Jun Fan Jeet Kune
Do's Straight Lead
The lead-hand straight punch is
the backbone of all punching in jeet kune do. It is used both as
an offensive and defensive weapon to stop and intercept an
opponent's attack at a moment's notice.
When you are standing right-foot forward, your right hand and
right leg become the main offensive weapons because of their
advanced position. With your right foot forward, your right hand
is much closer to your opponent than your left. The reverse is
true for the left-foot forward stance. When fighting, keep your
strongest side up front.
The lead-hand straight punch is the fastest of all punches.
Because of the minimum movement involved in its delivery, your
balance is not disturbed and, because this technique goes
straight toward the target, it has a better chance of landing,
and the opponent has less time in which to block. The straight
punch is also more accurate than other punches.
No one punch, not even the efficient straight lead, can be an end
in itself. Rather, the straight lead is used as a means to an
end, and definitely should be reinforced and supported by other
angle punches and kicks. A good martial artist should be able to
strike from all angles and with either hand or leg to take
advantage of the moment.
The delivery of the jeet kune do straight punch is different from
that of traditional karate's reverse punch or classical kung fu
punches. First of all, the straight punch is never positioned on
the hip, nor does it start from there; this method of delivery is
unrealistic and exposes too great an area to protect. It also
adds unnecessary distance that the punch must travel to reach the
opponent.
In jeet kune do, you never strike your opponent with your fist
only; you strike him with your entire body. In other words, you
should not hit with just arm power; the arms are a means to
transmit great force in conjunction with the correct timing of
feet, waist, shoulder and wrist motion. Instead of coming from
the shoulder, the punch is delivered from the center of the body
in the form of a vertical fist held, thumb up, straight in front
of your nose. The nose serves as the center guiding line. The
wrist is slightly turned downward before delivery, and is
immediately straightened upon impact to add a corkscrew effect to
the blow.
It is important not to use any preparatory movements prior to
delivering the straight punch-or any technique, for that matter.
The lead straight punch is delivered from a ready stance without
any added motions, such as drawing your hand back to your hip or
shoulder, pulling back your shoulder, etc. You should be able to
strike from wherever the hand happens to be at the moment.
Punching in this manner will add speed (because there are no
wasted motions) and deception (because you do not telegraph your
attack with pre-strike movement) to the technique.
When striking with the lead hand, do not make the common mistake
of traditional karate practitioners, who often put their rear
hand at their hip. The rear hand serves to supplement the lead,
making the attack a "defensive offense."
For example, when delivering a body blow with the lead hand, the
rear hand should be held high to offset any counterattack by your
opponent to your upper body. In short, when one hand is striking
out, the other should be either immobilizing one of the
opponent's arms, or withdrawing to protect against counterattacks
and to secure a strategic position for a follow-up technique.
Relaxation is essential for faster, more powerful punching. Let
your lead punch shoot out loosely and easily; do not tighten up
or clench your fist until the moment of impact. All punches
should end with a snap several inches behind the target. Thus,
you punch through the opponent instead of at him.
Do not drop the lead hand while withdrawing it after delivering a
blow. Although some fighters can get away with this because they
are fast and possess good timing and distancing skills, you
should cultivate the habit of returning the punch along the same
path in which it was delivered, keeping the hand high to thwart
possible counterattacks.
When striking with the lead hand, it is advisable to constantly
vary the position of your head for added protection against the
opponent's counterattack. You can also minimize counterattacks by
occasionally feinting before striking. However, do not overdo
feinting or head movement. Just enough is enough.
When advancing to attack, the lead foot should not land on the
ground before the fist makes contact with its target; if it does,
your body will end up on the floor instead of behind the punch.
And remember to take power from the ground by pushing off with
your rear foot as you punch.
Your lead hand should be like greased lightning, and must never
be held rigidly or motionless. Keep it moving slightly in a
threatening manner. This will not only keep your opponent on
edge, but will also increase the speed of your delivery because
your hand is already in motion. Like a cobra, your strike should
be felt before it is seen.
This material has been excerpted from Bruce Lee's book, Tao of Jeet Kune Do-the most famous martial arts text of modern day
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