WHY JKD?

Hey guys! Just Like you to Know why we are doing what we do. Why are we calling Jun fan class JKD now?If you know the history of our academy Formerly Wu Hsin Kuen, (now Rister Martial Arts) then you know that it was founded and named for the arts taught by Bruce Lee. In fact the name Wu Hsin Kuen came from a term paper written by Bruce Lee in 1961 at the university of Washington in Seattle. It was for his philosophy class titled the Kung Fu Mind. Bruce Lee taught a variety of arts ranging from Tao of Chinese gung fu to Jun Fan to JKD. He later became regretful that he named it such, as many of the students became obsessed with intercepting fist tactics, instead of overall fighting. In fact if you read Tao of Jeet Kune Do Sijo Lee ("Sijo" Is term for founder of an art ) entered on the last line of the last page "if people say that Jeet Kune Do Is different from this or from that, then let the name of Jeet Kune Do be wiped out, for that is what it is just a name Please don't fuss over it." So, that is why I named our school fighting without thought academy (WHK). However, if you have been around long enough you would know that our school was indeed founded on the principals of JKD. In fact, we used to teach and test all the arts as one art. Just ask Mike , Roger or Dwight, who have been at the school over or nearly ten years. We separated them for the simple reason that some people want strictly Kali and some Wing Chun, etc. So, to help these people, we changed our way. By the way, it was a very good thing expanding our Kali class by increasing our knowledge base. It also caused me to seek out Sifu Francis Fong Fo Classical Wing Chun Training . So why change now? Well, it is common knowledge that JKD has been hijacked by "fake instructors" (for lack of a better term) these "fake instructor" have turned JKD into a laughing stock in martial arts. We are going to Take it back and change that. After the Passing Of Sifu Larry B. Hartsell, I have done a lot of soul searching on this subject. Why should his Association be grouped in with the JKD Freaks? Why should his legacy be tainted for being the JKD Grappling Association. No, I will do my part to help change the JKD reputation, and I hope you will help me.We have changed the structure of our JKD class to make it more combative and teach the fighting aspect much more clearly. I am very excited about the new ciriculum and the new teaching method we have come and try it out you will be very pleased. This class will greatly benefit your Kali learning, as the material taught is very close to the advanced level Kali, called pangamut and panatukan. I know for many years I have fought the Jun Fan over JKD fight and am not giving in. I have simply decided to do something about it. The name isn't going to be wiped out so it might as well be taught correctly. So we will be using the term JKD now not as a derogatory remark describing misguided people, but our very own class structure. We will have a free demonstration class on our new structure soon, so if you havent seen it make plans to do so. Also I will be wanting to test some of my current instructors in the new way to get ready . I hope you all can get behind me on this.

Wing Chun And You, Understanding your mind , body and spirit . By Sifu Jon Rister Often, Wing Chun is perceived of as only an aggressive close range combat system. While it is true that Wing Chun is very effective at close range , it is much more than that under the surface. For instance, section one of Siu nim tau ( little imagination) should be practiced often to develop breathing and to focus on the tan tien ( lower diaphragm). Eyes should be focused on one point straight ahead, chin slightly down and shoulders and chest relaxed. The weight should be supported by the upper thigh muscles. This is also isometric training. Focus should be on elbow position and centerline every major movement starts at the elbow. and occupies the centerline . The stance Yee gee keem yueng ma (pigeon toed stance, or restraining the goat stance) is very important to aligning the skeletal structure, so that the tendons and bones support most of the weight not the major muscle groups allowing the student to learn to relax. The second section should be more flowing and graceful . Again emphasizing relaxed fluid muscles instead of tension and strained muscles. This combined with the first will train the student to receive and project energy in a every day mind ( or relax walk in the park frame of mind) instead of panicked and stressing. No adrenalin being introduce to the muscles, causing early fatigue. Section three should be done with snap in the motion, still emphasizing elbow and control but with more vigor and energy ( aggressively, killer instinct ) . without moving the hips or torso keep the hands inside the box. ( four corners) four corners are sort of invisible boundaries that the hands stay within, shoulders and hips are the boundaries , if you can imagine that. These boundaries imply the hand does not chase objects outside these set boundaries keeping the body and limbs under control at all times( don’t reach out to stop a blow this only give away the initiative) . The individual hand techniques should not be thought of as to apply directly out of this form , or in any sequence, each motion has many meanings and can be used for multiple purposes. IE. pac Sao oi jut Sao Wong jern ( slapping hand outside snapping wrist sideways palm) could be used together, but more likely would not. And Pac Sao ( slapping hand) can be used to be offensive in nature and defensive as well. Like the double sot Sao ( throat cutting hand ) is not intended for you to strike two flanking opponents simultaneously, Rather to teach the correct alignment of the arm and hip to execute a Killing ( powerful) Blow ( although again it could be if you could get two opponents to line up correctly for you). Siu Nim Tau is to teach you how to use and control your arms and keep your body aligned. The hand techniques are far more effective if the rest of the body is aligned properly . This is merely the physical aspect but , repeating it over and over eventually, will bring about a better communication between brain hemispheres. This is why both sides are done exactly the same . This oneness of body and mind will eventually bring about a more spiritual understanding of the art ( Imagination). And its concepts and principals will start to become clear. One should not seek to fight with Wing Chun , but simply allow the tools learned to apply themselves . The premise that A Wing Chun practitioner should attempt combat from the classical stances is not realistic, and was not the intention of the arts founder ( simply a misinterpretation). One should look at stances as snap shots of a greater mobile picture ( as one circles his opponent he phases in and out of each stance or posture not having one thus but all). Static training is to teach the student sectoring and angulation and leverage , and to lead or draw certain responses from the opponent. A student should not confine themselves to a particular position and try to defend it. Learning to root ones self, for instance is to teach one to generate power from the ground. Not to teach one to defend a particular piece of territory. One only need to look at history, any fortification no matter how secure can be overcome by a powerful and patient opponent. ( masala, Maginot line , Festune Europa , Zigfreid line )ect . That being said stances, are an integral part of the overall learning process, and should be drilled from. But application should be practiced more realistically from a more mobile base. this is precisely why Jun Fan Gung Fu Was developed its founder a Wing chun practitioner and student of Yip Man . He wanted to bring To bring mobility to the art. And non restrictive positioning to the practitioner. ( unfortunately now these JKD Clowns are now doing the same thing freeze framing what was once mobile and flowing ). Wing Chun should be practiced on three levels Or in Three Phases Form( the structure ) ,Drill (moving the structure), Application ( free flowing fluid motion ).

New Training Method

Teaching fighters has been a good thing for me overall. Yes, it has taken a toll on my body and gave me lots of nights of pain, but it has been well worth it. I am learning and developing newer and better ways to teach the regular students how to gain advantages; like training without focus gloves, yet doing the same drills in a much more combative way. I call the new method “spar the drill and drill the spar”. The point of this way of training is to improve the outcome of the drill by forcing the student to be more accurate and deliberate with their drilling. The purpose is to make sparring more valuable, rather than just throwing random punches and hope they make contact. I am teaching the student to use the learned skill to set up the punches and kicks they are throwing. Now, I have come to the point, where I am seeing what was missing in the students from the “being in the Gym Era” vs. “having our own school era”, and the “me trying to please everyone Era”. Moving forward I have become determined to teach martial arts and hope that it pleases people, as opposed to trying to be everything to everyone, which ends up being not right for anyone. Am I saying that the training in the last two years has been wrong or bad? No, not at all, but it has been received badly, because it is not forcing the students to focus. Something I did in the past was making sure the students focused in on what they were doing. We did things outside of the class for our recreation and in the school it was all about martial arts training, and everyone knew why they were there, and cared what they got out of it. I think the new way forces the feeder to focus as much as the driller. In fact, I know it does, because if you do not focus - you get hit in the face. We will continue to keep changing in the future, and always for the better result. I have seen in just two weeks students make good gains, in not only their skill, but also in their desire to learn. This subject has come up in discussions with many of my senior students. We are facing a crisis in the way some of the new students just going through the motions in the drills, and not seeking the reason for the drill, not feeding the drill with intent or vigor. It means you are swinging or striking your partner with no intention to actually make contact. This attitude does the drill no justice and hurts your training partner. The new way of training has forced the students to do this properly. They actually feel more compelled to do it properly. They feel there is a larger safety margin in the new way of training. The presence of this margin will accelerate their learning. Mike and I had a long discussion last night after class and we both had the same thoughts on the subject. This new training will help both the feeder and the driller to get more out of the few minutes a week that most students get. Julia and I also noted at a recent event we attended, that many of the students from BJJ schools and have dedication of the cult followers. Our own students would do well to take some more dedication or interest in the school and the training. So, I call this new training “spar the drill and drill the spar”.Jon Rister