The Wing Chun/Jeet Kune Do Foundation Structure Connection

by Lamar M. Davis II

In recent years, there has been much talk among grossly misinformed groups about wing chun gung fu being of lesser importance in the structure of Jeet Kune Do, the fighting art developed by the late Bruce Lee. The fact is, wing chun gung fu is the easily the single most important art in the structure of Jeet Kune Do. I will not only show the significance of wing chun in the Jeet Kune Do structure, but I will also prove beyond doubt that what I am saying is true! There are many factors that most Jeet Kune Do practitioners do not know about, one being the relationship between yi ji kim yeung ma and the Jun Fan gung fu/jeet kune do bai jong (on guard) positions. In Hardcore Jeet Kune Do, which is my approach to teaching and training in Bruce Lee's original methods, we refer to yi ji kim yeung ma as the "neutral" stance. The reason for this being that neither foot leads, therefore you can develop both sides equally from this position. In Jun Fan gung fu, we use this position to train several skills, including what is referred to as rotation striking. While many Jun Fan gung fu and jeet kune do practitioners realize the importance of this, they do not realize just how important yi ji kim yeung ma is to the actual development of the bai jong position. Proper training in yi ji kim yeung ma strengthens the bai jong position, especially the legs, hips and trunk of the practitioner. The first form in wing chun is sil lim tao. This is also an important part of the Jun Fan gung fu curriculum. As we all know, the first part of the sil lim tao form involves opening the stance. In order to do this, starting with the feet together, you first pivot on you heels, pointing the feet outward. Next you pivot on the balls of both feet, so that the feet point slightly inward. Once you achieve this position, this is where the feet stay throughout the entire form.

Once you achieve this position, the knees are slightly bent and turned inward, and the hips shovel forward. If you feel of your thighs once you are in this position, they should feel very solid. The upper body is erect, with the spine straight. Now, from this position, if you leave your left foot right where it is and pivot on clockwise on the ball of the right foot until it points in the same direction as your left foot, you will find your feet in the exact position of the Jun Fan gung fu bai jong stance. Using this method to move into the bai jong stance, the distance between your feet will be perfect for the Jun Fan bai jong, also often referred to as the closed bai jong. The weight distribution will be anywhere from 60/40 to 80/20, with more weight on the rear foot. When lining up on an opponent, the centerline will pass directly through the middle of the rear foot, and the toe of the front foot will be right on the line. This means that the centerline is closed, which is why it is often referred to as the closed bai jong stance. This stance is most often used for infighting purposes. Next, starting once again from yi ji kim yeung ma, leave your left foot in place and pivot clockwise on the heel of the right foot until it points in the same direction as your left foot. Raise your left heel slightly, and you will find your feet in the Jeet Kune Do bai jong position. The width between the feet should be perfect for the Jeet Kune Do bai jong, also often referred to as the open bai jong. The weight distribution between the feet will be approximately 50/50. When lining up on an

opponent in a right lead, the rear (left) foot will be just to the left of the centerline, with the heel barely off the line and slightly raised, and the lead (right) foot will be just to the right of the centerline, pointed into the line with the toe almost touching the line. This means that the centerline is slightly open, which is why it is often referred to as the open bai jong stance. This stance is highly mobile, and is used for offensive, defensive and evasive maneuvers. In wing chun gung fu, the common guard position for the hands is for the rear hand to be right in front of the solar plexus, open and pointed upward, and the lead hand to be held slightly higher and extended more, open and in line with the forearm. Both hands are right on the centerline. The elbow of the lead arm is approximately the same distance from the body as the rear hand, with the elbow

being about a fist's distance from the lead side ribs. This is the same guard position used in the Jun Fan gung fu bai jong stance. Just another thing that Bruce Lee took from wing chun! In the Jeet Kune Do bai jong position, the rear hand is carried high, just below the chin and inside the lead shoulder. It is the primary guard hand. The lead hand is extended further, and carried slightly lower. It is the primary attack hand. Both hands are right on the centerline. If you look at the hands in the Jeet Kune Do bai jong, you notice that there are some similarities to the wing chun guard, only reversed (rear hand carried high rather than low, lead hand carried lower rather than high). These are just a few things that connect Jeet Kune Do to its wing chun roots. There are many, many more connections to be made, but here you can see the very root foundation structure connection. It just doesnt get much more connected than that!