Thanks for everyone’s participation, and a special thank you to Sifu Tom Cruse.

Sifu Matt

ps: New articles will be released soon! Check out my past JKD articles here.

Stay in tune with this blog and your email inbox for some exciting news!

Lee, Love and Life,

Sifu Matt Numrich

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First off, I want to thank everyone who came out with us and a special thanks to Matt G. for setting up time with Marc Deny (Crafty dog.) I’ve learned new combinations and applications of footwork which I have already been focusing on and testing in my training. Footwork is an art in itself and so many neglect it when it is the footwork that makes a good fighter. It is your foundation. With the footwork, Marc shared some new ideas on getting in on your opponent.

At the PFS Retreat it was great to reconnect with and meet new practitioners in JKD. A lot of great stories where told, fight strategies and had a blast training with a large mix of people. Some of my most favorite moments were with just the EDS guys. Going for our walks, eating, talking a lot of laughing and training with them. I believe it has brought us all closer as friends. Like Vu said, I would kill for all of you guys. Looking forward to our next get away.

Paul

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Lee, Love and Life,

Sifu

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Gouging an attacker?s eyes is one of the fastest ways to make sure he stops in his tracks and rushes to defend himself (thus freeing you up to escape) or at least slow him down considerably. Grabbing and twisting a male attacker?s testicles is another surefire way to bring him to his knees. Locking your fingers around his throat or landing a ferocious kick to the shin will also cause an attacker to crumble.

Self Defense Doesn?t Have to Be Pretty

Defending yourself from an attacker won?t look pretty. It won?t be some kind of showy bunch of flowery moves like you see on TV. But that?s okay, because nobody?s grading your ability. The only thing on the line is your life and it?s alright to break the rules. As a sifu (teacher) of Jeet Kune Do, self defense is at the core of the methods and strategies I teach. And I put all the tools to use ? even non-conventional weapons like pepper spray. Because in a real life fight, you?ll have to use everything you have to your advantage.

Fingers, elbows, palms ? even teeth. They?re ruthless, they?re effective and they could save your life. They can be the difference between getting mugged, raped or even killed ? and walking away from a fight. If you?d like to learn some simple but incredibly useful self defense skills that could help save your life, I highly recommend signing up for my free newsletter (see below). You?ll learn the exact tools I use to teach people of all ages how to defend themselves.

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The 10 Most Versatile (and Deadly!) Fighting Tools

When you?re confronted with an attacker who?s got your money (and who knows what else!) on his mind, you may instinctively want to run. But what if you can?t get away? Most people don?t realize that they?ve already got ten of the most versatile and deadly fighting tools already on their side, just waiting to be used. What are they?

These super flexible appendages can cause quite a lot of pain if used correctly in self defense. They can even cause permanent damage. Take your eyes, for example. Our eyes are the center of our entire world, and without them ? life would be pretty difficult. The human body instinctively knows this and goes to great lengths to help us protect our eyes. If you?ve ever got a speck of dust or an eyelash in your eyes and immediately set about rubbing those watery eyes ? you know what I?m talking about.

Can you guess what 1 or more of these “tools” are? Stay tuned for more!

Lee, Love and Life,

Sifu Matt Numrich

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What could be better than three days of training with world class instructors and a great group of friends? Five of us from EDS, including Sifu Matt, Paul Ingram, Pete Juska, Tom Ceravolo and me, just returned from the PFS Sierra Summit and a day of training with Crafty Dog Marc Denny, leader of the Dog Brothers.

The trip began with a day in Hermosa Beach working with Marc on the Dog Brother’s KaliTudo empty hand material, which I’m sure the guys will be happy to demonstrate on you in our upcoming sparring sessions. After seeing that the Kalitudo material is based on the same movements as those used in in the DBMA weapons program (consistency across categories), Marc suggested we do some double stick work.

Marc wields big sticks (literally) and knows how to use them! Crafty Dog has an unbelievable depth of knowledge in the arts and was more than gracious in sharing his material with us. This was an amazing experience and a great way to start the weekend.

Next we made the long and sometimes treacherous drive to Kernville, CA for the PFS Sierra Summit. Located in the Sierra mountains and situated on Lake Isabella, the Summit venue couldn’t have been more beautiful. We arrived Friday night in time for Sifu Paul Vunak’s opening remarks and a screening of Enter the Dragon.

We kicked off the training portion of the Summit on Saturday morning with “Filthy MMA” and then moved in kino mutai. The afternoon was focused edged weapons. The day ended with steak and lobster on the mountain with the PFS clan and an evening lecture from Sifu Paul and Sifu Harinder Singh Sabharwal.

Sunday we reviewed Saturday’s material, enjoyed some great Vunak/Cruse stories from the Navy SEAL days and worked on some new law enforcement material. The day ended at 5 PM with us, covered in dust and dirt, racing through the mountains back to LAX to catch the redeye home to Chicago.

The trip was a great success. We all came away with some cool new material, had an opportunity to train with the extended PFS family and had a blast spending time the with EDS guys outside of the academy.
If you missed the Summit but want to train with the PFS guys, I highly recommend you check out Sifu Tom Cruse’s seminar at EDS on July 29. You won’t be disappointed.

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If you want to see a couple pics, you can click here to see the attendees and awesome background at the JKD camp.

Whether you’re learning from a Tae Kwon Do instructor, or a biology teacher, make sure THEY are always learning… always growing. I hope my commitment to life long learning shows in the way I run my martial arts schools, and trickles down to the staff members who have dedicated so much (and sacrificed so much) to give you the best self-defense training around.

So many more details to come, including spreading the wealth of knowledge we gained from the martial arts camp. Stay in touch with this blog, as we’ll be sharing our little lessons from the experience!

Lee, Love and Life,

Sifu Matt Numrich

Defensive Strategies for Jeet Kune Do

Bruce Lee?s Jeet Kune Do literally means ?The Way of the Intercepting Fist?. That?s why, unlike most traditional martial arts, Jeet Kune Do doesn?t place much emphasis on common defensive strategies like blocking. Instead, it makes use of what are called stop hits and stop kicks. A stop hit or stop kick is just what it sounds like ? an attacking move that shortcuts your attacker?s own punch or kick with an attack of your own. This goes back to the concept of JKD?s ?intercepting? ? you?re interrupting, or intercepting your opponent?s attack with an attack of your own.

Advanced Jeet Kune Do Moves

Attacking by intercepting is one of the most challenging defensive skills to learn when understanding Jeet Kune Do moves. By combining a defensive move into an attack position, you save time and effort by blending both techniques into one flawless move. Another option when learning Jeet Kune Do moves is to simultaneously stop and parry an attack at the same time. When you deflect an oncoming attack by both blocking and initiating an attack of your own, you maximize your motion and energy ? and do what your opponent isn?t expecting.

Economical Fighting

JKD is, at its core, economical fighting ? placing a high emphasis on getting the job done in the least amount of time with the least amount of effort. Sure, the moves aren?t as dazzling as showy flying and spinning kicks, but the moves are more difficult to guard against and can cause a significant amount of pain when executed properly. Because JKD concentrates its efforts across punching, kicking, trapping and grappling, students get a more complete range of fighting techniques that can be called upon for whatever the situation demands. Being able to limit your opponents range of attack while securing the offensive advantage plays a crucial role in Jeet Kune Do and in real life self defense.

A System that Evolves

Jeet Kune Do shouldn?t be looked at as simply one branch or one style of martial art. It should be looked at as a progression or an evolving style of fighting that continually takes ?what works? and puts it to use through practical, real-life application. The rules are that there are no rules ? just keeping an open mind and always striving to better yourself are two of the core facets that every Sifu (teacher) of Jeet Kune Do hopes for their students (although instructor’s vary on how much “freedom” may have).

Fortunately, you do don?t have to ?go it alone? in your quest to learn Jeet Kune Do. Thanks to resources available online, you can get insights, drills, advice, and techniques straight from the experts. These are masters who trained with Bruce Lee or his students ? all willing to share their best techniques at no cost to any student with a burning desire to learn.

Here it goes:

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What?s the Difference between Jeet Kune Do and Wing Chun?

If you want to learn Jeet Kune Do, you?ll often find it compared or mentioned as a branch of an older fighting style called Wing Chun (or Wing Tsun). Wing Chun is a type of Chinese Kung Fu studied by Jeet Kune Do founder Bruce Lee and employs the ?economy of motion? ? meaning the fighting moves necessary to get the job done without the ?classical mess? as Lee called it.

Use Your Opponent?s Strengths Against Him

The interesting thing about Wing Chun (and by extension, Jeet Kune Do) is that it doesn?t matter how big or beefy the person you?re fighting is. They can be 300 pounds of solid muscle, but their brute strength can be turned against them. Wing Chun is economical, efficient and precise, relying on low kicks and dynamic punches as well as elbows, head-butts, pokes and other moves to bring down an attacker. Beautiful in its simplicity, Jeet Kune Do (abbreviated JKD) uses Wing Chun as a foundation and builds upon it based on many of the philosophies and beliefs echoed by Bruce Lee during his lifetime.

Not a ?Blocky? Type of Art

Jeet Kune Do isn?t a rigid ?blocky? style of fighting. Rather like its predecessor Wing Chun, it is elegant and flowing, with no distinct starting or stopping of movement. It?s quick, ruthless and extremely practical. Even defensive moves like blocking are shunned in favor of stop-hits or stop-kicks, which is a combination of halting an opponent?s move and initiating your own in the same flawless movement.

Understanding the Concepts of Jeet Kune Do

With cryptic-sounding quotes like ?Having no limitation as limitation? and ?Using no way as way?, you might be inclined to think that Jeet Kune Do is purely philosophical bunk. But dig a little deeper and you?ll see that a style of fighting with no limitations and no set in stone ?way? of doing things is actually very liberating. It very closely mimics the dynamics of a real street fight ? where there are no set rules and no real ?way? of doing things, except to make sure you get out of it alive.

In the end, no matter how you look at it, Jeet Kune Do is a style that evolves. Every student comes away with a different meaning ? none of which should be construed as the ?real? Jeet Kune Do. It is a deeply personal style of fighting which constantly blends and refines itself to stay true to the idea that you use what is necessary, and cut out all the rest. When it comes to self defense, that?s the only truth in the fight.

I want my students to really ask questions in class regarding this issue so I can show it. If you’re a visitor to this site, and have questions, please email me at matt @EliteJKD.com . Enjoy!

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Jeet Kune Do Fighting Techniques
Learning Jeet Kune Do or JKD isn?t about mastering certain moves in a particular way. It?s about the shortest, most efficient way to strike. In Jeet Kune Do, you don?t waste time, rather you strike directly and forcefully in a way that?s designed to protect you and disable your attacker. People are drawn to JKD for more reasons than simply being a fan of Bruce Lee and his fighting techniques and moves. They?re drawn to Jeet Kune Do because of its background. Even the Jeet Kune Do seal or symbol reads ?Having No Limitation as Limitation.? In other words, when practicing JKD fighting techniques ? there are no rules, no regulations, no specific ?ways? ? but rather positioning yourself for the most economical, most efficient attack possible.
What Makes Jeet Kune Do Fighting Techniques Different than Other Martial Arts?

Perhaps founder Bruce Lee explained the philosophy behind Jeet Kune Do best when he said, ?I have not invented a “new style,” composite, modified or otherwise that is set within distinct form as apart from “this” method or “that” method. On the contrary, I hope to free my followers from clinging to styles, patterns, or molds. Remember that Jeet Kune Do is merely a name used, a mirror in which to see ?ourselves?. Jeet Kune Do is not a martial art in the traditional sense that it has a specific method or pattern for doing things. Sifu (teacher) Lee compared it to filling a cup with water and emptying it out ? discarding what?s useless and retaining only the crucial moves and information. If you ever hope to truly master JKD, you have to free yourself of the restrictions you have in your mind on what, specifically, are ?Jeet Kune Do Fighting Techniques? ? because there are no rigid, set definitions for each move.

Jeet Kune Do Influences
That?s not to say that Jeet Kune Do students simply move any way they want to and hope for the best. Rather, JKD borrows from many different styles including Wing Chun, boxing and fencing. Each of these specific practices draws on one area of emphasis ? for example, close-quarters fighting, weapons and grappling to name a few. When you start to learn Jeet Kune Do fighting techniques, you?ll soon realize that transitioning from one style of fighting (close-quarters) to another (range fighting) is done smoothly, directly and simply ? without a lot of time or energy wasted. Sure, it might not look as ?flowery? as some other fighting styles ? but that?s the inherent lesson in understanding Jeet Kune Do techniques ? when you?re trying to defend yourself or protect your loved ones, should you be concerned about how your fighting stance looks, or should you get in there and knock your attacker down?

Getting to the core of the simplicity and effectiveness of JKD is a lifelong study and not simply something you can say you understand after trying it for a few days. The best Jeet Kune Do techniques are those that you make ?your own? and which form a backbone of strength that you can draw on in times of need.

Lee, Love and Life,

Sifu