# JKD Leg Obstruction Question



## Xue Sheng

I was reading this post and listen to the Tim Tackett interview linked by Thunder Foot which lead me to looking for an example of JKD obstruction. I found this video.






Is that a good example of JKD leg obstruction?If so the straight kick to the upper thigh is incredibly similar to a Xingyiquan kick application of piquan


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## Kung Fu Wang

To coordinate the leading foot landing with the punch is a very important concept in the XingYi and the Baji system.


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## mook jong man

The problem with that is , he is losing power in the kick because the force vectors are all wrong.
His upper body is going one way , and his lower body going in another.
In the Wing Chun version , Bong Gerk , the whole body is pivoted in the same direction as one unit utilising the whole body mass.


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## Xue Sheng

mook jong man said:


> The problem with that is , he is losing power in the kick because the force vectors are all wrong.
> His upper body is going one way , and his lower body going in another.
> In the Wing Chun version , Bong Gerk , the whole body is pivoted in the same direction as one unit utilising the whole body mass.



Actually, in Xingyiquan that increases power to the palm strike, can't speak for JKD


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## mook jong man

Xue Sheng said:


> Actually, in Xingyiquan that increases power to the palm strike, can't speak for JKD



By that do you mean because the shoulders are held square that the right palm is already loaded and ready to strike?
I can see the logic in that , but it comes at the expense of being able to generate a very powerful kick.
The kick done properly would probably be enough to end the confrontation right then and there , without any follow up strikes needed.


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## Xue Sheng

mook jong man said:


> By that do you mean because the shoulders are held square that the right palm is already loaded and ready to strike?
> I can see the logic in that , but it comes at the expense of being able to generate a very powerful kick.
> The kick done properly would probably be enough to end the confrontation right then and there , without any follow up strikes needed.



Nope, not how xingyi works and the kick is not meant to be powerful beyond stopping, or stepping on, the leg. And from what I can tell in the JKD application it is a stopping kick...aka obstruction


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## mook jong man

Xue Sheng said:


> Nope, not how xingyi works and the kick is not meant to be powerful beyond stopping, or stepping on, the leg. And from what I can tell in the JKD application it is a stopping kick...aka obstruction



To borrow a Wing Chun term , that  would be called a wasted movement.
We have a similar technique to stop someone advancing , in Wing  Chun we call it a low heel kick  , you get one of those in the knee cap or shin, and you don't advance anymore , you just drop , because that kick is done with full power.

If we used the upper body as an an analogy , would you make a fist and hold your arm out stretched and wait for the attacker to run into it and call that an "arm obstruction"?

No you wouldn't , you would time it so as the person came into range you would throw out your punch as hard and as fast as you could.
In that way you are increasing the damage by  adding the force of your own  powerful strike to the force of that generated by the attackers own forward momentum.

If that is the way they do things , then that is the way they do it , but to a Wing Chun person it does seem a bit illogical.


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## Xue Sheng

mook jong man said:


> To borrow a Wing Chun term , that  would be called a wasted movement.
> We have a similar technique to stop someone advancing , in Wing  Chun we call it a low heel kick  , you get one of those in the knee cap or shin, and you don't advance anymore , you just drop , because that kick is done with full power.
> 
> If we used the upper body as an an analogy , would you make a fist and hold your arm out stretched and wait for the attacker to run into it and call that an "arm obstruction"?
> 
> No you wouldn't , you would time it so as the person came into range you would throw out your punch as hard and as fast as you could.
> In that way you are increasing the damage by  adding the force of your own  powerful strike to the force of that generated by the attackers own forward momentum.
> 
> If that is the way they do things , then that is the way they do it , but to a Wing Chun person it does seem a bit illogical.



You do not understand xingyiquan, believe me it is not wasted movement. From a xingyi POV you are wasting power because you are using to much.

Foot hits leg and punch blocked (example right leg right arm used)
could go to wrist grabbed (right hand grab) and pulled into other (ex. left) palm strike or it could be a (ex. right) back fist depending on the power coming at you
and the whole thing use forward momentum there for it is likely if you have put your foot on their leg (closer to knee than hip) the leg is broken 
And if the other guy is coming at me all the better, I just hit him harder using his momentum.

The xingyi point of view of what your describing is using to much muscular strength thereby wasting power unnecessarily. 

I cannot speak for JKD or what they are doing


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## mook jong man

Xue Sheng said:


> You do not understand xingyiquan, believe me it is not wasted movement. From a xingyi POV you are wasting power because you are using to much.
> 
> Foot hits leg and punch blocked (example right leg right arm used)
> could go to wrist grabbed (right hand grab) and pulled into other (ex. left) palm strike or it could be a (ex. right) back fist depending on the power coming at you
> and the whole thing use forward momentum there for it is likely if you have put your foot on their leg (closer to knee than hip) the leg is broken
> And if the other guy is coming at me all the better, I just hit him harder using his momentum.
> 
> The xingyi point of view of what your describing is using to much muscular strength thereby wasting power unnecessarily.
> 
> I cannot speak for JKD or what they are doing



Well you are correct of course , I do not understand Xingyiquan.
But the muscular force needed to perform a low heel kick in Wing Chun is minimal at best , it goes directly from the floor straight to the target namely the knee/ shin region. 
There are no movements based on brute strength at least in my lineage of Wing Chun.

It is a very fast relaxed movement , most of the force is derived from the stance itself and the angle of the leg at point of impact.
We tend to go for the knee/shin area rather than the upper thigh , because the knee/shin area is usually the closest target presented by the opponent.
This ties in directly to our principles on economy of movement and directness.
I also would have thought that with the speed some people can close in , you might have a hard job getting your kick up in time to his upper thigh.
I trained with a young Chinese guy who could move in very quick , and most of the time I was struggling just to get my heel to his knee in time to stop him coming in.


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## Xue Sheng

mook jong man said:


> Well you are correct of course , I do not understand Xingyiquan.
> But the muscular force needed to perform a low heel kick in Wing Chun is minimal at best , it goes directly from the floor straight to the target namely the knee/ shin region.
> There are no movements based on brute strength at least in my lineage of Wing Chun.
> 
> It is a very fast relaxed movement , most of the force is derived from the stance itself and the angle of the leg at point of impact.
> We tend to go for the knee/shin area rather than the upper thigh , because the knee/shin area is usually the closest target presented by the opponent.
> This ties in directly to our principles on economy of movement and directness.
> I also would have thought that with the speed some people can close in , you might have a hard job getting your kick up in time to his upper thigh.
> I trained with a young Chinese guy who could move in very quick , and most of the time I was struggling just to get my heel to his knee in time to stop him coming in.



Different styles different approaches that is all in the case of Wing Chun and Xingyi I am not saying one is better or worse than the other, just different. As for JKD I really can't say, I did not train it long enough to discuss it much. I just have seen multiple similarities to Xingyiquan in JKD. And I know an older (my age) Chinese guy that can kick a person in the jaw faster than most can throw a straight punch, and his strikes are damn quick too.....try sparing with him sometime.


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## drop bear

That style of attack is a common multi style idea. There is a Thai version which I use called a picking kick. Which I throw toes outside trying to land the heel. Hard or soft depends on what I am doing and how much time I have to get that leg up.

Savate has a side kick version. And the Gracie's were a bit mad keen for that style of entry when they originally faces strikers.


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## simplicity

In Jeet Kune Do, a leg obstruction is where the person is coming to you... You are putting up a wall so they can run into it... If they are kick you, the harder they kick the worst it will feel on them... The stop - kick you are coming to them...


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## Thunder Foot

The technique is taken from Wing Chun, and is exactly as Mook explained. JKD borrows the WC principle of simultaneous attack and defense. This version does neither. It doesn't effectively stop someone who would be coming full speed nor does damage to the opponent. This demo shows a lack of understanding of the practicality of the tech. I mean let's be real, if an attacker has a knife and is charging we would give all we can to that leg rather than give em a "love tap" and proceed to be sliced. In real fighting which is what Bruce looked to address, we don't have the luxury to discern whether someone is armed with gun, knife, or empty hand.... we just go.


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## Kung Fu Wang

I prefer to kick on the "knee joint" instead. When you kick on the upper leg, you may give your opponent a free "single leg".


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## drop bear

Kung Fu Wang said:


> I prefer to kick on the "knee joint" instead. When you kick on the upper leg, you may give your opponent a free "single leg".



Yeah but if you are sparring you are not going to make any friends kicking at peoples knee all the time. This is why I avoid front kicking g people in the face.


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## mook jong man

drop bear said:


> Yeah but if you are sparring you are not going to make any friends kicking at peoples knee all the time. This is why I avoid front kicking g people in the face.



We use two pairs of shin pads on each leg , and a pair of those tough plastic knee pads that tilers use over the shin pads.
I won't lie , you can still feel it , and your knee cartilage will be making funny clicking noises for a few days afterwards.
But it is the only way we can realistically practice what is one of our main attacks.


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## drop bear

mook jong man said:


> We use two pairs of shin pads on each leg , and a pair of those tough plastic knee pads that tilers use over the shin pads.
> I won't lie , you can still feel it , and your knee cartilage will be making funny clicking noises for a few days afterwards.
> But it is the only way we can realistically practice what is one of our main attacks.




You can't just kick them in the thigh? And not risk a knee injury in training. I looked at the vid and there it is the kicker doing the takedown. The other guys leg is on the floor.

Or just have good takedown defence and kick however you want.


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## drop bear

The leg intercept by master wong who I love because I think he is unhinged.

There is swearing in the vid. But for those who can deal with that he is worth a look.

He does do that stomp style kick that I prefer.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=70Hq2LPyRJM


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## mook jong man

drop bear said:


> You can't just kick them in the thigh? And not risk a knee injury in training. I looked at the vid and there it is the kicker doing the takedown. The other guys leg is on the floor.
> 
> Or just have good takedown defence and kick however you want.



No we always train to target the correct area , the knee or shin.
Taking full power kicks in the knee cap or shin even with pads on is not something you want to be doing all the time.
But every now and again it is ok.
If we are not padded up we will still throw the kick at full speed , but we will stop about an inch before contact.


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## drop bear

mook jong man said:


> No we always train to target the correct area , the knee or shin.
> Taking full power kicks in the knee cap or shin even with pads on is not something you want to be doing all the time.
> But every now and again it is ok.
> If we are not padded up we will still throw the kick at full speed , but we will stop about an inch before contact.



See that seems kind of strange. OK you pad up get your target right. But approximating the kick say during sparring should be fine.it is still going to stop the leg and do the job it is supposed to do. Where a kick to nothing would not achieve that and you get unrealistic feedback.

Same way I could front kick people in the face. But I drop the kick because eating a heel with you nose sucks more than a person should have to put up with.

Unless he starts kicking me in the knee or something.

Even with that video of master Wong he is not chopping guys knees out.


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## mook jong man

drop bear said:


> See that seems kind of strange. OK you pad up get your target right. But approximating the kick say during sparring should be fine.it is still going to stop the leg and do the job it is supposed to do. Where a kick to nothing would not achieve that and you get unrealistic feedback.
> 
> Same way I could front kick people in the face. But I drop the kick because eating a heel with you nose sucks more than a person should have to put up with.
> 
> Unless he starts kicking me in the knee or something.
> 
> Even with that video of master Wong he is not chopping guys knees out.



Well it's just like in chi sau sparring I don't punch my partner in the jaw , I pull the strike back.
In a rapid striking art like Wing Chun you have to develop control , otherwise you will quickly run out of partners.
The range is not messed up with the kick in the non contact version because we barely extend the heel , the leg just comes up from the ground in the same angle as what the legs are normally when in the stance.
In the contact version we just release it and expand the angle.

In regards to the precise targeting of the kick and why it is important , think of somebody in a fighting stance , what is usually the first part of the body that is presented to you as they advance towards you.
The knee and shin are usually the closest targets right , which ties in with the Wing Chun principles of directness , and economy of movement.

The second reason is that targeting the knee/shin keeps the opponent just out of his punching range , but also still allows our arms to have tactile contact with his arms so that we can monitor him and feel what his next move will be and probably start trapping.


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## Kung Fu Wang

mook jong man said:


> No we always train to target the correct area , the knee or shin.


I don't like shin kick that much. If my opponent bends his knee and pull his foot back (or keep foot on the ground and just moves his knee joint forward), my shin kick will slide down to the ground. If I kick right on his knee joint, his knee bending won't be able to help him to escape my kick.

The "knee joint kick" for me can achieve the following purposes:

- If I don't kick my opponent, he will kick me. Instead of for him to kick me, it's better for me to kick him (put my opponent in defense mode).
- When my foot touch my opponent's leading leg joint, I have established a "leg bridge". During that moment, I know exactly that his leading leg (along with his back leg) won't have an threaten to me.
- My kick is just a set up as part of my entering footwork. Depending on where my opponent may re-adjust his leading foot position during that kick, I'll land my kicking leg at the spot that I want.

My intention is not trying to break my opponent's knee joint.


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## drop bear

Kung Fu Wang said:


> I don't like shin kick that much. If my opponent bends his knee and pull his foot back (or keep foot on the ground and just moves his knee joint forward), my shin kick will slide down to the ground. If I kick right on his knee joint, his knee bending won't be able to help him to escape my kick.
> 
> The "knee joint kick" for me can achieve the following purposes:
> 
> - If I don't kick my opponent, he will kick me. Instead of for him to kick me, it's better for me to kick him (put my opponent in defense mode).
> - When my foot touch my opponent's leading leg joint, I have established a "leg bridge". During that moment, I know exactly that his leading leg (along with his back leg) won't have an threaten to me.
> - My kick is just a set up as part of my entering footwork. Depending on where my opponent may re-adjust his leading foot position during that kick, I'll land my kicking leg at the spot that I want.
> 
> My intention is not trying to break my opponent's knee joint.



But ultimately it wants to be hard enough that they are going to react to it. Otherwise you are on one leg as they start throwing shots.


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## Kung Fu Wang

drop bear said:


> But ultimately it wants to be hard enough that they are going to react to it. Otherwise you are on one leg as they start throwing shots.


It's the angle and the push force after the contact. You try to use the ball of your foot to "push" on your opponent's knee joint to make his leg from bending to straight. In order words, you don't apply force in the initial process of your kick. You only apply force when your foot can contact your opponent's knee joint. During that contact moment, you put your weight behind your kick to add force into it. In order to do so, your body should have a strong structure to support your kick. Otherwise, your opponent's forward momentum may push you back. 

Your kicking intention start from the "contact" and not start from your raising leg. This way whether you may miss your kick or not, it won't affect your own balance.


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## mook jong man

drop bear said:


> But ultimately it wants to be hard enough that they are going to react to it. Otherwise you are on one leg as they start throwing shots.



Well that's it , part of it is the distraction value.
For the split second you are thinking about the pain in your leg , you won't be thinking about the punches that will be rapidly following it.
Bloody excruciating pain it is too , a bit like walking into the edge of a heavy coffee table in the dark.


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## Kung Fu Wang

mook jong man said:


> Well that's it , part of it is the distraction value.
> For the split second you are thinking about the pain in your leg , you won't be thinking about the punches that will be rapidly following it.
> Bloody excruciating pain it is too , a bit like walking into the edge of a heavy coffee table in the dark.


This is why you want to kick on his knee joint. When you kick on his leg, it can only cause pain. When you kick on the knee joint, your opponent may concern about serious injury. That extra fear will make your kick to work much better. It's like you may not care about a punch toward your chest. But you definitely will care bout a punch that coming toward your face.


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## mook jong man

Kung Fu Wang said:


> This is why you want to kick on his knee joint. When you kick on his leg, it can only cause pain. When you kick on the knee joint, your opponent may concern about serious injury. That extra fear will make your kick to work much better. It's like you may not care about a punch toward your chest. But you definitely will care bout a punch that coming toward your face.



There are too many variables at play to be that precise in targeting only the knee cap in my opinion.
Depends on the range , at close range it is easier to attack the shin , not to mention you will probably be also dealing with arms at the same time.
Legs are highly mobile and it takes quite a bit of reflex training to predict which leg they will try and step in on , if you get the knee cap great , but if you don't the shin is fine.
Just as long as you remember to use your kick to bridge the gap and move into punching range , not just stay in the one spot and retract the kick.

Use the forward momentum generated by your kick to propel your body mass forward and increase the power of your punching.


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## Xue Sheng

mook jong man said:


> There are too many variables at play to be that precise in targeting only the knee cap in my opinion.
> Depends on the range , at close range it is easier to attack the shin , not to mention you will probably be also dealing with arms at the same time.
> Legs are highly mobile and it takes quite a bit of reflex training to predict which leg they will try and step in on , if you get the knee cap great , but if you don't the shin is fine.
> Just as long as you remember to use your kick to bridge the gap and move into punching range , not just stay in the one spot and retract the kick.
> 
> Use the forward momentum generated by your kick to propel your body mass forward and increase the power of your punching.



Think the area of the knee cap, a little above a little below, work are well as a direct hit, shin is ok too. The thigh is a disruptor to stop the other guys forward momentum or a kick, not necessarily the best target for a kick but whatever works at the time. And you are not  necessarily using your kick to bridge the gap and move into punching range.... could be qinna, could be palm strike, could be kao, could be Zhou. It does not have to be a punch.


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## Kung Fu Wang

Xue Sheng said:


> And you are not  necessarily using your kick to bridge the gap and move into punching range.... could be qinna, could be palm strike, could be kao, could be Zhou. It does not have to be a punch.


But from a WC point of view, the only thing besides kicks is punches. IMO, that kind of view is "incomplete". In another forum, I tried to stay away from a 100% WC discussion. In any 100% pure WC thread, if you address any issue outside of kicking and punching (such as _qinna, kao, zhou, arm drag, single leg, ..._), you may upset someone big time. Since this is a JKD thread, it may be different.


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## mook jong man

Kung Fu Wang said:


> But from a WC point of view, the only thing besides kicks is punches. IMO, that kind of view is "incomplete". In another forum, I tried to stay away from a 100% WC discussion. In any 100% pure WC thread, if you address any issue outside of kicking and punching (such as _qinna, kao, zhou, arm drag, single leg, ..._), you may upset someone big time. Since this is a JKD thread, it may be different.



Your joking aren't you , there are various types of palm strikes , forearm strikes , elbow strikes , knee strikes , sweeps , leg locking , wrist latching  , neck latching and much more.
If you believe there is only punching and kicking in Wing Chun , then you would be very much mistaken.


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## Kung Fu Wang

mook jong man said:


> Your joking aren't you , there are various types of palm strikes , forearm strikes , elbow strikes , knee strikes , sweeps , leg locking , wrist latching  , neck latching and much more.
> If you believe there is only punching and kicking in Wing Chun , then you would be very much mistaken.


You may have better "open mind" than most of the WC guys that I know. In another forum which almost turns into a WC forum because those WC guys won't join in any general discussion. They will also ignore posts that come from both people who doesn't train WC and those who trains WC but also cross train other systems. In that forum, all they care is "pure WC" and nothing else.

I have cross trained WC from one of Yeh Men students Jimmy Kao since 1973 (40 years ago). Since I cross trained, I would never be accepted as a WC guys in that forum.


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## drop bear

mook jong man said:


> Well that's it , part of it is the distraction value.
> For the split second you are thinking about the pain in your leg , you won't be thinking about the punches that will be rapidly following it.
> Bloody excruciating pain it is too , a bit like walking into the edge of a heavy coffee table in the dark.




I kick on the thigh which still hurts and can break their posture. And thigh kicks are good for people makes them tougher.


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## drop bear

Kung Fu Wang said:


> It's the angle and the push force after the contact. You try to use the ball of your foot to "push" on your opponent's knee joint to make his leg from bending to straight. In order words, you don't apply force in the initial process of your kick. You only apply force when your foot can contact your opponent's knee joint. During that contact moment, you put your weight behind your kick to add force into it. In order to do so, your body should have a strong structure to support your kick. Otherwise, your opponent's forward momentum may push you back.
> 
> Your kicking intention start from the "contact" and not start from your raising leg. This way whether you may miss your kick or not, it won't affect your own balance.



Similar in concept to a teep.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EyLoKfJANIo

It is not a great vid but the only one I can find where they target the leg.


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## mook jong man

drop bear said:


> I kick on the thigh which still hurts and can break their posture. And thigh kicks are good for people makes them tougher.



Totally agree mate.
In Wing Chun we have close range version of a Thai leg kick , called a hook kick.
Because it is in very close range it is used as a "finisher" , so typically a few chain punches to the head with a hook kick tacked on the end.


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## mook jong man

Kung Fu Wang said:


> You may have better "open mind" than most of the WC guys that I know. In another forum which almost turns into a WC forum because those WC guys won't join in any general discussion. They will also ignore posts that come from both people who doesn't train WC and those who trains WC but also cross train other systems. In that forum, all they care is "pure WC" and nothing else.
> 
> I have cross trained WC from one of Yeh Men students Jimmy Kao since 1973 (40 years ago). Since I cross trained, I would never be accepted as a WC guys in that forum.



Well those dudes are wankers then aren't they.
Everybody has something to contribute.
Maybe it's better if you give them all a big miss and just converse with the intelligent individuals that are in abundance on these forums.


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## Thunder Foot

Any reason why some of you would choose the thigh kick over the structural integrity of the knee?


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## mook jong man

Thunder Foot said:


> Any reason why some of you would choose the thigh kick over the structural integrity of the knee?



Can only speak for my lineage of Wing Chun , but with us it is a range thing.
So the range actually dictates which kick you use , at close range it is hard to generate the power for the low heel kick because the knee has to be turned out too far.
It is more natural and can generate more power to pivot and slam the blade of the shin into the opponents thigh at this close range.

It doesn't have to be a case of one or the other either , you can do a low heel kick from slightly further range and kick the knee , then step down and with your other leg hook kick his thigh.
We call this chain kicking.


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## drop bear

Thunder Foot said:


> Any reason why some of you would choose the thigh kick over the structural integrity of the knee?



I can hit it in sparring and so have a better idea of what it is going to do. It can be drilled in as muscle memory. Worse comes to worse I fire the kick without thinking it will still be a real shot. If I want to make the choice to go for the knee I can and have at least been drilling that shot into a target within the confusion of sparring.

Otherwise gbh will get you a couple of years in prison here.


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## Kung Fu Wang

Thunder Foot said:


> Any reason why some of you would choose the thigh kick over the structural integrity of the knee?


I always like to use knee kick as my 1st attack.


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## drop bear

Kung Fu Wang said:


> I always like to use knee kick as my 1st attack.




I would have said that was to the thigh by the way. Though they did get low there at one stage.


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## Thunder Foot

I find that I can knee kick at the same range I can leg kick. the Wing Chun lop gerk for example is quite close range.
In sparring I still press the knee, I just don't strike it. I don't know that it's so easy for me to change muscle memory so quickly. 
For JKD however, I believe we should focus on the knee, along with other areas of structural integrity. Wouldn't this be the most simple way to stop someone?


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## mook jong man

Thunder Foot said:


> _*I find that I can knee kick at the same range I can leg kick. the Wing Chun lop gerk for example is quite close range.*_
> In sparring I still press the knee, I just don't strike it. I don't know that it's so easy for me to change muscle memory so quickly.
> _*For JKD however, I believe we should focus on the knee, along with other areas of structural integrity. Wouldn't this be the most simple way to stop someone?*_



You can , but what I think you are talking about there is more of a stamping type kick.
Where instead of the leg coming up from the ground and maintaining much the same angle as it was in the stance , there is a slight chamber so it can stamp down.

In that case ,  the hook kick can be in the same range , as long as we are talking about impacting with the shin about three inches above the ankle.
But personally I find stamp kicks to be better suited to targeting the back of the knee joint on a side on opponent , it breaks the angle of their leg and just collapses it.

When you focus on the knee from front on it is easier to halt their advance , because of the simple fact that your bone structure is in the way of them moving forward.
Your body mass is directly behind your shin bone , femur bone etc , so basically all you have to do is time your kick so it impacts with maximum leverage and it will provide a barrier as well as doing a lot of damage.

That would be ideal , but if you find yourself closer than this range then other options are to attack the back of the knee joint , or attack the nerves in his thighs with your shin.

But as a caveat you should not open with a leg kick because it can put you within his punching range , use it as a finisher after a few of your own punches.
People are usually quite surprised with the amount of power that can be generatated with these close range hook kicks.


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## drop bear

Thunder Foot said:


> I find that I can knee kick at the same range I can leg kick. the Wing Chun lop gerk for example is quite close range.
> In sparring I still press the knee, I just don't strike it. I don't know that it's so easy for me to change muscle memory so quickly.
> For JKD however, I believe we should focus on the knee, along with other areas of structural integrity. Wouldn't this be the most simple way to stop someone?




It is actually pretty hard to put out a knee with a front on kick. You would either have to kick really hard or time it so the knee is straight. Which you will find most martial arts don't do.

Honestly if you haven't put out the knee you would have attacked the structure better hitting the thigh. As damaging the muscle is cumulative.

This is a kick thrown hard in competition.
http://fightland.vice.com/fight-school/the-oblique-kick-with-jon-jones


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## simplicity

I thought this thread was about JKD,  "JKD Leg Obstruction Question"?


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## Xue Sheng

simplicity said:


> I thought this thread was about JKD,  "JKD Leg Obstruction Question"?



It was actually a question, but things sometimes evolve and change like many conversations do


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## Thunder Foot

drop bear said:


> It is actually pretty hard to put out a knee with a front on kick. You would either have to kick really hard or time it so the knee is straight. Which you will find most martial arts don't do.
> 
> Honestly if you haven't put out the knee you would have attacked the structure better hitting the thigh. As damaging the muscle is cumulative.
> 
> This is a kick thrown hard in competition.
> http://fightland.vice.com/fight-school/the-oblique-kick-with-jon-jones


Perhaps you learned one way to do it. I learned jeet tek as simply jeet tek. It's not a front, hook, or side kick bit can be any of these which directly stops our opponents advancement. Doing a frontal Jeet Tek works just fine dependent on how it's thrown. We are supposed to strive to be adaptive, so adjustments will always vary based on the relation to our opponent, but will always remain jeet tek.

Now in terms of the tech, why would we not want to take the most simple, direct, and economical line to stop an opponent? What could possibly be more simple direct and economical to an approaching target than a direct linear attack? We should forget about what they do in competition or whatever else and instead focus on the principles left to us by the founder. hitting the side of an oncoming target is simply not as obstructive as attacking directlyand takes less movement to do.


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## drop bear

Thunder Foot said:


> Perhaps you learned one way to do it. I learned jeet tek as simply jeet tek. It's not a front, hook, or side kick bit can be any of these which directly stops our opponents advancement. Doing a frontal Jeet Tek works just fine dependent on how it's thrown. We are supposed to strive to be adaptive, so adjustments will always vary based on the relation to our opponent, but will always remain jeet tek.
> 
> Now in terms of the tech, why would we not want to take the most simple, direct, and economical line to stop an opponent? What could possibly be more simple direct and economical to an approaching target than a direct linear attack? We should forget about what they do in competition or whatever else and instead focus on the principles left to us by the founder. hitting the side of an oncoming target is simply not as obstructive as attacking directlyand takes less movement to do.



In that vid you are hitting the side of the knee because the other guy has moved off to the side. You are still kicking straight his position has changed. And striking the side of the knee is easier on a bare foot and the knee can handle less damage being torqued sideways.

If you have moved out of the way of an oncoming target and then hit their side that would have to be more obstructive.

If the oponant is going forwards and backwards you cannot gain positional advantage by going forwards and backwards with him.


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## Kung Fu Wang

Since your opponent's knee joint is the close target to reach, also you don't have to kick high to take any risk that your kick may get caught, it makes sense to use it as your initial strike. You don't need to hurt your opponent's knee. All you need is to kick on it, (at that moment he can't kick you), you then drop your foot at the right place and do your thing (such as a punch to the face) after that. It's a great tool as part of your "entering strategy". You don't have to use it as your "finish move".


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## Thunder Foot

Similarly, jeet tek can actually be done to any part of the body. Its merely an intercepting kick... done anywhere. Gung fu doesn't have such static labels on it's techniques.


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