Added to good footwork you can often destroy the confidence in many a determined fighter. Obviously just throwing a single technique doesn’t get you anywhere unless it hits and is effective. Therefore it depends how you throw it. Lee’s big thing was ‘non telegraphic striking’ . Before Bruce Lee brought this to our attention their were others doing it too. Harold Roth a Florida Karate/ kickboxing guy used the term independent motion. One of his seniors came to our Kenbukai Karate club in the late 70’s and just blew us away. We couldn’t see his punch until it hit us in the face. We learnt fast. I’m amazed that many students, even seniors don’t work on getting an unstoppable single direct attack down as part of their style. Though the jab works best it doesn’t have be that. Reverse punch/ straight right, backfist. Front kick, round kick they all work. Good singles are the bedrock of combat effectiveness.

Having a single attack that’s unstoppable is a huge strength. I remember sparring in a demonstration competition with Tadayuki Maeda the then all Japan champion. I went to move and he front kicked me under the armpit. I blocked the next one and almost broke my arm but the first I didn’t see. Why not make your kicks or punches like that. The consternation on your opponents face is worth the small time and effort it takes to get it down. In truth I see lots of students get it down to a certain level then they let that accuracy of movement slip, almost like they want their opponent to be able to block and respond.

The key as always is in the preparation. Depending on which type of strike you’re going to do, get your body so it has the right structure. Then make sure all the limbs are cocked with no play in them. For the jab or backfist the rear heel must be raised and the body aligned so everything moves in a straight line from rear foot to hand with no telegraphing on the top of the body. Let the arm go first and then the legs follow pushing off the rear leg. Practice slowly in a mirror until you get it down. Think of it like a fencing lunge the arm goes first then the body and leg. For the front kick have the hips raised and the rear heel. You can do a successful SDA with almost any body tool the most important ingredient is singularity of purpose. This works like this ‘ I’m going to do x technique whatever happens”. Then adjust with the feet until the opportunity presents itself again.

A good way to get this started is just to get across the gap and tag the person. It doesn’t have to be knockout hard just touch. Think of it as throwing a thin line across a gorge and then pulling over a heavier one after it.  Get your touch first, even that will get them thinking then work out how you get your body structure and weight right so that you’re hitting with your skeleton and powering from your legs.

One last thing, If you can feel the power in your arms or legs then that’s where it is and where it will stay; in your arms and legs. Rather think of transferring power (and pain) to your opponent through your arms and legs like they were a power cable or water hose. The power comes out the other end. The arms and the legs should always be relaxed.

Once you’ve got SDA down you should mix it with the other ways of attack so you don’t become predictable. Mixed with a judicious number of fakes and general body movement and some strong attacks by combination you’ll have them reeling.

Keep it simple, Keep it single. There’s a good % of your game sorted.

Paul and Lele

Martial arts is a complicated thing to master particularly if you’re studying a cross training approach. Boxing, kickboxing, clinch, throwing and grappling all have their techniques, nuances that guarantee success and specific problems too. The first step is to want it. To have a dream of how good you can be. Whether you imagine yourself as a mix of Jet Li, Bruce Lee, Ong bak, or whoever, It helps to have an image of what success will look like. The next step is to get started. All success is built upon understanding and mastering good basics. For the senior class on a Saturday we are working on improving our kicking. We’ve all agreed to do just fifty kicks per day. We can do more but we’ve promised to do fifty per day (any kick but only count good ones ) a few hundred per day would be great but start at fifty. Everyone can do fifty. Do ten in the morning and you’ve only got forty left to fit in somewhere in the day. Think Kick. When you make tea. Do hold outs (where you hold your leg out at waist height ) whilst the kettle boils. Do what you can,  then repeat. So far no secrets just doing stuff. One time management book I read put it well. Think of bowling balls in a box. You can only fit so many in but it leaves lots of space. In those spaces fit lots of marbles. Small things that take up no space. Similarly do small amounts of stretching, hold outs and repeat kicks and hey presto you’ll be a better kicker. Does this make you who you want to be? Not totally but it takes you some of the way. Want to be a better kicker? THINK KICK. USE KICKS, HAVE THEM IN YOUR HEAD.

Next be responsible for YOU. Don’t just turn up for class and wait to be told what to do. Be self realising. No one in the class when you turn up?  Get working on your stretching and mobility. Didn’t do enough conditioning in the class? then do it yourself. Take responsibility for you. Don’t loan techniques from the instructor but own them and integrate them into your game. A quick aid memoir of some written notes might help as does visualisation. If you haven’t got  partner then imagine one. Is it easy? of course not. But why be mediocre when you’ve put in so much time. You dont want to be a chump who only does what they’ve been told to do. JKD is about individuality! Being strong and self directed. Get going. start with fifty kicks and your kettle boiling hold outs then add some abdominal exercises or conditioning when adverts come on the Tv. Have a desire  to be World Class! Good luck.  I expect a kick in the head very soon to show me you’ve been practicing.

The B.I.G Instructor camp is coming up soon on the 24th and 25th of March. This is a great opportunity for those who want to become teachers or just improve their level. Instructors come from all over Europe and the UK so you get the opportunity to train, spar and learn from your both your peers and from Guro Bob. This is a fabulous weekend of rigorous training in a friendly and cooperative environment with lots and lots of technical input, plus the essential nuances that mean the difference between whether a technique works or not. We concentrate on teaching you both the classical techniques and then showing you various ways to train and teach them, and then different ways of sparring them; so that not only do you know of them, but you own them. The Breen Instructor Group is open to all who wish to learn. Ideally you need to be of at least an intermediate / Brown / Black belt level in a previous art or in JKD or Kali. If you are from a different art like Karate, Kung Fu or Boxing then this is fine. Venue is City of London Academy Islington, Prebend Street, Islington, London. N1 8PQ 11.00 until 4.00 both days. See you there.. It’s on facebook events as JKD Kali International instructor camp.

ST MONICA’S PRIMARY SCHOOL. HOXTON SQUARE . N.1.

There’s lots happening other than the Olympics. We’ve organised a Sparring seminar on Sunday 4th March at the Masters academy in Loughton. This will be a great chance to train with people who aren’t from the club but come from the same JKD family. I’ll be teaching alongside Matt Chapman who was at one time an Academy member. He’s been training since about the age of ten and is CFC welterweight champion and good at thai and mma and much more. We’ll give you sparring tips, exercises, training methods, alongside strategy, tactics and techniques to fix your sparring difficulties. Whether it’s getting in on tall opponents or how to handle a strong opponent we’ll give you helpful tips and video your progress. A fun day with no one getting bashed but all growing. Limited space and numbers so apply early. Full details on events page.

If you’d like to become or are an instructor then we’ve finally got dates for the Breen Instructor Group/ JKD-Kali International. Instructor camp. The first this year will be 24th and 25th March and the next the 26th and 27th of May. As usual time are 11.00 until 4.00.  We’ll be working out of the new City of London Academy Islington in Prebend st. Nearest tube Angel. It’s a fabulous venue and of course the training is top rate. In hard economic times supplementing your income by teaching martial arts is the way to go. Get training, get authorised, and get going. see you there. Full details on the events page.

I hope you all can come and celebrate what has been a great year for the club this Thursday. Many thanks to all of you for your hard work and sweat throughout the year and for being fun to teach.  This Thursday we have our last bash for the year. Class starts at 6.45 until about 8.00.  This will be a hard and sweat;y class just the thing to leave you sore but feeling strong for the Christmas cheer. After the class it’s wine and mince pies until we close. All welcome whether a current member or not. See you there.