Video Review: JKD Knife Fighting w/ Paul Vunak

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Oct 14, 1998
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An alternate review is at MAVR.

This short 45 min (?)Panther Productions tape is usually seen as okay to unusable.

Rock and roll theme music stars the tape as Vunak does a form with a Spyderco Police.

Vunak starts with a monologue on cutting on the first move vs. blocking a knife attack, mentioning grips, dealing with kicks, and various length blades. A numbering system is next followed by a meat cutting demo with a balisong. A section on flow cuts and targets using the forehand grip is shown.

The five sequence disarm section is next, primarily Ice Pick vs. Forehand grip, touching on target areas. Each sequence ending in various locks, throws, and takedowns depending on the opponents energy.

Following is a empty hand drill against a knife before full contact knife sparring ala Dogbrothers comes.

Double knife sparring to music (conga music plays during sparring except in full contact) precedes the infamous marker vs. empty hands sparring. Steve Grody, the empty hand player is examined for his 'injuries'. Vunak also gives a strategy for concerning empty hands, basically try to hit the nerves on the attackers limb. A short monologue ends the tape where we see Vunak move his hands more than his body.

The tape is okay but the disarm sequence is too hard for beginners. Vunak's knife strokes might be seen as a bit wide. Some don't like his rather emotional persona on the tape. Personally, I prefer the basic tapes by Worden and MacYoung.

 
JRF, I'll bite. Can you review the 'Advanced' tape? I'm actually curious what's on it.

TIA,
Smoke
 
I'm at work so I can't check the exact title but I have Vunak's Advanced Knife Fighting by Panther and my main beef is that tho it is listed as 55 min, it is barely 35 min counting the intro and credits at the end...His presentation is not just emotional, it is rushed and scattered...he acts cranked up on something. His form demo would scare the hell out of me if he came at me this way but portrays more wild and crazy than skill and finess. He tells us that trick disarms will never work then shows us how to do them. Then his advanced students spar and do none of the stuff he taught.

The only people that I can see being satisfied with this production are his loyal camp followers.

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The Fighting Old Man

 
Vu was one of the first to do knife in publc..His Panther tapes are much better than his PFS tape. VU was under personal pressure ( thats why he seems so "intense")when the tape was made and its really not even as advanced as his first tape. Again anyone can be off and VU should really redo the tape. If one watches he also cuts into his own arm upon cutting out..Many times the partner cuts himself or does the opposite of what VU asked for..
Again,,chalk it up to MURPHY and we'll all await a NEW knife tape from VU..
Advanced its not.
Short of posted time? by alot.
Does it do justice to VU himself? no way.
So stick with Panthers tape for good solid VU with knife.
 
I'm not refering to all the other PFS tapes just the knife tape. It is uneven, filled with scenes of students sparring other students that do nothing to enhance or educate the viewer. The Box drills shown are better in the Panther videos where VU was trying to teach, not be as intense a person as possible on screen.There ARE NO advanced concepts, or drills shown, since many people INCLUDING myself wanted the tape to see VU's evolution with the blade it fell very flat.
Use slow mo and watch where hands are or not..VU uses other JKD students, peers in tape from Panther and some random students here..They are NOT doing what hes asking noer are they doing the same drills and of course VU just keeps going.
Can he fight? You bet. Can he slice? of course.Should his advanced tape be advanced? YES..VU is cabable of alot more. He's one of the "best" and that particular tape is not one of his best...
Just my opinion as well...
 
Disregard.

[This message has been edited by jrf (edited 15 December 1999).]
 
Just saw 'Advanced Knife Fighting' this past weekend (Super what?), tracking it at 43 minutes. Vunak is a bit less amped up and calmer in his speech.
The sound wasn't as clear but I see the tape as what 'JKD Knife Fighting' should have or would have been, as they are basically interchangeable.

I've never done hubud or palasut but chi sao and other sensitivity drills. Is it normal to have people look away while rolling the attacking limb to the inside?

[This message has been edited by Smoke (edited 01-31-2000).]
 
Maybe I am confused, but my perception was that Jeet Kune Do was an empty hand, weaponless fighting system. At least that is what everything that I have read by its creator and students has said. From the sounds of it, this tape should be called "Simplified Filipino Knife Fighting." The name JKD Knife Fighting is utterly innacurate. Weapons can be interfaced quite well into JKD, but JKD was not designed to be a weaponry or Filipino art. If anything it is a Wing Chun, Boxing, Fencing style art with a few influence from some other Kung Fu styles and Wally Jay's and Gene LeBell's grappling methods.

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SFC

"Is it easier to fight them or to kill them?"
 
Dan Inosanto brought Kali to JKD and it has been a major (rightfully so) part of the training ever since. I believe that Bruce looked into the philipino arts as well, but Guro Dan was the one really responsible for intergrating them with JKD.
 
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