New to JKD

[WillJKD]

Hello all, first time here and I'm happy to see it's alot more active than other JKD and martial arts related forums.
Anyway to my query, I am very interested in becoming experienced in JKD and I am aware this will take many years. I have found the training DVD's on the worldwide JKD website, and will be shortly buying them to train from.
However for now I am using a fantastic book which teaches the basics from scratch, I am first wondering what are peoples views on training up from these basic books, the pictures are very detailed and there are good instructions, but there is the problem where I am not 100% sure I am doing the moves correct as I am not seeing the whole thing. Whereas I am sure the DVD will be much easier to follow in this sense. Also these official dvds come with the added bonus that you can record your actions and send them off for an official grading and recieve a legit. cetificate.
The reason I am acting so concerned about books and DVD's is that I live miles and miles from the nearest JKD instructor or school (there aren't many in England) the ones I have tried to apply to are full.

Also, this is a matter of opinion, but as a 17 year old with not much access to go running long distances, could someone advise a good daily exercise routine? The book suggests skipping, which I have tried, I do knuckle press ups and 50 situps per session, So are there any better ways of strengthening the body in all aspects or should I carry on with what I am doing?

Thanks alot for the help in advance

Will

[yenhoi]

If you dont have a partner to train with how are you going to do the basics even from books or dvds?

Go anywhere that there is any sort of quality teacher. Learn "JKD" later.

:cool:

[WillJKD]

Bruce lee did a large amount of his training solo when at home, they're called punchbags...
Sorry about what I put previously I do respect your opinion and now I do understand where you're coming from, I just don't believe i bear the confidence to have an instructor train me.

[Nick Forrer]

Try and find any good kickboxing, BJJ, Silat, Kali, wrestling, Judo or wing chun near you and train in that. Pretty much all JKD is a combination of these styles. There is BOB Breens academy in London. I dont know where you are but they do seminars on sundays. Get the train into London and go to one a week/month. Or get the train to the nearest industrial city(like manchester, liverpool, edinbrough etc). They are bound to have a good school.

On your own do skipping, yoga, body weight exercises (press up, pull up, squat, lunch, crunch), Shadow boxing, Stick and knife patterns, bag work, Pilates, Ground work (sprawl, hip heist, sit throughs, level change tackles, shrimping, bridging, rolls (forward and back), footwork drills etc.

[WillJKD]

Thanks for the input guys, I'm in Birmingham btw.
I've taken into account what you've said and I'm going to find a school which relates to what you've suggested, and move away from JUST Jeet Kune Do, I would prefer to be taught one on one and not in a large group, this is a possibility right?

[yenhoi]

Thats why you should just go train anywhere.

Withut training partners or a teacher, your training is horribly limited. Punching bags and doing situps will only get you so far, and without an instructor(of any kind) you will just be barking up the wrong tree.

Find the best guy within your traveling distance, and train with him, whatever it is he calls what he will teach you.

:confused:

[yenhoi]

There has to be a boxing place somewhere nearby?

:confused:

[yenhoi]

here is a link to a list of english folk (I think)

http://www.quick-stick.de/quickstickneu/html/grossbritannien.html

[yenhoi]

another

http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/clubs.php?do=search&country=england

I dont see much Birmingham, but everything is really close together over there I hear.

:eek:

[WillJKD]

Wow, thanks for the guidance Yenhoi, you're a credit to the forums.
I will continue the excercises at home, and practise different techniques on my punchbag, merely to stay in form.
I am now on the search for an instructor who I can go and train with, one on one, I have found one promising instructor, he teaches JKD and TKD and has been practising martial arts for over 30 years, I'm going to look into this.
So it's punch bags for the time being :rolleyes: One advantage is that as I'm improving my flexibility and fitness, I will be more prepared to move into the real training, see there's an upside to everything isn't there?
Thanks again

Will

[BRIAN]

I respect your enthusiasm for the martial arts. However, studying from a book without any guidance may injure your chances in learning, because learning a bad habit is easy, correcting it is hard. You build muscle memory for the good and bad. Take the advice of one of the other posts. Take some art that comprises JKD. I for one practice Wing Chun so Im partial. Good Luck!

[jetli68]

hi m8 i know how you feel m8 i done wing chun for 3 years then the school closed down and living in an area where there is no winchun school or any kind of gym
where i could go learn there is not one m/arts school in my town all classes are held in school hall or youth clubs and most if not all are karate. but i have training parter to train with and we use dvds to learn diff techs from diff style and train with and we all so spar ones a week aswell.

i would not use a book m8 as you can not see if you are in the right stance e.g foot to far apart hands to low to high thing like that not easy to pick up by the book. i would stick to dvds for the time been then try to find a training parter or
get a teacher. asoon as you can cos you can learn all you want but if you got no one to train with you will not be able to get the feel of the block or the tech the way they work with out a parter to practise with
but stick with the dvd till you find a teacher but leave the books alone

my trying parter is a kickboxer over 3 years but i want to find a good winchun school in the south shields which is in the north east of england which is the nearest towns to me any body know of any

[Martial Joel]

my trying parter is a kickboxer over 3 years but i want to find a good winchun school in the south shields which is in the north east of england which is the nearest towns to me any body know of any

Hey mate, sorry if this doesn't help, but i live in the North East up in Middlesbrough, and as you said all there is, is Karate, they teach Tang Soo Do and Ju-jitsu, plus Kickboxing, decently close to me; still about 35mins away. However south shields is a little closer the north-west yorkshire and paul j boyers teaches Mok-Gar Kung-Fu, which studies a little more on kicks than Wing-Chun.
Sorry if this doesn't help.

Joel

[EULOGY]

Hello, I am Ojibwe, the founder of American Silat. I am looking to start a mixed martial arts study group that trains on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Middlesex County College in Edison, NJ. We will cover fighting from various ranges, self defense, ground fighting, weapons disarmament, etc. Please contact me if you are interested or know anyone who would be. Thank you.