I'm pretty astounded that despite all the information that Bruce Lee wrote in his notes and inside the books he owned in his vast library that First Generation students fail (or for some reason reluctant) to teach or hold back on some of the knowledge that was presented to them which is why I feel extremely lucky that Jerry Poteet gave me information he didn't give to anyone else (as far as I know.)

I trained with a few of them and will relay my stories on a later blog.

I know I'll hear the JKD simplicity argument with this post but even boxers go outside their realm of comfort to explore new tools instead of drilling the same attributes day in and day out.

Today's MMA competitors are prime examples of the need for new discoveries to unbalance an opponent.  It will always boil down to the unpredictability of a fight as well as the reactions of the human body so just enjoy your training and lay off the online arguments.

The following video is another portion of my 2002 video training diary.  Jerry taught me this as Bruce showed and explained.  Did I actively practice this kick? No but it's knowledge that was passed along and there is no need for it to be kept secret.

This information came out of another brainstorming session for his video series that never happened as planned.  This was to be the definitive collection of his knowledge and it's a shame it never happened.  I asked about advanced kicks that we could include in one of the videos and he told me about the Drop Sweep Kick which I documented on video.

It's a quick demo with my sound effects and all as usual.

Next up will be the JKD stick fighting information that Jerry showed me.

Enjoy the information and please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to my channel.   If you dislike the video at least give an explanation in the comments section because it’s the only way I can provide better content with the new videos I plan on doing.   I’m not going to get butt hurt. I’m putting this information out there to the general public so I expect criticism.

I've been throwing knives for a month due to the stay at home quarantine and have become quite obsessed with this developing skill.

This is my unboxing and brief review of a few knives I ordered from DXB SPORT knives in Russia.

Details are in the show notes.

When I was training with Jerry Poteet we had private sessions that were often up to three times or more per week.   It got to a point that he mentioned I learned and excelled in the core principles and attributes of Jeet Kune Do.  All except for sticky hands which comes with practice and something I really wasn't interested in learning so he asked me if I wanted to go beyond JKD and learn other aspects of what he knew.  I was honored that he would say that and I was exploring stick fighting on my own at the time.  This sparked a new passion in me to make training weapons.

I had a desktop editing studio which everyone has nowadays and just purchased a Digital Video camera with my site on making short films and instructional videos.  YouTube wasn't a thing yet.

It took a lot of time and effort to persuade Jerry it was time for a new video series but once the spark happened he became very interested.

During our brainstorming sessions I asked if we would include weapons training as it pertained to each subject of the video because this is something no one has honestly done as Bruce taught it. This illuminated in him when Bruce Lee taught staff fighting techniques during the Los Angeles private backyard era classes.  However he confided in me that he was very reluctant to teach this to every student.  

Why did he want to withhold this wealth of knowledge?  

All I can think of is that Jerry was a very private person and it took a lot of convincing at times to get him in the public eye more often.  This was mostly due to his health issues at the time, which he also told me.  I feel very fortunate for the advanced information he taught me and I will be writing more on this in future blogs.  Far as I know I have never seen this from any of his students.

Jerry and I discussed a five part video series that would cross reference each other.  It was all standard JKD core principles that he didn't present in his first series and how they interacted with each other.  For now I will just say things did not go as planned and only two videos were produced.  The third video on ADVANCED TRAPPING was filmed but never edited and completed.  That sucked for me because it's the one I am featured in.  More information for another blog entry.

The production of those two videos took it's toll on on me and one of the many reasons I quit private lessons with him but that's also another story.

While moving last August I found a Digital Video tape with the label "JKD DIARY 2002" that I had forgotten about.  My DV camera was no longer working so I took it to CVS to get it transferred to DVD.  The information on it brought back a lot of memories.  It's an hours worth of advanced Jeet Kune Do information that I have not seen available or talked about online.  I will be posting all segments on YouTube.

In this video you will hear me speaking out loud all that was taught to me in that lesson.  I repeat things often and make sound effects.  Nothing is edited out much to my embarrassment.  This was never meant to be seen by anyone but me because it was much easier than taking notes.  

My opinions on quarter staff fighting have changed over the years mostly due to training with Ray Floro Fighting Systems.

Looking back on this lesson I see that all of this was used in ENTER THE DRAGON and RETURN OF THE DRAGON and it must have been something to see something on screen that Bruce Lee developed with his students.  They were his action team at the time.  Today the amount of coordination and choreography is done with months of preparation, training, and filming with teams of people but Bruce did this by himself.  Another aspect for him to be revered over.

I’ve been grinding away at these tree trunks for a few weeks.  I only get to work on them for a few hours a day due to neighbors complaining about the noise and the clean up is horrendous.  Six garbage bags filled with shavings so far!  It’s an arduous task but fun and rewarding when the Mook Jong starts taking shape.​

As refining begins the natural grain begins to reveal itself and I’m very happy with what I am seeing.  It’s going to be difficult deciding which one to give up to sale.

I’ve been working on the camphor trunk the most because it was the thickest.  You can see from the cardboard template how much has been removed. 

This 9 inch diameter template is one of the most important tools in Wooden Dummy planning and construction.

First I used a draw blade to remove the bark and some wood then an angle grinder with wood working attachments.  It’s like using a mini chainsaw.

I also started shaping the acacia trunk this week.  Although there isn’t much to remove it has been more difficult because it is much more dense and heavier to move around.

Next up with be some sanding which might take a while since I do not have a hand held belt sander just yet and I’m going to need a booth to work in because the dust will be very fine.  This will give me time to decide how I am going to mount these and begin working on the frame or to purchase a floor spring stand.

I also made a new throwing knife target using pressure treated 4 X 4 since I destroyed my palm tree round within a month.  I practice one hour a day five days a week.  The new target holds up very well and will last a long time.  If it gets too destroyed I just need to move the end pieces around.​

The palm round is a great target because it is lightweight and knives sink in easy but the clean up is a pain and airborne fibers can’t be good.  I won’t be buying one of these again.

During the early 2000's I was hellbent on writing articles, outlining notes for training videos, and promoting the core of Jeet Kune Do.  My training eventually evolved into other aspects of Martial Arts and I abandoned all articles and video ideas which I recently discovered going through hundreds of DVD's during this quarantine.

Below are notes I put together for an article on the Bai Jong stance of Jeet Kune Do.  During this time I was HEAVILY into attributes training in JKD and details meant everything.  This article was great to discover because much of what I wrote I currently use for my SKANF style knife throwing.

Sorry there aren't any photos to accompany this but I might do a video on it someday since this seems to be lacking in the current JKD scene.  It's been very troubling to see some Wing Chun people that have little to no experience with real JKD pawning themselves off as members of the Bruce Lee lineage.  It amazes me these seminar certificate collector clout chasers get away with this shit.

In other news:  I am still carving away at my Wooden Dummies making a mess and pissing off my neighbors and I'm in the process of filming new videos for my YouTube channel.  Bruce Lee's staff fighting secrets will be up soon!

The article was never finished and there are a few random notes and ideas.  

Please let me know your thoughts and comments:

Compare this stance to the position a baseball player takes before he hits the ball.  The hips are turned and he is poised ready to strike the ball.  Depending on his situation, he may bunt (like a feint) or slam the ball using his entire body.  Either way his hips are aligned in such a way that whatever his move is going to be will remain a secret until he swings.  This can be compared to being non telegraphic before using one of your tools.  
His stance allows him to make quick adjustments in hitting the ball or for sprinting to first base after the hit (notice how some hit left handed, stronger side facing the pitcher, allowing proper footwork to run to first base).  They have conditioned themselves so they are not thinking about all the factors involved with hitting the ball.  The pitcher acts as the opponent in this brief encounter.  The batter wants to hit and the pitcher must manipulate the ball so he doesn’t make contact.
Just as Carl Weathers’ character Chubs said to Adam Sandler in the movie HAPPY GILMORE  “it’s all in the hips…”

3 inches below your navel is your center of gravity.  Think of the alignment of your head and this point as your gyroscope.  If they are not in sync the gyroscope loses balance and falls over.
Once you are aware and can control these sweet spots it will be like getting rid of a dull rusty saw blade for a high powered radial arm saw.

The first step is the correct stance.  On balls of feet to maintain control of the rotations and force, bent legs to prevent jarring of joints.
At first this stance feels unnatural.  However over time with PLENTY of practice, the movements will become second nature.  Think back on how frustrated you were when you were learning to ride a bicycle.  For most of you, you never quit until you were able to do it. Once you learned, you just know how to do it.  Some will just ride the bike while others will learn everything there is to know.  Either one is correct. However if you know the parts and mechanics of your bike, you can make fine adjustments to suit your needs.
Treat this article as not getting from A to B but the space between A and B.  As musicians will tell you sometimes it’s the space between the notes.

Developing the use of my waist first came from training in TANG SOO DO.  Typical karate kicks are chambered then thrust out to achieve a snapping sound in the uniform.  Like throwing with an iron bar with great control.  The problems are a lack of quick recovery or follow up and eventual damage to knee joints.  JKD uses the natural bend, relaxation, then whipping everything into place.

Pick up a garden hose with a metal nozzle at the end and whip it.  Notice the harder you whip it the faster and more powerful the energy travels and raises the nozzle.  Pick up a staff the same length of the hose and try achieving the same amount of power.

In using a whip it’s not just thrown out, timing of snapping the wrist as you break the sound barrier, and tremendous damage that can be caused.
The waist contains your center of gravity.  Awareness of this allows gymnasts to perform on the high beams, ice skaters to spin, and dancers to glide through the air.

If you are not aware of your center, it’s like being hollow.  You can only be as strong as your outer shell.

Once you become able to control your center of gravity, you will be able to generate enormous power regardless of what art you practice.
Feet and legs are the spark plugs to the waist engine.

To understand how power is generated one must first know what is meant by a “kung fu punch is like an iron ball attached to an iron chain…”

It cannot be stiff like a karate punch.

Supple yet with strength, the snap of the arm causes the tip to break the sound barrier thus the loud snap such are the tools of JKD and the impetus is the waist.

Pliable and strong like bamboo.  You can’t chop it without fraying the reed.  Go at angle and slice away.

A lot of power can be generated with rear kicks but they are extremely telegraphic.   Sometimes twisting of the knees occurs, the body is out of alignment, or too much pressure is placed in the wrong direction.

If you notice in some NHB matches, more and more fighters are beginning to understand the principle of closet weapon to closest target.  Harness the power of the hips for truly powerful tools.

Winding up and missing, offering your back to your opponent.

May think twisting of the hips can be telegraphic not necessarily true.  All tools are projected from here it is up to the person delivering the tool to steer the energy generated to the tool.  Hand before foot principle applies well here.

Can be used for PIA and ABD (show example)

Bai jong stance prevents telegraphic or set up moves since everything is thrown from the same position.  It is harder to detect which tool will be used.

Practice throwing punches and kicks with waist awareness and you will develop a “sixth sense” of how to move your body for the most effective power, economy, speed, timing, distance, deceptiveness.  These elements combined with broken rhythm and sensitivity drills are the goal of JKD.

Stance is designed to protect the centerline.

For the last two weeks my Stay At Home hobby has been a Russian instinctive style of knife throwing developed by Yuri Fedin.  I've had one private training session in knife throwing a few years ago and never had the chance to practice since but this is a whole new game that I want to document.

The second half of the video I'm practicing the "wave technique" which is similar to energizing a bull whip.  I'll do a comparison soon.  Look up YURI FEDIN and notice how he generates a whipping motion like he is breakdancing.  His throwing skills are still unmatched from what I have researched.

I've also made some progress on my Wooden Dummy trunks and will get that updated soon!

Here is the my final fight of this event.

Details are in the show notes.

I've been itching to make another Wooden Dummy for years and the opportunity finally has come.  This time I will be making a few.  One for me to keep and two others to sale.

My first Mook Jong was based on plans that Jerry Poteet made for Bruce Lee.  The Dummy Jerry made ended up at Daniel Lee's house.  Unfortunately when I saw this at Dan's house when I trained with him it wasn't really taken care of.

I'm not sure what base I plan on using at this time but I do want to make it more portable because I move residences quite a bit.  My original wooden dummy mounted to the wall so this will be freestanding of some kind.

My main focus is for it to have a springing energy that is not passive.  The Wing Chun dummy is incredible for developing explosive energy in addition to honing techniques.  I'll be filming demos of this for sure.

The first step was creating the traditional arms which my Dad created with laminated hickory.

These will take a beating for sure.  Jerry Poteet often described that baseball bats shaved down are some of the best wood for dummy arms.  He showed me a set he made with steel cable inserted that offered a great spring and resistance.

My first dummy was made out of laminating and screwing boards together because I want to go the traditional route I needed to find a tree trunk.  It took a few days of emailing and phone calls so I was lucky enough to get in touch with a tree removal company in Ontario, CA and they were extremely helpful.

The type of wood available depends on what they have recently cut.  I was introduced to Acacia which is similar to Walnut and will make a beautiful dummy.  Camphor was available which is also going to be very nice and the one I plan on selling. Then there is Redwood which is a soft wood but has amazing cracks in it that I plan on doing some experimentation on.  If it goes well this will also be for sale.

I found the straightest pieces I could but there will be lots of fun sanding nonetheless.

If you are interested in the Camphor piece let me know and I can make it according to your specifications.  I'm willing to sale the trunk only if you have your own stand, arms, and legs.

I'll be posting progress shots and document as much as I can.  If you have any questions please comment below or send an email on my contact page.