Tao of Jeet Kune Do
by Bruce Lee
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Book Reviews of Tao of Jeet Kune Do
Book Review: Not the holy grail for combat, but very close to it
Summary: 4 Stars
In case you wanna know:-
1. what JKD is, or to be precise, is not;
2. the philosophy behind JKD, which is very taoism and zen based;
3. fighting skills with strong element of Wing Chun;
4. combat tactics now commonly adopted by SDUs, SEALs;
5. drawings and handwriting of Bruce himself;
then this book will satisfy you well. If you are just a fan of Bruce's movies, you will be bored by those very philosophical messages and absence of handsome photos.
To give you a slight idea of how sophisticated this book is, below please find the opening sentence for individual chapters.
(I strongly suggest you to take a look of the content page here in Amazon to have a better grasp of what this book is all about)
Preliminaries: To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are. Pg 26
Qualities: It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away the unessentials! Pg 42
Tools: Before I studied the art, a punch to me was just a punch, a kick was just a kick. After I'd studied the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kicker no longer a kick. Now that I understand the art, a punch is just a punch, a kick is just a kick. Pg 70
Preparations: Intelligence is sometimes defined as the capacity of the individual to adjust himself successfully to his environment - or to adjust the environment to his needs. Pg 124
Mobility: Attain stillness while moving, like thy moon beneath the waves that ever go on rolling and rocking. Pg 138
Attack: There is nothing much in this art. Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch; kick when you have to kick. Pg 160
And, the final sentence of the book: If people say JKD is different from this or from that, then let the name of JKD be wiped out, for that is what it is, just a name. Please dont fuss over it. Pg 208
Book Review: Won't teach you martial arts, but you'll still learn.
Summary: 4 Stars
I see that a lot of reviewers that gave this book low ratings seem to think that you can learn martial arts from a book. I will give you this warning now, you can't and never will be able to learn a martial art from a book, but this is a good starting place for beginners to see some of the techniques and ideas put forward in Jeet Kune Do. If you're someone with martial training as I am you can learn a number of things from this book. Most martial arts that are taught today are for exercise, fun, or competition, rarely are they taught for safety or other more historical reasons. This book can help you get back to those roots of your art.
I have studied various forms of martial arts for around ten years now and would consider this book an invaluable edition to my library, which is always growing and always changing and I still rank this book as one of the better ones in my collection. Inside you will find sections of philosophy and sections on technical work. The reason I gave this only four stars is that if you are not a martial artist or if you don't at least have some basic training, the technical section of the book is worthless and will do you no good. However, if you have practiced, you can learn a lot from the technical section of this book as Bruce goes over individual moves and how to use them to their best in a fight. He also explains how to close space between yourself and an opponent, how to mix up the rhythms of a fight, and how to make your attack and defense more effective.
If you haven't studied martial arts then you will find some sections of this book to be quite interesting while others are utterly worthless. If you have, however, this is one of the better technical manuals that can be purchased that is also veined with the philosophies behind this physical and mental art. It is a wonderful resource and a useful tool for any martial artist.
Book Review: An interesting read but not much more
Summary: 2 Stars
Lee's Tao of JKD has been heralded as a masterpiece. Perhaps at the time, it was the best that was available. However, with multiple readings, I always think of a comment made by Oscar Levant concerning Leonard Bernstein - something like "He exposes secrets that have been known to the world for hundreds of years."As Lee himself said, there is nothing new in this book. However, as a classical kung-fu student, I am repeatedly saddened by his "rejection" of classical technique for its "inefficiencies." It seems to me that Lee did not truly understand the depths available from his classical Wing Chun and rejected his roots to try to find something which he would have found if he had simply stayed. His expositions on "non-classicism" are the same expositions made by every single competent classical martial artist - make the techniqe your own; don't just follow the pattern.
For the Chinese style practitioners, this book may be read for its reconstruction of basic Wing Chun theory. Lee's JKD theory was simply Wing Chun plus some fencing and boxing terminology.
Some of his theories on body movement are good, but the more "modernized" ones simply show Lee's impatience by his emphasis on muscle development.
This is not to say that one cannot develop fast power by building muscle, but there are limits there that can only be surpassed by proper qigong training.
For the serious martial artist, this will be an interesting read. I do not recommend this for the beginner - there is some bad stuff mixed in with the good, and they will not have the sufficient wisdom to be able to weed it out.
Book Review: There is no better book on martial arts philosphy
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had my copy of this book for many years. I often refer to sections of it for advice and inspiration.While Lee's views on the arts may be controversial, I think that anyone who has studied the arts seriously [ this excludes the black belt factories ) can appreciate the philosophical tone of the work. Too many of us get too into dictated technique and form as well as tradition to appreciate Lee's theories.
Jeet Kune Do is the style that is not a style. One that is infinitely flexible and adaptable to the individual and the situation.
I have been a Bruce Lee fan for 30 years and while I have never had the honor of meeting him or personally seeing him in form, I have been inspired and awed by him.
The Tao of Jeet Kune Do is an inspired and original work and to me embodies the essense of the true martial artist.
They are called the "arts" for a reason. How poor would other arts be if all of the artists merely copied others - I don't mean inspired by others but COPIED others. By and large that is what the so-called kwoons teach these days.One way and one way only, for $$$$$ we guarantee a black belt in 14 months.
Arts by definition are intensly personal and open for interpretation. How rich would the world of culture be today if Michealangelo merely copied Davinci or Monet was discouraged to explore impressionism saying it was not "true art"?
Lee breaks new ground and we who study him are the richer for it.
I recommend this book to any one with a serious interest in the martial arts. Those of you unfortunates stuck in black belt factories please study this book; it will open a new world for you.
Book Review: The bible of martial arts !
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a thai-boxer and a martial arts enthusiast. I have read a lot of books, seen a bunch of tapes and had a couple of teachers. When one gets to a certain degree of expertise, what makes you be above your opponent is that set of details like defense and attack technique nuances, fainting, relaxation, mind control, phylosophy and a series of other attributes only the greatest master was able to study and give us as a present at the time of his death. Unfortunately, he was not lucky to brush up on his art because of his early departure.Interesting, this book serves any kind of martial art. Lee studied a lot and his personal library was one of the largest. His knowledge covered each and every form of martial art, as well as phylosophy and physical conditioning. Maybe one of the greatest genius of this century.
And a quote from the book for those who say Bruce Lee was "blind" to other styles:
"He (Lee) did not intend it to be a 'how-to' book or a 'learn kung-fu in 10 lessons'. He intended it as a record of one's man way of thinking and as a guide, not a set of instructions. If you can read it in this light, there is much to be aware of on these pages. And probably you will have many questions, the answers to which you must seek within yourself. When you have finished this book, you will know Bruce Lee better, but hopefully you will also know yourself better. Now open your mind and read, understand and experience, and when you have reached that point, discard the book. The pages are best used for cleaning up a mess -- as you will see." -- Linda Lee (wife and compiler of the book)