The stance

[Flatlander]

Is Bruce's bai jong stance a necessary part of calling one's self a practitioner of JKD? I'll preface the discussion acknowledging the efficiency of bai jong in terms of positioning and structure.

I'm not a sport fighter, and rarely do I spar for "competitive" reasons. Generally, its just about training. Given that, most times I've either been confronted or been in a training scenario, I'm likely not in the bai jong to begin with. Rather, I'll be in some type of unassuming posture. In fact, I've sort of forced myself to do this for strategic reasons: I don't want to appear prepared.

Beyond that, once an engagement is underway, at no point in there is there time to get into the bai jong. I'm too busy for that.

So, if not competing, is there use in the bai jong? For me, I'm having trouble applying it practically.


Pics of bai jong stance on someone else's website.

 

[rutherford]

I think perhaps that you're looking at the stance from too static and wholistic of a viewpiont.

Lets look at the parts. http://stickgrappler.tripod.com/jkd/ldbaijong.html

I think you probably use at least 10 of these principles at all times. Personally, I always liked a higher and tighter guard. You'll often find me in a boxer's high guard - for a brief instant as I transition to something else.

 

[James Kovacich]

You might want to look at the stance as "a stance" versus "the stance." Doing JKD can not be judged by the stance we use in Free Form Combat. Training and Free Form are seperate progressions in our JKD.

In training we use several of the old stances to learn "sensitity" because that is the most effective way to learn the task at hand but after achieving a high level of sensitivity we have the ability to call on it when needed and the stance that got us "there" is no longer needed.

 

[joshuakane]

i think i'd have to agree with the other two. it's not the stance so much as using what works best for one's own fighting style. one of the things bruce tought was to take what works and using it. that's why jkd is always evolving.