Greenville Academy of Martial Arts

Strength through Character, Discipline, Honor

A true martial artist must train not only to develop the skills of his art, but also to develop himself into a person worthy of those skills.

Teri Tom’s JKD classic, “The Straight Lead” is back and updated. It’s an essential book that clears up so much confusion about Jeet Kune Do. Today’s blog addresses the root of the confusion and how Teri’s book clears it up by providing the technical foundations of Bruce Lee’s amazing fighting method.

https://www.greenvilleacademy.com/teri-toms-classic-jkd-book-is-back-the-straight-lead/

https://www.amazon.com/Straight-Lead-Core-Bruce-Lees/dp/1890085324

www.greenvilleacademy.com

Yep. The heat is making us crazy too. At least, well…crazier than usual. But you’re more than welcome to come hit things with us. I mean, if you’re going to be sweating anyway you may as well do your workout too. Beyond that, I’ve no idea how anyone lived in the south before air conditioning. 🥵.

Had a chance to stop in and see the old Cus gym in Catskill. Yes, it’s still there and it’s exactly what a boxing gym ought to look like if you ask me. As you guys know, we consider boxing a self-defense system FIRST and a sport second. Cus thought that way too. He considered boxing a martial art and I wrote about that in my “JKD Infighting” book a few years ago. The second photo is of the “Willie Bag” which featured Cus’ revolutionary number system (the jab is the “7,” for example). In the Cus style it was all defense and aggressive countering. He preached make them miss and make them pay relentlessly. He taught that to overcome nerves you had to have a system you believed in and one that made the enemy miss. Then you’d have confidence, not recklessness. It’s ironic now that Cus is remembered for the explosive offense of Tyson because he was always derided as “Cautious Cus” by critics due to his emphasis on defense. Anyway, it was great to see the old place even though all the old faces have passed and/or moved on.

Time to get back to class! We have missed everyone and can't wait to train! Back to regular schedule for the rest of the summer.

My plan is to use the jab and move. A lot. 🤓.

No one learns things on their own. We all have teachers and that’s especially true in martial arts. In our era of living online, besieged with all sorts of information, what we really need, deep down, is wisdom. And trust. Character. Lack of real relationships is the lack of life. That’s why I love photos like this that represent so much history, mentorship, knowledge, and family. After all, what good is it to develop self-defense skill but destroy everything worth defending?

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1537452771508294&id=100057307575614

Sifu Tony getting instruction and wisdom from Ip Ching. The Grandmaster believed that the wooden dummy was the key to understanding and applying Wing Chun footwork. The use of Biu Ma and Sip Ma are of special importance. While it’s easy to focus on the hand techniques, nothing works if we’re out of position. Real Wing Chun footwork is explosive, balanced, and powerful.

“Above all things, keep moving, for a moving target, especially capable of moving in all directions, is an elusive one. Practice footwork, footwork, and then more footwork.” Bruce Lee “Commentaries on the Martial Way”