EP23 Original Oakland Jeet Kune Do Instructors Discuss Legendary Roots

Staying in the Game, A Plum Dragon Herbs Podcast

In our last podcast, we were speaking to Leo Rodriguez about how he was introduced to Dit Da Jow by one of our guests today, Sifu Felix Macias. Sifu Felix is a second generation instructor of Jeet Kune Do in its original form. His father Felix Macias, Sr. trained under the great Kung Fu Sifu James Yimm Lee, the man that introduced Bruce Lee to iron palm training. They were all part of the Original Jeet Kune Do club in Oakland, California.

Our interview also includes guest Master Alexander Witthar, who is a freestyle artist and a 10x Masters of Martial Art Hall of Famer. He was also a gold medalist in Tae Kwon Do in the Pan American Games in 1996. Both Sifu Felix and Master Alex are current instructors at the Original Oakland Jeet Kune Do and conduct seminars on the classical principles of JKD.

We are also joined in this interview by the first owner of Plum Dragon Herbs, Josh Walker. He currently works as a senior software engineer and runs the central U.S. chapter for the Tabimina Balintawak Group, a combative style of martial arts that originated in the Philippines.

During our discussion, Sifu Felix shares some of the history of the original Oakland JKD and what it was like to be among some of the greatest martial artists, James Lee and Bruce Lee. We also discuss iron palm training and Dit Da Jow.

Show Notes:

1:20 Introductions.

5:45 How iron palm training has fallen out of certain Jeet Kune Do groups but is still a part of the curriculum of the Oakland JKD, which originated with Jimmy (James) Lee and Bruce Lee.

11:10 How Sifu Felix and Master Alex got started in martial arts. Felix’s father Felix Macias, Sr. met Jimmy Lee who was doing brick breaking with Al Novak. Bruce Lee and Jimmy Lee met up in Oakland, California.

12:44 Alex's first class in martial arts was in Wing Chun Kung Fu. Later he started doing Tae Kwon Do. Meeting Felix was an eye opener with the types of skills he could learn from Jeet Kune Do and Iron Palm.

16:50 Felix still enjoys learning about the internal martial arts and using Chinese herbs, which is the same thing that Jimmy Lee was doing.

18:15 Josh Walker discusses quantity and quality of herbs and strength of alcohol used in dit da jow formulas.

21:20 More discussion on Qigong, Iron Palm and Dit Da Jow.

25:24 For different levels of training, you can progress to stronger and stronger Jows.

27:10 Master Alex shares his advice to keep students dedicated to training.

33:10 Josh Walker talks about perseverance in coming up with Plum Dragon formulas.

38:20 Best training for those limited on mobility.

43:45 How to develop fast hands.

44:35 How to break more pavers.

46:40 How Dit Da Jow formulas differ for internal and external martial arts.

49:55 Benefits of alcohol-based Dit Da Jow including absorption, penetration of herbs and drying quickly.

54:45 Why Plum Dragon would not use dimethyl sulfoxide (DSMO) in Dit Da Jow. And why you should never take external Jows internally.

57:11 What are some ways to condition your mind for training and martial arts

58:55 What Dit Da Jow did James Lee and Al Novak use?

1:00:45 Felix’s favorite story about meeting Bruce Lee.

1:03:20 How internal martial arts has shaped Master Alex’s career in martial arts.

1:05:45 Getting in touch with our guests and a possible follow-up FB Live.

Connect with Sifu Felix and Master Alex:

• Instagram (Oakland JKD)
• Facebook (Oakland JKD) Facebook (Alex)

Connect with Josh Walker:

• Find out more about Josh Walker and connect with him on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Youtube

Find out more about Plum Dragon Dit Da Jow:

• Ku Yu Cheong Iron Palm Dit Da Jow
• Bruise Juice Dit Da Jow
• Dit Da Jow Collection

Connect with Plum Dragon Herbs:

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Thank You For Listening!

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Podcast Music Credit:

Motherlode Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/