To Bruce, training was a full-time job. Even while watching television, he would be in motion. Hewould do his sit-ups very slowly, his body descending slower than ascending. “You’ll get morebenefit by doing them slowly,” he said. “It’s not the number of repetitions, but the way it’s done.” When he wasn’t doing sit-ups, he would be squeezing a rubber ball or pumping a pair of dumbbells.Desiring accolades, many times he would ask a friend or acquaintance to place a hand on hisabdomen or leg to “feel my stomach muscles” or “feel how hard my legs are.” Bruce wasn’t particular about what he ate. He avoided cigarettes, wine and liquor, but never refuseda cup of hot tea. He would eat anything: pork, chicken, fish, beef, vegetables. His favorite disheswere Chinese and Japanese. Although he was small man, 5-foot-7 and 135 pounds, he had a voracious appetite. In a restaurant,he always ordered an additional plate of food for himself- one serving was not enough. He alsodrank a lot of water, probably because he perspired so much. Bruce took a daily amount of vitamin pills, apparently influenced by the body-building magazine hesubscribed to. He prided himself on being healthy. Waist twists – four sets of 90 repetitions. Sit-up twists – four sets of 20 repetitions. Leg raises – four sets of 20 repetitions. Leaning twists – four sets of 50 repetitions. Frog kicks – four sets of 50 repetitions. “Several times a day, he took ahigh-protein drink made up of powdered milk, ice water, eggs, eggshells, bananas, vegetable oil,peanut flour and chocolate ice cream,” recalls Cadwell, who claims Bruce’s waist fluctuated between26 and 28 inches. “He also drank his own juice concoctions made from vegetables and fruits apples,celery, carrots and so on, prepared in an electric blender.” The Mirror Drill The mirror drill is a drill used to learn how to keep what is known as the fighting measure. Thefighting measure is a distance just outside of kicking range. The drill is preformed by two students.Have the two students stand in their bi-jong and hold their lead arm straight out so that their fingersbarely touch. One student will work as the leader and the other the follower. The follower has to tryto stay in the ‘fighting measure’ no matter what direction the leader goes. If the leader takes one stepto the right, then the follower does the same, if the leader takes a double step forward then thefollower tries to do the same. The follower tries to do this ‘as’ the leader moves, not after. There area few variations to the drill, such as: adding a Jeet-tek to the drill. In this case the follower stillfollowers the leader, but if the leader moves forward, then the follower, instead of moving back,jeet-tek’s the leader. This will help build the followers reaction speed to the quick advance of theopponent. Candle Drill To develop speed or quickness light a candle and attempt to extinguish it with the
acceleration of your punch. Push-Ups In order to improve
your hand speed, you must first develop your strength. Hand clap push-ups, knuckle push-ups, one-arm push-ups and focus mitt push-ups are a great way to develop your strength. Start with hand clap push-ups. Assume a push-up position, push yourself up, clap your hands, return to the starting position and repeat. Knuckle push-ups are next. Assume a push-up position, clench your fists, push yourself up, pause, return to the starting position and repeat. When you do the one-arm knuckle push-ups, hold one arm behind your back and spread your legs a little wider than usual for balance. You ll need a partner to do this last drill. Assume a push-up position in front of your partner, who should kneel in front of you with focus mitts on each hand. Push yourself up, throw a right punch at the focus mitt, land, push yourself up, throw a left punch at the left mitt, return to the starting position and repeat. In the beginning, do three sets of 10 reps for each type of push-up. You should eventually increase the sets and reps. For variety, do different push-ups each workout.Paper Training Speed is worthless of your punches aren t accurate. This drill enhances your accuracy. When you do this drill, bear in mind what Lee once said, “Let the man feel it before he sees it.” What does he mean? Don t telegraph your move before striking to target. To do this drill, you ll need some rope, a piece of paper, an eye hook and some string. Attach the rope to the ceiling and tie the eye hook to the other end of the rope. Next, tie the strung to the eye hook and attach the paper to the end of the string so it hangs about head-high. Assume a fighting stance and throw punches at the paper. The idea is to barely make contact. Mix it up by throwing a variety of punches. Do this drill for five to 10 minutes.Bungee Cord Training Training with the bungee cord is another way to build arm strength. There are two ways to do this drill. The first requires a partner. In the first drill, assume a fighting stance and hold the handle of one end of the bungee cord while your partner stands behind you holding the other end of the cord. Throw a punch, return to the starting position and repeat. The second drill does not require a partner because you wear the bungee cord device around your shoulders. Hold each handle and throw a variety of punches. The duration, sets and reps are up to you.Focus Mitt Training Focus mitt training is another good method for developing your reflexes and accuracy. This drill also requires a partner. Assume a fighting stance in front of your partner, who should wear a pair of focus mitts. Your partner should hold the gloves at chest-height and pointed toward his chest. Without notice, he should turn one glove and face it toward you. If your partner holds his left hand up, strike with your left hand. If he holds up his right hand up, strike with your right hand. Do this drill by rounds.Sparring To complete your speed training, you should spar with a partner. Don some protective gear ad go at it.