Opponent Identification

In order to know when to hit an opponent, a JKD stylist needs to identify what kind of adversary he is facing. There are generally five categories of attackers:

• The blocker stands his ground in a fight by blocking, hoping to eventually find an opening for a counterattack. Like a boxer, he covers himself and waits for a time lag so he can counter.

• The runner is an opponent who retreats. He hopes that by giving up ground, he’ll figure out his adversary’s strategy and counter when his adversary is off-balance.

• The banger is an unsophisticated opponent who charges blindly into a fight, hoping to knock his adversary out with a flurry of kicks and punches. His straightforward style makes him dangerous because a JKD practitioner won’t have time to do any type of complicated defense.

• The shooter is a grappler who is a skilled ground fighter. Like a football player, he tries
to tackle his adversary to the ground. Once there, he repeatedly pounds his opponent into
submission. 

• The interceptor waits for his adversary to make the fi rst move and then launches a stophit,
stop-kick or counterstrike. An interceptor fi ghts somewhat like a JKD practitioner.

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