The Jeet Kune Do Jun Fan Gung Fu Stance

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.