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The 2007 Vero Beach Ted Wong seminar took place in a very nice, private facility.
There were fewer than 20 seminar participants which facilitated plenty of one-on-one
attention from Sigung Ted Wong throughout seminar drills. Practitioners traveled from
such places as California, New York, New Jersey, Alabama and various parts of
Florida; the group was small, yet diverse. Our host Bill Mattucci did an outstanding job
organizing a Class A event. Thank you sir!
On another note (please bare with me because I think this is important, and it fits
here). Certified instructors under Sigung Ted Wong are few, and spread out
throughout the United States and other countries. With technology such as e-mail, the
Internet, and forums such as the JKD Brotherhood, there is much more networking
taking place then ever. We are able to pick the brains of instructors and network
among a much larger portion of those under Ted Wong’s lineage, as well as other JKD
practitioners. We may not all know one another personally, but there is a familiarity that
may not have existed in the past. Vero Beach was the first time some met in person,
but we knew each other, there was a certain confidence and familiarity if you get my
drift. This seminar brought together such practitioners and I must say that, this is
unique, extremely well received and a testament to the caliber of people that came
together those few days.
The Vero Beach seminar commenced with round robin introductions and then Ted
Wong went on to describe such topics as the intricacies of the on guard, footwork
subtleties incorporating the half beat, hitting on the way in, as well as on the way out,
mechanics and many other subjects of interest. It is always so very fascinating to hear
him describe the manner JKD breaks rhythm, the variances of depth, speed, timing
and distance. Ted Wong was very patient, and he went into very good detail as he
described various aspects and eloquently demonstrated the same. A great point to
make here is that when Ted Wong explains a movement, he not only describes and
demonstrates the manner it is performed, but also why. To include the scientific
premise, the logic, and the smooth transitional flow that makes our art unique.
The below bullets consist of some of the notes I took during the seminar. These are
points of interest that I would like to share with the intent of spreading some of the
knowledge Ted Wong imparted on us, as we strive to make our art better through
continued study, patience, persistence and sweat.
- Half beat is before your foot touches the ground, once the foot hits the floor, you
complete the whole beat
- The half beat facilitates evasion and countering
- Supplemental footwork = the half beat
- Use gravity to help you move
- If you have 5 dollars and your opponent has 5 dollars you are even, footwork is
money in the bank, now you have 15 dollars and he still has only 5
- Use your upper body to help you move, start first before you move your feet
- Use your upper body to help your footwork, to help in countering
- To expend little energy use the upper body to help you move
- Everything moves from the core
- Pivot from the hip
- No matter what footwork (excluding side stepping) maintain your powerline
- Sometimes when in close to your opponent your on-guard will be more open, and
when further away, more closed
- On every footwork you can throw a punch at any angle
- Footwork is number one, it opens a lot of options for you
- If you want to be fast, footwork, if you want power, footwork
- Footwork is the most difficult aspect to apply
- Speed, accuracy and timing is more important, not power
- Footwork puts you in position, timing and distance is important, if you are not in
the right position you will not hit anything
- Footwork creates everything, contact, speed, timing, power, avoidance
- Don’t try to hit hard, if you try to hit hard you lose everything
- Footwork is how to apply broken rhythm
- Rotational force helps maintain speed when striking, even increase speed
- Make distance and hit at the same time, not move then hit
- Start hitting before you step, footwork gives you better angles to put yourself in
the position to hit
- Anyone can follow music but JKD footwork composes music
- Anyone can throw a punch, but to throw a very good punch is not easy
- One simple punch takes a long time to perfect
- Balance and alignment are the mechanics that facilitate speed and timing
- If you get stuck, bouncing can help you to get going again
- Bouncing makes you more mobile, helps you to recover, to offset, helps you
move quicker, change pace, and maintain good balance
- Footwork is easy by itself, it is much like dancing but it can be learned, and it is
the most difficult to apply
- The sidekick can be easy to counter
- Slip late and deep, almost touch the arm with your ear as you close the distance
- Alignment is so important, but without proper mechanics there is no alignment
Thank you for taking the time to read this brief seminar document. I hope that everyone
that reads it is able to take something positive away, as all of us fortunate enough to
attend the seminar surely did. Free your mind - your body will follow.
Walk on!
Victor C. Colón
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