IN THE LATTER PART of the twentieth century, many students, particularly in the United States, were captivated by the grappling craze. Schools offering training in arts such as Brazilian jujitsu, shoot wrestling, Russian Sambo, and Greco-Roman wrestling sprang up. Martial artists from many systems started to recognize that they needed to learn how to grapple in order to be well-rounded and competitive.

Although the need to know grappling did not become apparent to many students until recently, Bruce Lee had already realized this back in the 1960s. As he endeavored to become a versatile fighter, he researched and studied numerous grappling systems. These included aikido, wrestling, judo, and jujitsu. He worked out with some talented grapplers of the day, tapping into their understanding and experience.

However, unlike some of the arts widely practiced today, which focus almost exclusively on grappling and ground fighting principles and techniques, Lee’s system never over-emphasized grappling to the virtual exclusion of any other fighting method. Lee regarded clinging to a particular style of fighting as “partiality,” or having only a segment of the truth. Instead, Lee strove for “totality” in combat, an ability to fight in all ranges and to utilize all tools and methods. Grappling was just one facet of fighting that Lee sought to understand.

In contrast to the kicking, punching, and trapping aspects of Jeet Kune Do, the grappling aspects were never developed into a comprehensive methodology. Indeed, even as he studied grappling during the latter period of his life, Lee rarely, if ever, taught it at the Los Angeles Chinatown Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute or to most of his private students. However, he had a large collection of books on aikido, judo, jujitsu, and wrestling, and he made notations and drawings in many of them. He documented much of his research in his personal notes. Lee also experimented with grappling methods with Dan Inosanto, his private student and assistant instructor at the Chinatown school. In addition, one of his students from the school, Larry Hartsell, went on to do considerable research into grappling methods. Much of the material that is regarded as Jeet Kune Do grappling has been passed on through these various sources. The result is a comprehensive collection of different grappling skills that fits in with the rest of the art of Jeet Kune Do.

The Philosophy of Jeet Kune Do Grappling

A useful way to understand the philosophical approach to grappling in Jeet Kune Do is to compare and contrast it with the general approach of various systems widely practiced today. Most students of modern grappling arts study ways to fight with an opponent while both are on the ground. Indeed, these systems encourage students to take their opponents to the ground and to use their skills to keep their opponents subdued until they submit.

The objective of the Jeet Kune Do fighter is to avoid going to the ground with an opponent. Rather, the Jeet Kune Do practitioner generally aims to take an opponent to the ground without accompanying him or her there. Once the opponent is on the ground, the Jeet Kune Do fighter will either escape or assume a superior position to keep the opponent at a disadvantage. A Jeet Kune Do fighter will not seek to wrestle with an opponent who is on the ground.

Also, many systems today are practiced with an orientation toward sport and competition. They stress submission holds and locks that are designed to apply pressure until the opponent gives up. The grappling in Jeet Kune Do emphasizes effectiveness in street altercations. The techniques are intended for real self-defense applications, where one’s life and safety depend upon their effectiveness. Rather than methodically flowing from one position and technique to another until an opponent submits, the Jeet Kune Do fighter seeks to use grappling to quickly end the fight.

Grappling techniques in Jeet Kune Do fall into several categories. These include single-leg attacks, double-leg attacks, throwing, and tackling. Leg locks, arm locks, and neck locks are also part of these techniques. In addition, chokes, strangleholds, controls, and manipulations are part of the grappling arsenal. Some of these techniques are discussed below.

Leg Attacks

Double-Leg Takedown

To execute this type of takedown, you must drop down, grab both of your opponent’s legs, and hoist them off the ground so that your opponent falls backwards. As you lift your opponent’s legs, you also drive your shoulder forward into your opponent. This facilitates the takedown and prevents opponents from moving back and shifting their weight to keep their feet on the ground.

The double-leg takedown is best executed against an opponent whose legs are more squared up toward you. This makes it easier for you to wrap your arms around your opponent’s legs.

There are various ways to enter into a double-leg takedown. For example, you can use your hands to bump up your opponent’s arms to clear the way for you to grab his or her legs. If you do a double jut sao, or downward jerking motion of your opponent’s arms, your opponent may react by resisting and moving his or her arms up—which can also open up the way for you to grab your opponent’s legs. You can feint a hand attack toward your opponent’s face—for example, a lead finger jab—to draw your opponent’s arms upward for protection against your strike. This too will allow you to drop into a doubleleg takedown. You can fire a combination of punches to the head, causing your opponent to raise his or her arms for protection, and you can then shift downward into the double-leg takedown. There are many ways to move into a position from which you can execute the takedown successfully.

In addition, there are several follow-up lock positions that you can use after taking your opponent down onto his or her back. You continue to hold on to both legs, placing your opponent’s feet behind your armpits, and wrap your forearms tightly around your opponent’s ankles, Achilles tendons, or knees. You then pull upward and squeeze to lock your opponent’s legs.

From there you yourself can sit on the ground. You lean back and continue to pull on the legs while squeezing. Alternately, instead of sitting down, you can turn your opponent over, face down, which means that you are now facing away from him or her. You then sit down near your opponent’s rump as you bend his or her legs and squeeze.

Single-Leg Takedown

This type of takedown works best against a person who has one leg predominantly in forward position. You execute this takedown by dropping down and grabbing hold of your opponent’s front lower leg, close to, or at, the ankle. Your rear hand pulls up on the lower leg to bring your opponent off-balance. You can use your lead hand to grab your opponent’s thigh to assist in pulling up the leg. Alternately, you can brace your front outer forearm against your opponent’s front knee as you pull up on his or her lower leg (see Figure 12-1).

As you pull up on your opponent’s leg, you step up and set your front foot in back of your opponent’s support leg. From there you drive your shoulder forward into your opponent so that he or she trips on your front leg and falls backwards onto the ground.

From this position you can apply a lock against the knee, Achilles tendon, or ankle. While continuing to hold your opponent’s lead leg, you brace the bottom of your closest foot against the thigh of your opponent’s free leg. This prevents him or her from using the free leg to kick or bother you. Wrap your rear arm around the ankle of the front leg and brace your lead hand against the leg. Then straighten yourself and pull up on the leg as you squeeze to lock it into place. From there you can sit down while maintaining your lock on your opponent’s leg and pressing your foot against the thigh to keep him from kicking you.

There are different ways to enter into the single-leg takedown. For example, suppose you fire a lead jao sao, or running hand, toward your opponent’s temple. If your opponent does an outward block with the rear arm, you can quickly drop down and strike your opponent’s groin with your lead hand. You wrap your left hand behind your opponent’s front ankle and press your right forearm against his or her front knee. Then pull up on the leg and drive your opponent forward so that he or she falls backward.

As another illustration, suppose that your opponent faces you in unmatched lead. He or she throws a front-hand hook punch, which you evade by ducking under it. As you duck, your rear hand grabs the back of your opponent’s front ankle, while your front hand grabs the upper thigh. You then pull up the leg and drive your shoulder forward into your opponent, sending him or her backwards onto the ground.

As in the case of the double-leg takedown, you can feint a lead finger jab to draw your opponent’s arms upward. With the lower area cleared, you can drop down and grab your opponent’s front leg, using both of your hands. You lift up the leg and drive your opponent off-balance so that he or she falls to the ground.

Throws

Bruce Lee incorporated a number of throwing techniques from the Japanese martial arts into his Jeet Kune Do. One of them, osoto gari, involves tripping your opponent onto the ground. For example, from a lead hand attack, your lead hand lop saos, or grabs, your opponent’s front arm and pulls. As you pull, you fire a rear straight punch to the face to stun your opponent. You then step in with your front leg behind your opponent’s front leg. Your lead arm does a fore-arm smash against the upper body, and your front leg kicks back to trip up your opponent’s front leg (see Figure 12-2). You propel your upper body forward and downward against your opponent’s upper body, to force him or her backward onto the ground.

Another technique, tai otoshi, is essentially a hip throw. As your rear hand pulls your opponent’s lead hand forward, your lead hand twists your opponent’s neck. You turn and pivot on your rear leg, placing your front leg behind your opponent’s front leg. You then continue to pull the arm and twist the neck, while striking your front leg into the back of your opponent’s front leg to throw him or her over your hip and onto the ground.

Arm Locks

Another category of grappling skills involves arm locks. For instance, you can apply a straight-arm bar to take down your opponent. To enter, your lead hand can lop sao, or grab, your opponent’s lead arm as your rear hand delivers a straight punch to the face. From there you can use your rear forearm to apply downward pressure on your opponent’s lead arm to bring down your opponent. While he or she is on the ground, you can use your hand or your knee to continue to apply pressure on the arm. This straight-arm bar works well when your opponent’s lead arm is stiff and resistant.

A figure 4 lock is another type of lock that can be applied when your opponent’s arm is not stiff, but pliable. Basically, you bend your opponent’s arm at the elbow and hold it in place with a wristlock. Your other hand is inserted inside the arm and grabs your wrist to maintain the lock. You can enter into the figure 4 lock from the lop sao and rear straight punch combination, bracing your opponent’s elbow against your armpit. From there, you can bring your front leg behind his front leg and turn him so that he trips over your leg and falls onto his side.

While your opponent is on his side, you can maintain the figure 4 lock. While doing so, you put one leg in front of your opponent’s face, while the other leg drops to the knee and is braced behind his back. You pull up on the locked arm. Then you can squeeze him by pushing forward with your rear knee while pulling back against his face with the back of your lower leg (see Figure 12-3).

The outside armpit lock is another useful lock that can be applied against your opponent’s stiff lead arm. Again, you can apply this from the lop sao or grab your opponent’s lead arm and simultaneous rear punch to the face. You then use your left armpit to press down on your opponent’s arm as you pull the lead wrist upward, putting pressure on the elbow. You drop your opponent, face down, to the ground, and lean into him or her as you maintain the lock and apply pressure.

Strangleholds and Neck Chokes

There are various ways to strangle an opponent. In the front stranglehold you bring your opponent’s head down in front of you, wrap your arm around his or her neck, and squeeze, using your other hand to assist your arm. One way to enter into the front stranglehold is to move from a pak sao, or front hand immobilization technique, to strike your opponent’s face. While your opponent is stunned, you wrap your arm around the back of his or her neck and pull it down to execute the stranglehold. Another way to move into the front stranglehold is to slap the back of your opponent’s neck with your front hand to pull the head forward. From there you can wrap your arm around the front of the neck and squeeze to complete the stranglehold.

In the top stranglehold, instead of being directly in front of your opponent, you are behind, looking over the back of your opponent’s head as he or she is bent down. Your wrap your arm so that your forearm is in front of the neck. You use your other hand to hold your wrist as you pull up, squeezing the neck.

In the side strangle you basically move to the side of your opponent to wrap your arms around his or her neck to squeeze. For instance, as your opponent lead punches, your rear hand parries the punch over your front shoulder, and your lead hand goes around the left side of your opponent’s neck. You wrap your lead arm around the back of the neck, use your rear hand to grasp the wrist, and pull your arms together to apply the stranglehold.

The final type of stranglehold, the rear stranglehold, involves applying the technique to your opponent’s neck as you are positioned behind him or her. To execute this strangle, you must insert your arm from behind and clamp it across the front of your opponent’s neck. Make sure that the angle, or bend, of your elbow is braced directly in front of the windpipe. Your other arm rests on your opponent’s shoulder, and you bend it so that your hand is braced at the back of his head (see Figure 12-4). You place your front hand on the bicep of your back arm. As you pull back with your front arm, your hand pushes your opponent’s head forward. The countervailing forces result in a tight squeeze of your opponent’s neck.

One way to enter into this position is to move off a pak sao, or front arm immobilization technique. As you trap the arm, you punch your opponent’s face with your front hand and push his or her face to turn the head back. As the head turns, the rest of the body follows. This rotates your opponent’s upper body so that the back of the head and neck are now available for you to apply the rear stranglehold.

Neck locks are similar to strangleholds. You do not merely choke your opponent, but clamp his or her neck in place. One example is a front face lock, in which you wrap your arm tightly around your opponent’s face and pull upward as your other hand pushes your opponent’s shoulder. Another example is the reverse figure 4 lock, in which you apply your outer forearm against your opponent’s neck and brace your other hand against his or her shoulder.

Manipulations and Controls

Manipulations and controls represent a final category of grappling used in Jeet Kune Do. These involve maneuvering and controlling the various limbs of your opponent. One type is called the arm blast. You use this when your opponent reaches for you. Essentially you use both of your arms to push your opponent’s arms downward so that your arms are on the inside. From there you can tackle your opponent or go into any number of different follow-ups.

Another type, the arm drag, is employed to pull your opponent’s arm across his or her body, which allows you to maneuver to the outside of the arm. You basically grab your opponent’s arm above the elbow and pull the arm forward so that your opponent goes past you.

The elbow throw-by is similar to the arm drag. It is used when your opponent tries to move his or her arm from outside your arm to the inside. As the opponent does so, you drop your arm to grab his or her elbow. You then throw your opponent’s arm against his or her body, and you can shift into a follow-up position from there.

The elbow post involves pushing one or both of your opponent’s arms upward. For example, you can apply this when your opponent is reaching for you. As you move your opponent’s arms out of the way, you can shift in for a tackle or apply another grappling technique.

Grappling was an area that Bruce Lee researched and trained. Although he did not promote grappling as much as he did kickboxing and trapping, it became an integral part of his personal approach to combat. He found ways to take the existing knowledge from various systems and to make it flow from the various tools. Therefore, to understand the total art of Jeet Kune Do, one must study and learn the grappling skills that Lee believed were important to know.