Dan Mikeska is a rather unassuming individual. Under 6 feet tall and weighing about 165 pound, he doesn't appear to be the picture of intimidation.
However, the Centreville resident has some intimidating talents. The 39-year-old Mikeska is a certified full instructor of Jeet Kune Do, a form of hand-to-hand combat and self-defense designed by Bruce Lee and Lee's partner, Dan Inosanto. Through his company, Complete Fitness Concepts, Mikeska teaches self-defense not only to the average citizen but experienced martial artists and law enforcement personnel as well.
For Mikeska, the best part of teaching Jeet Kune Do, which means "way of the intercepting fist," is getting to show people a relatively young style of martial arts. "I love opening people's eyes," he says. "I did traditional martial arts for 15 years. When I started training in Jeet Kune Do, it was like I was walking down a narrow path and someone opened the door to a huge new world."
Mikeska's life in martial arts began as a high school graduate in Springfield in 1982. After attending his first class with a friend, focusing on American sport karate, "we were mesmerized." He is a fourth-degree black belt in American sport karate, and has also trained extensively in Tang Soo Do. He competed with Team USA in 1995, and was inducted into the Universal Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2003.
JEET KUNE DO was created in the 1960s when Bruce Lee and Dan Inosanto took the most effective techniques and training methods from various other styles and combined them. Eventually, Dan Inosanto would teach a man named Paul Vunak. Vunak began teaching Mikeska Jeet Kune Do in 1997.
Mikeska says that one of the emphases in Jeet Kune Do is fluidity. "A lot of it is movement. Once you start, the movement doesn't cease until the conflict is resolved."
"Jeet Kune Do is huge, when you look at the overall concept of what it is," says Mikeska. "There are no preprogrammed moves."
Some of Mikeska's past students include county and state police officers, SWAT specialists, DEA officers, private investigators, bodyguards, bouncers and members of the military. "I've trained police who feel unprepared on the street," says Mikeska. "One thing I teach is how to use batons more effectively. It's the most underutilized piece of equipment. Too many cops are taught to draw their firearm when they could draw their baton."
He says police officers often use the tactics they learn to handle disorderly individuals, suspects and convicts. Of those in the military, Mikeska says he doesn't ask them if they've ever used Jeet Kune Do tactics in real-life situations, "and I probably don't want to know."
Mikeska works out of Dan Shelton's Virginia Martial Arts Academy in Chantilly. He teaches 20-25 individuals regularly in private classes. Group classes generally have 12-15 students. Classes cover such topics as basic Jeet Kune Do concepts, combat tactics, and groundfighting. Mikeska also holds open sparring sessions twice a month.
AS A RULE, Jeet Kune Do doesn't use the belt system of advancement, due to lack of standardization. Instead, there are four instructor certifications: apprentice, assistant, full and senior. Mikeska himself is a full instructor, and only his superior, Paul Vunak, can promote an individual to the highest senior instructor certification.
Rather than the image of martial classes seen in movies, Mikeska's students come in T-shirts and basketball shorts. Mikeska doesn't give commands, but instead practices with them, and shows them different techniques while trying to explain the reasoning behind them. Instead of focusing on various moves themselves, Mikeska puts the execution of strikes and parries into a real-life context.
"I try to keep things as simple as possible," he says of his teaching style. "Complicated moves generally don't work, because you're not going to think of them in a realistic situation."
"We're a training school, not a fighting school. I don't want people to come in who want to fight, I want people who want to learn."
Last Thursday, the class focused on weapons training. Mikeska divided the class into beginners and experienced students, and had both groups work on drills designed to stress "body mechanics." His movements were crisp and sure as he demonstrated the drills. As the students practiced with three-foot-long sticks, Mikeska whipped his own stick around rapidly. "See, people aren't going to mess with you if they see you doing this," he said, as the end of the stick became a blur.
THERE ARE MANY ways that Jeet Kune Do is different from other styles, one of which is the utilitarian nature behind it. While Mikeska says that many fighting styles are limited to tournament sparring or pure artistry, Jeet Kune Do was intended for a more practical use. He draws a distinction between different styles of martial arts by the four ranges they teach. "Moving from out to in, there's kicking, punching, trapping, and groundfighting. Most arts teach one or two effectively, and none teach all of them."
"Bruce Lee realized 35 years ago that not one range is always going to win a fight."
For more information, visit www.completefitnessconcepts.com.