IT IS OFTEN SAID that success in any endeavor depends upon being in the right place at the right time. This is especially true in fighting. Even if you know thousands of techniques and can execute them flawlessly, they will do you no good if none of them actually reaches your opponent. On the other hand, you will have great difficulty defending yourself if you allow your opponent’s strikes to consistently reach you. Your techniques will also be useless if you try to use them at a moment when your opponent can effectively defend against them. Therefore, in order to both attack and defend successfully, you must learn how to move into the proper distance relative to your opponent. You must also learn how to time your attacks so that they have the greatest probability of landing on your opponent. In addition, you need to learn to time your movements to prevent your opponent from striking you.
Lee identified three things that are necessary for correct attacking: a keen sense of timing, good judgment of distance, and proper application of speed and rhythm. These all must be coordinated with your opponent’s actions.
Learning how to execute the tools and weapons is important in the beginning, but the Jeet Kune Do student must move beyond the mere mechanical movements into application. This is where training in the use of distance, timing, and rhythm becomes very important. We will examine each of these qualities below.
In fighting, distance refers to the spatial relationship between a fighter and an opponent. When you want to successfully strike your opponent, you must either reduce the distance between you, so that you can land the strike, or you must wait for your opponent to reduce the distance, so that you can execute a counterstrike. When you want to avoid being hit, you have to increase your distance from your opponent. Thus, if you can control the distance between yourself and your opponent, in order to carry out these objectives, you will be the one who controls the fight.
The Three Ranges
In Jeet Kune Do distance is defined in terms of three ranges: (1) long range, (2) medium range, also known as intermediate range, and (3) close range. Long range refers to that distance at which neither you nor your opponent can touch each other. Both of you are just beyond reach of your longest weapons. In medium range you can reach your opponent with your longest kick and your longest punch. Finally, in close range you can trap your opponent’s limbs and grapple with your opponent.
Certain techniques can only be executed when you are in the correct range. For example, if you want to attack with a side kick, you must enter into medium range in order to land it. In order to grapple, you must be in close range. An understanding of what you can and cannot do in each range is necessary so that you can use the appropriate techniques when you are in a given range.
The Fighting Measure
In order to determine how much distance you should have between yourself and your opponent, you can use a concept known in Jeet Kune Do as “the fighting measure.” This refers to the distance, or length of space, that you intentionally maintain against your opponent in order to control the distance. The fighting measure depends on your own characteristics and those of your opponent. It can easily change according to who your opponent is.
Several factors will influence the fighting measure. First, you must consider the maximum reach of your longest weapon. For the high line your longest weapon is your lead finger jab. For the low line your longest weapon is your lead side kick. So, initially, you must think about how close you need to be in order to reach your opponent with these weapons.
Second, you have to consider the reach of your opponent’s longest weapons. You must assess how far your opponent’s longest hand strike can reach at full extension. Also, you need to evaluate how far your opponent’s longest kick can reach at full extension. You want to make sure that you are just outside the range that these weapons could reach if your opponent were to attack with them. This will vary according to your opponent. For instance, if your opponent is much taller than you are, then his or her weapons will be able to reach a farther distance.
Third, you need to consider the target areas that you need to defend against your opponent’s attacks. For instance, if your opponent is a puncher but not a kicker, then you only have to concern yourself with those targets that can be reached with the front hand. However, if your opponent is also a kicker, then you must also be aware of those targets that the lead foot can strike. You have to take into account the fact that your opponent’s front kick can reach farther than the front hand.
Fourth, you must assess how quickly both you and your opponent can close the distance to strike each other. For example, if your opponent is relatively slow in advancing, you can afford to position yourself a little bit closer. Also, if your opponent tends to telegraph strikes, that gives you an early warning of his or her intentions, so you can stay closer. However, if an opponent is quick on his or her feet, then you will probably want to stay a little farther away for added safety.
Similarly, if you have quick footwork, you can close the distance from farther out and still strike your opponent. If you are slower, then you have to edge in closer in order to reach your opponent.
Breaking the Distance
After you have learned to control the distance, you can focus on breaking the distance. This basically means that you can adjust the distance to your advantage without letting your opponent become aware it. There are several methods that you can use to break the distance.
One way is to create a false sense of distance. You can deceive opponents into thinking that they are at a safe distance from your kicks or punches, when they are actually within range. This may cause an opponent to relax his or her guard, providing you with an opportunity to strike while your opponent is off guard.
For instance, you can fire a lead punch at your opponent that intentionally falls short of the target. You can do this by not rotating your hips or extending your shoulder fully when you reach apparent full extension. Your opponent will think that he or she is safely out of range of your strike, when you actually could have landed the strike. Then, at the right moment, you fire your lead punch with proper hip rotation and shoulder extension. The punch will strike your opponent, who will not be prepared to defend against it, because he or she thinks you are out of range.
Another way to break the distance is by adjusting your footwork to move you closer so that you can strike without your opponent expecting it. For example, you can use a type of footwork called “steal a step,” which brings you nearer to your opponent than he or she believes. To execute this, you quietly and subtly bring your rear foot forward so it is just behind your front foot. To hide this movement, you can feint a hand strike such as a finger jab, which diverts your opponent’s attention away from your feet and toward your hand. The position of your rear foot sets limits on how close you can be to your opponent. Therefore, when you move up your rear foot, you have, in effect, decreased your distance to your opponent.
According to Lee, a skilled fighter always keeps himself just out of reach of his opponent’s attack. He always moves to make his opponent misjudge his distance. At the same time he remains sure of his own distance.
Because your opponent is unaware of the fact that you have advanced your rear foot, he or she still thinks that you are at the same distance as before. From this position you can execute a push shuffle to launch a front hand strike. Alternately, you can launch a front leg kick from your new position.
Another way to adjust your footwork is to use progressively shorter steps each time you retreat from your opponent. This can work well if your opponent advances toward you each time you retreat. If your opponent steps forward the same amount of distance each time you move back, and you shorten your back step each time, your opponent can unknowingly move into range for a counterattack. Once your opponent has moved within range, you can execute a lead straight punch or a lead shin kick.
A final way to break the distance is by employing broken rhythm. The idea is that you first establish a rhythm with your opponent, in which his or her movements are synchronized with yours. You can then break the rhythm by either suddenly speeding up or slowing down. For a moment your opponent is less guarded because his or her movement is slightly behind or slightly ahead of your movement. It is during this moment that you can execute and land a strike.
Using Distance in Attack
To properly use distance in attacking, you need to know how to close the distance to your opponent is so you can land your attack. This is also known in Jeet Kune Do as “bridging the gap” between you and your opponent. For instance, if you are in long range, where you cannot touch your opponent, you have to learn how to quickly move into medium range in order to land your kick or punch. If you are in intermediate range, you need to learn how to move into close range if you want to trap, grapple, or use other tools such as the knees and elbows.
One way to bridge the gap is to hide your forward movement by using a feint or false attack. For example, you can fire a fake finger jab in order to distract your opponent. While your opponent’s focus is on responding to your hand strike, you can use your footwork to quickly advance into range for a front leg kick.
Another way to bridge the gap is to use your longest weapon to hit your opponent’s nearest target. For instance, you can move in while firing a lead finger jab to the eyes or a lead side kick to the front shin or knee. The action of firing these lead weapons, in itself, helps to close the distance and puts you into position to follow up with another technique.
Using Distance in Defense
To properly use distance as a way to defend, you need to know how to adjust your distance so that your opponent is unable to hit you. There are basically two ways to do this. One way is to open, or increase, the distance between you and your opponent so that any punch or kick that is thrown at you will fall short. You accomplish this by employing evasive footwork. For instance, if your opponent launches a lead side kick, you can quickly step back with a slide step retreat to avoid being hit (see Figure 20-1).
Another way to keep from being hit is by closing the distance through jamming your opponent. In essence, as your opponent prepares to attack, you quickly move forward to smother the attack and prevent its launch. From there you can follow up with a counterattack, such as grappling. For instance, if your opponent is about to throw a lead kick, you rapidly step in with your knee raised and brace it against your opponent’s leg to keep the kick from firing (see Figure 20-2). From there you can step down and implement a takedown or a choke, for example.
Timing
Another quality that is essential for effective fighting is timing. This refers to sensing the right moment at which to launch an attack or counterattack. You will not be successful in landing strikes against opponents who are well guarded and able to protect themselves. You want to be able to hit when the desired target area is unprotected. This can occur when your opponent is transitioning from one position to another, or makes an error, or is forced to leave the target undefended because of some action that you initiate. In any case, you want to be able to recognize, and take advantage of, the specific moment when your opponent is most vulnerable to your strikes, either in attack or counterattack.
To develop the ability to sense these opportune moments for your attack or counterattack, you must learn to carefully observe your opponents. As you train with different partners, especially in sparring, watch their movements. As they step from one position to another, do they tend to leave certain areas unguarded? Do they move their arms in certain patterns that expose specific parts of the body? When they throw punches or kicks, which regions open up for a possible counterattack? By studying each partner in this way, you raise your awareness of when exact targets become vulnerable. These represent key moments in which you can successfully land a strike.
Reaction Time and Movement Time
It is not enough, however, to learn merely how to recognize the right moment to strike. Even if you develop this sense to a high degree, you still must be able to execute your techniques so that you can land your strikes within that moment. There are two types of timing that you can strengthen to improve your ability to take advantage of these moments. One is reaction time and the other is movement time.
Reaction time has to do with how quickly you can recognize an event and begin to respond to it. When you see or hear something, it takes time for your brain to process it and send signals to your body to take the appropriate action. In the context of fighting, when you see an opening in your opponent’s defense, your brain must tell your arm or your leg to execute an appropriate strike to the exposed area. By reducing the amount of time required for this process to occur, you can speed up your reaction time and reach the target area more quickly.
Movement time refers to how long it takes you to execute a technique from beginning to end, once you have recognized the moment. If you are relatively slow in performing the technique, you may find that the target area has closed before you reach it. So you want to minimize the amount of time required for your technique to be completed.
One of the best ways for you to improve both your reaction time and your movement time is to practice focus-mitt drills with a partner. Your partner employs the mitts like flash cards, showing the mitts only at certain moments. When a mitt is displayed, it represents a moment when a target area is exposed. As soon as you see the mitt flashed, you fire the appropriate technique to strike the mitt. To make the drills more challenging, your partner can flash the mitt for a brief moment, such as a fraction of a second, before returning it to a neutral position. Then you have to really speed up your strike in order to hit the mitt before your partner takes it away. By practicing these drills regularly and consistently over a period of time, you can shorten your reaction time and tighten your movement time.
Use of Timing in Attack/Counterattack
You can time your attack or counterattack to correspond to certain stages of your opponent’s attack. Generally, you can break down your opponent’s attack into three stages: (1) preparation, (2) development, and (3) completion. As the name suggests, attack upon preparation refers to the beginning of your opponent’s attack, as he or she is getting ready to execute the technique (see Figure 20-3). Attack upon development characterizes your opponent’s attack as it is on its way toward the target. Finally, attack upon completion relates to the moment when your opponent has finished the technique and starts to recover. At each of these stages, you can execute an appropriate attack or counterattack to an exposed target area.
For instance, as your opponent prepares to fire a lead punch, you can close the distance and trap his or her front arm to prevent the punch from executing. At the same time you can fire your own lead straight punch to the face. If your opponent manages to launch a lead punch toward your face, you can use your rear hand to parry the punch as your lead hand counters with a low punch to the midsection. Finally, if your opponent fires the punch, misses, and begins to retract the punch, you can fire a quick lead backfist to the face while he or she is recovering. All these represent counterattacks that you can execute at the different stages of a single technique, namely, your opponent’s lead punch.
Rhythm
A final quality that should be cultivated is rhythm, the tempo at which you move in a fight. Many fighters have a tendency to establish a uniform rhythm when they fight. They move according to a certain tempo or cadence. If you remain in the same rhythm as your opponent, it may be difficult for you to land a strike, because your opponent’s defensive movements can track your offensive movements.
Your objective is to control the rhythm, because the person who controls the rhythm controls the fight. In Jeet Kune Do you control the rhythm by using what is known as “broken rhythm.” As your opponent maintains a steady tempo, you can change your rhythm by pausing or speeding up your movements. In this way your rhythm is no longer synchronized with your opponent’s rhythm. This allows you to insert your strikes in-between his or her movements (see Figures 20-4 and 20-5).
Breaking the rhythm is accomplished in two ways. First, you can speed up your movement relative to that of your opponent, catching your opponent unawares. Second, you can slow down your movement and pause in-between your opponent’s movements. This also can catch your opponent off guard. If each of your opponent’s movements is considered one beat, then you seek to strike in-between the beats, or on the half-beat.
The cultivation of fighting skills requires not only solid execution of your techniques, but also an understanding of proper distance, timing, and rhythm. These qualities enable you to apply the techniques at the right moment, when you are in a good position to attack or counterattack your opponent. By training specifically with these qualities in mind, you learn how to relate to your opponent in a way that gives you the upper hand in a fight.
