JEET KUNE DO,  MY TOOL FOR SURVIVAL

by Dr. Anjali Bhim rjka

Survival of the fittest is an often heard cliché. However it is one that is the basis of all mankind. Survival , however means different things to different people. Some need power to survive; some need money whereas some need social approval to survive. However for me after 17 years of internal struggles and conflicts there came a realization, it’s the mind that controls the body and the spirit .  Awareness of one’s mind is the key to the ultimate in well being. This realization led me to seek a discipline that would encompass the basic truth within together with the reality outside. I found Jeet Kune Do, which was to become my truth and my connection with reality..

I AM ANJALI !

I am Anjali Bhimrajka, a 36 year old woman, wife & mother of two. I got married into an Industrialist family at a very early age. Getting entangled in traditional ideals, I spent all my time living up to traditional expectations and lost touch with my core & inner self. After bearing  two children, a 17 year old daughter & 12 year old son, I gained 20 kg & got completely demoralized.. My profile as a  socially  active person always put  me under a lot of pressure to comply to the demands of my status & the society around me. I would spend most of my time attending social get-togethers & organizing parties, rather than communicate with my inner core. I had to be the perfect hostess and mine had to be the perfect party .My hair had to perfectly coiffured and my outfit had to be from the top designer label. If I was invited to five parties in the same evening, I had to attend all of them irrespective of time constraints or my own exhaustion.

In an attempt to lose weight, I was recommended to do train in Kick-boxing.  Seeking the best people around, I located JKD Ideology India, the IMB Asian chapter. I had to make 50 phone calls to get an appointment, as the Instructors were out of town for quite some time. 

Ultimately, I started learning JKD in April 2008.

I FOUND JKD!

 I did not realize that JKD would be such a complete answer to all that I was seeking. Not only did I find the physical results in terms of my weight loss and energy levels, but also  the mental strength to deal with life in its suchness. I met & interacted with My teachers Dr’s Deepak & Seema Rao, who are also qualified MD doctors who do & teach JKD as their life’s love, not as a profession.  They were qualified Instructors under Richard Bustillo, Iron Dragon of JKD, one of the few Original students of Bruce Lee.

MEDICAL!

I had also previously injured the  anterior cruciate ligament in my left knee joint about a year ago. That meant I could not stand without support and could not  walk for months . That also meant that the fat loss program I was on, would come to an abrupt halt. I was advised arthroscopic knee joint surgery. I refused to go for it. My teachers Dr. Rao patiently motivated me to heal with the correct diet and with a carefully devised physiotherapy program.

MARTIAL:

Dr. Rao  then started teaching me my JKD with so much patience and conviction  that even I began believing in myself. I learnt that first kick, that first punch, that first paksao, that first throw. Today, I have completed 18 months of JKD training. I can do high kicks, run cross country, sparr and basically do every thing much better than any person with intact knees. I have also lost 15 kgs  of body weight over 1 year. I enjoy contact sparring with full body gear every weekend.

PHYSICAL

My daily work out has become a religion for me. I learnt on the physical  level to go that extra mile, to land the last punch even at the height of exhaustion. As I learnt these values, I also learnt to apply these to almost every situation in everyday life. Perseverance, faith and a well defined regime makes any circumstance, no matter how insurmountable, easy to overcome.

SPIRITUAL

But my thoughts began to change and as my journey of seeking mental peace and detachment ensued I also ventured into perfecting my inner person.  This discovery of being able to detach from things that are expected to be done to what I would really like to do brought out the dormant self worth in me.

HOW JKD HELPED ME SURVIVE DEATH

On 26/11, I was supposed to go for a dinner party one night at the Taj Hotel.  I was very tired that evening. Suddenly, I didn’t see any meaning in attending the party. My spiritual growth kept reminding me of the futility of my socialite life. My hip joint was also painful due to trivial muscle injury. In other circumstances I would have taken painkillers and attended that dinner party anyway. But now, I was averse to doing that and instead cancelled my plans. That very same night  the Taj terror attacks took place.  2 terrorists stormed into the Taj and started shooting randomly at the diners with AK-47 bursts creating a sea of blood & a volley of terror. Most of my friends who were dining there were killed. But I lived, due to my JKD which had altered my thoughts & my values.

MY COMBAT EXPERIENCES

Every year, I travel to various countries, globetrotting to imbibe new places, people and culture. My martial journey had become such a relevant part of my being that I started seeking it everywhere I went. My teacher advised me to experience various martial arts all over the world. So, In order to understand JKD more deeply, I experienced some of the traditional arts.

In Singapore, I attended a session of Filipino Kali. The instructor  taught  some locks in flow with elbow and knee. Then he played on drums and put us to spar with sticks. At the end of the session he discussed the history of an ancient Indonesian weapon.

The next session I attended was Aikido which was taught by a Japanese Master . This comprised of complicated locking and throwing. It all felt Strange and Unreal to me. After every set of instructions we had to give sitting respects to the teacher.

My next experience was Fencing. The instructor, young French man taught me the footwork and the correct way to thrust the foil. Basic rules were taught.

It was BJJ  next. There was a Japanese instructor, pink belt he told me and the best in S’pore. Well, he taught me a lot of moving on the ground, a lot of locks on the mat and getting out of pins. It felt a lot like Judo.

Next came OJKD .The instructor after a lot of warm up exercises. He then went on to teach us kicking and punching in combinations. It seemed very traditional & conforming. I got bored & I found myself waiting for the session to end.

I experienced a JKD concept class in Washington DC. I was taken through the warm up routine followed by kicking and kick boxing combinations. After that I was given 3 different opponents to spar with. All instructions and teaching seemed to predominantly favour western boxing.

I experienced another JKD session in NYC. I had been assigned a junior instructor, who took me through warm up. There was emphasis on knee elbow range and very few locks. He also took me through 12 zones with stick. It felt like an out and out Filipino Kali session.

JKD IDOLOGY IMB ASIA.

In contrast to all this my training at JKD Ideology India, the IMB Asia chapter, has been a very holistic and fulfilling experience. In my experience so far , I do not think I have met any instructor who has truly understood & explained the essence of JKD, the way my teacher, Prof. Dr. Rao has. JKD as taught by Richard Bustillo, our grandmaster was not a fixed doctrine, a set of techniques to be learnt. It was a concept, an ideology wherein each student has to research the ranges, absorb useful techniques, reject what doesnot work & most importantly tailormake fighting to suit his self. The teacher is the guide to helping you find your truth & not a pointer of the truth. This Bustillo doctrine of having no doctrine is very obvious in the personality of Dr’s Rao, staunch students of Bustillo, the Iron Dragon of JKD.

There is a systematic, step by step instruction for students. There are open discussions on techniques and various application of the same in given situations. The advantages & disadvantages of each technique is discussed without bias. Application of the JKD Principles is discussed with reference to any and every situation in combat & parallels are drawn in life’s situations. The training programs are constantly tailormade to each individual depending on his specific needs and aptitude with constant encouragement. The overall training program constantly evolves with study of various tactics from different martial arts being constantly analyzed & scrutinized. We are made aware of our Bushido in life’s arena – Courage, Benevolence, Righteousness, Honor & Duty. Discussions are held & individual experiences are narrated for all to comment openly & learn the applications of Samurai principles of honest, sincere & honorable living.

This synchronization of the body, mind and spirit somehow has given me a lot of strength and inspiration to persevere goals that once were only dreams. I have been able to pursue my education restarting at the mature age of 36 & complete my PhD Doctorate successfully & qualify as a Doctor of Science

I FOUND ME AT LAST!

I have learnt to balance the materialistic with the spiritual, the craving for personal power with the craving for peace , the  requirement for social acceptance with the absolute necessity of self acceptance. I seem to have finally connected. 

In the words of James Oppenheim, “The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance;
the wise grows it under his feet” .

Thank you JKD, Thank you JKD-IMB-Asia

Respects,

Dr. Anjali Bhimrajka PhD