Stop Hits and Stop Kicks
"When the distance is wide, the attacking opponent requires some sort of preparation. Therefore, attack him on his preparation of attack." "To reach me, you must move to me. Your attack offers me an opportunity to intercept you." This means intercepting an opponent's attack with an attack of your own instead of a simple block. It is for this concept Jeet Kune Do is named. JKD practitioners believe that this is the most difficult defensive skill to develop. This strategy is a feature of some traditional Chinese martial arts as wing chun, as well as an essential component of European épée fencing. Stop hits & kicks utilize the principle of economy of motion by combining attack and defense into one movement thus minimizing the "time" element.
Simultaneous Parrying, Punching or Kicking
When confronting an incoming attack, the attack is parried or deflected and a counterattack is delivered at the same time. Not as advanced as a stop hit but more effective than blocking and counterattacking in sequence. This is practiced by some Chinese martial arts as wing chun etc. Simultaneous parrying & punching utilizes the principle of economy of motion by combining attack and defense into one movement thus minimizing the "time" element and maximizing the "energy" element. Efficiency is gained by utilizing a parry rather than a block. By definition a "block" stops an attack whereas a parry merely re-directs an attack. Redirection has two advantages: It requires less energy to execute; it utilizes the opponents energy against them by creating an imbalance. Efficiency is gained in that the opponent has less time to react to the nullification of their attack while having to worry about defending an incoming attack
.
Low Kicks
JKD practitioners believe they should target their kicks to their opponent's shins, knees, thighs, and midsection like in wing chun. These targets are the closest to the foot, provide more stability and are more difficult to defend against. However, as with all other JKD principles nothing is "written in stone". If a target of opportunity presents itself, even a target above the waist, one could take advantage of the situation without feeling hampered by this principle. Maintaining low kicks utilizes the principle of economy of motion by reducing the distance a kick must travel thus minimizing the "time" element.















