JEET- KUNE –DO’S PART 3 Trapping Range
By Arthur Ligopantis

The ability to intercept, then destroy your opponents intentions efficiently and ruthlessly can be achieved in what we refer to in Jeet-Kune-Do as trapping range. Although there is a distinct difference between theatrical and functional Jeet-Kune-Do the reality is, that functional Jeet-Kune-Do is within close quarter or trapping range.

Bruce Lee realized very early in his quest for martial supremacy that most caucasians where built much larger than most people in the east, and although Bruce would never shy away from a fight the last thing that Bruce wanted to do, was go toe to toe with someone larger and stronger than himself. With that in mind, one of the biggest revelations that Bruce discovered, was that most martial arts in the sixties and seventies trained and fought in maybe one or two ranges of combat. They either specialized in kicking, punching, trapping or grappling ranges. In that time period it was unheard of to cross train in another art let alone in multiple styles. Although most arts were predominantly kicking or punching arts, Bruce realised that very few arts specialised in that very lethal trapping range.

Although there’s a fine line between the trapping and grappling ranges, a clear distinction needs to be made between trapping techniques and trapping range. When we talk about trapping, we’re generally talking about the momentary immobilisation of a limb in order to score with a hit. Trapping range on the other hand, not only encompasses a whole gamut or series of traps but rather the concept of fighting in very close quarter, terminating an opponent with some of the most vicious brutal and barbaric tools available to us as human beings, the headbutts, knees and elbows.

These are tools that put people out of commission very quickly. Size and strength become a mute point when we’re talking about thumbing someone’s eyes then slamming our head in their face, then kneeing their groin. By combining these tools together, we’re creating a synergy of violence that is totally incomprehensible to most human beings.

Below is a comparison and breakdown of the various tools available to us in each particular range of combat.

It’s quite obvious that trapping range not only posses a superior range of fire power, but it is also the range of combat that most martial arts are totally unfamiliar with.

If you had to put money on the outcome of two world-class boxers, let’s say, Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran, and the fight went something like this…………

First round;…. their about even on points, same with the second and third rounds. All of sudden on the fourth round, the referee walks up to Sugar Ray and says “you know any time you want to, just sneak an elbow in there, I won’t mind. In fact anytime you want to, why don’t you even headbutt him in the face, I won’t care, I’ll pretend I didn’t even see it”. If you had to put money on one of these guys, who would you put your money on….?

It’s quite obvious you’d put your money on Sugar Ray. So the point being, that by thumbing someones eyes then slamming your head in someone’s face, you have a distinct advantage in terminating a fight in a range that is totally unfamiliar to most people. It is a method of fighting which is very conducive to streetfighting and taking people out of the picture very quickly. The last thing you want to do is be involved in a slug fest whereby your trading punches and going toe to toe with someone much larger and stronger than yourself.

Understanding Energy

The ability to close the deal in trapping range is not only predicated on the refinement of ones tools in close range, but also on an underlying ingredient known as tactile awareness. Tactile awareness is the ability to read or feel your opponent’s intentions through touch and to move ahead of his defence by either dissolving, re-directing or bouncing his energy to allow for an attack.

The differences between seeing and reacting, as opposed to feeling and reacting, is that with the former, the signal passes through the brain. With the later, the stimulus bypasses the brain minimising reaction time. So the concept behind energy is that your not thinking, your moving and hitting. Fighting in this range requires one to be very attuned to the slightest changes in your opponent’s energy.

According to Dan Inosanto, there are roughly 20 different types of energies with each bringing out something unique. Energy training can be found in many disciplines and a J.K.D man might draw from Wing-Chun, Filipino Kali, Hung-Gar, Penjak-Silat, Mi-Tsungi or Tai Chi.

A good J.K.D. man will not only train and understand the concept of energy, but also functionalise the concept to make it combative. For example, two common drills used in J.K.D. are: Wing-Chun’s - Chi-Sao drill and Kali’s - Hubud/Lubud drill. Both drills teach a particular kind of energy and yet both drills stress different principles. In Wing-Chun’s - chi-sao drill, the concept is two engage arms and roll, maintaining centre line. Where as Kali’s - hubud drill, they like to give centre line.

In the early stages of energy development, just the shell of the drill is taught stressing certain principles. Once an understanding of the shell has been learnt, the next obvious progression is to add certain elements into the drill and having your partner counter or re-direct the energy, with each phase of the drill becoming more and more combative, until both parties are virtually sparring out of the drills.

The main theme behind any drill regardless of whether it’s an energy drill or any type of drill for that matter, is that, drills are made to be broken. For example, when learning Wing- Chun’s Chi-Sao drill, after countless hours have been clocked up learning the shell, you should then be able to put any element into the drill. Whether it be boxing, silat, grappling etc. The drill should be seen as the nucleus whereby any element or principle is put into the drill regardless of origin. In order for one to achieve this, one must understand the underlying principles that make up the shell.

Fighting in trapping range is not only an equaliser against bigger & stronger opponents. It is a mentality bent on closing the deal in a range that is totally unfamiliar to a lot of people, a mindset very conducive to what Bruce Lee’s art was all about, and that was to street fight.