Progressive Fighting System

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please help improve this article or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since October 2006. (help, talk)

An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines.

If you are familiar with the subject matter, please expand the article to establish its notability, citing reliable sources. If notability cannot be established, the article is more likely to be considered for deletion, as per Wikipedia:Guide to deletion. (See also Wikipedia:Notability)
This article has been tagged since October 2006.

Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style.

Remove this template after wikifying. This article has been tagged since October 2006.

The Progressive Fighting System (PFS) is a martial arts organization and a hybrid fighting system that evolved from Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do. It was developed by American martial artist Paul Vunak, a former student of Dan Inosanto, and is currently taught across North America and in Europe [1]. Many PFS instructors consider it to be a style of Jeet Kune Do, while others consider it to be a new system with roots there.

[edit] Techniques

The system emphasisizes techniques intended for self-defense. Practitioners make a point of training in all ranges of fighting: kicking, boxing, trapping, and grappling, as well as weapons. A standard sequence might involve intercepting an attack, say with a low kick; attempting to enter with a punch, only to find it obstructed by the opponent's arm; executing a trapping technique to clear the way, followed by a straight blast (chain punches); then grabbing the head in a two-handed clinch and using the system's signature finishing move, repeated knee strikes, elbow strikes, and headbutts. This basic strategy comprises the Rapid Assault Tactics section of the system, intended as an easy-to-teach, easy-to-learn form of simple and general self-defense. The full system includes responses to more general situations, including fighting trained opponents such as boxers, kickboxers, and wrestlers.

Elements of Chinese Wing Chun Kung Fu, Western and Thai boxing, French Savate, Filipino Kali, and wrestling- and Judo-inspired grappling and groundfighting are included in the PFS curriculum. They are combined using Jeet Kune Do's "absorb what is useful" philosophy, and used with that art's fighting strategies: Strong side forward, intercept the attack, four ranges of fighting, five methods of attack, simplicity, and so on.

[edit] Organization

Paul Vunak is the president and head instructor of the organization, supported by a senior training officer and three directors. There are many PFS instructors, of various levels (Senior, Full, Phase One, and Apprentice Instructors), currently teaching in various locations. Recently, Mr. Vunak has begun marketing the system as Executive PFS (following the short-lived PFS/DEFCON program) with a renewed emphasis on self-defense in situations such as carjackings, abductions, and so on, and on a train-the-trainer approach to promoting the system. There will eventually be 50 Certified Executive Instructors in Executive PFS.

Seminar and specialized training is commonly done. Paul Vunak has been retained to teach the system to the United States Navy SEAL Team Six, the FBI, the DEA, and various police and SWAT teams.