Non-telegraphic movements of Bruce Lee
Ever noticed that the way in which Bruce Lee attacks are highly explosive? Do you know that the real reason behind this deadly explosiveness is the attribute he perfected: NON-TELEGRAPHIC MOVEMENT!!! The idea of non-telegraphing is to attack without any forewarning movements.
If you punch with just a slight motion of your feet or body, you have “telegraphed” or warned your opponent of your intention. There are no preparatory short movements for an attack. The key is that one must keep one’s body and arms loose, weaving one’s arms slightly and only becoming tense upon impact.
Lee wanted no wind-up movements or “get ready poses” to prelude any attacks. Bruce Lee explained that any twitches or slight movements before striking should be avoided as they will give the opponent signs or hints as to what is being planned. And then they will be able to strike first while one is preparing an attack.
This video is a compilation of Bruce Lee’s non-telegraphic moves. And in it, we get to see a selection of those decisive moves which made Lee a household name. As prior to his explosion on to the world scene, so little was actually known about the world of “Asian” martial arts.
Bruce lee helped to popularise martial arts through Jeet Kune Do and it was through him that the secretive world was opened to outsiders to explore. To this day Bruce is regarded by many as the Godfather of Martial Arts, to a western audience. His legacy has lived on and his impact on the world can’t be underestimated.
So let us analyse each of these non-telegraphic movements individually, under the tutelege of the man, The Dragon. See each one’s standalone perfection and how it fitted into an overall plan of attack and defence.