Jeet Kune Do Basics. David Cheng
maintain the integrity of your bai-jong stance when you start and when you end, as well as during your movement, as much as possible. You should keep your hands and arms up as you move, except when you extend your upper body tools to strike. Likewise, you should maintain your small phasic bent-knee position, except when you are using your lower body tools during your movement.
Footwork Movements
From the bai-jong Lee compiled a number of different footwork methods designed to accomplish different purposes. The Jeet Kune Do student should learn the mechanics of each of these types of footwork and practice them often, so that they become as natural as walking or running. The student should also understand the specific circumstances in which each particular type of footwork movement is employed, in order to execute them at the right moment.
Step and Slide Advance
In order to successfully launch an attack upon your opponent, you must be in range to do so. Often, you do not start out in the proper range, so you need to first enter it so that you can attack from there. The step and slide advance is the type of footwork that you would use to close in on an opponent.
From the bai-jong position, you take a step forward with your front foot. Your front heel should land first, followed by the ball of your foot, as in walking. As your weight drops onto the front leg, your rear leg should slide forward, almost gliding along the ground. As it does so, the rear heel should remain in raised position. Your rear leg slides forward until it is the same distance behind your front foot as before. Make sure that, as you complete this series of movements, you do not drop and raise your body, but keep your head level. You should be back in the bai-jong, but closer to your opponent.
Because the purpose of this footwork is to enter into the range where you can launch your attack, check your position in relationship to your opponent. If he or she is in your range, then you can attack. If your opponent is still too far away, or has moved away in response to your movement, then repeat the step and slide advance to move into range. It is generally safer to use two or more smaller step and slide movements to close in than it is to use one larger movement, which makes you more vulnerable to counterattack.
Step and Slide Retreat
This type of footwork is used to move away from an opponent. You can employ it, for instance, when you want to open the distance between you and your opponent to give yourself more safety. You can also use it when your opponent advances toward you to adjust your distance relative to him or her. If your opponent throws a punch at you, you can take a quick step and slide retreat to avoid the punch. However, you remain in range to easily launch a counterattack, by not moving back too far.
To execute this movement, you begin from bai-jong position and take a small step back with your rear foot. As you land on your rear foot and shift your weight to your rear leg, you slide your front foot back until it is the same distance from your rear leg as before. You should end up in the bai jong, as before, with your weight about evenly distributed between your legs.
Push Shuffle Advance
When you want to launch a medium-range tool, such as a lead finger jab or lead straight punch, you use the push shuffle advance. This type of footwork quickly propels your body weight forward as you execute the technique. The tool then becomes merely an extension of your body, so that you are actually striking with your body, and not merely with your limb.
To execute this footwork, you start from the bai-jong. It is important that your rear heel be raised, because you will launch your forward movement from there (see Figure 9-1). With the heel up, you push off the ball of your rear foot. Your front foot takes a quick forward step as your rear foot moves forward. As you are in transition, your lead tool should already be on the way toward the target. Your tool should hit the target as your front foot is landing, but before it has completely landed. This is known as the principle of “hand before foot.” When you hit with your hand before your front foot has stepped down, your body weight is still behind your strike, giving it more power. If your front foot has completely landed before your hand strikes the target, then most of your weight will dissipate down your front leg, making your front hand less powerful.
When you push off your rear foot, make sure that you move your entire body quickly toward your opponent (see Figure 9-2). In that way you improve the chances of your tool striking your opponent. If you move too slowly, your opponent will have more time to see you advancing and can take steps to evade you, or—worse yet—counterattack.
Push Shuffle Retreat
This footwork enables you to quickly move back to avoid your opponent’s punch. To execute it from the bai-jong, you raise your front heel slightly so that it is mainly the ball of the foot that is contacting the ground. You then push off the ball of the front foot and propel your body back. As you do so, your rear foot should take a quick step back. The rear foot should land and become settled as your front foot is starting to land.
Slide Step Advance
To launch a kick, such as a side kick, you can employ the slide step advance. This particular type of footwork covers a longer distance than the push shuffle. Therefore, it is better suited for supporting a kick, which is normally executed from a farther distance than a punch. This footwork also covers the distance very quickly, which is necessary in order to successfully land a kick.
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