Jeet kune do is not an organized institution that one can be a member of.
Either you understand or you don't, and that is that.
There is no mystery about my style. My movements are simple, direct and
non-classical.
The extraordinary part of it lies in its simplicity.
Every movement in jeet kune do is being so of itself. There is nothing
artificial about it.
I always believe that the easy way is the right way.
Jeet kune do is simply the direct expression of one's feelings with the
minimum of movements and energy.
The closer to the true way of kung fu, the less wastage of expression there
is.
(Bruce Lee)
What makes tai chi 'tai
chi'?
Many different
exercise systems and martial arts offer similar
benefits to tai chi.
Pilates and yoga are good for health, and all
martial arts aim
to teach self defence.
So what makes tai chi unique?
Tai chi chuan is concerned with the how.
It is
process-oriented; paying attention to the way in which you do
things rather than the
result.
How
Tai chi
requires the student to perform every movement in a
comfortable,
relaxed manner, whilst maintaining
optimal structural alignment relative
to the opponent.
At no time should your use of
strength exceed 4 ounces of
pressure, nor should you allow more than 4 ounces to be
placed upon you.
Force is never used against force.
Every action should be a whole-body
movement rather than independent limb action.
There are no conventional punches or kicks; the body employs a whipping
action to throw the limb out when striking.
Tai chi is circular in movement and
application - it must follow the
way of nature, the path of least resistance.
Components
In addition to the basic elements, there are more detailed components that
need to be incorporated into your training:
tai chi
principles.
These allow a more extensive
mechanism for expression and are
essential for the
pragmatic application of the
art.
Unique
Some people try to employ
karate or wing chun methodology in their tai chi.
This simply does not work.
At best, they create a hybrid - at worst, they ruin both systems.
Wing chun should be trained as wing chun, and karate as karate - each has
its own unique quality.
Tai chi is the same; you cannot apply the postures as though it were karate.
The form is a vessel for neigong.
Karate is not.
Tai chi uses the body in a more complete fashion than other systems,
requiring less brute strength to greater effect.
The other arts are not renowned for health.
Individual
Self defence needs to be spontaneous.
At some point the student must pass beyond the formal and begin to express
their own character.
We train people to follow their own
instincts and
intuition; to do what feels right for them.
Everyone's tai chi will be different.
No two students should apply it in quite the same way.
Form
will change subtly and neigong may be emphasised according to temperament.
Freedom
A tai chi practitioner has enormous
freedom of physical expression.
They are at
liberty to apply the system in any manner they see fit,
providing it adheres to the principles.
Abandon the tai chi
way of using the body
and it will cease to be tai chi.
We adhere to the tai
chi process of body usage because it does not
discriminate
between the small or the large, the weak or the
strong.
Anyone can learn
it, providing they have the
patience, the
discipline and the
imagination.
Page created 26 July 1998