Broken rhythm

[Valpolicella]

If you can use broken rhythm you don't need to trap.
Can somebody talk about this alittle bit more? I'm very interested in knowing more about this. I'm also very interested in ther Hammer technique that I've not be able to read much about.

[Tim Tackett]

It's not that you don't need. It's that you may not need. There are different types of opponents. Sone of them are as follows:
1. The blocker, whether front or rear hand.
2. The runner.
3. The shooter or rusher
4. The JKD'er
Broken rhythm will work on the first 2. Maybe on the 3rd. and not at all on the 4th.
If broken rhythm is worked in the correct way on the blocker there will be no attachment. Hence no reason to trap.

[LMD II]

Application of the hammer principle greatly increases your non-telegraphic striking capability. The hammer principle is actually quite simple, though not often simple to apply. Most people still telegraph when trying it, even though the idea is to eliminate all telegraphic signs that a strike is on the way. The two most common strikes that this principle is applied to are the leading finger jab and the leading straight punch, both highly effective strikes when properly executed. You just have to really work at it a lot to get it down. Once you’ve got it down, though, you’ve really got something!

In explaining how this principle works, I will start from the beginning. Have you ever noticed that when you use a hammer to drive a nail, all or most of your arm movement is from the elbow out? This is what keeps the hammer accurate, right? If you don’t believe this, try hammering with the whole arm and you will notice a sudden decrease in accuracy, especially if you hit your thumb! This motion from the elbow out only is where the term “hammer” principle comes from. When applying this principle, the arm movement is basically the same, from the elbow out.

If you are an experienced martial artist or boxer, usually when you are in your stance you keep your lead arm moving constantly. This will usually be small circling, rising/falling or weaving motions, right? I’m sure that you also realize that these small motions go a long way toward concealing the initiation of your punch. If the arm is already moving, there is no “start-up” movement for the opponent to see.

Now, this is where the “hammer principle” comes into play. When you are making these small motions, keep your lead elbow in the same spot. In other words, nothing is moving except for the forearm, wrist and hand. Think of the immovable elbow theory that was covered in the previous section. The lead elbow is approximately four to six inches in front of the lead side ribs. This is the position where the “hammering” type movement comes from.

Now to execute the strike, drop the lead arm to a level where the forearm is pointing straight at the opponent’s nose and let it fly. If done properly, this motion will completely conceal your intentions to strike. This is what is referred to as “dropping the hammer”. I witnessed Bob Bremer (a Wednesday night group Instructor), who is one of the original L. A. Chinatown students, get in repeatedly on a much younger opponent with this maneuver! And that was after Bob had recently suffered a heart attack! Another thing that has to be considered here is that the opponent knew exactly what Bob was going to do, yet Bob repeatedly got in and touched his forehead with a bil jee before he could do anything about it! This proves the effectiveness of the hammer principle! Of course it also helps that Bob learned it directly from Bruce Lee!

I like to use this analogy. Think of yourself standing on the sidelines watching an archery match. When the archer releases the arrow, you can follow it all the way to the target. Now imagine that same scenario, except for this time you are the target. The arrow would go through your face before you even realized that it had been released! Directness is the key here!

I have also referred to this principle as “aiming the gun” to help my students better understand it. Imagine that the forearm is the barrel of the gun. The fist or finger jab is the bullet. Wherever you aim the gun, the bullet goes, right? If the gun is already aimed, it is ready to fire. I teach my students to “track” the opponent’s nose with their lead hand. This greatly simplifies interception! You are like the archer waiting for the proper time to release your arrow! Although it takes much work to get it down, mastery of the hammer principle is well worth the effort!

I'm sure that Mr. Tim Tackett can also add something to what I have said here! Good luck with developing this, and remember to work it, work it, work it! It takes lots of dedicated practice to get this down!

[Tim Tackett]

Lamar,
You pretty much said it. Good job. The important thing is that the one that is having the hammer dropped on him is getting the most benfit because as he blocks the attacker he tells him what he saw. As the attacker gets better the defender gets better. It becomes very easy to see and attack coming. It's nice to have a forum where people can go on it and have their opinion be respected.

[Valpolicella]

I love this forum as well. The only other forum I've been on was the Krav Maga one. And don't get me wrong those guys run a profesional show but there seemed to be a lot bickering and politics from the users. THere was also the whole my art is better than yours, which I can do without Plus I don't practise Krav, JKD is much closer to my way of thinking.
Now Tim Tackett thanks for the reply, I understand your point about don't need/may not need. But how would you describe broken rythm? I know in the JKD books I own they all speak about this concept and half beats and such. I just want to get a better grasp so I can try it out next time I spar.

[Tim Tackett]

It's one of those things that are very hard to explain in words alone or even is still photos. It basically has to do with the speed of your attack and the time between your follow-ups. Most people move in a steady rhythm. You want to hit between their beats.

[Arron Grammond]

As a cross over reference...lol

The pointing at the opponents eyes (nose is close enough) is also used as a trick with bladed and extended weapons.

It's really had to see how long or how close an object is thats pointed directly at the eyes. This conceals the forward movement as it advances and doesn't set off any warning to the opponent.

I think this drill also shows that it is a LONG time window from a focused visual cue to reaction/action. The brain takes too long to process and ID the attack before it can even start to tell the body to respond.

Sound responce is a little quicker...

With use of a soft focus and getting the responce from the primal brain at the base of the brain instead of letting it get up into the more complicated brain above you'll be able to respond quicker.

Recall the saying "I do not hit, it hits all by itself." The higher brain won't even be finished identifying the threat and the primal brain will already have responded with action. I didn't hit... I didn't even realise I had done anything until after it happened. :shock:

The first time someone gets the soft focus to work right they resond to the gross motion of the elbow or the weight shift and not the tip of the hand as it starts to advance. It will cut the responce time in at least half. :roll:

These "tricks" will help you to pull off half beat timming action that IS the intercepting portion of JKD.

About timing...

1/2 beat, to hit before they can fully extend a hit.

1-1/2 beat, To follow thier first strike back in and hit before the following one can come out.

Broken Rythm... dirupting them from being able to get or keep a beat (pattern of attack)

[Jared Davis]

maybe a good example (and please, correct me if i am wrong) could be this of broken rhythm.

lets say you throw a jab, jab, jab

that could also be 1, 2, 3 each number representing the proceeding jab

thats a rhythm.

breaking rhythm is inserting an attack within that rhythm, so its broken down like this per say

1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3


the bolded 1.5 and 2.5 are the "inserted" beats you use to break rhythm. you can break his rhythm, or your own, its your choice.

using my jab, jab, jab example, i could go jab, oblique kick, jab, jab
remember, its not 4 rhythmic techniques,

the kick fills the gap between the first and second jab, theyre isnt an even interval of time between the jab and oblique because your using the oblique to break that rhythm


i hope i didnt confuse you, i thought it would be easier to explain, but alas, mr. tackett was right again.....lol

[Broken arrow_one]

Thanks to you all for the wealth of information.I deal with younger training buddys and being the older slower guy, I constantly rely on experience and timing to make up for my slower reaction time.
Knowing when to hit saves me all the time. :)
I think Bruce Lee mentions this in his Tao of Jeet Kune Do book as broken rhythm.
It really fasinates me how "Ali"like Bruces legs worked , sense he must have thought alot of the "Greatest".

I kickbox and I feel this infrormation will help me drop the hammer at the right time.


John

[brentlance]

Broken Rhythm is such a valuable skill to use. If you have a passive fighter who can block or parry a little, he will probably pick up a 1,2 punch and parry them both or slip or whatever.

If you use broken rhythm say on the O-N-E, making it slightly slower than the 2. He shouldn't even touch you.

So, like O-N-E, 2 and as he starts a passive move to block the ONE, your 2 already hits.

If he moves in a rhythm, you can break it. If he responds to a false attack, you can break it. If he's a JKD guy and he's good, he should hit you if you, as Tackett said above. If you know how to do the hammer principle like Bob Bremer or Tim Tackett, you can hit them from 5 feet away even if they know what you're going to throw.


I know about Bob and Tim doing the hammer principle and it didn't look any different from the sidelines really than any other punch, maybe a few subtle differences, I thought. Until they both did it on me and I knew it would be their right straight hand and I couldn't do anything about it. As I practiced it myself, I began to appreciate the whole thing. And Lamar did a good job explaining his impression from it above. So, I would recommend anyone interested in bettering their chances of scoring from a distance OR improving their ability to intercept learning the Hammer Principle.