Al-Qalam 
By Sana Ebrahim
Martial arts coach Salim Badat is the only second generation student of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do in South Africa under the late Richard Bustillo (Bruce Lee’s original student).
Bustillo founded the prestigious IMB Academy in Los Angeles California, the first academy to teach JKD to the world after the demise of the legendary Lee.
“We follow the philosophy of my teacher Richard Bustillo in that we at the IMB Academy South Africa take a non-traditional approach towards Martial Arts training, focusing more on the individual and less on the style in which they study. Students, as individuals, are different in size, physical ability, interest level and goals. The JKD classes provide a controlled atmosphere that allows students to safely experience multiple types of disciplines. This process enables them to absorb that which is most practical and functional.
“We supply you with the three basic ranges of various martial art disciplines. You practice them on your own and make your own decisions on what best fits your needs. Every individual, based on their abilities and experiences, has their own unique (Jeet Kune Do) way. IMB takes the position that, ‘These are some of our principles, theories, and concepts that are practical, simple and direct.’ We don’t want to teach you only martial arts. We want you to be able to develop it. This philosophy is called Jeet Kune Do,” explains Badat.
Apart from being a qualified Jeet Kune Do instructor, Badat also teaches WSL Ving Tsun and is affiliated to his teacher David Peterson, a student of Wong Shun Leung, the man most responsible for teaching Bruce Lee Ving Tsun.
Badat’s specialisation is CQB (Close Quarter Battle) which incorporates tactical combat survival training in knife (edged weapons), stick (impact weapons) and empty hand.
He is a specialist tactical trainer with a background in Jeet Kune Do, WSL Ving Tsun, Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) and Silat.
War Dog Tactical is a Combat training facility specialising in CQB (close quarter battle) and
instils personal security and self-protection skills as a method of counter violence.
Two systems taught at the academy are: WSL Ving Tsun and Tactical Solutions, edged and impact weapons.
WSL Ving Tsun is a close-range combat system brilliantly designed to utilise attack and skeletal alignment to cut short the attack by efficiently closing one’s opponent’s violent advance with one’s own. Training methods emphasise simplicity, directness, and efficiency.
Tactical Solutions edged and impact weapons training is taught at the facility based on FMA. The system is trained by elite military units. Badat teaches this system to special tactical teams and security companies.
“My mission is to equip you as fast as possible to be able to defend yourself,” he says.
Badat is the editor of ‘Masters of Combat’, a three-volume eBook that features interviews and articles with leading FMA masters from around the world.
He was inducted into the USA hall of fame 2010 in Nashville Tennesse USA as an outstanding Jeet Kune Do journalist of the year.
Badat conducts self-defence workshops at his facility as well as throughout the country. Some of the different types of workshops conducted are: Anti hijacking; Tactical knife and baton; Stranger Danger; Anti bullying; Guardian Moms and Rape Defence.
The workshops are taught with motivation, confidence building and empowering concepts alongside practical self-defence techniques.
Badat is the director of War Dog Productions, a company that specialises in action choreography specifically for movies and is drawn from his extensive knowledge in martial arts. The system is spectacular enough to get one’s attention and absolutely vicious and practical enough to believe in.
War Dog Productions is in a unique position to create choreography for the cinema that is extremely dynamic and ballistic in expression, utilising the incorporation of punches, knees, kicks, joint manipulation, limb destruction, sticks, knives and swords.
Badat shares his knowledge through private and public lessons. He is available to travel if one wishes to host him in their town or city.
He runs two training facilities – one in Durban and now in Johannesburg. Contact Salim Badat at 081 711 9425, salimbjkd@gmail.com
