Simple gym gear might be suitable for your martial arts training. A pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt won’t get in your way and will provide minimal chances for an opponent to grab on to. Traditional martial arts training gear, often called a gi in English (pronounced gee; ぎ / 着), can be bought online or at specialty martial arts stores. These are specifically designed for durability and use in training. [3] X Research source
Some studies have shown that you cannot get the best stretch without warming up first. Other warm up activities include push ups, sit ups, jumping jacks, bicycling, and more. Warming up and stretching could also prevent you from straining yourself while practicing your Jeet Kune Do. Straining your muscles before you are ready could result in a pulled muscle. [4] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source
Body alignment is an important part of any martial art stance. This will reinforce whatever stance you take. A bent back will negatively impact your balance and limbs unaligned at joints will be more prone to sprains, strains, and breaks. Always try to limit the potential for counters and strikes in your stance. Provide your opponent as few of targets as possible by angling your body to him so one of your sides, and not your front or back, faces him as often as possible. Especially when training with a partner, but also in real life scenarios, it’s important to coordinate your motion with your opponent. Train your reflexes so that you begin your attacks/blocks to coincide with your opponent. This will limit his ability to respond or change his approach. [6] X Research source
Since the goal of most martial arts is to train you for self-defense in potentially dangerous situations, you should train your reflexes to have the greatest effect. This means you’ll have to break bad habits, like stopping your strike preemptively at the surface of your target. While training, you’ll should always begin with slow, precise, concentrated movements. This will prevent you from hurting your training partner or yourself if you are practicing on a heavy back or some other kind of equipment. As your precision and muscle memory improves, you can begin to speed up your motions. [8] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
Have the left or right side of your body facing your target/opponent, never the front or back. Facing a real life opponent with the front or back of your body will open up many vulnerable points, like your stomach and groin. Coordinate your dominant foot with the side of your body. If your dominant foot in your right foot, face your opponent with the right side of your body. If your dominant foot is your left, face him with the left side of your body. Experienced martial artists are able to change fluidly between leftward/rightward orientation. However, this can be awkward for beginners. It may take time and practice before you are comfortable leading with your non-dominant side. [9] X Research source
Your back leg being the place where the force of your strike originates in lead step stance, should be more active than your front. This means that your weight will be distributed on your rear foot a little farther forward than that of your front, resulting in a slightly raised heel. Bending your legs too much, often referred to as a “deep stance,” will make it difficult for you to spring into action. A neutral, at-the-ready stance will prepare you best to be like water and meet whatever situation may come. [12] X Research source [13] X Research source [14] X Research source
You may want to curl your hands into fists so that you are ready to punch, or you may want a more defensive open-hand position. Either of these work well with lead step stance. [16] X Research source [17] X Research source
Keep your back straight, your shoulders down (don’t hunch), and relax your body. Generally, your posture should be tall without being strained, straight without being overextended, and at ease without being lazy. Your head should be down, but your eyes should be up. Keep your hands aligned with your forearms. Striking an opponent/target with a bent wrist is likely to do as much damage to you as your target. [18] X Research source [19] X Research source [20] X Research source
You can think of a straight blow in lead step stance as a way of pushing your front foot forward with your rear foot. This will naturally transfer the force of the motion from your back leg through your body and into your strike. [21] X Research source
Your front knee will have to increase its bend as you step forward. This deepening of your stance will elongate your forward/backward position so that it extends from the starting position all the way to your target. Do not step forward too far, as this will compromise your stance. Poor starting position can lead you to overextending yourself, creating an unstable, extra deep stance. If your target is too far away, reposition yourself closer to it. When repositioning, you should make use of a shuffle step. Advance first with your lead foot and follow with your rear. At no point should you ever cross your feet; this will create a severely weakened stance. [23] X Research source
Maintaining contact with the floor has many purposes. For one thing, when your foot is raise, you have nothing to push against or balance upon, making this position naturally weak. Also, in a real-life scenarios, there can be dangerous debris on the ground, like glass or nails, that can puncture footwear and put you at a disadvantage. To practice keeping your feet in contact with the floor, you might want to train returning to ready stance by sliding your front foot back until you are in position. In real life, this sliding motion would likely push dangerous debris out of the way. [25] X Research source
Many untrained opponents will not be able to effectively coordinate offense and defense at the same time. Attacking in the same moment your opponent does means he will likely be unready to defend himself from your blow.
Your goal should be to begin your strike at the same time your opponent does, although accomplishing this perfectly will likely be impossible in the real world. Launching your own strike in sync with your opponent’s own will give him little time to respond.
You should move your head to duck around the strike of your opponent. It is common to lean your head forward slightly as your body extends forward into a strike. Remember that the thrust of this motion is based in your rear leg. You should push your front leg forward by driving down with your rear leg while keeping it in contact with the ground. Many martial experts advocate accomplishing as much as you can to your advantage with a single move. When your opponent is striking, he won’t likely be thinking about his own foot work. You can effectively trap his foot and ruin his balance by covering the front of his foot with your own, trapping it there.
A more advanced technique you might want to consider when you have mastered the basics is a basic parry. A parry is where you stop/block a strike with a strike of your own. In this case, as you strike your opponent and he attempts to strike you, you can attack his striking limb with your rear hand, accomplishing the dual purpose of knocking his strike off course while doing damage. [28] X Research source
Twist your torso as you strike with your rear hand. This will not only facilitate the transference of force, but will also limit potential targets for your opponent. This strike is very versatile. You can aim your blow up to the face or down to the groin. Practice striking various locations to prepare yourself for any scenario. [33] X Research source
Remember, the force of your lead step strikes originates in your rear foot. Always drive the motion of your strikes with your rear leg. [38] X Research source
You will want to synchronize your step to the outside with the forward strike of your opponent. His strike will likely continue where you were, putting him in a disadvantageous body position to respond to your blow. [41] X Research source
You can aim you kick high or low depending on what the situation dictates. Kicking requires excellent balance and weight distribution to prevent imbalance. You’ll likely have to practice this move frequently to perform it well. [43] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
A failed high kick could open your groin or torso to deadly counters. In life-or-death situations, you may want to stick to a more conservative fighting style. [44] X Research source [45] X Research source
