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Martial Arts | Jeet Kune DoMartial Arts | Jeet Kune Do
No-Nonsense Self-Defense & Martial Arts
Real World Combative Jeet Kune Do
  • Home
  • Contact / Location / Schedule
  • Get Training
    • Classes / Group
      • Jeet Kune Do Classes
      • Beginners: How to Get Started Training in Jeet Kune Do
      • Kettlebell Fitness Classes
    • Private Coaching
      • Private Self-Defense & Jeet Kune Do Instruction
      • Private Fitness Training
      • Pain Relief / Injury Rehabilitation
  • Videos & Articles
  • Make A Payment
  • Meet Brian
  • Products
  • Recommendations
    • Jeet Kune Do Class Recommendations
    • Beginner Self-Defense Course Recommendations
    • Private Instruction Recommendations
    • Airlines Recommendations
  • FAQs

Here are some common questions I get that can hopefully help you out.

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Can I just show up or should I contact you first?

Please contact me before just showing up. I like to chat with future students to ensure that you are a good fit for our school and that our school is what you are looking for. You can email or call and I (Brian) will get back to you ASAP. Visit my contact page to get in touch with me. FYI – I am very good about replying to emails, if I haven’t gotten back to you in a day or two then the email gremlins have stolen your email, feel free to leave me a voicemail and I’ll call you back.

What should I expect in my first class or private session?

First off I never throw people under the bus and expect them to be good at martial arts right off the bat. We will treat you with respect and expect the same in return.

If you are brand new to martial arts expect to feel a little overwhelmed but I promise we won’t give you too much that you can’t handle. If you are in a group class everyone will slow down for you, ensure that you understand what is being taught and help you perform the moves accurately. If it is a private session then I will go as slow or fast as needed to ensure your optimal learning and success.

If you are an experienced martial artist and are coming in with a bunch of training already, expect to have some of your ideas challenged (respectfully of course and always with good intentions). Expect to see some familiar things and some new ways of doing things. Jeet Kune Do is not a set rigid style so I will respect what you have learned already, it is my job to help you grow into a better version of who you already are.

Remember, you are learning new things and it is fun and exciting to learn new things, it is your chance to be a kid again.

Do you have contracts?

At this time I do not have any contracts. I wouldn’t want to be in one so I won’t make you get in one. If you like us you will stay, if you don’t, then you can leave. I’m not a Mc-dojo like so many other places that only view you as a paycheck. To me you are real person and I want to help you become the best you can be. If you think you can find that elsewhere I won’t stop you.

Which is best for me, Private Instruction, the Jeet Kune Do class or the Beginner Class?

Great question. I’d be happy to chat with you over the phone or via email to help you find the correct answer but here are some things to consider.

The Jeet Kune Do class is for you if you want ongoing martial arts / combatives training and want to grow over time to be the best that you can possibly be. You want to be prepared for any situation and have a mind that can quickly ascertain the actions you need to take to defend you, your family or others. You like a small group setting with likeminded and cool people. Your schedule jives with our class schedule.

The Beginner Self-Defense course is for you if you don’t fit the Jeet Kune Do description. You just want increased awareness and the bare-bones minimal skills that it takes to defend yourself.

Private Instruction is for anyone who wants either of the goals above but would prefer one-on-one instruction (or perhaps invite a couple of friends, family members or co-workers and get a discount). Perhaps prior to starting the Jeet Kune Do class you want to get some of the basics down first, private instruction is perfect. Perhaps you have a unique situation and want specific training such as traveling abroad, going to college in a foreign city/country, or even something specific for your job or personal needs. Perhaps you are elderly, vision impaired, or orthopedically impaired, then this is your better option. Or maybe you just prefer to make faster progress and get personalized attention that only private instruction can give, then this is for you.

Do I need to bring anything to my first session?

All you need to bring is a positive attitude, an mind hungry to learn, a smile/handshake and of course payment via cash, credit card, or check.

We usually train barefoot or in socks if you prefer. Feel free to bring a water bottle but I do have a drinking fountain and bottled water for purchase.

If you have any martial arts gear such as training knives, sticks, guns, bag or boxing gloves, shin protectors, etc. feel free to bring them but we probably won’t need them most of the time. I have a lot of that equipment already.

We have no uniforms so wear comfortable exercise or street clothes.

If you are a minor bring your legal guardian to sign paperwork for you.

How hard do you train, what level of contact do you use?

At PCS we don’t like to bang people up. Look first off you have jobs, family, etc. and don’t need bruises, black eyes and missing teeth. You sure as heck don’t need concussions, brain damage, aching joints, or doctor bills.

A high contact martial arts school caters to the young and dumb… sorry but it’s true. All guts, no glory and most of the time no real-world fighting skills just a bunch of ego with sport techniques.

Sparring with contact means that we must use protective gear (which you won’t be wearing in a real fight), and target only sport-legal targets (which don’t end fights quickly), and basically turns you into a kick boxer. Hey, kickboxing is a fun sport to watch but how many blows do those fighters take before a knockout, assuming it doesn’t go the distance? That is right, a bunch. I want to teach you targets that your enemy can’t withstand, not even one shot! Targets that end the fight instantly. You can’t spar with contact on those spots or techniques. Not until they invent the Star Trek hollodeck and that is at least 300 years away.

We do use drills that are realistic and become faster and more spontaneous over time. The better you get the more you will be challenged and your abilities and confidence will soar. We do use contact with many of our weapons drills as padded weapons don’t injure and you can go full-speed and develop amazing reflexes.

How is what you teach different than MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)?

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a sport. Sports are designed for entertainment and competition and like any sport it has it’s own set of rules and tactics that are appropriate for the octagon or ring that it is fought in.

I believe it was Tony Blauer who said sport fighters are fighting for real but they aren’t in a real fight. A boxer wants to win and he is fighting with all he has but he is not in a real-world fight and the techniques and tactics he is using are not appropriate for a real-world violent encounter.

MMA like all sports has rules. Weight classes, gender classes, illegal areas you can’t attack, illegal strikes you can’t use, illegal holds, no weapons. One fighter doesn’t have to watch his back to make sure that his opponent’s buddies aren’t jumping in the ring to get him from behind.

Well in the real world none of that is true. A female can be attacked by a male. Your attacker probably will be bigger than you. They may be armed with a knife or gun. They are very likely to have one or more friends who will come attack you as well… and friend… you better be trained for those scenarios or your jab-cross-leg kick combo won’t mean sh@t.

I will get you ready for those situations just like I have for countless others.

How does what you teach compare with Brazilian Jujitsu or Muay Thai?

As stated before in the Mixed Martial Arts FAQ, Brazilian Jujitsu and Muay Thai are sports, fun to watch, brutal to train in and ultimately nothing like what happens in a real-world street violence, law enforcement or a military encounter. Trust me, I trained in BJJ, Thai boxing and MMA for years with some top coaches.

Sports have rules. In Brazilian Jujitsu it is a ground fighting submission sport, there are no strikes, no weapons, no biting, no multiple attackers, etc. Muay Thai is a sport, there is no ground fighting, weapons, multiple attackers, etc.

God forbid a 110 lb female try to use Muay Thai against a large enraged male attacker. But with what I teach she can defeat him.

At Progressive Combat Systems we clear away the burden of sport-based limitations and focus on ending someone as fast as possible by striking targets that would not only disqualify you from BJJ or Thai boxing but would get you kicked out of the whole dang sport for life!

And yes, we do use Brazilian Jujitsu as our base of ground fighting but we modify it to be street, military or law enforcement effective. And yes we do steal some things from Muay Thai that we feel are combatively appropriate.

How does what you teach compare with Krav Maga?

I must answer this question with much care because one Krav Maga school can be fantastic and the next one can be complete crap. Just like any Jeet Kune Do school. What do you call a doctor that graduated at the bottom of his class? … a doctor! What do you call any martial arts instructor who calls himself a martial arts instructor… you get the idea.

Real Krav Maga is probably about as close to what we do as any other martial art but like anything there will be differences. The similarities are in our aggressiveness, our mindset to win, our straight-forward attacks, and our real-world approach (guns, knives, multiple attackers, no rules, etc.).

I have borrowed some things from Krav that I like and disregarded the rest based on what I think would work best for me and my students. That is not a bash on Krav as there are likely some instructors who have adapted traditional Krav in the same manner. For instance fast hard punches to the face are likely to break hands just as fast as faces, especially for those with smaller hands such as females.

My problem when I hear someone say “Krav Maga” is that in my limited experience and the experiences I hear from many of my students who used to train in it is that many Krav Maga instructors are not qualified or experienced enough. Many teach watered-down mixed martial arts and call it Krav Maga. Many teach fitness bootcamps with knees and punches to pads and call it Krav Maga. And many have long binding contracts and make you wait till you are a certain level before they teach you the good stuff.

How am I different? I won’t make you wait to learn the good stuff, I actually teach that first. I have no long binding contracts. I don’t water down your combative learning with silly fitness workouts, what a waste of time as you get good at neither.

I’m sure there are fantastic Krav schools out there just like there are fantastic schools in many styles out there… but in my experience a truly great martial arts school is a diamond in the rough. If you are a beginner you may not know enough to tell the difference so just ask yourself if your instructor cares about your progress and safety, if the other students are helpful and if what you are learning makes sense.

Will I get a good workout?

Nope. Nor should you. Let me ask you a simple question, do you learn best when you are exhausted or when you are fresh and focused? Fresh and focused of course. Watering down real combative martial arts with fitness will get you good at neither. Combatives training is for combat and fitness training is for fitness.

I do offer fitness training utilizing kettlebells, Z-Health, vision and balance training, bodyweight strength, cardio, etc. I will get you combatively fit if that is your desire, I can also get you looking amazing if that is your goal, but it won’t happen during the Jeet Kune Do classes. I offer private and group fitness training, inquire for more info.

How do you compare with other Jeet Kune Do schools?

Great question. The fact of the matter is that in Tao of Jeet Kune Do Bruce Lee lamented having ever given it a name. He said that to give it a name was to give it limitations and Bruce Lee wanted there to be no limitations in martial arts.

So having said that there are various branches that came out of Bruce Lee’s original school two of the prominent ones are Dan Inosanto and Ted Wong. Dan was the one to whom Bruce said, take the reins of JKD and teach people. That doesn’t mean Ted Wong’s system has nothing to offer.

Out of Dan Inosanto’s school came several people, one of whom was Paul Vunak. Paul got a reputation as the nasty street fighter to such an extent that when the Navy formed SEAL Team Six they hired Paul Vunak to create their combative system.

I am personally trained by Paul Vunak (among others) but with his full permission I have modified what he taught me as I see fit. I also modify it to each individual student that I teach. I will say that the RAT (Rapid Assault Tactics) which is the Navy SEAL Team Six system is our foundation.

If you watch me fight, in some ranges I look a lot like Bruce Lee, in other ranges I fight a lot like Paul Vunak and in some other instances I look like neither of them. So, if you have taken JKD in the past you will see some familiar things but you will also see some things that are different. And ultimately since JKD is not a style each fighter will look a little different and use different tactics and techniques.

What I promise you is that I will coach you to find the best version of yourself, to create your own best style for you as a unique individual.

Can a beginner start in the Jeet Kune Do classes?

Absolutely. While some people prefer to start with a private session or two it is not necessary. It is also not necessary to start with the Beginner Self-Defense Course but if I happen to have one running at the same time you are welcome to attend both simultaneously.

Contact me prior to starting the Jeet Kune Do classes and I will be more than happy to help you determine what is the best option to get started.

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