Meet Sifu Paul Lewis of International Jeet Kune Do Comparison in Westminster

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sifu Paul Lewis.

The International JKD Comparison, or IJKDC for short, is the creation of certified Jeet Kune Do/Jun Fan Gung Fu instructor and 2011 Masters Hall of Fame inductee Sifu Paul S Lewis. After having studied under the direct tutelage of noteworthy original first generation students of Bruce Lee’s, such as Larry Hartsell, Patrick Strong and Richard Bustillo, Paul then noted the lack of a proper public platform to fully showcase this unique method of fighting.

Paul’s original inspiration for the International JKD Comparison came from his one-on-one talks with his chief instructor Sifu Larry Hartsell who was an original student and close friend of Bruce Lee’s. Larry described how back in 1969 Bruce Lee had intended to promote a similar type of martial arts event that would feature Larry as his representative fighter from the Los Angeles kwoon. However, Bruce decided to forego the endeavor when he returned to Hong Kong to begin filming the first of his famous feature films.

Hearing this from Larry created the initial spark of inspiration for the concept of the International JKD Comparison. Paul then proceeded to painstakingly design specific rules for IJKDC and modified necessary details to make the idea into a reality that would easily fit into a uniquely progressive modern day martial arts format. Although, organizing and promoting such an event can be somewhat of a nightmare for anyone to take on, the IJKDC has now become accessible to all Jeet Kune Do practitioners, martial artists and devoted pugilists who wish to participate.

In conjunction with the Long Beach International Karate Championships, where much of the martial arts community got its first-hand glimpse of an up and coming young Bruce Lee back in 1964, the International JKD Comparison made its successful debut at the LBIKC 50th Anniversary in August of 2014.

The inaugural IJKDC 2014 event featured interactive seminars with surviving original students of Bruce Lee and other noteworthy contemporaries. It also featured a tournament style comparison between fellow JKD practitioners from around the globe where they compared their JKD skills with one another in a like-minded environment. Its Grand Champion came all the way from Norway to compete and it was a thrill for all who participated!

IJKDC events continue to develop and evolve and are now being planned beyond 2016. The IJKDC 2016 event occurred on September 17th, 2016 in Orange County, CA. (USA) went off quite well, despite several logistical issues. There was a record number of participants and spectators at IJKDC 2016, which made this event very exciting!

IJKDC 2017 will take place on Saturday, September-23rd, 2017 inside the Next Level Sports Complex in Garden Grove, CA. (USA) Online Registration can be made at www.ijkdc.com

Has it been a smooth road?
The road to IJKDC events evolution has been slow. This is because of the existing politics and arguments still going on between much of the known camps within the majority of the worldwide Jeet Kune Do community. Each, vying to identify themselves by claiming direct lineage to our founder, Bruce Lee. However, many of them are exposed as charlatans without legitimate certifications from properly identified sources. Additionally, there are thousands of so-called naysayers downplaying attempts at formatting JKD into a public platform where any sort of reasonable comparisons can be made. Until now, there has not been any successful events such as IJKDC.

So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the International Jeet Kune Do Comparison story. Tell us more about the business.
The Three Unique Segments of the International JKD Comparison:

1) Enter the Dragon “Asking-Hands” Comparison: This is a specialized JKD “Trapping-Range” segment that will start with participants in a crossed hands position and proceeding into close-range striking from there. Participants are judged on speed and power of decisive hand strikes.

2) Fists of Fury “Stand-Up” Comparison: This is a striking segment to showcase kicking and punching ability. This consists of two 2 minute rounds leaving a final 1 minute “sudden death” round if there is no obvious winner announced at the end of the initial rounds.

3) All Tap Out “Go-with-the-Flow” Grappling Comparison: This segment consists of various forms of grappling arts starting from a standup position and may flow to the ground. The emphasis is to win by submission.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
We hope to take IJKDC events on the road one day…

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ijkdc.com
• Phone: (714) 818-6681
• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/IJKDC2014/

   
Image Credit:
www.ijkdc.com

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