Australian Jeet Kune Do Association website

"Non Classical Martial Arts Way"

First Written by Walt Missingham in 1977 as a training guide and subsequently published as a series of articles in Australasian Fighting Arts Magazine

Introduction

What is outlined here is not a "How To" manual, it is, predominately, a collection of related thoughts and principles that correspond with what you are studying. When you understand these ideas and principles you will be able to work towards being a more complete martial artist.

To introduce this guide I would first like to ask you why it is that you choose to study martial arts? The obvious answer would be that you wish to learn how to defend yourself and that, no doubt, is a large part of the answer but it is not the total answer. To evaluate this further I would like to acquaint you with Maslows Hierarchy of Human Needs.

Abraham Maslows Motivation Theory is the most widely accepted in the world today, he lists five fundamental human needs, these are:

Physiological needs: which include the need for air, water , food etc.
Security needs: which include the need for safety order and freedom fear of threat.
Belongingness and love needs (or social needs): which include the needs for love, affection and the need to belong.
Esteem needs: which include the need for self respect, achievement and respect from others.
Self-Actualisation needs: which include the need to grow, to feel self-fulfilled, to realise one's potential.

Without getting into an involved analysis of this suffice it to say that within these needs lies the reason for you wanting to study a martial art. Obviously primary reasons will be in the Security and Self-Actualisation categories but reasons from the other categories can, in some cases, be equally important.

Bearing a direct relationship to these needs is our modern day lifestyle, because of the way we live we need physical activity to compensate for our sedentary work and social habits, martial arts can help here, it can provide relief for instinctively generated tensions or excess energy.

Lin-Wan-Kune-Do

Is a neo-traditional (non-classical) form of Kung-Fu, the name means the Way of the Continuous Fist. The name epitomises our approach to combat, which is to be continuous once attack is commenced. Lin-Wan-Kune-Do is a combat way and not a combat system.

The classical base of Lin-Wan-Kune-Do's formulator, Walt Missingham, is as follows: Major- Mi tsung i (Northern Chinese system) Minor- Hung Kuen (Southern Chinese system) Capoeira (Regional way South American System), Western Fencing, Western boxing, Wing Chun.

There are eight attainable grades, the Eighth and highest grade has ten separate attainable divisions.

Structural characteristics include:

We would rather fight from a side stance than a front stance but of course study applications from both approaches.
Force in punching and kicking is generated from the hip area.
The most efficient line is always taken in either defence or attack.
A minimum of movement, to accomplish an objective, is always used.
We fight point to point (as opposed from stance to point).
We fight from a mobile base rather than a fixed base.
In preference to the block then strike approach we adopt either a simultaneous block-punch, a punch off block or a slip strike approach.

We have examined each movement under the following criteria:

is it efficient
is there a better way to do it.
does it adhere to Kinesiology principles.
what are the potential negative effects on the user of the technique.

Lin-Wan-Kune-Do is both Art and Science but it is Science before it is Art.

Your Martial Arts Approach

Approaching martial arts with an open mind is an easy thing to say or think, it is, however, a much more difficult thing to achieve. Total realism in martial arts is something that most people have great difficulty in accepting or understanding. In traditional martial arts we have the situation of people trying to solve a total problem with partial solutions, while at the same time not fully comprehending what the initial problem is.

Your level of involvement is the first problem, if you are not putting in a total mental and physical effort then you cannot expect a total result. This does not mean that you must be a seven day a week full time martial artist, far from it, what it does mean is that you should first understand what you want from martial arts and be aware that in martial arts, like so many other endeavours, you will get out of it what you put in - no more no less.

Unfortunately the studying of a martial art does not necessarily enable you to protect yourself in a combat situation, in fact it could be said that the study of some martial arts could hinder you. It should be realised that the street fight situation is one of total combat, it has no rules or boundaries, it is a situation where you will survive or your opponent will - with no other alternative. If totality is what you are preparing for then you should be total in your preparations, both mental and physical.

The concept of non-classical or neo-traditional martial arts is, in its simplest form, one of combat reality. That is being realistic to the situation of combat and being realistic to your own development in handling the situation. A classical system, on the other hand, is a system that conforms to established standards relating to particular aspects of combat. "Relating to particular aspects of combat" is an important point to consider when comparing the classical systems to the non-classical way. Some classical systems, for example, emphasis a low stance while others a short stance; some use straight punches others use circular punches and then again some kick high and some kick low. Everyone of these systems will have an impressive list of reasons as to why their system is superior to all others; all of these reasons being theoretical solutions to unlikely situations.

How many martial arts students or instructors, for that matter, have ever been in a real combat situation, a situation where they have had to fight to protect themselves from serious injury or worse. The average martial arts instructor has, all too often, been handed down a set of criteria which he passes on without seeking to understand their purpose, which is a pity for if they understood their purpose they would realise their inadequacy.

To learn a particular aspect of combat is not wrong, the major problem arises when, upon learning an aspect of combat, the martial artist clings to it as if it were the total answer, dismissing any other system as inferior because it is not the same as his own. It should be realised that any system of combat, because it is a system, represents only a portion of the whole truth. In appreciating this the differences between a combat system and a way of combat can be more fully understood.

In learning how to fight first learn what a fight is; in actual combat there are no rules or restrictions placed on either combatant. To be able to fight efficiently you must learn to react to any situation naturally rather than train yourself to a set of pre-arranged situations.

In the study of martial arts you must learn to tailor what you learn to your own makeup, one of the great drawbacks of classical Karate and Kung-Fu systems is that they restrict their students by training them to react to prearranged situations, thereby causing them to lose any contact with reality that they might have had. Avoid this type of training; if you understand combat you will understand that you can’t break it up into easily learnable portions. In short approach it correctly or not at all.

In fighting you have two objectives: firstly the rapid defeat of your assailant and secondly the protection of yourself while doing this.

When attacking do so to the nearest weak points of the body (kneecap, groin, eyes, throat etc.) and continue this until you have overcome your adversary.

Striking to the weak points of the body is especially important for women. If a man attacks a women she should immediately attack his weak points and then get away as fast as she can. If even an average sized man hits women properly she will be knocked unconscious and most likely seriously injured. The simple truth is that men are more aggressive and physically stronger than women; women should be aware of this and tailor their fighting methods accordingly.

Sparing - Real Combat Relationship

Full contact sparing is as close to a real combat situation as is possible. There are however a number of points of variance between the two.

In the sparing situation protective equipment is worn and the blows given and received are not full power, a simple movement having little effect in sparing could be a stopping strike if the situation were real, for example a leg check in sparing could easily be a kneecap breaking side kick if the situation were real.
Your mental approach will be different, obviously in sparing you will be more relaxed as opposed to the fight situation where adrenalin surge will increase your overall potential.
While totality is the ultimate goal in all aspects of martial arts, it is almost impossible to achieve this in sparing. In a sparing situation you must give consideration to your opponents safety, in a real combat situation your attitude to your opponents safety will of course be different. The range of techniques available in sparing are more limited than those that can be used in a real combat situation.
Opponent reaction to your technique is of course a major difference; in a real situation a solid kick to the ribs or punch to the head will draw a pronounced reaction from your opponent, leaving him vulnerable to an easy follow through. In sparing however, as blows are pulled or reduced because of padding, you will draw less reaction from your opponent and so find effective follow through a more difficult task.
In training for real combat sparing should be supplemented with power development, speed and accuracy training and practise in useful, simple combinations.
A major drawback in sparing is the development of attitudes of complacency in people who have been involved in sparing for long periods; this comes about by the mental substitution of sparing with the real combat situation. Success in sparing by no means guarantees success in real combat; contact sparing is as close to real combat that the limitation of equipment and methods will permit.

General Study: Punching, Kicking & Blocking

In training a punch or kick students will often ask (and more often think) when can I do something else something different. In answer to this I would like you to think over the following:

Have a look at the higher grade students, do you punch and kick as well as them, generally not. Yet they practise basic techniques still because they have learnt "you get out of this what you put in".
When training ask yourself "is this how I would punch or kick if I was fighting someone?", "is this the sort of effort I would use to defend myself?" The answer to these questions is generally no and from that you can draw your own conclusions as to why your techniques are not often up to standard.
Ask yourself is it better to do one technique well or many techniques poorly. It would be an easy matter for me to lower standards here and say "sure do all these techniques in three months and here is your grading certificate" but what would your certificate really be worth..... under those circumstances about the cost of the paper to print them and thats all. It is an all too common practise to rush students through grades so as to delude them into thinking they are getting somewhere. Here we don’t do that, you either get it right or you do it again until you get it right.

Punching

If you are going to punch then do just that, don't waste your time adopting a specific posture to punch from, be direct, learn to strike from any position. The punches in Lin-Wan-Kune-Do should help you do this, they are simple punches which adhere to Kinesiology principles using organised muscle groupings for maximum impact in a punch. What do I mean by an organised punch? I have listed two examples to illustrate the point.

The popular Karate type forefist twisting punch (Japanese: Seiken chudan-tsuki) (Korean: Chung-Kwon Chigi) is an example of a disorganised punch. This punch uses both a tricep and a bicep action at the moment of impact. As triceps and biceps have opposite functions the effect of the punch is neutralized or more technically explained the Karate punch uses both -agonistic and antagonistic muscles in punching and therefore neutralises the impact. The antagonistic muscles contract eccentrically in this punch. The latissimus dorsi, trapezius two and three and the biceps brachii and brachialis all show tension before impact.The straight punch used in Lin-Wan-Kune-Do is an example of an organised punch. It employs a virtually pure tricep action with a ballistic movement to tranmit maximum force.
Note: According To Kinesiology and Applied Anatomy by Rasch and Burch, "concentric contraction is when a muscle develops tension sufficient to overcome a resistance, so that when the muscle visibly shortens and moves a part of the body in spite of a given resistance. Eccentric contraction occurs when a given resistance overcomes the muscle tension so that the muscle actually lengthens."

In Lin-Wan-Kune-Do your most important basic strike is the straight punch direct lead. Your efforts should be directed towards making this punch as fast and as powerful as possible, including initiation from a short distance from target (3-4 inches). You must be able to deliver this punch from a variety of positions and it is your mainstay in rapid fire type multiple punching. Development of this, and other punches, should revolve around the following: heavy bag work- 30 sec to 2 minutes of maximum effort punching; have your partner hold a heavy bag and work towards you as you attempt to drive him back with punches; any practise which involves the hitting of a moving target will be of value in improving speed and accuracy in punching and well as developing the motor nerve relay response between the brains reaction and the final delivered punch.

Correct punching also depends on proper body movement, a major power source is the hip area and this is generated by shifting body weight from the hip to the direction of the strike. It should be noted that the principle of shifting your body weight from the hip area applies to all punches learnt in Lin-Wan-Kune-Do.

Blocking

Blocking should be viewed as a way of beginning your opponents defeat and not just as a means of stopping’ a strike. A viable approach to blocking is to use the block as a means of controlling your opponent. Relative to blocking consider these points:

Blocking forward of the elbow affords you little control, however, blocking above the elbow gives you a great deal of control.
Blocking a punch outward (to move an attackers arm away from his body) still leaves your opponent an avenue for retaliation (most likely his other hand) but what if you block your opponents arm inward,(thereby pushing his arm back towards his body) this will greatly reduce your opponents attack recourse.
A system that teaches you to block then punch is structurally slow, blocking a strike in itself does not beat your opponent, to be structurally fast block and counter should be executed as part of the one simultaneous action
When blocking lean a portion of your weight, from the hip area, into the direction of the block, don't meet a blow directly (when two objects collide head on something generally breaks and it may not necessarily be your opponent); try to deflect the punch or kick so as to use the strength of your opponent to nullify his own blow.

Kicking

The science of high kicking is difficult to master and unless it is mastered it would be most unwise to apply high kicks in a street fight situation. This is not to say that high kicks are not part of Lin-Wan-Kune-Do, quite the contrary in fact. It must be realised that high kicks require much more balance, muscle control and training, than low kicks, to be effective.

A low area kick is simple to apply and your balance is easily retained, to execute any kick you must have balance, especially at the moment of impact. You should place equal importance upon concentrating your weight to your balance leg as to concentrating force to your kicking leg. There are a number of weak points where a lower kick has best effect, these are: solar plexus, groin, thigh muscles, back of knee, kneecap and shins.

The part of the foot you kick with is just as important as to how you kick. The areas used in Lin-Wan-Kune-Do are the heel and arch or top of the foot. It should be pointed out that a popular striking area in the side kicks of Japanese (Yoko-geri-keage and Yoko-geri-kekomi) and Korean (Yup Cha-ohlligi and Yup Cha-tzirugi) Karate systems as well as some of the classical Kung-Fu systems, is the blade of the foot. I would strongly advise against using this part of the foot to kick with. During research into kicking (including consulting a number of orthopaedic surgeons and researching Kinesiology) two points became obvious with regard to kicking with the blade of the foot.

Firstly the muscles used when kicking with the blade of the foot are inefficient for their intended purpose.

Secondly this sort of kick leaves the user open to damage (possibly permanent) to the muscles, tendons and small bones of the lower leg, also extensive damage to knee cartilage (the most common result) is likely.

In general it should be appreciated that while good handwork is an essential attribute of a good fighter someone who is adept at kicking is also very hard to beat. Kicks can be used to keep an opponent out of his effective fighting range or a single kick can render your opponent helpless. Properly delivered kicks can break kneecaps, ribs, etc; hook, roundhouse and cresant kicks are all capable of breaking bones, sweep movements can easily knock your opponent off balance.

The kicks that you are best at are the ones that you should use most and are also the ones that you will find it easiest to develop to a higher level. A good kick is one that is fast, accurate and powerful it is also a kick that you find easy to deliver. A kick that you have to force yourself to deliver is one that has little chance of achieving a high level of success.

General Theories & Principles

Three Plane Principle

This is the mental dissection of the opponent into three areas: upper, middle and lower planes. The lower plane is the area from the groin down; the middle plane is the area between the groin and the solar plexus; the upper plane is the area from the solar plexus up. In attack move strongly to one of these areas with a feint action, as the opponents guard is drawn to this area you execute the main attack to the area left most vulnerable. In defence it should be observed what plane your opponent initiates his attack from, with a view to determining:

What areas his attack leaves vulnerable
The mode of his first attack will often indicate from what area his follow-up attack will come from.

Predetermination of an opponents attack method is a necessary skill the upper level martial artist must develop, experience is the best teacher of this skill. Allied to this is the observation of the way your opponent distributes his weight in movement.

Weight Distribution

How your opponent moves and where his preferences for distributing his weight lay are valuable indicators of the type of attack your opponent will use and from what area it will come from, for example: if opponent adopts a heavy even weighted stance with his feet about a metre apart (as is common practise in numerous hard Kung-Fu styles as well as many Japanese, Korean and Okinawan systems) a number of conclusions can be drawn:

His ability to move quickly is severely impaired.
If your opponent wishes to initiate a kicking action he must first shift weight onto his balancing leg before he is able to kick.
If he wishes to kick with his rear leg then he must first transfer weight to his lead leg.
If he wishes to kick with his lead leg then he must first transfer weight to his rear leg.
In addition to this if he wishes to kick in a forward roundhouse type action then as well as his weight transference you will observe the movement of the lead shoulder away from you. If he should try any sort of reverse action kick you will observe, in addition to the weight transfer, the movement of the rear shoulder away from you.

Economy Of Motion

An economic attitude to combat is something that is crucial to the successful application of martial arts, unfortunately it is something that most martial arts lack. This is due to a number of factors.

these arts lack the basic understanding of the combat premise of directness in action - directness in thought,
the raw material that they start with (that is the martial art they are taught) is very often lacking in the basic physical characteristics of directness, for example the practise of striking with the hand or foot that is furtherest away from the target or the practise of adopting a stance before fighting rather than spontaneous defence and attack, or the practise of readopting stance after each sequence of movement rather than moving continuously from each attack point.

When we talk of Economy of motion we must look at the concept in a number of ways. Firstly in any given combat situation stamina is important in as much as you must be able to last the distance of the fight to be able to win it, regardless of the knowledge you possess or the past training you may have had. Therefore every move you make, be it in attack or defence, should be direct, necessary and have maximum effect. Maximising on your opponent’s weak points and making your opponent come to you are also ways of reducing your energy output while weakening your opponent.

Basic technical points also improve your energy expended-maximum effect ratio. For example the methods of simultaneous block and strike and multiple striking as opposed to the practise of block then strike and one movement one hit.

Cadence Factor

The observation of your opponents cadence is a factor in the effective physical and psychological attack on your opponent; once again experience is the best teacher in observing cadence. Cadence is the time lapse between the ending of one technique and the beginning of the next, for example in a simple boxers lead and cross combination, there is a split second gap between the finish of the lead jab and the beginning of the cross punch, it is during this cap or cadence that your counter offensive is best initiated (as there is a small physical gap in his defences and he is in the process of attacking you he is psychologically less prepared for the counter-offensive action.

Slipping A Strike

"Slipping" is a technique often used in conjunction with cadence occurrence. Slipping involves a counter attack at the same time as your opponent is executing an attacking move or the moving inside or outside your opponents strike and countering with a strike of superior reach or speed.

Primary & Secondary Action

A primary action is generally a main attacking action delivered directly without any leadup. A secondary action is one which follows a primary as a follow through. An example of this would be a lead side kick with a reverse side kick follow through.

Compund Actions

Compound actions are attacks of a technically more advanced nature, these actions can entail rapid combination attacks of a direct and indirect nature to all 3 planes, incorporating feinting actions & footwork shifts. An example would be a direct angle attack to the upper plane (straight punch feint drawing your opponents guard high) following with direct angle attack lower plane (straight side kick to the knee) you could then shift footwork from short to cross step as you execute an indirect angle attack the middle plane (cross punch to solar plexus).

Immobilization Theory

Quite simply the immobilization of a part of your opponents body with a single direct movement. It entails intercepting your opponents attack as it comes to you. One of the more common examples is a straight side kick to the knee (breaking knee) as your opponent moves towards you.

Centerline Theory

This is the establishment of two imaginary lines that cross the center of your body vertically, one when you are in a front stance and one when you are in a side stance. The concept provides for an axis point of protection and a point from which a strike can be delivered with minimal telegraphing of that strike.

Direct & Indirect Angles Of Attack

A direct angle attack is one that is executed from your centerline to the side of your opponents body that is nearest to you; for example, if both combatants are facing each other in side stance then a direct angle attack will be one that is delivered from your side centerline to your opponents side.

An indirect angle attack is one which moves from your centerline to the side of your opponents body that is not directly facing you; for example, if both combatants face each other in a side stance then an indirect angle attack would be one which is delivered from your side centerline to your opponents back or chest area.

Stance

Stances are purely relative terms denoting your position relative to your opponents line of attack. If your opponent attacks your side then you are in a side stance, if he attacks your front then you are in a front stance. In L.W.K.D. there is no great emphasis on stance instead we favour mobility as a key factor in attack and defence. If you do have a choice in defensive stance then we tend to use a three quarter side stance.

Opponent Reaction

In the execution of any given technique thought should be given to "opponent reaction". Many martial artists who train in traditional forms train themselves into executing a sequence of two, three or even four techniques without considering the opponents reaction to said technique. This is to say that when you execute the first punch will your opponent: block it or move away or step aside, then again if you hit him will he: stay where he is or be knocked out of range of your next strike or buckle in such a way as to exclude the follow up target point from your secondary attack.

This gives credence to the concept of "emptiness" in combat (your way is my way), which means approaching combat with a reflexive attitude rather than a dogmatic one. Be prepared to adapt your way to your opponent rather than trying to force your way onto your opponent. The success of attacking in a dogmatic fashion depends to a large extent on the cooperation of your opponent and as any fighter will tell you cooperation from your opponent is something you rarely get.

Combat

Combat is a constantly changing state and yet many people will try and categorise it into their way of thinking or fighting (for eg: many karate styles teach a great many defences against karate type attack, how viable is this in a street situation where the attack is totally different). For a martial art to be true to its name then it should be usable and adaptable to all combat situations. It is this failure to adapt to changing circumstances which removes totality from many martial arts... totality is the key to success in martial arts.

A total person, in martial arts, is one who can reflect his opponents approach thru observation, analysis and reaction.... he mentally absorbs his opponents concept of combat, his psychological strengths and weaknesses as well as his physical capabilities; thru absorption he is able to give a response which is appropriate and superior.

Many of the arts specialise in what is a segment of combat, indeed, most are known by their speciality. The Judo man throws and grapples, the Tae-kwon-do man is known for his kicking, some karateka favour heavy punching, some Kung-Fu styles are known for handwork while others are known to favour leg techniques. Regrettably in specialising in one area they are exhibiting glaring weaknesses in other equally important areas of combat. Combat is an action of total involvement; it is ludicrous, then, to expect total preparedness for such a situation thru the study of one area of combat.

Psychology Of Specific Area Attack

Striking to certain areas of your opponents body can draw certain predictable reactions a prime example of this is an open hand attack to the eyes of your opponent which will cause him to flinch or raise his hand to protect his eyes thereby leaving other parts of his body immediately vulnerable, the prospect of losing sight has an understandably unnerving effect on your opponent. A sharp kick to the shins is easy to execute and will cause an immediate attention shift to the lower plane leaving the upper plane more vulnerable. No matter where you hit an opponent his attention will be on that area at that time, so an attack that is sharp, fast, and constantly changing in strike point and plane of attack is physically difficult to cope with and mentally unnerving.

Movement Principles

The concept of movement or more accurately effective movement, is one that it little understood by any martial artists. A traditional emphasis on stance is one of the major drawbacks in developing effective movement principles in martial artists. Continual motion in combat and competition sparing is an essential ingredient in obtaining a high plateau of success. Motion should be appreciated in the following ways:

Your speed in movement in travelling to and away from your opponent should be something over which you have a very accurate grasp; the faster you can bridge a gap or create one the more effective your application of technique will be.
Timing your opponents motion so that he is moving towards you when you strike is crucial in getting the maximum effect from a strike.

Mental Preparation

All of what is learnt in a martial art is virtually useless unless it is accompanied by the correct mental attitude. Many people are theoretically very good when punching a bag or training with a cooperative partner. However under these conditions there is none of the mental stress that one must cope with when dealing with an aggressive person who is trying to do you harm. I have seen so many martial artists from beginning students to men of over twenty years experience who really will never be able to fight effectively because of a deficient or uncultivated mental attitude.

When speaking of mental attitude the question of totality again arises; totality to the absolute destruction of your opponent if it is necessary, the fact that you may be hurt yourself should not deter you from your objective. It is often the later which frightens a great many would be fighters away from real combat and into the safety and security of kata and pre-arranged sparing (under the delusion that this will prepare them for the real thing). When you think about it it makes about as much sense as learning to fly by correspondence.

Five Way Attack Method

The five angle attack method is something developed by the late Bruce Lee, I say developed and not invented because much of the terminology and science behind this method is taken from Western Fencing. Lee has very successfully synthesised this in his adaptation to hand to hand combat. The Five Way Attack method is a very good example of what modern martial arts is all about and it utilised by many martial artists through-out the world today. It is a mobility orientated attack method that, when properly understood, will give a clearer picture of what is required in a 'square off hand to hand situation.

Good footwork is essential for its correct execution; in fact its practise will improve your footwork.

Simple Angle Attack

As the name implies is the most basic of the five angle attack method, this does not however delineate its potential effectiveness. The attack incorporates any direct attack initiated from an unexpected angle; it can sometimes be preceded by a feint.

Immobilization Attack

This attack involves the immobilization of a part of your opponents body and then attack within the zone of his immobilization.

Progressive Indirect Attack

Involves the misdirecting of your opponents reactions or actions to gain an opening through which the attack is completed. The entire action, start to finish, is unbroken.

Attack By Combinations

A series of attacks that are continuous but that attack more than one area (or plane refer three plane principle) it is characteristic of this method to use a number of attacks to set up your opponent for the main (and ostensibly final) attack.

Attack By Drawing

Attack by drawing may make use of the other four methods of attack and involves the drawing of your opponent into your attack zone. It is your object to get your opponent to totally commit himself to a line of attack and you should be able to pre-empt what this line will be.