Drill Post #18: JKD as a Filter

From time to time, I get a call or e-mail from someone that's an experienced martial artist or instructor and has just discovered or become involved in JKD, and is now questioning whether they should simply toss out their previous system or not. What I advise is that they not throw out their system, but to feel comfortably disloyal to the system. What I mean is that they should go ahead and dump the material that they know is simply an artifact from tradition and not really useful, and modify or add what they know in their honest experience is a better thing to do.

Also, a system may just have missing links. For example, a student of mine experienced in traditional Jiu Jitsu always wondered when the teachers were going to show how they might actually get to the joint lock rather than just starting from the already connected position, so we worked on entries using a kickboxing with either time-hitting or trapping as a means to possibly get to a joint lock, and then it made sense to him. We also did kali lock flow freelance (which includes defense against strikes while trying to joint lock) so that it became more alive.

JKD is not just about efficient technique, but looking for the relationship between the pieces of the combative puzzle, and methods to make it real for you, an on-going process.