Arguably one of the most influential and well-known martial artists of our time, Bruce Lee once said "good footwork can beat any attack". And not surprisingly, he founded Jeet Kune Do on the principles of staying fluidly mobile.
What do you mean by footwork? Well, fancy footwork doesn't have to mean bouncing around the ring like Muhammad Ali. The key to effective footwork in martial arts (and in particular, Jeet Kune Do) is to be purposeful in your approach. Without exception, footwork should be used to deliver a hit, place you into position to deliver a hit, or to move out of range of being hit. Watch Bruce Lee in action and you'll notice how controlled and deliberate his actions are. No intricate foot patterns. No movement without an immediate offensive or defensive reaction. Simplicity at its best.
And keeping with simplicity, there are really only 3 kinds of footwork (with varying names): advancing, retreating, and side-stepping.
Advancing towards your opponent puts you in a better position to strike, and can be used in two ways.
The first is the 'step and slide' technique, whereby your steps generally don't exceed six inches, and after taking a step forward, your rear foot slides up to where your front foot was. Weight distribution should be 50-50 on both feet, in order to anticipate an attack or a retreat. The second 'shuffle step' technique is more aggressive, and allows you to put your bodyweight behind a technique. The force should come from the ball of your front foot, propelling your forward as a pulling movement rather than a stepping movement.
Retreating away from your opponent allows you to reduce your chances of being hit, which is just as important as your attack, using Jeet Kune Do principles. After all, why choose to get hit by your opponent when you can avoid it by employing proper footwork? The 'pendulum step' is the common movement in this case, which is more or less the reverse of the 'step and slide' technique. By stepping back, you can then position your lead leg to become an offensive weapon and return your opponent's attack.
Lastly, side-stepping can be extremely useful, since it serves three purposes:
1- used to foil an opponent's attack after he's positioned himself
2- used to create an opening for a counter-attack
3- used to evade a punch, kick, or offensive attack
By incorporating more effective footwork into your martial arts, you'll learn to react to situations rather than trying to plan for them. Shadowboxing on your own, or sparring with a partner is the best method of practice to refine your skills.
Ryan MacDonald is a successful webmaster and publisher of MartialArtsExposed.com. He provides more tips, tricks, techniques, and underground secrets that you can research on his website.
Source: www.ezinearticles.com