The purpose of the jump step is to evade a sweeping strike aimed at the feet, ankles, or lower legs. This means that both feet leave the ground. And to maximize the evasive power, your knees lift up towards the chest to energize the jump.
And full disclosure here, this is going to be a classic example of “Those who can’t do, teach“. If you have a bad knee (like I do) or a bad ankle, you might want to consider being aware of this step but not adding it to your repertoire. I used to be able to do this, but now have to weigh the consequences of exacerbating my knee injury versus practicing this. So no video today – sorry.
So the basic jump step is simply that: jumping by raising both knees so that both feet leave the ground and then returning to a stable stance.
In the stepping drill, there are six separate movements to practice the jump step from different stances:
- From a right N stance, jump up and spin 360° counterclockwise (look over your left shoulder as you jump), landing in a right N stance
- From a left N stance, jump up and spin 360° clockwise (look over your right shoulder as you jump), landing in a left N stance
- From a right L stance, jump up and spin 360° counterclockwise (look over your left shoulder as you jump), landing in a right L stance
- From a left L stance, jump up and spin 360° clockwise (look over your right shoulder as you jump), landing in a left L stance
- From an H stance, jump up and spin 360° clockwise (look over your right shoulder as you jump), landing in an H stance
- From an H stance, jump up and spin 360° counter clockwise (look over your left shoulder as you jump), landing in an H stance
Sorry no video for this one. If I have a volunteer, I’ll work with you and post a video of you!