The Speed Training of Bruce Lee

8/10/2019 The Speed Training of Bruce Lee

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The Speed Training Of Bruce Lee -How To Be The First With The Mostby William Holland

The object of a ght is to hit your opponent before he can hit you. Easier said than done.Martial arts instructors can teach you how to improve your timing, balance, mobility andendurance, but how in the world can they teach you how to hit faster than your opponent!peed is an inherent "uality, and di#cult, if not impossible, to teach.$r is it%n &ruce 'ee(s ghting method jeet )une do, the development of speed is not only addressed, itis dissected and approached in a variety of ways.

Types of Speed%n jeet )une do, speed training is bro)en down into ve phases, each of which can bedeveloped independently or as part of a whole. They are*

+erception speed. When ghting, martial artists must constantly sense and respond to

various stimuli. Mastering the ability to perceive the subtleties in an opponent(smovements, is he attac)ing, retreating, punching or )ic)ing %s the rst phase of speedtraining !imply seeing the opponent(s movements is not enough. ou must learn tohear, feel and smell the opponent(s intentions.+erception speed is dened as the time it ta)es you to mentally register the opponent(sintentions once you rst sense his o-ensive or defensive stimulus. To increase yourspeed of perception, it is important to maintain an attitude of emptiness, or what&ruce 'ee called no/mindedness. ou must learn not to concentrate too much ondetails. 'oo) at nothing, but sense everything. 0ccording to 'ee, 0 concentrated mindis not an attentive mind, but a mind that is in the state of awareness can concentrate.0wareness is never e1clusive, it includes everything. 0 mind must be wide open tofunction freely in thought.

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Mental4decision speed. $nce you have sensed the opponent(s intention, you must

decide how to respond. 5o you evade, bloc), parry, jam, intercept or counter his attac)our decision speed is determined by the length of time it ta)es you to sense theopponent(s stimulus and selects an appropriate response. our ultimate goal is to beable to respond "uic)ly and instinctively.

%nitiation speed. The time that it ta)es to transfer your decision to punch from the brainto your st, and actually begin the punch, is your initiation speed. ou must condition

yourself to relay the opponent(s stimulus to your brain, and then to your stri)ing ordefending limbs as "uic)ly as possible. The slightest hesitation can mean the di-erencebetween hitting, or being hit by, the opponent.

+erformance speed. $nce your response decision has been converted into an initial

movement, the time it ta)es you to get from point 0 to point & is your performanceor raw speed. ou can have the "uic)est perception, decision and initiation speed in aght, but if your st travels li)e a salmon swimming upstream, your chances of scoringon the opponent are minimal.

0lteration speed. 'ee dened alteration speed as the ability to change direction

midstream. %n the ever/changing conditions of a ght, there is always the potential toma)e an unwise decision or dangerous mista)e. %f you free6e up in such situations, youhave a strong chance of getting hit. %f you possess good alteration speed, however, you

can ma)e a re7e1ive adjustment, correct the error, and still score on your opponent.
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Speed Requirement8ow that you are familiar with the various types of speed, how do you go about developingma1imum levels of speed in each classication9or some ghters, speed is an inherent "uality. These individuals don(t wor) on developing theirspeed, yet still hit li)e greased lightning. $thers, however, must train e1tremely hard andovercome many physical obstacles in order to improve their reaction time. 9ollowing are some

of the factors to consider when training for speed*

:ompact structure. 'ee believed proper posture was a )ey element in the e1ecution of

sound o-ensive and defensive techni"ues. our ghting stance should be one thatenables you to both attac) and defend with minimal preparation or repositioning. oushould feel loose and rela1ed, yet springy and ready. ou should be devoid ofunnecessary muscle tension, yet be coiled and e1plosive. our feet should be placedalmost directly under your shoulders to allow for "uic) foot movement, yet still providestability. our rear heel should be raised so it can react li)e a coiled spring, ready torelease or e1plode li)e a sprinter coming out of the starting bloc)s. our hands shouldbe held in close to the body, with the elbows aligned with the body(s centerline andmaintaining a spring/loaded energy. our hands, li)e the rest of your body, are compactyet loose, ready yet rela1ed. ;eep your shoulders rela1ed and chin tuc)ed safelydownward.

Techni"ue 2ela1ation. ?ust as it is important to maintain a rela1ed, yet ready, mind in combat, so

too should your body be rela1ed and devoid of e1cess tension. 9or ma1imum speed ande#ciency, you must remain rela1ed during all movements. Most novice ghters have atendency to try too hard and rely on force or muscle in delivering a blow. E1periencedghters, however, generally learn to avoid this problem and rely on method overmuscle. Muscular tension acts as a bra)e and causes friction during movement, therebyreducing the speed and power of your stri)es. The only time your muscles shouldtighten while stri)ing is the instant they impact the target.

Economy of motion. 'i)e the saying goes, the "uic)est distance between two points is a

straight line. ?eet )une do emphasi6es simplicity, directness and economy of motion.The ?;5 stylist eliminates any coc)ing, loading or repositioning of the stri)ing limb prior

to delivery of the techni"ue. &y maintaining an economic ghting structure, he is alwaysready and coiled, and does not need to chamber the stri)e prior to delivering it. The jeet)une do practitioner strives to eliminate any clue as to his ne1t move. !ubtleadjustments in stance, tensing of the muscles, changes in breathing, or shifts in weightall read li)e a billboard to a seasoned opponent. The ?;5 ghter should be able toinitiate an attac) from wherever his weapons happen to be at the moment he senses anopening in his opponent(s defence. +reliminary motions are eliminated as the jeet )unedo stylist achieves ma1imum power in his techni"ues with a minimum amount ofmovement.

:onditioning. !peed training must be conducted consistently and diligently. 0lthough

speed can be an indirect by/product of weigh4lifting, running and stretching, you musttrain specically to achieve ma1imum speed in your combat movements. ou mustfocus on developing hand speed, foot speed, speed in combo/ nations, lead/side and

rear/side speed, attac)ing and defending speed, counter/attac) speed, evasion speed,etc. ou should train for any circumstance.


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Tone. 0lthough conditioning drills can develop the fast/twitch nerves and musclesneeded for speed, your speed potential will still be limited if you do not have propermuscle tone. E1cessive fat or muscle will slow your stri)es. +roper nutrition, aerobictraining, and balanced muscle development help streamline your physi"ue and providema1imum speed in your movements.

0ttitude. Many times, the di-erence between success and failure in combat is attitude.

Many athletes go through a ritual )nown as psyching up prior to competition. They willyell, stomp, bang their heads against a wall, anything to pump them up and get theiradrenaline 7owing. 0thletes who rely on speed for success must also nd a mentalgroove for ma1imum performance. 0 ghter must feel fast, loose and springy. !peedshould 7ow o- of his ngertips and out of his pores. 0 sense of speed should envelophim. 0s 'ee said, our stri)e should be felt before it is seen.

Speed Training DrillsThe jeet )une do stylist has a variety of training drills to choose from that will help him improvehis ghting speed. They include*

>eaction drills. >eaction drills utili6e a training partner who presents you with various

targets to stri)e. =sing focus gloves or a stri)ing shield to protect him, the partnerplaces the pads at various positions, which coincide with the primary targets of thehuman body. >eaction drills can be conducted at long range to allow you to developfootwor), mobility. ;ic)ing and distancing s)ills. $r, if your partner holds the targets atmedium range, you can wor) on short/range )ic)s, punches, and counter/ghting speed.0t inghting range, you can practice slipping, bobbing, weaving, and short/range blowssuch as hoo)s, uppercuts, head butts, and elbow and )nee stri)es. :hoose a minimalnumber of targets at rst, and e1pand to a larger variety as you become comfortablewith the drills. our partner can add to the degree of di#culty by varying the stri)ingangles and tempo, which prevents you from anticipating a target(s placement.

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:hoice/reaction free6e drill. To confuse his opponent and slow his foe(s reaction time,

the jeet )une do stylist is taught to ma)e subtle motions with his hands, feet, head,)nees, elbows and shoulders during combat. The opponent is forced to ac)nowledgesuch stimuli and must decide what to react to and what to ignore. The ?;5 ghterpractices these "uic), compact movements by utili6ing a partner e1ercise )nown as thechoice/reaction free6e drill. 0s the jeet )une do practitioner e1ecutes the choice/reaction moves. His partner will occasionally call out stop or free6e. 0t that moment,the ?;5 stylist free6es his body and limbs e1actly where they happen to be. The partnerthen presents the practitioner with a target at any level or angle. The jeet )une do

ghter then stri)es the target with his best available weapon. 8o/mind4peripheral/vision drill. $ne of the )ey areas to consider in developing combat

speed is the concept of responding without loo)ing or thin)ing. There are three types ofspeed related to this concept* perception, decision and initiation speed. 0 good place tostart when trying to enhance these speeds would be the visual process. 'ee emphasi6edmaintaining good peripheral vision and stressed not concentrating too hard on one areaor movement by the opponent. The idea is to loo) at nothing, but see and senseeverything. $ne approach is to loo) toward the center of the opponent, giving you e"ualperipheral vision to both sides of his body.

&ac)hand speed test +rotective headgear and light gloves are recommended for this

drill, which enables partners to wor) simultaneously on speed enhancement. $ne ghterdevelops o-ensive speed as the other hones his defensive speed. To perform thee1ercise, the partners face o- in matching stances at a distance of about si1/to/3egardless of whether they are applied on the streets or in a competitive arena, the principlesof speed training can enhance a ghter(s performance. The )ey is to )eep your movementssimple and direct. Eliminate unnecessary movement and energy, focus on method rather thanmuscle and, most importantly, strive to hit rst with the most.

The Speed Training of Bruce Lee

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