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The January 12, 2008, Ted Wong seminar took place again at the Coast Guard Air Station’s
indoor gym located in Punta Borinquen. If you have had the opportunity to read my prior
seminar documents you know that Punta Borinquen is a beautiful corner of the old Ramey Air
Force Base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
Ted Wong seminars always bring our extended Puerto Rico JKD family together. Due to work
commitments, furtherance of professional studies, following a dream or a variety of other
reasons some of us have moved to the States and other locations. To spend a day together
training under the tutelage of Sigung Ted Wong is enough to bring us back to Puerto Rico from
afar. People flew in from New Jersey, Florida, Alabama and the Dominican Republic for
example. But this particular weekend had additional significance as the next morning our Sifu
Albert Grajales was to be married. This document will concentrate on the seminar and I will
leave the wedding details a private matter. Though, I will say that all who witnessed that day
saw true happiness; it was an honor to be a part of that special moment.
Back to the seminar. After catching up with old friends and meeting a few new ones the
seminar kicked off with a couple of presentations. This year’s seminar was dedicated to
Roberta Bianchettin for her continued dedication, tenacity and for representing our art during
trips to Italy. We are all very proud of her. After a short warm up Sigung Ted Wong began by
expressing a few personal feelings and observations regarding the JKD group in Puerto Rico.
It was a proud moment for all of us, which speaks volumes of our Sifu.
Throughout the day long seminar Ted Wong explained many different aspects that Bruce Lee
looked into as he evolved his art of Jeet Kune Do, referencing boxing, fencing, or the
origination of the topic as he illustrated his point. Ted Wong talked about Teri Tom’s Book the
Straight Lead, and also informed that her second book regarding JKD mechanics will be out
soon.
As always Ted Wong incorporated drills to punctuate the topics he covered and made rounds
during drills to help participants with particulars. As in prior seminars and training sessions I
jotted down notes, and for information, compiled a not all encompassing list of bullets below.
The below bullets consist of some of the points that Ted Wong made and things that he said
and explained during the seminar.
It is always great to get back to Puerto Rico and train with my JKD brothers and sisters. To
see how much their skills have sharpened over the year, meet new students and share with my
old friends, prior training companions, and fellow instructors under Albert. It was an
outstanding seminar and busy weekend. We had a very nice evening get-together and of
course, the next day was one to remember. Spending time with Albert and Ted is an immense
honor.
As I have said in the past, I feel as if I have a duty to share my knowledge with a chosen few,
and that is part of the motivation behind my website. This I owe to my JKD Brotherhood, Albert
Grajales, Ted Wong, Bruce Lee, and the art of Jeet Kune Do.
Ted Wong Bullets from the January 2008 Puerto Rico Seminar appear below, the reference to
“I” refers to Ted Wong:
- At seminars I used to teach more techniques, but now I concentrate more on specifics.
- No thought, no think, this is the high stage, to just flow - to achieve this stage you must
understand the art – where nothing is mind anymore.
- Hone in on what you need, only a few techniques to punch and kick using science and the
laws of physics.
- JKD is simply to simplify, how the technique works, functions, the most efficient way to
move and progress, that is why you do not need many techniques.
- Boxing has few punches that create many opportunities.
- Natural free flow without thinking using simplicity and efficiency – functional with minimal
motion.
- JKD is the most difficult martial art, the most simple, yet the most difficult to understand.
- To understand JKD you should understand Bruce Lee’s thinking, his thoughts the last
seven years of his life.
- Much of the Tao came from somewhere, boxing, fencing, philosophy. John Little was the
only person that had access to all of Bruce Lee’s writings. We are very fortunate that
Bruce Lee wrote down his thoughts, that later became our road map.
- In essence Bruce Lee is still here, I rely on him to learn because he left so much material,
a treasure map, like the Amazing Race, that is what I have been doing for 30 years.
- People say JKD has no structure, but it does have structure and you have to put the
foundation together – for example: the stance, footwork, distance, technique and how to
apply the technique as well as the philosophical principals to really understand the art, its
almost a roadmap.
- Some of Bruce Lee’s sayings are purposely misinterpreted to fit what they are doing, like
a buffet, you eat too much and you get sick.
- To really understand what it is, Bruce Lee’s way of thinking is to change for the better,
that is the way of no way, very modern martial art, tradition is not the way.
- For thousands of years traditional martial arts did things the same way, the wrong way,
Bruce Lee was right.
- When Bruce Lee came to America it opened his eyes, he met many good fighters.
Boxing, simplicity, functional, the sweet science.
- You can identify the boxing in JKD, but the fencing is not so evident, think like a fencer. It
has structure, a system, Bruce Lee never taught that in his schools. He kept that to
himself, modern martial art with old fashioned thinking, I would go home and I could not
sleep.
- Over the last 30 years most do not teach JKD, I teach to preserve the art and by
conveying what I know improves me.
- When I teach I do not think of today or tomorrow but beyond, so that when I am gone the
art is preserved.
- I have few students with small groups, I am fortunate to have dedicated students I can
trust.
- JKD is not for the masses, the process is very slow, understanding is important, without it
you can not apply the principals, the technique.
- I teach to improve technique, to refine.
- If you truly refine what you have you achieve simplicity.
- Take what you have and think of a way to improve it or to simplify it.
- To change is a changeless state. Flexibility, adaptability, things constantly change,
traditional martial arts do not change or improve, you have to evolve and improve.
- The structure of the stance is very important, keep the line of force, the line of attack, not
the centerline.
- Once you open your stance you limit your mobility.
- Speed is generated by how fast you move your feet.
- Footwork allows you to kick and hit moving back and from any angle.
- When punching your footwork always follows the hand when you move your feet to be in
position. If you move your feet first the foot will get there before your fist.
- Much of your force comes from your momentum. Your body weight is a big part of power,
the force you can produce just by moving the body
- The back foot is the key and the three forces, understanding how to learn and apply.
- With the half beat you break rhythm, that comes from fencing.
- You do not have to stop and hit, but you can use the stop to break your opponents rhythm
so you can hit.
- Stutter step, change speed, steal a step, broken rhythm all done with footwork – if have
time to train nothing else work on footwork.
- Overcoming inertia is difficult, move your head first to help.
- Timing – balance – positioning, keep moving, when you stop it is easier for you to get hit,
the only time I stop is to break rhythm.
- Keep moving in and out, footwork enables you to do that, keep your feet moving.
- All in one motion change direction, angle, and much at the same time. Footwork makes
it happen, the footwork is very subtle.
- The lower and upper portions of your body work together, not alone, together you are
quicker.
- Simplicity = minimal motion, not 3 and 4 moves. Trapping has too many moves,
simplicity is minimal moves.
- Speed also comes from how well you see, perception speed; my eyes are like a radar
and I am ready because of my stance.
- Speed is more mental than people think – how you focus.
- Alignment gives you leverage and the only way to have alignment is with good footwork.
- With good footwork you can be off position but still get your hit in.
- If footwork is like a car, JKD footwork is like a high performance car.
- Each time I move I change the angle.•
- The straight lead is the quickest way to punch.
- Max depth to elbow, know your limit and work from there.
- With the rear heel up is the most efficient way to take off, just look at a sprinter in the
starting block.
- Tensing muscles slow you down.
- The 3 to 4 inches before your elbow locks is the strongest point.
- Trapping is a two man operation.
- Simple, direct and non-classical. Wing Chung is a classical art, it has been the same for
hundreds of years. Bruce Lee was more of a rebel in that sense, he went away from
classical and more toward scientific based application. At the end he eliminated things
such as trapping that were very classical.
- At the high stage of JKD there is no touching, no blocking. The touching is my fist
against your face and my foot against your body.
- You must be able to adapt, one punch can be thrown many ways.
- At the beginning you learn a lot of stuff, at the end throw it away, once you have enough
and understand you begin to refine – after understanding comes refinement.
Thank you for reading and I hope that you are able to take something positive away. This was
an outstanding event, much was shared, much was gained and a good time was had by all.
Walk on!
Victor C. Colón
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