necessary to prevent injury to your muscles. No smart athlete will use his hand or leg violently without first warming it up carefully. These light exercises should dictate as closely as possible the ensuing, more strenuous type of movement.
Applying authentic Dit Da Jow prior to your workout will help loosen your muscles and develop Qi for faster punching and kicking and at the same time help you prevent injuries. Apply the Dit Da Jow in the proper direction which is toward the tips of your extremities.
How long should you warm up? This depends on several aspects. If you live in a colder area, or during the cold winter, you have to do longer warm-up exercises than do those who live in a warmer climate. A longer warm-up is recommended for the early morning rather than for the afternoon. Generally, five or ten minutes of warm-up exercises are adequate, but some people need much more.
A ballet dancer spends at least two hours. He commences with very basic movements, gradually but consistently increasing the activity and intensity, until he is ready to make his appearance.
Exercises
Bruce Lee learned that certain exercises can help you greatly in your performance, and others can impede or even impair your execution of techniques. He found that beneficial exercises are those that do not cause antagonistic tension in your muscles.
Your muscles respond differently to different exercises. During a static or slow exercise such as a handstand or lifting heavy weights such as a barbell, the muscles on both sides of the joints operate strongly to set the body in a desirable position. But in a rapid activity such as running, jumping or throwing, the muscles that close the joints contract and the muscles directly opposite elongate to allow the movement. Although there is still tension on both muscles, the strain is considerably less on the elongated, or lengthened one.
When there is excessive or antagonistic tension on the elongated muscles, it hinders and weakens your movement. It acts like a brake, causing premature fatigue, generally associated only with new activity – demanding different muscles to perform. A coordinated, natural athlete is able to perform in any sporting activity with ease because he moves with little antagonistic tension. On the other hand, the novice performs with excessive tension and effort, creating a lot of wasted motions. Although this coordination trait is more a native talent in some than in others, all can improve it by intensive training.
Here are some of the exercises that you can adapt to your daily training. For flexibility, place your foot on a railing or other object, keeping your leg horizontal to the ground- it could be slightly lower or higher, depending on your flexibility.
For the beginner, do not attempt any strenuous exercise. Instead, after placing your foot on the railing, just move your toes toward you, keeping your extended foot flexed straight. After a few minutes, rotate your foot. In a few days, as your leg muscles are limbered, you can proceed to the next step.
Press your knee to keep your leg straight and lean forward from the hip as much as possible without injuring your muscles. From this exercise you then proceed to the next step. Keeping your extended leg straight, push your hand downward. As you progress, you’ll notice that you are also beginning to lean forward, putting more stress on your leg muscles. Finally you are able to touch your toes. After some months, you may be able to wrap your hand around your foot even with the support raised higher.
Other leg flexibility exercises include leg splits and hanging leg rises. To do this exercise, use a long rope supported by a pulley. A noose encircles your foot. Pull the other end of the rope to the maximum height your leg muscles will bear without hurting yourself. Try to keep your foot horizontally aligned throughout the exercise. This exercise allows you to execute high sidekicks. You should rotate your legs in all these exercises.
Advanced students who like to do exceptionally high kicking can progress into trampoline exercises. Lee uses two light dumbbells and jumps high to develop both balance and springy legs. Once he can control his body on a trampoline, he attempts leg splits, a high front kick, and a flying sidekick.
Other limbering exercises include body stretches. After you have developed elasticity in your leg muscles, you should be able to stretch your body as far back as possible, and then bend forward as far as possible, until your head is touching your knees.
Abdominal Exercises
No one could help but notice Lee’s abdominal muscles. “One of the most important phases of fighting,” he used to say, his your midsection.” To do this, Lee concentrated on several exercises that you can also adopt. The most popular are the sit-ups on a slant board. Secure your feet, bend your knees and after placing your hands behind your head, lift your body toward your feet. Do as many as you can until you feel the strain around your abdomen. After reaching 50 to 100 repetitions, you can place a weight such as a dumbbell or barbell plate behind your neck and do your sit-ups.
Another excellent way of doing sit-ups is to sit at the edge of a bench, have someone secure your ankles, and lower your body as far down as possible toward the floor. This exercise stretches your mid- section much more, but it is more difficult to do.
If you have a chinning bar, you can also develop your abdominal muscles by hanging onto the bar with both hands and slowly lifting both legs until they are extended horizontally. Keep them in that position for as long as possible and try to beat your last record each time you do the exercise. Buy a kitchen timer to help you keep track of time.
Another excellent exercise is the leg raise. Lie on the floor, keeping your back flush to the floor by pushing in your midsection, and lift your head slightly until you can see your feet. Keep your legs together and straight. Then lift them upward slowly, as high as possible. Then slowly return them to the floor.
To get the most out of this exercise, do not let your feet touch the floor. Keep them about an inch above the floor and start to raise them again. Do as many repetitions as possible. If you have a weight lifting bench, you can do it with the legs extending beyond the board. This exercise is also good for your lower back muscles.
One advantage in executing an abdominal exercise is that it can be done while you are doing another activity. For instance, Lee used to watch television while lying on the floor with his head slightly up and keeping his feet spread out and slightly above the floor.
To toughen your midsection, get a medicine ball and have someone drop it on your abdomen. To vary your exercise you can also have someone throw it directly to your midsection. Let the ball hit your body before catching it.
If you do your workout alone, you can use your heavy punching bag as a substitute for the medicine ball. Swing the heavy bag and let it hit your body. You can adjust the spot of impact either by moving forward or backward. If you want a heavier impact, swing the bag harder.
In your daily life, there’s always an opportunity for more supplemental exercises. For instance, park your car several blocks from your destination and walk briskly. Avoid the elevator and use the stairs instead. While climbing the stairs, you can have a good workout, either by running up or by skipping a step or two.
The Speed Training Of Bruce Lee –
How To Be The First With The Most
The object of a fight is to hit your opponent before he can hit you. Of course that is easier said than done. Martial arts instructors can teach you how to improve your timing, balance, mobility and endurance, but how in the world can they teach you how to hit faster than your opponent? Speed is an inherent quality, and difficult, if not impossible, to teach.
Or is it?
In Bruce Lee’s fighting method jeet kune do, the development of speed is not only addressed, it is dissected and approached in a variety of ways.
Types of Speed
In jeet kune do, speed training is broken down into five phases, each of which can be developed independently or as part of a whole. They are:
Perception speed. When fighting, martial artists must constantly sense and respond to various stimuli. Mastering the ability to perceive the subtleties in an opponent’s movements, is he attacking, retreating, punching or kicking? Is the first phase of speed training? Simply seeing the opponent’s movements is not enough. You must learn to hear, feel and smell the opponent’s intentions.
Perception speed is defined as the time it takes you to mentally register the opponent’s intentions once you first sense his offensive or defensive stimulus. To increase your speed of perception, it is important to maintain an attitude of “emptiness,” or what Bruce Lee called “no-mindedness.” You must learn not to concentrate too much on details. Look at nothing, but sense everything.
According to Lee, “A concentrated mind is not an attentive mind, but a mind that is in the state of awareness can concentrate. Awareness is never exclusive, it includes everything. A mind must be wide open to function freely in thought.”
Technique #1
Mental/decision speed. Once you have sensed the opponent’s intention, you must decide how to respond. Do you evade, block, parry, jam, intercept or counter his attack? Your decision speed is determined by the length of time it takes you to sense the opponent’s stimulus and selects an appropriate response.
Your ultimate goal is to be able to respond quickly and instinctively. Initiation speed. The time that it takes to transfer your decision to punch from the brain to your fist, and actually begin the punch, is your initiation speed. You must condition yourself to relay the opponent’s stimulus to your brain, and then to your striking or defending limbs as quickly as possible. The slightest hesitation can mean the difference between hitting, or being hit by, the opponent.
Performance speed. Once your response decision has been converted into an initial movement, the time it takes you to get from point “A” to point “B” is your performance or “raw” speed. You can have the quickest perception, decision and initiation speed in a fight, but if your fist travels like a salmon swimming upstream, your chances of scoring on the opponent are minimal.
Alteration speed. Lee defined alteration speed as “the ability to change direction midstream.” In the ever-changing conditions of a fight, there is always the potential to make an unwise decision or dangerous mistake. If you freeze up in such situations, you have a strong chance of getting hit. If you possess good alteration speed, however, you can make a reflexive adjustment, correct the error, and still score on your opponent.
Speed Requirement
Now that you are familiar with the various types of speed, how do you go about developing maximum levels of speed in each classification?
For some fighters, speed is an inherent quality. These individuals don’t work on developing their speed, yet still hit like greased lightning. Others, however, must train extremely hard and overcome many physical obstacles in order to improve their reaction time. Following are some of the factors to consider when training for speed:
Compact structure. Lee believed proper posture was a key element in the execution of sound offensive and defensive techniques. Your fighting stance should be one that enables you to both attack and defend with minimal preparation or repositioning. You should feel loose and relaxed, yet springy and ready.
You should be devoid of unnecessary muscle tension, yet be coiled and explosive. Your feet should be placed almost directly under your shoulders to allow for quick foot movement, yet still provide stability. Your rear heel should be raised so it can react like a coiled spring, ready to release or explode like a sprinter coming out of the starting blocks. Your hands should be held in close to the body, with the elbows aligned with the body’s centerline and maintaining a spring-loaded energy. Your hands, like the rest of your body, are compact yet loose, ready yet relaxed. Keep your shoulders relaxed and chin tucked safely downward.
Technique #2
Explosiveness. Whether attacking from long or close range, your initial explosiveness is crucial. If you need to close the gap to reach the opponent, your rear foot must push off the ground explosively. If you are already within hitting range, your initial strike should explode toward the target like a missile. Upon impact, explode into the target with great energy and penetration. Your strike should glide effortlessly, but with great speed and directness.
Relaxation. Just as it is important to maintain a relaxed, yet ready, mind in combat, so too should your body be relaxed and devoid of excess tension. For maximum speed and efficiency, you must remain relaxed during all movements. Most novice fighters have a tendency to try too hard and rely on force or muscle in delivering a blow. Experienced fighters, however, generally learn to avoid this problem and rely on method over muscle.
Muscular tension acts as a brake and causes friction during movement, thereby reducing the speed and power of your strikes. The only time your muscles should tighten while striking is the instant they impact the target.
Economy of motion. Like the saying goes, the quickest distance between two points is a straight line. Jeet kune do emphasizes simplicity, directness and economy of motion. The JKD stylist eliminates any cocking, loading or repositioning of the striking limb prior to delivery of the technique. By maintaining an economic fighting structure, he is always ready and coiled, and does not need to chamber the strike prior to delivering it.
The jeet kune do practitioner strives to eliminate any clue as to his next move. Subtle adjustments in stance, tensing of the muscles, changes in breathing, or shifts in weight all read like a billboard to a seasoned opponent. The JKD fighter should be able to initiate an attack from wherever his weapons happen to be at the moment he senses an opening in his opponent’s defense. Preliminary motions are eliminated as the jeet kune do stylist achieves maximum power in his techniques with a minimum amount of movement.
Conditioning. Speed training must be conducted consistently and diligently. Although speed can be an indirect by-product of weigh/lifting, running and stretching, you must train specifically to achieve maximum speed in your combat movements. You must focus on developing hand speed, foot speed, speed in combo- nations, lead-side and rear-side speed, attacking and defending speed, counter-attack speed, evasion speed, etc. You should train for any circumstance.
Tone. Although conditioning drills can develop the fast-twitch nerves and muscles needed for speed, your speed potential will still be limited if you do not have proper muscle tone. Excessive fat or muscle will slow your strikes. Proper nutrition, aerobic training, and balanced muscle development help streamline your physique and provide maximum speed in your movements.
Attitude. Many times, the difference between success and failure in combat is attitude. Many athletes go through a ritual known as “psyching up” prior to competition. They will yell, stomp, bang their heads against a wall, anything to pump them up and get their adrenaline flowing. Athletes who rely on speed for success must also find a “mental groove” for maximum performance. A fighter must feel fast, loose and springy. Speed should flow off of his fingertips and out of his pores. A sense of speed should envelop him. As Lee said, “Your strike should be felt before it is seen.”
Speed Training Drills
The jeet kune do stylist has a variety of training drills to choose from that will help him improve his fighting speed. They include:
Reaction drills. Reaction drills utilize a training partner who presents you with various targets to strike. Using focus gloves or a striking shield to protect him, the partner places the pads at various positions, which coincide with the primary targets of the human body.
Reaction drills can be conducted at long range to allow you to develop footwork, mobility. Kicking and distancing skills. Or, if your partner holds the targets at medium range, you can work on short-range kicks, punches, and counter-fighting speed.
At infighting range, you can practice slipping, bobbing, weaving, and short-range blows such as hooks, uppercuts, head butts, and elbow and knee strikes. Choose a minimal number of targets at first, and expand to a larger variety as you become comfortable with the drills. Your partner can add to the degree of difficulty by varying the striking angles and tempo, which prevents you from anticipating a target’s placement.
Technique #3
Choice-reaction freeze drill. To confuse his opponent and slow his foe’s reaction time, the jeet kune do stylist is taught to make subtle motions with his hands, feet, head, knees, elbows and shoulders during combat. The opponent is forced to acknowledge such stimuli and must decide what to react to and what to ignore.
The JKD fighter practices these quick, compact movements by utilizing a partner exercise known as the “choice-reaction freeze drill.” As the jeet kune do practitioner executes the choice-reaction moves. His partner will occasionally call out “stop” or “freeze.” At that moment, the JKD stylist freezes his body and limbs exactly where they happen to be. The partner then presents the practitioner with a target at any level or angle. The jeet kune do fighter then strikes the target with his best available weapon.
No-mind/peripheral-vision drill. One of the key areas to consider in developing combat speed is the concept of responding without looking or thinking. There are three types of speed related to this concept: perception, decision and initiation speed. A good place to start when trying to enhance these speeds would be the visual process.
Lee emphasized maintaining good peripheral vision and stressed not concentrating too hard on one area or movement by the opponent. The idea is to look at nothing, but see and sense everything. One approach is to look toward the center of the opponent, giving you equal peripheral vision to both sides of his body.
Backhand speed test Protective headgear and light gloves are recommended for this drill, which enables partners to work simultaneously on speed enhancement. One fighter develops offensive speed as the other hones his defensive speed.
To perform the exercise, the partners face off in matching stances at a distance of about six-to-12 inches further than arm’s reach. Each fighter holds his lead hand below waist level. The objective of the offensive fighter is to execute a backhand strike to his opponent’s temple.
The defensive fighter, meanwhile, attempts to deflect the blow by raising his lead hand. The offensive fighter should attempt to sense his opponent’s weaknesses by examining his muscle tension, breathing patterns, and movements.
Both partners should try to maintain the basic speed qualities of relaxation, economy of motion, etc. To add to the degree of difficulty, the offensive fighter can attempt to strike from longer range.
Cross-speed test. This drill is similar to the backhand speed test. In this case, however, the offensive fighter is developing speed for a straight cross to the opponent’s head, while the defensive fighter is developing speed in his rear-hand parry. The partners begin the exercise in unmatched fighting stances about arm’s length apart.
From a normal guard position, the offensive fighter delivers a rear cross to the opponent’s temple. The defensive fighter, who initially holds his rear hand in the center of his chest, attempts to parry the cross before it lands. So as not to telegraph his movement, the offensive fighter must learn to begin the punch at the fist, rather than leading with his shoulder, hip or foot.
Technique #4
Focus glove speed tests. This is another drill that allows both partners to train simultaneously on their combat speed. One partner holds a focus glove in a predetermined position, while the other partner positions himself where he can hit the glove without any preliminary footwork.
The offensive fighter attempts to hit the glove before his partner can move it out of the way. The glove holder, who remains stationary, can only move the pad upon sensing his opponent’s initial move. The drill not only helps the offensive fighter eliminate telegraphing movements prior to his strike, but it helps his partner learn to sense an opponent’s telegraphing movements.
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Regardless of whether they are applied on the streets or in a competitive arena, the principles of speed training can enhance a fighter’s performance. The key is to keep your movements simple and direct. Eliminate unnecessary movement and energy, focus on method rather than muscle and, most importantly, strive to hit first with the most.
Proper speed training also incorporates proper supplements and liniments. A great product that helps with the neurotransmitters for speed is Royal Jelly. This is the food of the Queen Bee which is the only food she eats. Royal Jelly enables the Queen Bee to live 50 times longer than the worker bees and also gives her the ability to lay close to 2000 eggs daily.
Kareem Abdul, Jabbar recalled that Lee would frequently open one of the little vials and consume its contents during the filming of The Game of Death. Herb Jackson remembers Lee once telling him, “Whenever I have to do a demonstration, I take a little Royal Jelly beforehand and Voom! My energy levels are perfect.” According to Linda, “Bruce believed that the Royal Jelly and the ginseng both added to his energy stores and kept his activity levels up.
He really appreciated the 4,000 plus years of Chinese experimentation with herbs and teas and so he felt that if something had worked effectively for so many people for so many thousands of years that they were probably onto something that was very healthful.”
A couple fantastic authentic liniments for speed are Authentic Dit Da Jow and Tie Ba Zhang applying these liniments prior to training will increase speed and power due to the generation of Qi. These liniments also heal injuries and enhance the quick twitch muscles for building Bruce Lee speed. We recommend applying before and after workouts for maximum effect.
Bruce Lee Paper Training For Punching Power And Speed
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Hello, This is very useful and beneficial information for me. I have a question, I was wondering how do you block or defend against snapping punches? Could you please email me back your response to my email address. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing information on Bruce Lee and his training concepts on your website. Bruce Lee was way ahead of his time and he left us to soon, he had so much to offer and not just regarding martial arts but his philosophy on life and how to think with a positive mental attitude.
Hey very interesting blog! I loved Bruce Lee and his fighting philosophy. His speed was AMAZING!
informative article and I like the Wing Chun course very well presented and good instruction, my speed has increased from it, cheers.
T
Nice info, thanks.