indigogo: Bruce Lee, early Seattle years

The indigogo campaign for my film about Bruce Lee, early Seattle years has begun.
Check out the film's project page, Bruce Lee Biographical Film, and friend me on Facebook: James W. DeMile.

Bruce Lee’s Core Concepts

The word core is used to describe basic elements. Learning to count from 1 to 10 is basic to learn higher mathematics. A motor, frame, wheels, brakes, seat and gas are basic for a car. Bruce felt that any art was developed around specific concepts and principles and that these concepts remained constant. It also helps the teacher build a solid program in his classes, since the core techniques are the foundation from which he will build the students skills. Core concepts should cover the broad range of potential conflicts and as much as possible follow the rules simplicity, efficiency, and practicality. Simple, meant the student could do it without warm-up or preparation. Efficient, meant that there were no excess or filler moves and practical, meant that it must work. If it did not work, it’s only value was entertainment. These rules helped Bruce filter out impractical and useless training. He broke the core into three arts. Speed, power and technique. His rational was that if you developed natural speed and power you did not have to practice technique for speed or power, you just added them to technique and you automatically had fast and powerful technique. He broke speed down into martial arts and general speed. Martial arts speed was startle or twitch speed for closing, engagement and explosive strikes. General speed was trapping and general technique application. Power was simple since it dealt with natural power and was refined for both hard and soft flowing applications. The techniques were: Stance - open (launching or absorbing an attack), closed Bi Jong (fighting), centerline control for maximum trapping, converging and striking energy, perimeter control – efficient and refined upper/outer torso domination, Closing of the gap – Lunge or steal-a-step Powerlines for offensive/defensive applications (strikes, bridge, stance. The broad range of techniques practiced from these core concepts were designed or adapted to each student. These included blocks, strikes and trapping.

April 30, 2013

Finally, here I am again.  It has been awhile, but that is going to change.  I was just blipping along in my world and not to concerned about any one thing.  Jesse's passing has changed that, not only because I see the door opening for me, but the reality of passing through it before I am ready is something I need to address.  The only big dream that still needs to be fullfilled is leaving a complete DVD legacy of Wing Chun Do and doing a docu-drama of my time with Bruce Lee in the early years.  I have been whittling away at the WCD DVD's, but made no progress on the film bio of the early years.  A great part of the problem has been every one who was interested wanted control of film content and editing.  They wanted to make me a consultant, which means they could ignore me.  Finally, the time is here.  New ways to raise money and the demand for knowing about the early years of Bruce Lee. has motivated me to put everything aside and do the film bio.  I have a script and done the groundwork for putting a film together, the only thing missing is the money.  I have joined facebook to share many of my memories with Bruce.  I have really enjoyed the positive feedback from all my old and new friends.  Within two weeks I will be ready to start raising the money.  Before I had to deal with the SEC,  security lawyers and go begging to hollywood.
No more.  I am going to let the Bruce Lee followers be part of the producing the film as well as small er investors.  I will be starting a new website dedicated to the Bruce Lee project.  Join me on face book as I will be posting regular updates once I get started.  I will also be posting info here on my blog. 

Oct 2012

A short update.  Still working on new programs.   The pace has been slow.  The last six months has been hit and miss since my back problems have been getting steadily worse.  Had to finally schedule a new surgery date, Nov.1..  This will be surgery number four, with two more to go.  It has been very hard to focus on my different projects and I finally realized that without full concentration I will not be able to do a proper job on anything that is important.  Hopefully the surgery will be successful and I can commit my full attention to finishing the projects I outlined in my last Blog.  Because of many requests I will soon post an overview of my personal history so those interested will be able to better understand who I am and what has caused me to think like I do.

2012 The year of the Dragon

Life has moved to warp speed.  A blink ago I was sitting in my office in Honolulu and reading about the sudden death of the "little dragon".  If reincarnation is real then Bruce could have been reborn and be in his 30's.  I was just in Seattle to see the recent release of " I am Bruce Lee" and was pleased to see the theater was full to the brim with Bruce Lee fans.  However, I noticed that the majority of the audience were born after Bruce's death.  It just underlines the tremendous impact Bruce had on the past and present generations of martial artists.  I was disappointed to see that once again Linda Lee skipped Bruce's early years of training and left the impression that Bruce evolved after meeting her.   I enjoyed the film since it was alittle more truthful and showed more of Bruce as a person.  Linda shared some new personal insights of Bruce that was refreshing.
The new site demiledefensivetactics.com (DDT)and demileselfdefense.com (DSD) are finally happening (work in progress).  DDT will focus on the blending of personal development (mind/body) whereas DSD will focus on the physical application.  This way instructors can have an option as to the degree of services they will offer.  Some students are not interested in the fighting aspects of training but want the physical benefits as well as personal growth.  Others want to focus on the applied street level for more rounded skills in self defense.  The Wing Chun Do system will stay as the academic and complete original style as presented in my books, the Tao of Wing Chun Do.  This classical approuch appeals to many students who want to learn the art rather than just self defense.
I am shifting gears from martial arts to more community oriented services.  I have recently done some seminars for Post Tramatic Stress Disorder and am very pleased with the results.  The need in PTSD is escalating because of the recent world conflicts and the programs available to veterns is very limited.  I feel a responsibility to do what I can for those sacrificing for my freedoms.
I am also setting up seminars for developing triggers for "spontaneous remission" when individuals want techniques to control their own life.
The  DDT site will show a shift to a broader program that will emphasize mental/emotional defensive tactics with less focus on the physical.  The new instructors program in DDT will look for individuals interested in this approuch to diversified teaching.    I am work with Ken DeMile, my nephew who has trained with me for over 30 years, to finalize the DSD instructors outline.  We will be offering two or three DSD instructors camps this summer.  They will take place at the Rogue River, Oregon training facilities.  The camp will also accept students for general training.  They will not be tested as an instructor or given any instructors material, but allowed to train with the instructors.  Interested individuals may email me to be put on the list for updates.
More info available soon.

November 2011

Will be updating the blog soon.

I always seem to be behind in updating news for the blog.  Maybe it is because I find it hard to relate to the instant access to theworld when I come from a time when telephones were a novelty.  Time seems to have a way of moving in warp drive whereas I appear to be moving in slow motion.  I have just finished  two more DVD's, one on Bruce Lee's secrets of applied Spring Energy and the the first level of the Basics of Bruce  Lee's Closed Position Chi Sao.  I have many requests to share my experiences in training in the little understood art of Trapping.  I have been going back and forth for years on how best to approuch this  area of interest, since it was these concepts and techniques that made Bruce invincible.  I have finally started the process of sharing the structure and methods of training to achieve a applied level of skill in the art of Trapping.  First is to clearly define Spring Energy since it is a constant part of all phases of Trapping.  Next is to teach the initial steps of applied Trapping.   The first stage would be  to learn the basic, intermediate and advanced stages of Chi Sao (sticking hands), which lay the foundation for perimeter control and then to add the stages of Slap and Wrist Slap Sparring which broaden the offensive/defensive potential of close quarter engagement and then the final stage which is the free and spontaneous flowing actions to control the opponents energy.  Although Trapping is thought of as a defensive series of movements, it is the offensive use of Spring Energy that actually makes Trapping work..  The beauty of learning the art of Trapping is that it is adaptable to fit into any style or system of martial arts.  It is an art by itself.  I am doing some immersion seminars to teach the art of Trapping to those who wish learn this unique art.   I am presently setting up a Fall and Winter schedule.  Contact me at sijo@wingchundo.com if you are interested in further info.