Cornerstone Jeet Kune Do

09/11/2026

Bruce Lee said “if the opponent is exceptionally fast and won’t go for feints, the beat can be used…the beat is a crisp movement of the hand made against the opponent’s with the object of knocking it aside or obtaining a reaction…”

09/09/2026

Good footwork gives you adaptability. By “good” we mean moving just enough, not more, when and where you need to.

09/07/2026

Sifu Jonathan is an amazing martial artist. More than that, he’s an amazing man.

I’ve known him since 1989 and can tell you with certainty that his character matches his skill. And that’s uncommon in the martial arts unfortunately.

I’m sure lots of you guys out there know that personally. So much ego and bad character; people talking about respect but never showing it. Liars who have burned you. And all the online nastiness and bickering.

That’s why I wanted to give Jonathan a shout out today. In a world so full of phonies with no respect, of, as C.S. Lewis would say, men without chests, Sifu Jonathan stands out. A true friend. A man of his word. He exemplifies the martial arts code.

09/05/2026

The latest edition of Original Jeet Kune Do is out. You won’t want to miss the featured interview of Linda Lee by Sifu Abe Santos. It’s incredible. Also, there are hard hitting articles by Sifu Lamar Davis, Sifu Octavio Quintero, Sifu Harinder Singh, Sifu Jesse Ohliger, and yours truly. Here’s the link:

https://www.blurb.com/b/12989019-original-jeet-kune-do-quarterly-magazine-issue-18?fbclid=IwZnRzaAUJMz5wZG9mBWZkaWQWUN2A5yXlM_br5QQ8M-XgtjRc3Cdx-GV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzE3Mzg0NzY0MjY3MDM3MAABHvBELOUsI30k_pxAeND6jbf8bK3WYZJ-MwZbclYSWAdNvrYMiGJXuYOyGoZy_aem_J4wLe694_ccBnwMOZo0OcQ

Articles by notable instructors the in Jeet Kune Do community. Includes articles by Abe Santos, Lamar Davis, Harinder Singh, James Bishop, Steve Corley, Jesse Ohliger, Dave Bundy and Jason Korol. Topics include The Importance of Wing Chun in Jeet Kune Do, discovering Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, Intercepti...

09/04/2026

JKD’s primary goal is to intercept the attack with an attack. There are a host of ways to do this in different situations against varied opponents/styles. In this case, Sifu Jason explains how to incorporate the slide-step retreat with the stop-hit. Remember that with all stop-hits we borrow force from the enemy’s advance and that gives the strike stunning power and psychological impact too. Here, though, by using the mechanics of the slide-step you add even more force into the strike by taking advantage of the footwork being used. As always, practice slowly until you get the hang of it. Light shadow boxing and then bag work are great to get started.

09/02/2026

Infighting shouldn’t be complicated. Nor should it be ignored. There are some JKD instructors, well-meaning but in error, who teach that you shouldn’t worry about trapping because that’s an unnecessary movement. You should just hit instead. But that’s oversimplification (leaving out relevant detail), not true simplicity (integration of core principles in action).

A trap, as shown here, is used to control the bridge against an enemy who for whatever reason was able to breach our fighting measure. This can happen to all of us but is especially common if you’re fighting a taller opponent. The reach issue nullifies one’s stop-hit game and/or makes it more challenging. That’s where you can use the “Jeet Kiu” or “intercepting bridge” to shut down the enemy’s ability to attack and then launch your own. In this sequence, I’ve bridged, quickly trapping the enemy’s hands, and then launched two eye jabs without losing contact/control.

09/01/2026

Teri Tom worked extensively with Manny Pacquiao and has some great footage of him. Here, watch how Manny, who is a huge fan of Bruce Lee and JKD, uses his footwork. Notice the angle…the timing…it’s poetry in motion.

https://fb.watch/JmCZbuOEha/?

08/31/2026

The cornerstone of JKD (someone ought to name a JKD organization after that…🤓) is the ingenious integration of the ready-position, footwork, and primary striking tools. Chief among them is the push-shuffle lead punch. It takes time to develop and most people don’t have the patience. Jack Dempsey, who called this technique “the falling step,” wrote about this difficulty but encouraged students to stick with it. Done right, the hard work will pay off because it will allow you to control the distance. Without this, it’s virtually impossible to apply JKD because there’s no longer any link between the footwork and striking, so movement and attack become two separate aspects.

08/28/2026

The core principle of Jeet Kune Do is the stop hit. Absolutely. But it’s not the only thing. We must not oversimplify. Nothing is enough on its own. Instead, we must train to integrate all elements like pak sao, parries, head movement, and footwork, embodying the philosophy of 'no way as way'.

08/25/2026

Teri has some great footage and here’s a little peek at all-time great Manny Pacquiao in action. The genius of Jeet Kune Do is in its integration of striking and footwork. One aspect doesn’t contradict or compete with the other and this is great footage to show it.

Just added to the online course some footage from my tenure at Wildcard. If you're having trouble getting power out of your punches, if you can't quite seem to get into position for your shots, if you sometimes get caught in dangerous, awkward spots--you need to look at your footwork FIRST. And the irony of this? NO ONE teaches it--not in the depth required at least. Sure, they surface gloss over a few steps but are they looking at the nuance of where your weight is distributed? How to overcome inertia most efficiently? How to integrate the upper body with your feet? I've seen a lot of boxing gyms, a lot of trainers, a lot of martial arts instructors. NO ONE teaches this stuff. Either you pick up on it yourself or you don't and you're SOL. This is the magic of Ted Wong's teachings. I have not seen ONE person teach in this detail. If you're a Manny Pacquiao, you can figure this out yourself, but for the rest of us, it needs to be broken down so that we can see what is invisible to the untrained eye.

In both the book The Straight Lead and its online Video Companion online course, we break this sh*t down. And the cool thing about the course is it is a living course. Additions will be made over time, which IMO is a pretty good deal since this is not a subscription. In this case, added a snippet of footage with my commentary that breaks down the touch down step (advanced half-beat footwork), falling step, and, of course, perfect ex*****on of the Straight Lead. For those who can't see how "original JKD" can't be applied, here you go.

Find the book here: https://a.co/d/0ex2dRaE

And the Straight Lead Video Companion here: https://teritomcourses.thinkific.com/products/courses/thestraightlead