How to improving bridging the gap?
- Thread starter JPR
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A
Autocrat
Guest
Well, there are tons of different ways to do it.... ranging from the blindingly simple to the amazingly complex!
Still, my prefered methods are the simple step, the shuffle, kick and land in close, the feint kick and step in, the step round and punch at an angle.... all should be performed slowly at first so as to enable you to gauge the distance and program your body to these moves... then step up the pace whilst on a bag - remember to practice the foot work with both attacks and blocks!
Good luck!
Still, my prefered methods are the simple step, the shuffle, kick and land in close, the feint kick and step in, the step round and punch at an angle.... all should be performed slowly at first so as to enable you to gauge the distance and program your body to these moves... then step up the pace whilst on a bag - remember to practice the foot work with both attacks and blocks!
Good luck!
Adept
Master Black Belt
Put simply, I find misleading my opponent to be the most effective. Convince them I am withdrawing, and as they folow up, attack into them. Or simply feint low and attack high. Make use of timing, distance and feints.
Alternatively, the good old bull rush will work for some people against some opponents.
Alternatively, the good old bull rush will work for some people against some opponents.
One good way to close the gap is to use PIA. This often helps by giving you cover fire to move past their kicking and punching barrier, although it isn't fool proof. The classic fake high, kick low and finger jab is a good start. Superior footwork is another good way to close the gap and score. If you have a really good lunge, you may not have to use quite so much deception which can put you at risk to be stop hit. You can also close the gap defensively by using sticky hands or by simply counter fighting. You can also use a variety of footwork tricks such as the draw step stealing a step or broken rhythm. The draw step was kind of mentioned earlier in which you begin by retreating, inducing your opponent to advance, and then all of the sudden shift to a lunge (or penetration step for wrestling). The steal a step is similar but starts by you moving forward. You start a ratio of steping with your opponent such as you advance once and he is induced to retreat once. Once he is motor set, advance and lunge. It goes from 1:1 to 2:1 and the distance his tries to maintain is broken. Broken rhythm is similar to the latter two, but it is completely random. Basically it means going when it is not your turn and being unpredictable.
Other tactics include cutting off the ring (although other physical barriers will do), evasive stepping (like the triangular steps in Kali) and a few tricks I keep for myself and my students.
Other tactics include cutting off the ring (although other physical barriers will do), evasive stepping (like the triangular steps in Kali) and a few tricks I keep for myself and my students.
wow - I was scrolling through the different boards, and this thread was the most recently replied to, so it was up on the main page - suffice it to say, I was very surprised.
We discuss bridging the gap often in sparring in kenpo. I guess it makes sense that you wanna get closer when sparring, no matter what the MA. My fave. way of bridging the gap is probably Independant Motion Extended Commitment punch - that is, your hand moves first with no give-aways of what your about to do (very hard, much practice is needed) followed by your back foot moving foward farther than you front foot - your opponent may step back but since you have used 'extended comitment', with your what was back foot in front of your front foot, unless they step backward VERY far (they won't) you can hit them.
I dont even know if any of that exists or is legal in JKD, buts that how this Kenpo girl does it.
We discuss bridging the gap often in sparring in kenpo. I guess it makes sense that you wanna get closer when sparring, no matter what the MA. My fave. way of bridging the gap is probably Independant Motion Extended Commitment punch - that is, your hand moves first with no give-aways of what your about to do (very hard, much practice is needed) followed by your back foot moving foward farther than you front foot - your opponent may step back but since you have used 'extended comitment', with your what was back foot in front of your front foot, unless they step backward VERY far (they won't) you can hit them.
I dont even know if any of that exists or is legal in JKD, buts that how this Kenpo girl does it.
AC_Pilot
Blue Belt
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Samantha,
Everything that works is used in JKD
It's real world self defense including weapons. There are no belts and no rules as far as techniques. No sport competitions. The thing about JKD is when one gets advanced that JKD person can get into and out of the 4 different ranges:
Kicking
Punching
trapping
Grappling
Certainly getting from kicking into punching range, then to trapping range are the hardest parts.. it's of course footwork, and there are several ways to get there.. getting from punching to trapping range is usually accomplished by getting a "destruction" which means a severe injury inflicted on a vital part of the opponent's anatomy, disabling them in some way and then taking advantage to "enter" to where we usually want to be: Trapping range. We want to get there because this is where we can excel and use some of our most dangerous weapons.
Everything that works is used in JKD
It's real world self defense including weapons. There are no belts and no rules as far as techniques. No sport competitions. The thing about JKD is when one gets advanced that JKD person can get into and out of the 4 different ranges:Kicking
Punching
trapping
Grappling
Certainly getting from kicking into punching range, then to trapping range are the hardest parts.. it's of course footwork, and there are several ways to get there.. getting from punching to trapping range is usually accomplished by getting a "destruction" which means a severe injury inflicted on a vital part of the opponent's anatomy, disabling them in some way and then taking advantage to "enter" to where we usually want to be: Trapping range. We want to get there because this is where we can excel and use some of our most dangerous weapons.
Just make sure you don't expose your centerline to your opponent.Samantha said:
Fair enough. I read it slightly differently. That's the problem in written text rather than being in the same room. :idunno:
Corporal Hicks
Black Belt
I.e. Perfect. Thats why I'm going to do it. Purely for street combat!Samantha said:
Regards
but! but!
how do you spar?
there's no way to diferentiate skill level!
you wouldnt put an orange belt against a black belt, but thats what your doing because the person that walks in your studio is the same rank as the instructor!
ahhh
does...not....compute....
how do you spar?
there's no way to diferentiate skill level!
you wouldnt put an orange belt against a black belt, but thats what your doing because the person that walks in your studio is the same rank as the instructor!
ahhh
does...not....compute....
Samantha said:
Samantha-
Check your private messages. I sent you some info. on JKD that might help give you a better understanding of this art.
Mike
kroh
Brown Belt
off topic
There are no ranks in JKD just like the martial arts that a lot of us do use to have no rank structure. The ranking system is a relatively new invention ( compared to martial arts history in general). And you mentioned how do you have people fighting if you don't know their rank. Boxing doesn't have rank (you can be ranked but there is no "skill levels" like many of the Japanese arts) and neither does wrestling. Everyone plays with everyone. This is good as the new guys learn from the old and the old guys can learn from the new ( I find that when fighting a new person and their methods are wild...it makes thing difficult for me to anticipate the path and purpose of some of the things they are doing).
Back on topic
JKD uses a lot of methods to bridge the gap, just like all the great posts above suggested. The thing to remember is to try out different things so that you can see what works for you. Every opponent will be different so keep in mind to always keep them guessing. Footwork and sneakyness goes a long way (nothing like a pitcher of beer in the face to allow some one to bridge the distance).
regards,
Walt
There are no ranks in JKD just like the martial arts that a lot of us do use to have no rank structure. The ranking system is a relatively new invention ( compared to martial arts history in general). And you mentioned how do you have people fighting if you don't know their rank. Boxing doesn't have rank (you can be ranked but there is no "skill levels" like many of the Japanese arts) and neither does wrestling. Everyone plays with everyone. This is good as the new guys learn from the old and the old guys can learn from the new ( I find that when fighting a new person and their methods are wild...it makes thing difficult for me to anticipate the path and purpose of some of the things they are doing).
Back on topic
JKD uses a lot of methods to bridge the gap, just like all the great posts above suggested. The thing to remember is to try out different things so that you can see what works for you. Every opponent will be different so keep in mind to always keep them guessing. Footwork and sneakyness goes a long way (nothing like a pitcher of beer in the face to allow some one to bridge the distance).
regards,
Walt
Samantha, it isn't an art designed for sport which is the only time you need to differentiate between beginner and advanced and every gradient in between. I'm a black belt (presumably that means I know what I'm doing) and I spar orange, yellow, and white belts all the time. But when I do the point isn't for me to get a KO, but rather to push the person I'm sparring with by going slightly above their level.
In kenpo the belts are a training guide to mark waypoints in training progression, it is useful for both the teachers and students, but not all arts do this, in fact the belts are a fairly new phenomenon in karate/judo/whatever. In most historical arts you were either proficient or you weren't, how not-proficient you were didn't really matter.
Lamont
kroh
Brown Belt
Blindside...
Your sig is great!
Regards,
Walt
Your sig is great!
Regards,
Walt
Blindside said:
Well said! :asian: Not only is it good for the lower belts to spar with the Black Belts for the reasons that you said, but it also breaks up the routine for the BB's. Sparring with a lower belt can certainly be a challenge because they may not have the control that an upper rank would. Being unpredictable will definately keep you on your toes! :ultracool
Mike
AC_Pilot
Blue Belt
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Samantha,
The advanced and truly profecient JKD type person has developed their sensitivity. This is not touchy-feely PC sensitivity, but analytical conceptual understanding of the opponent's intentions/abilities/actions, without having to stop to think. This must be developed over time for maximum effectiveness, even if you're a natural, as I was. I learned to fight early because I was always picked on by bullies. I was the good looking, quiet, intellectual type and the bullies were always jealous of me. I learned to counter them with JKD type interceptions and groundfighting way before Bruce Lee ever made a MA movie. I was born in 1960, had my first schoolyard fight at 8, (won by jabbing him about 30 times till he fell, pressing him back at least 50 feet, let's just say he challenged me over a girl we both liked and would not go away) I did not see a Bruce Lee movie until I was in my 20's. I was hooked from the first Bruce Lee fight I saw, but was not sure he was for real until I began training in JKD in the 1990s. He was for real!
So, as far as the sparring issue, as was said above, the advanced and more capable fighters hold way back when sparring with newbies. In fact the newbies are actually more dangerous when sparring than a cool headed seasoned JKD person. Newbies and some people forever lack self control and the grace to spar without hurting their partner. This is why I will not spar with beginners. I will train with, hold pads, and very light spar with them, and after say 6 months to a year of analyzing them, light-medium spar within a framework of rules. Such as no leg strikes, full power Savate kicks, or leg sweeps. The sparring rules would depend on who it was, I know a few people I will spar with, without rules. I trust their proven skills and attitude. I would have to carefully judge a person suitable to spar with first. JKD is a very dangerous fighting concept and can take an attacker out in less than 1 second, really. It's explosive, intercepting aspects can make a "fight" very short. I don't need more injuries.. ask me why I am leery of this :asian:
So the rules for sparring depends on each person. There are no set rules for sparring in the "art" but common sense prevails where AC trains. I need to keep my bodily integrity !
For a few people I sparred with in the past, here's my message :whip:
The advanced and truly profecient JKD type person has developed their sensitivity. This is not touchy-feely PC sensitivity, but analytical conceptual understanding of the opponent's intentions/abilities/actions, without having to stop to think. This must be developed over time for maximum effectiveness, even if you're a natural, as I was. I learned to fight early because I was always picked on by bullies. I was the good looking, quiet, intellectual type and the bullies were always jealous of me. I learned to counter them with JKD type interceptions and groundfighting way before Bruce Lee ever made a MA movie. I was born in 1960, had my first schoolyard fight at 8, (won by jabbing him about 30 times till he fell, pressing him back at least 50 feet, let's just say he challenged me over a girl we both liked and would not go away) I did not see a Bruce Lee movie until I was in my 20's. I was hooked from the first Bruce Lee fight I saw, but was not sure he was for real until I began training in JKD in the 1990s. He was for real!
So, as far as the sparring issue, as was said above, the advanced and more capable fighters hold way back when sparring with newbies. In fact the newbies are actually more dangerous when sparring than a cool headed seasoned JKD person. Newbies and some people forever lack self control and the grace to spar without hurting their partner. This is why I will not spar with beginners. I will train with, hold pads, and very light spar with them, and after say 6 months to a year of analyzing them, light-medium spar within a framework of rules. Such as no leg strikes, full power Savate kicks, or leg sweeps. The sparring rules would depend on who it was, I know a few people I will spar with, without rules. I trust their proven skills and attitude. I would have to carefully judge a person suitable to spar with first. JKD is a very dangerous fighting concept and can take an attacker out in less than 1 second, really. It's explosive, intercepting aspects can make a "fight" very short. I don't need more injuries.. ask me why I am leery of this :asian:
So the rules for sparring depends on each person. There are no set rules for sparring in the "art" but common sense prevails where AC trains. I need to keep my bodily integrity !
For a few people I sparred with in the past, here's my message :whip:
AC_Pilot
Blue Belt
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If you think I'm sounding perfect you should see me "cook" (hint, have the fire extinguishers on hand) and if it were up to me to pay bills I would be in biiig trouble! :uhyeah:
I'm sure my lady Susan could offer some other humbling afterthoughts if she were here :boing2:
I'm sure my lady Susan could offer some other humbling afterthoughts if she were here :boing2:
