Ron Balicki

[Henri]

Hi. I've been training karate for a couple of years, but i feel like something is missing. After reading lots of stuff about Bruce Lee, he has become my idol in a lots of aspects of life and i would like to train some of the stuff, he was teaching. I would therefore like to take on some jeet kune do-training by myself (there are no schools in my area) and i've just found a site with this guy Ron B. He offer a DVD-set. Have anybody had any experience with it and/or know anything about this guy? I mean is he the real deal? Since i don't want to waste my time and money on something useless.
Looking forward to your replys

Henrik

[Michael Wright]

I’m not a student or affiliate of Mr Balicki so there is no agenda in my opinions.

Mr Balicki is a Full Instructor under Guro Dan Inosanto in Jun Fan Gung Fu, Filipino Kali and Maphilindo Silat. He also has a range of other qualifications including being an Instructor under Erik Paulson in Combat Submission Wrestling. So to answer your question as to whether he is “the real deal”, he certainly is. A very experienced, qualified and respected instructor in the JKD family.

I have his Instructional DVD set, the volume of information and the quality is superb. As an instructor already, I find it an invaluable reference tool for Guro Inosanto’s curriculum. Mr Balicki really covers things in depth.

However, I personally wouldn’t recommend it for someone new to the art. I believe the DVDs are intended for those who would like to be an instructor in Mr Balicki’s program, or those who already are. If you are new to JKD, then I cannot stress enough that you need to find a qualified instructor and get some solid years of training in the art before looking at learning a DVD Instructor program. I appreciate that there are no instructors near you, but to be honest the study of JKD typically involves travel and expense, certainly if you want to train at a high level.

As a final point, without opening up any debates about what JKD should and shouldn’t be, I would just say to you that martial arts has adapted and developed a lot since the era of Bruce Lee.

[Mike Brewer]

Ron Balicki is also Dan Inosanto's son in law, and he was one of the people that trained in the same Tuesday and Thursday night classes I attended when I was there at the Inosanto Academy. He was actually the first person to teach me all of the wooden dummy sets from start to finish. In short, my experience with him has been all positive. We sparred from time to time and he helped me in areas I was weaker or just plain didn't know anything. Good guy.

I haven't seen his tapes, so I can't make an intelligent recommendation about them one way or the other. I do know Michael Wright, however, and his assessment is probably spot on. Michael is an experienced instructor and would be able to tell if material was built for someone at the beginning levels or not, so put a lot of weight on what he says.

Ron Balicki is a great instructor however, and he's a tough guy too. He's an LA cop (or sheriff...I can't recall), and he presents things in a technically rich way without losing the meat and potatoes of the tools - their combativeness.

In my opinion, if you're looking for a video series to get you started, check out Paul Vunak's stuff. Start with his old Panther Productions series and just work your way through the Streetfighting series. Paul's material is easy to digest no matter how much or how little experience you have, and his tapes are (in general) as entertaining as they are instructional. Paul does not, however, pay much homage to history or technicalities when he presents his material. Terminology, jargon, and a lot of the other stuff some people get hung up on is notably absent from Paul's videos. I believe that's a good thing.

After you've been exposed to his stuff and trained it a little, then check out someone like Ron, who'll give you the more technical presentation and show a little more of what's happened in JKD in recent years. Unlike Paul, Ron still trains extensively at the Inosanto Academy. Paul has pretty much built his system on his own experience since the 90's, so the look and feel are very different. Not that one is better or worse, but they're definitely different.

Also, where do you live? You'd be surprised how often you can find some unlisted instructor just by asking around. A lot of JKD people have garage or back yard type clubs and don't list in the phone book. If you can give us an idea of where you are, we might be able to send you to someone nearby, even if it's just for the occasional seminar.

[Caveman]

Not to go off course, but think there would be one near TN? I live in East TN.

[DickHardman]

jkd is mostly sets of concepts and ideas about fighting that can be applied to a variety of styles and techniques right? you can find tons of good info on the internet on the concepts of jkd and apply them to your karate. you may even realize that you already use and practice some of these concepts.

[Mike Brewer]

Dick's full of shit. You're not going to learn what you're after from the internet or books. Find someone qualified to teach it. Philosophically, sure, you can apply JKD concepts to anything. Realistically, practically? Not quite. It really does have its own structure and delivery system, and that's an important part of learning HOW to apply the concepts to other things.

There are lots of guys who are certified JKD instructors in Tennessee. I'm not terribly familiar with the geography there, but I know of a number of them in Nashville and elsewhere. Do a google search and I'm sure they'll turn up.

[Michael Wright]

I think thats a bit harsh Mike.

In fairness to Dick he is correct, JKD is a concept, a mentality, a way of approaching the arts and not a style or system in itself. Where of course I agree with you is that there is Bruce's base system to be studied, I think what these gentlemen are looking for is Jun Fan Gung Fu. Through hard training in Jun Fan you learn, as you rightly say, how to apply the concepts of JKD through understanding Bruce Lee's physical approach. I also fully agree with you that sitting around reading books and surfing the internet and spouting Bruce Lee quotes is not JKD. However I don't think he was endorsing that either.

Where I do agree with Dick also is that JKD is no longer really a novel concept. Here in 2008 - finding the essence of a range of arts, tailor them to you as an individual, and flow through each situation in the most efficient way (as a core example)....thats out there. Walk into most MMA gyms and these concepts are just business as usual, trained in a functional and athletic way. They also won't stand around in their matching black t-shirts worrying about whether they are concentrating on the finger.

[Mike Brewer]

What? Like I'm known for being diplomatic and understated?

Dick knows I'm screwing with him. At least, I'm pretty sure he does.

I still say that to really learn what Henri is asking about, he needs instruction from someone who's been there. Videos, books, and even seminars all by themselves are just supplements. If you want to learn what JKD is all about, I firmly believe you need to go see a JKD instructor. Consider:

It's not really a novel thing anymore, that's true. But it is a lot more novel than you might think when compared with what traditional martial artists learn. It loses it's novelty to people like you and me because we've been around it for decades now, and the people that come see us for training usually have some idea of what they're walking into. However, if you were to sign up at a traditional karate school and try to apply JKD principles and concepts to what you were doing, you'd simply get "corrected" ad nauseum by the sensei there or you'd get drummed out of the place.

Sorry, but I stand by my assessment. To learn JKD, you really need to look at it in the context in which it developed. That doesn't mean you have to do the original stuff, mind you, but I think for it to be as beneficial to a student as it truly can be, you've got to experience the whole mentality of training and not just the concepts or techniques.

Oh. And dick is full of shit.

[Michael Wright]

I stand by your assessment too, because it was actually my assessment in my first post Brewer! Talk about novel concepts...

Seriously, you already know I am on the same page with all of that, I just didn't think that the notion of JKD being recognized as a set of concepts should be dismissed.

[Mike Brewer]

You're right. It shouldn't be dismissed. However, when Dick says almost anything, I instinctively respond adversarially. He brings it out in me.

[Turbo]

I had the pleasure of going to a Ron Balicki seminar the beginning of this month. Good stuff! If you ever get a chance to work with him I would recommend it.

Mike: I went Steve Rose.

Terry
Colorado Springs

[Mike Brewer]

Excellent! If you can, tell Steve how to get in touch with me. PM inbound.

[Garland]

...for shits and giggles I typed his name in facebook, and not only did he have a page...but I think Ajarn Chai is on there too! lol!

[Mike Brewer]

I'm assuming you mean Ron Balicki and not Steve Rose...

[Garland]

Originally Posted by Mike Brewer

I'm assuming you mean Ron Balicki and not Steve Rose...

Yep, Ron Balicki.