Bruce Lee wrote, “The straight punch is the core of jeet kune do.” To write an article on the straight lead, then, is to write an article on the most basic, fundamental principles of JKD.
In fact, the entire structure of the art was designed around the most efficient and forceful delivery of the straight punch. Strategically, you must have a strong lead hand for both offense and defense. Other weapons— hook punches, rear crosses, uppercuts and kicks—are of little use without a good lead hand to set them up.
The culmination of years of scientific study, the straight lead is a biomechanical marvel maximizing the potential for leverage, accuracy, acceleration and force production. Once you have grasped the mechanics behind it, you will be able to learn other JKD punches and kicks with greater ease.
Straight hitting is no simple task. Lee said so, as did all his major boxing influences: Edwin L. Haislet, Jim Driscoll and Jack Dempsey. “The ability to hit straight from the shoulder is not a natural act,” Haislet wrote. “It cannot be learned by chance, and experience does not teach it. Straight hitting, with body behind each blow, is an art that takes years of study and practice to perfect.” Years. You do not learn the straight lead overnight. Beginners often try it for a few weeks, become discouraged by their lack of power and give up, reverting to their old ways. They later wonder why their progress plateaus, but as the saying goes, the definition of insanity is repeating the same action over and over, expecting different results. Learning the straight lead may require you to step out of your comfort zone for a little while.