Читать книгу Jeet Kune Do Basics - David Cheng - Страница 16

IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT for students learning Jeet Kune Do to train safely in order to minimize the risk of injury. Depending upon the nature and severity of the injury, a student who gets hurt may have to stop training altogether until he or she adequately recovers. Also, a constant threat of injury can discourage students from continuing their training.

Years ago, martial arts instructors did not concern themselves much with safety or student health. It was not uncommon, for example, for students to train barefoot on hard, wooden floors. Students were expected to work out for long periods of time without water breaks. They often sparred hard without much, if any, equipment. They often came away with bruises and cuts, and sometimes with broken bones. Training was what some might consider brutal, and it only appealed to those who were willing to take risks.

Jeet Kune Do instructor Cass Magda recalls that, during the days of the Filipino Kali Academy, students improvised in making their own protective equipment. During the sparring sessions, for instance, instead of wearing a store-bought mouthpiece, students sometimes used mouthpieces made out of toilet paper.

Since then, the martial arts industry has made great strides in terms of safety. Today, the owners and instructors of martial arts schools, including those offering Jeet Kune Do training, are more aware of the need to keep their students healthy and happy. Many schools now have padded floors and mats for their classes. Students are encouraged—indeed, sometimes required—to wear protective gear for more intensive drills or sparring.

More high-quality equipment is available than ever before for Jeet Kune Do training. Furthermore, improvements in design and manufacturing have made equipment more durable and easier to use. The hard, flat, leather focus mitt used in Bruce Lee’s day has given way to scientifically contoured punch mitts with thick padding. While Lee had to practice side kicks on a large shield with a wood backing, nowadays students utilize heavy foam kicking shields shaped to readily absorb kicks. Muay Thai pads have also made it possible for Jeet Kune Do students to execute their kicks with full power without hurting their partners.

For regular sparring, in addition to boxing gloves, students can wear highquality head protectors, padded chest armor, padded groin protectors, and shin protectors. For full-contact, hard combat, thick padded suits and helmets are now available that enable the wearers to take strong punishment without much risk of injury. Indeed, there is almost no excuse for the modern Jeet Kune Do practitioner not to use at least some safety equipment and gear, given the wide variety that is readily available.

However, merely having and using high-quality equipment and gear is not enough. In order to have a safe training experience, you must also follow good safety habits. For example, two-person drills should be done slowly in the beginning, to ensure proper form, body feel, and timing and distance. Students should not be allowed to practice the drill at higher speeds until they are familiar with it and can perform it proficiently.

Training partners should cooperate with each other to ensure that each one is learning and not getting hurt. If one partner is running through a drill too quickly, or employing too much power, the other partner should respectfully ask him or her to slow down to a more comfortable pace. If you believe that your partner is not paying sufficient attention to your safety, then you should stop to consult with the instructor or seek a different partner.

Students need to take responsibility for their own safety, as well as that of other students. Often, you just need to exercise some common sense. For instance, if you think that a particular drill, technique, or exercise would be too dangerous for you, you should refrain from doing it. While Jeet Kune Do training is intended to be challenging, you need to be mindful of your own limitations, given your age, level of fitness, flexibility, conditioning, and so forth. You should make sure that you properly warm up and stretch to ensure that your muscles are prepared for training. Cold muscles are more apt to be injured during a workout.

In sparring the risk of injury is higher. You should not engage in sparring until you have developed your tools and can exercise control. Injuries can occur in sparring when students spar too soon, before they have established good control over their bodies. Often students who are inexperienced will let their egos get in the way, and the sparring match becomes a brawl. In such instances students are no longer mindful of each other’s safety, but simply want to get the better of their partner.

In summary, safety is everyone’s responsibility. Instructors and students must work together to maintain an atmosphere of respect and learning, so that everyone leaves in better condition than when they arrived.